Kong Mini Mountain Marathon - Dolgellau
On an incredibly wet and windy Sunday morning in Dolgellau, North Wales, I jogged from our hotel to the Dolgellau Institute to register for the third and final instalment of the Kong Mini Mountain Marathon for 2023. Mini Mountain Marathons are, ostensibly, straightforward events; participants are given a map at the start and the map shows twenty-five 'control points' to be reached in whatever sequence the participant sees fit. Control points furthest away, or highest up, are allocated a higher points value. The aim is for the participant to select their own route, and to 'dib in' to as many of the control points as possible within a four hour time limit. It's basically orienteering on steroids. As I walked to the start, I surveyed the map; there were two control points (1 and 8) close to the start. CP1 was to west, and CP8 was to the east. I'd already decided that I would aim to move broadly in a circle to get to as many of the control points as I could. I opted