Countdown To the first 100 miler of the year – The EPONA 2025!
This weekend I’ll be having a bash, once again, at the EPONA 2025 reverse edition. Since completing it last year, I learned a lot of hard, valuable lessons to make this years a little more ‘enjoyable’ if you will.
Fortunately, it looks like we’re having the same weather, if not better, than last year! The forecast for the EPONA 2025? Warm and sunny! Couldn’t imagine doing something of this magnitude in shit weather. So that helps!
I’ll never take anything for granted. Just because I’ve done it, I’m not an expert ultrarunner. The route is reversed this year, so therefore it’ll be a different challenge. For that reason, I’ve created a route companion to help me take the on-the-spot thinking out of anything on the weekend. Something to let me know when, where and how far various sections and checkpoints are should I need to know on the spot. One thing I know is that forewarned is forearmed. Hopefully, this year, I can improve on last years’ time, in addition to getting the thing done of course!
I was lucky last year that I latched on to Sarah and her crew which helped immensely.
Hopefully I’ll have a similar experience with somebody else this year. I don’t think I would have done it without Sarah, Lloyd, Chilly and Terry – still legends a year on! It woulda been lonely as fuck without you guys!
Funny thing is, as it has been reversed, that the bits that I was absolutely fucked on last year, I’m gonna be pretty fresh for this year! I remember vividly the heat as we descended toward Llanthony Priory – it felt like we were next to the sun. It was toasty! Only thing I aint looking forward to as much is having to go through the night. Me and Sarah were pretty fortunate that the dark bits last year included the mind-numbing canal section that seemed to go on for fucking ages! This year, I’m gonna be in some fucking hills somewhere, so that is gonna be less than ideal.
For that very reason, should it require a bit of solo navigating, I have my watch of course, which is awesome, however there’s nothing worse than doubting yourself and wasting miles correcting a mistake. Furthermore, for that very reason, I’ve put together a ‘shopping list’ of double-checkers here. In other words, if I have any doubts, I can check I’m not going wrong using this. Looks extensive, but it’s pretty self-explanatory…
Here we go, ‘milemarkers’ of the EPONA 2025:
- Mile 1 – 8 – Cambrian Way
- Mile 9 – Cambrian Way merges with Beacons Way
- Mile 9.75 – turns right onto Beacons Way
- Mile 9.75 – 12.5 – Beacons Way (CP 1 11 miles)
- Mile 12.5 – Onto Offa’s Dyke Path
- Mile 12.5 – 20 – Offa’s Dyke Path
- Mile 20 – Take a left off ODP (CP 2 Mile 21)
- Mile 20 – 36 – Unnamed trail / Black Mountains Fell Race
- Mile 35.9ish – Waun Fach – left onto Cambrian Way
- Mile 36 – 46.25 – Cambrian Way (CP4 Mile 45)
- Mile 46.25 – Right onto Monmouthshire Brecon Canal Path
- Mile 46.25 – 48.75 – Canal path turns into Usk Valley Walk
- Mile 48.75 – 51.5 – Usk Valley Walk
- Mile 51.5 – Usk Valley Walk merges into Beacons Way
- Mile 51.5 – 53.9 – Beacons Way
- Mile 53.9 – Left onto Taff Trail (CP 5 – Mile 54)
- Mile 53.9 – 56.25 – Taff Trail merges into Beacons Way
- Mile 56.25 – 59.1 – Taff Trail / Beacons Way
- Mile 56.25 – Left onto Cambrian Way
- Mile 56.25 – 63.9 – Cambrian Way
- Mile 63.9 – Right OFF Cambrian Way
- Mile 63.9 – 67.75 – Unnamed trail to CP 6 (Mile 65)
- Mile 67.75 – Right back onto Cambrian Way
- Mile 67.75 – 73.25 – Cambrian Way
- Mile 73.25 – Right off Cambrian Way onto unnamed trail
- Mile 73.25 – 82.4 – Unnamed trail into Gilwern & CP 7 (Mile 78)
- Mile 82.4 – Left onto Cambrian Way
- Mile 82.4 – 83.75 – Cambrian Way
- Mile 83.75 – 85.5 – Right onto unnamed trail around Punchbowl
- Mile 85.5 – Back onto Cambrian Way into Abergavenny
- Mile 88.25 – Onto Beacons Way in Abergavenny
- Mile 88.25 – 93.5 – Beacons Way & Skirrid
- Mile 93.5 – Left onto unnamed trail
- Mile 93.5 – 98.25 – Unnamed trail
- Mile 98.25 – Left onto Cambrian Way
- Mile 98.25 – 102 – Cambrian Way via Sugarloaf to finish
All the mileages are approximates. The point whatever after each is just an indicator that the markers are somewhere there.
I’ve put all this into an A4 document therefore you can download and print if you find it useful.
Click for an even bigger version!
I’ve named anything off the beaten track as ‘unnamed trail’ – it probably has a name, but I don’t know them. Also, I included the ‘Black Mountans Fell Race’ within a section of unnamed trail as it’s on the map – in case it was useful to know. There are a couple of sections that merge and / or overlap too, like the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal at mile 49 turns in the Usk Valley Walk which turns in to the Beacons Way and then splits at mile 51 where you take a left onto Beacons Way. Going straight on turns back into the Usk Valley Walk. Watch out! Same at mile 54 (CP5) where the Taff Trail merges with Beacons Way.
Like I said, before, I’m not expert on these things, however, having a system to eliminate doubt in addition to tech helps massively. Hopefully I can find another Sarah again so we can help each other through. Having a buddy was a huge bonus I hadn’t accounted for. That’s why, once again, I’m preparing for the worst (being on my own) and hoping for the best (finding like like-mined mentalists who think doing 100 miles is ‘fun’)!
PS, don’t forget your ass lube! No, no, no, not for that, from the constant movement. trust me!
