ONE of the UK’s toughest endurance races – a 24km race over two sides of the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons – was won by Kidderminster runner Martin Davies.

The race on Pen-Y-Fan, known commonly as the ‘Fan Dance’, was won by Martin in a personal best time of three hours and 26 minutes.

An infamous challenge that has long been part of SAS selection, the fan dance is considered the yardstick of a candidate’s potential to perform well on test week and ultimately pass the Special Forces Selection program.

The rules are to carry a 16kg back pack with all the essentials, plus four litres of water, including food, meaning runners will be weighed down by an extra 18kg.

Martin said: “Last summer I entered the Trident which is three fan dances in 24 hours. So this year I wanted to go back and do one fast, but gain a personal best.

“At half-way I knew I was on for a PB, and was in 15th position. On the return leg I managed to claw myself into second by the time I had climbed Jacobs’s ladder.

“Then I really had to push hard and decided to take some chances and run as fast down the Pen-Y-Fan slopes as I could, without taking a tumble, which could have been catastrophic with the weight on my back.”

Martin managed to catch the runner in first place near the final assent, before maintaining the position all the way to the finish where he claimed the victory.