Welsh fell runner Mark Davies tackled the daunting Swiss Peaks 360 race.
North Wales fell runner Mark Davies (*above) tackled the daunting Swiss Peaks 360 race. Mark now provides an exclusive, unique, and very personal account of his incredible challenge, and it is understood that he was the first Welshman and UK based finisher in this race. Photographs also courtesy of Mark Davies. I entered this race ten-months ago as I needed a massive challenge, the distance (236 miles), elevation (83,000ft), so the difficulty of the course ticked all the boxes. I'm now lying in my bed however, with legs like an elephant, and wondering what had just happened, and how the hell I managed to finish! It all started at midday on a Sunday in Oberwald. The first couple of climbs teased and went relatively fast both just up 2,000 ft, then dropping 2,000ft to a Valley’s below; the third climb started to show you what was coming. It was a 4,300 ft climb up to an 8,850 ft col, but at the top 100/1,500 ft, I started to feel altitude effects for the first time. I was weak, wi