A friend of mine at my local gym – Eisey’s Community Gym – suggested I enter the Fan Dance, a gruelling 24km SAS Selection Test march, carrying 20kg and staged over Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons. I felt the event would be tough but was in me. My running mileage had been a consistent 20-plus miles per week, including trail runs with a weekly average of 1,000ft of elevation. And I have a years’ strength training under my belt, since starting this time last year.
On the day, right in the middle of a dramatic cold snap across the UK, the experience was incredible. The snow and icy conditions reduced the distance we covered but the difficulty level for me personally was off the scale. I’m very proud to have completed it.
Every Fan Dance is assigned a difficulty rating out of 10, which is determined by the underfoot conditions and weather. I was told that the event I completed will be assigned a 7 or 8, and my finishing time, adjusted for the conditions and shortened route, was 7:28 (with an actual time of 6:33). To put that into context, to pass the brutal Selection Test, SAS recruits must complete the course in under 4:10, carrying 27kg (rather than the 20kg I carried). Very humbling.
The Directing Staff (DS) team are all former members of the SAS and SBS (British Special Forces) and are supported by a dedicated Mountain Safety Team (MST). All team members exuded a quiet, reassuring and approachable air of confidence. I had nothing but enormous respect for the team – you knew you were in safe hands.
Without the strength training over the last year, I’m sure I would not have finished. Not only did I underestimate the toll 20kg would take, I also didn’t factor in how slippery the ice would render the route, even wearing good boots (Altberg Defenders). I plan to invest in a pair of crampons for the next time just in case. No exaggeration, I must have slipped and fallen over 200 times, with the backpack handily acting as a sort of airbag, so no injuries. Getting up each time was the killer though; imagine that many Turkish Get-Ups with a 20kg weight! Looking back, I reckon with stronger core and legs, I could have managed to catch some of the falls. My problem was being unable to control the rucksack’s weight once I started slipping. That’s a learning for next time.
What else did I take away?
- I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the severity of the challenge and the beauty of the Brecon Beacons.
- I will incorporate walking with my 10kg weighted vest to prepare for another go and will do a lot more full-load practicing.
- As with all events which require you to be so far outside your comfort zone, there is great camaraderie between the participants – all like-minded souls.
- A complete mental reset. Spending time in your thoughts and concentrating on making progress in such a beautiful, yet harsh environment forces you to switch off from normal life stuff.
- I felt privileged to receive my finishers patch from AEE Fan Dance Founder, Ken Jones.
- I would recommend the event to anyone who enjoys hiking and pushing themselves to find their limits – it’s worth the ice to do the Winter event.
A big thank you to the event team!
– Andy
Life is a Sine Curve 