DANIEL Connolly became only the fourth human to win the Whole Earth Man v Horse race on Saturday, finishing the race in a rapid 2 hours, 24 minutes and 38 seconds – beating the first horse home by almost 10 minutes.
Connolly beat a field of around 1,200 other runners and more than 60 horses, becoming the second man in a row to win the race, after Ricky Lightfoot last year, and just the fourth human winner in the event’s 42-year history.
Salomon club runner Connolly beat the winning horse, DNS Ronaldo, ridden by Kate Atkinson, by just under 10 minutes. DNS Ronaldo and Atkinson came home in 2 hours, 34 minutes and 25 seconds.
Connolly finished more than 3 minutes ahead of second-placed Mark Jenkin, who also beat the horse.
Connolly’s victory comes hot on the heels of last year’s winner, Lightfoot, making Man v Horse history for a runner to beat the horse in two consecutive years.
Connolly said he has long had his eye on competing at the famous Powys event, held in and around the small town of Llanwrtyd Wells – which is known for its bizarre and challenging sporting events.
“A great day out in the beautiful Welsh hills, suffering in the heat amongst my favourite animals,” said Connolly on his Instagram page.
“Since I started running, I've had an eye on doing Man vs Horse one day. As I just missed out on the World Champs in Austria, I was looking for an inspiring event to keep the fire burning hot. The timing was right.
“Very happy to have beaten the horses but also to have shared a wonderful day with my family. I can't recommend this event enough, such a beautiful community.
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“Thank you to the organisers and well done to all who took part. Leaving with a smile on my face and some achy legs.”
Avid runners and riders from all over the globe descended on a small part of Powys to take on the iconic race on Saturday, June 10. There were some famous faces among them, including BBC presenter Sophie Raworth and influencer and Peloton instructor Susie Chan, while blind Cypriot runner Eros Adamides ran the race again after becoming the first blind competitor to enter last year.
The runners took on a 21.20-mile course which included a brutal total ascent of 4,097 feet, while the course for the horses and riders was slightly longer at 22.04 miles and slightly higher, with 4,186ft of ascent.
For relay teams the course was split into three legs of 7.38 miles (1,458ft ascent), 7.23miles (1,413ft ascent) and 6.50 miles (1,226ft ascent).
Entries to the event – sponsored for the ninth time by the UK’s number one peanut butter brand, Whole Earth – are highly sought after among the running community.
Participants compete across rugged terrain, taking on steep hills, wading through streams and bogs and getting splattered in mud in one of the toughest endurance races in the world, with runners and riders this year suffering the added issue of it being the hottest day of the year so far.
“Having a runner complete the event before the horse is so unusual but to have it happen twice in a row is just unbelievable,” said Bob Greenough, of event organisers Green Events.
“We were stunned. Huge congratulations to Daniel and all the participants that took on the challenge this year. It was a warm and sunny day and everyone was in great spirits.”
Nicola Turner, brand controller at Whole Earth, added: “We were delighted to sponsor Man v Horse again this year for the ninth time.
“It’s become an integral part of our calendar. This truly nutty race is incredible to be part of.
“This year I joined the race myself as part of the Whole Earth relay team and discovered the unique feeling of taking in beautiful surroundings, while fighting for your breath on steep incline after steep incline as well as tentatively listening out for the sound of hooves coming up on your outside – it’s magical yet slightly unnerving at times.”
Builth and District Running Club member Robin Woods was the first local runner home, in a time of 2h 52m 43s, finishing 12th solo runner overall, while Mercia Fell Runners athlete Dominic Jones, who is originally from Builth Wells, finished 5th in 2h 41m 26s.
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