Beacons Way Ultra 100km

Beacons Way Ultra 100km : Brecon Beacons National Park

The Beacons Way Ultra is a 100 km (62 miles) self-navigated ultramarathon across Bannau Brycheiniog, the Brecon Beacons National Park, with 3178 m of ascent. The field is limited to 250 places and the published overall cut-off is 24 hours. The route follows the official Beacons Way trail, starting near Talybont and finishing at Llangadog RFC, and includes the Pen-y-Fan and the Carmarthen Fans.

The event has six staffed checkpoints spaced along the course. Checkpoints provide refreshments, vegetarian and vegan options, hot food at indoor stops, and medical or first-responder cover. Participants must check in at every checkpoint; failure to do so leads to disqualification. The race awards tiered finisher medals by position and prizes for the top three male and top three female finishers. The race also carries UTMB Performance Index and ITRA points and can act as a Western States qualifier for runners who meet the stated finishing time requirement.

Entry is by application and the organiser requires prior ultramarathon experience. Entrants must be at least 20 years old and able to navigate with map and compass. Mandatory kit must be carried at all times and includes a full paper map (specified OS or Harvey map), a physical compass, headtorch (min 75 lumens), backup light, GPS tracker supplied at registration, thermal survival bag, waterproofs, minimum 1 litre water capacity, emergency rations (min 500 kcal) and a charged mobile phone. Full kit checks are enforced and failure to carry mandatory items may result in disqualification.

Optional services include two dropbags (one to meet at a mid-race checkpoint and one at the finish), optional coach return to the start, event merchandise and a pre-ordered finisher t-shirt. Pacers are not permitted and support crew access is restricted at some locations. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.