Man versus Horse Marathon
Encyclopedia
The Man versus Horse Marathon is an annual race over 22 miles, where runners compete against riders on horseback. The race — which is not technically a marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

, as the route does not meet the requisite distance — takes place in the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 town of Llanwrtyd Wells
Llanwrtyd Wells
Llanwrtyd Wells is a small town in the parish of Llanwrtyd in Powys, mid Wales, lying on the River Irfon.With a population of 601 people , it claims to be the smallest town in Britain, although Fordwich in Kent has a smaller population...

 every June.

History of the race

The event started in 1980, when local landlord Gordon Green overheard a discussion between two men in his pub, the Neuadd Arms. One man suggested that over a significant distance across country, man was equal to any horse. Green decided that the challenge should be tested in full public view, and organised the first event.

The first woman to run the race was Ann King in 1981. In 1982, the route of the course was amended slightly to give a more even match between the competitors. The course is slightly shorter than a traditional marathon at 22 miles, but over rougher terrain. In 1985, cyclists were allowed to compete too - and that year, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 ladies' champion cyclist Jacquie Phelan
Jacquie Phelan
Jacquie "Alice B. Toeclips" Phelan was the NORBA Champion three consecutive years - 1983, 1984, and 1985.She is married to inventor Charlie Cunningham, the pioneering bicycle framebuilder whose aluminum bikes and patented brakes allowed Phelan to race unbeaten for six years...

 narrowly lost to the first horse. In 1989, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 cyclist Tim Gould
Tim Gould
Tim Gould is a former professional racing cyclist specialising in cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing.-Biography:...

 beat the first horse by three minutes - the first time that a horse was beaten by a human in the race.

In 2004, the 25th race was won by Huw Lobb in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds. It was the first time that a man racing on foot has won the race, thereby winning the prize fund of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

25,000 ($31,786.40) (which had been growing by £1,000 each year from the race's inception until claimed by a winning runner). The year's race also saw the highest ever number of competitors; 500 runners and 40 horses. The feat was repeated in 2007, when human competitors outpaced the first equine competitor by up to 11 minutes.

The 2009 race was marred by controversy when the organizers deducted time spent in the 'vet checks' from the horse times in addition to the 15 minutes for the delayed start of the horses. The deduction of this additional time enabled the horse to triumph by 8 minutes, instead of being defeated by 2. Whilst the organizers at the time claimed that the time spent in the vet check (which is not accurately monitored on a horse-by-horse basis) had always been deducted, this had not occurred in previous years. The fastest runner, Martin Cox, refused to accept the winners trophy in protest at the decision. Following protests from other competitors, the organizers reverted to the previously followed rules of only deducting 15 minutes for the 2010 edition of the race. However, despite Haggai Chepkwony running the fastest time since Huw Lobb's record breaking effort in 2004, a horse triumphed by 10 minutes. 2011 was most certainly the year of the Horse with a number of very good riders and horses competing.The underfoot conditions favoured the hoof over the shoe. However some very good times were recorded by the front runners considering wetness of the track. First Rider was Beti Gordon riding Next in Line Grangeway whilst first runner home was Charlie Pearson from London.

The race now attracts a maximum entry of 50 horses, enabling it to lay claim to being "the world's largest horse race".

Winners of the race

Year Type Fastest Horse Fastest Runner Weather Conditions Going
2011 Horse Beti Gordon on Next in line Grangeway (2:08:37) Charlie Pearson (2:25:45) Rain/Sun/Windy Heavy
2010 Horse Llinos Mair Jones on Sly Dai (2:07:04) Haggai Chepkwony (2:17:27) Hot Good to Soft
2009 Horse Geoffrey Allen on Dukes Touch of Fun (2:11:43) Martin Cox (2:20:02) Hot Heavy
2008 Horse Geoffrey Allen on Dukes Touch of Fun (2:18:13) John Macfarlane (2:18:43) Hot Good to Soft
2007 Human Geoffrey Allen on Lucy (2:31:26) Florian Holzinger (2:20:30) Hot Good to Firm
2006 Horse Denise Meldrum on Tarran Bay (2:10:29) Haggai Chepkwony (2:19:06) Warm Soft
2005 Horse Lise Cooke on Gifted Lady (02:19:11) Stephen Goulding (02:33:22) Unknown Unknown
2004 Human Zoe White on Kay Bee Jay (2:07:36) Huw Lobb (2:05:19) Hot Unknown
2003 Horse Robyn Petrie-Ritchie on Druimguiga Shemal (2:02:01) Mark Croasdale (2:19:02) Unknown Unknown
2002 Horse Robyn Petrie-Ritchie on Druimguiga Shemal (2:02:23) James McQueen (2:18:52) Unknown Unknown
2001 Horse Heather Evans on Royal Mikado (2:08:06) Martin Cox (2:17:17) Unknown Unknown
2000 Horse Heather Evans on Royal Mikado (2:08) Mark Croasdale (2:10) Unknown Unknown
1999 Horse Jackie Gilmour on Ruama (1:58) Mark Palmer (2:16) Unknown Unknown
1998 Horse Jackie Gilmour on Ruama (1:46) Stuart Major (2:16) Unknown Unknown
1997 Horse Megan Lewis on unknown (1:52) Paul Cadwallader (2:09) Unknown Unknown
1996 Horse Ken Mapp on Ahmaar (1:57) Mark Palmer (2:12) Unknown Unknown
1995 Horse Ken Mapp on Ahmaar (1:57) Paul Cadwallader (2:06) Unknown Unknown
1994 Horse Celia Tymons on Eskalabar (1:52) Mark Croasdale (2:09) Unknown Unknown
1993 Horse John Hudson on unknown (1:47) Robin Bergstrand (2:03) Unknown Unknown
1992 Horse Zoe Jennings on Hussar (1:38) Derek Green (2:09) Unknown Unknown
1991 Horse Zoe Jennings on Hussar (1:30) Mark Croasdale (2:05) Unknown Unknown
1990 Horse Ray Jenkins on The Doid and Chris Powell on Elkie (1:36) Glyn Williams (2:07) Unknown Unknown
1989 Horse Ray Jenkins on The Doid (1:54) Mark Croasdale (2:10) Unknown Unknown
1988 Horse John Davies on Mavies (1:47) Mark Croasdale (2:08) Unknown Unknown
1987 Horse Ray Jenkins on The Doid and Bill George on Mando (1:32) Paul Wheeler (1:57) Unknown Unknown
1986 Horse Nia Tudno-Jones on Jenny (1:44) Fuselier Hughes (2:08) Unknown Unknown
1985 Horse Nia Tudno-Jones on Jenny (1:40) David Woodhead (2:08) Unknown Unknown
1984 Horse William Jones on Solitaire (1:20) David Woodhead (2:05) Unknown Unknown
1983 Horse Ann Thomas on Nutmeg (1:26) Dic Evans (2:02) Unknown Unknown
1982 Horse Sue Thomas on Simon (2:06) Paul Brownson (2:10) Unknown Unknown
1981 Horse Clive Powell on Sultan (2:02) Dic Evans (3:24) Unknown Unknown
1980 Horse Glyn Jones on Solomon (1:27) Dic Evans (2:10) Unknown Unknown

External links

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