FOR many runners, completing Powys’ epic Man vs Horse race is one for the bucket list.
Taking on and defeating its forestry roads, sheep tracks, river crossings, bogs, mud and more than 4,000 feet of elevation – all while trying to dodge getting trampled by 60 horses – is a feat anyone can be proud of.
For Eros Adamides, however, the gruelling run is made all the more difficult by the fact he’s got to negotiate all of this while not being able to see.
Eros is blind, but last weekend he completed his third straight Man vs Horse race. Alongside partner and guide runner Sarah Tizzard, the duo completed the 24.3-mile course in 5 hours and 37 minutes.
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“It’s such an amazing event. The people in the town are unbelievable,” said Eros, 39.
“From the Bryncelyn Guesthouse where we’ve stayed for the last three years, to the WI ladies serving the sandwiches at the end, it’s amazing.
“It’s tough and it’s fun but we come back because it feels like we’re going back to see old friends and catching up.”
Sarah, 51, said: “It’s more than just a run, it’s the whole weekend. From getting away to somewhere beautiful, the town vibe. Everyone’s engulfed in it. And then there’s the horses.
“I don’t know an event anywhere that’s like it.”
Man vs Horse is a special event in so many ways to people living locally – having been dreamt up in a pub back in 1980 when landlord Gordon Green overheard a discussion between two men who were debating whether man could beat beast in an endurance race.
Powys runners are glued to their computers in January awaiting the day entries go on sale, and Sarah admits she and Eros will be doing likewise come January 2025.
“We’ve already booked the guesthouse again next year,” she said.
“We’ve stayed in the same place each year, which is literally on the start line. The start line is outside the front door.
“As long as we get a place in January we’ll be back. We’ll be hovering over our keyboards like everyone else.”
The pair love their trail running and after Sarah completed the race on her own several years ago, she told Eros he needed to join her. He first entered in 2022 – becoming the first blind runner to ever take part.
“I just do what I’m told,” joked Eros, who relies on Sarah to provide information on the course, pointing out roots, uneven ground and slopes, although it’s an arduous task just letting him run and not overloading him with information.
“This year, I’m not sure if it was easier, but think I was better prepared physically and mentally. I felt a lot more comfortable.
“The first year I was more anxious because I didn’t know whether I was the first blind person to do the race, but then found out I was going to be the first and I felt a lot more pressure. I had a lot more eyes on me.”
The couple, who live in London, reserve huge praise for Bob Greenhough and his dedicated team at Green Events, organisers of the race, particularly for not throwing up even more barriers.
“Bob and the team are amazing, they’ve been really welcoming, from when we first approached them,” said Sarah.
“We asked if they’d be happy for us to run and they were welcoming and helpful, they didn’t put any barriers in our way.
“Sometimes, people might try to decide for us whether it’s too difficult. We guess that’s what the reason is for us not being welcome at certain events.
“I run with one other lady and there are events locally to her that have told her categorically she cannot enter.”
Eros, a software developer for a bank, and Sarah, a nurse at St George’s Hospital, in Tooting, met in 2019 via their local running club.
Sarah, a director at a local park run, had seen Eros competing a few times. Eros, training for a half marathon at the time, needed someone to run with as his usual partner was injured.
“We met originally through a very sociable running group, which was one run a week, from one pub to another pub,” said Sarah.
“I’d never guided before but we’ve run together ever since.”
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