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Off The Tarmac Logo

OTT Ultra Marathon
30 miles -
Brecon Beacons

Date

Saturday 2nd November 2024
Registration opens 06:30 – 07:40
Race briefing – 07:45
Race Start – 08:00 

Cost

Affiliated Runners
£55

Non Affiliated Runners
£57

Location

The Bothy Heritage Centre
Cyfarthfa Park
Merthyr Tydfil
CF47 8RE

The Ultra Marathon

This fantastically runnable Ultra Marathon will test your limits as it takes you through the heart of the Brecon Beacons on beautiful, but technical trails. 

The ultra starts at Cyfartha Castle and works its way onto the Taff Trail. After a few miles, you will split away to follow the trails alongside the River Taff heading north towards the Beacons Reservoir.

Once at the far end of the reservoir, the route crosses the A470 and climbs to the summit of Pen y Fan (the highest peak in South Wales at 886 meters). Once at the top, a descent of Jacobs ladder will lead you to the Roman Road taking you to Torpantau.

From here you will take the forestry track alongside Dolygaer and Pontsticill Reservoir, providing fantastic views over the valley.

As you descent from the forest tracks, you return to the trails of the Taff Fechan Nature Reserve as you follow the river back to Cyfartha Castle, where you will find the finish line

 This is a great route for those looking to take the step up to a trail Ultra marathon whilst also catering to experienced ultra runners.

You’ll need the following compulsory kit on the day: 
Mobile phone(fully Charged at the start)
Hydration (minimum of 1 liter)
Foil blanket or Bivi Bag  
Food & Emergency Rations (400 Cals emergency rations)
Basic 1st aid kit 
Head torch or torch 
Whistle
Waterproof jacket and trousers (Tapped seems)
Warm Layer, hat, and Gloves 
Bag/Ruck Sack  

There are 5 checkpoints for the race, 4 will have water and food available:

– Checkpoint 1 at Cwm Cadlen Road crossing at 6 miles.
– Checkpoint 2 at Pont yr Daf car park at 13 miles
– Check-in/Check-out-only checkpoint at the Pen Y Fan summit.
– Checkpoint 3 at Torpantau Train Station at 19.5 miles.
– Checkpoint 4 at Ffynnondwyn (Taff Trail) at 26 miles.

The cutoff for this event is 14:00 at checkpoint 3. This is 6 hours after the start of the race, so a pace of 20mins/mile or quicker is required of entrants.

The Ultra Marathon Route

The Off The Tarmac Ultra Marathon Route, Brecon Beacons
Click the map for route information and GPX download.

Elevation gain – 3750ft/1143m