As a young 17-18 year old Birmingham police cadet I was part of an eight man team descending Pen Y Fan when we came across Paras climbing up. "You Birmingham Police?" they asked. "Yeah" we replied. "Your instructors are down there, fuck me they're angry, you're late." This shocked us as we felt that we were doing well for time. We ran the rest of the way down and arrived at our instructors looking completely f...ed. "Why are you running?" they asked. "Those Paras told us that you were angry" we replied. You live and learn.
I’ve done this load bearing event twice summer 2015 and winter 2016. I was 40yrs at the time and came 6th both times in 3.28 / 3.30. This has reminded me that I am going to do it again. It’s a great day out. Hog roast at the end!
The Fan Dance looks a great test of what you've really got. How fit and strong you are, and if you can keep going, even though you can't anymore, and you are absolutely tired out. That's, what makes the best
I did this first in September 1981 and have done it many times since. 55 pound bergen plus rifle and two full water bottles. The weight went up from there.
Just got home.. went up last night and slept at the bottom of Jacobs Ladder - No video (that I've seen) does justice to just how brutal these hills are: 1. Phonebox to first ridge. Way way steeper than this video portrays, 2. Stream-crossing up to Corn-du. Very steep, very long. 3. Jacob's ladder. After 12 miles this really will destroy your spirit. Advice, keep your head down 😞
Sadly in this video there are only a few moments of "Jacobs Ladder-Footage". Dragging my self up there i was in serious trouble so i didn´t pay much attention to filming. One of my mates had his camera mounted on the backpack and kept recording while going uphill. Check out our second video, in wich you can see the misery and struggle on the Jacobs Ladder ua-cam.com/video/QZ-j-yB05SU/v-deo.html
Been up and down pen-y-fan meny times. No big challenge for most of us in military in 60s, As most recruits were fit to start with. Gone from bottom to top, and down to grab new recruit and drag them to the top, three times, and still had 20 +miles to go. Loved it. Were in the brecon mountains Every week end for 18 months. During training.
I love way most of these civvis bimble into final RV with no sign of any real effort. Also all the huge bergans with kit hanging off all over the place. No idea at all.
National or Yorkshire 3 Peaks? I've done both and find the Yorkshire harder due to non-stop walking. The National is tough only because of the overall time spent on the road and walking. I was awake over 40 hrs for the National which was what made me tired. We did the Yorkshire with Fan Dance weight - now that was tiring lol. I've also done the Fan Dance a few times. Their all tough in their own ways!
I did used the Backpack from my year of service in the italian army ( +/- 100Litre ). Even smaller ones will be ok, if they fit the mandatory kit/weight.
@@seanwood8883 i look back now and think wow . then you didnt even think about it , it was just part of the job . be honest though , if you are not experienced , keep away from places like that . it will kill you if you are not prepared . a summers day can turn into a nightmare .
They need to let them pick up the correct weight bergen and equipment at the start to let them see what they would be carrying. Then the boots they'd be wearing. Then let them know this is just one event in selection. Don't want anyone thinking they are sas material just because they do this. I'm not ex sas before anyone asks. Was in the army and was never interested in giving this a go
It's better in the winter 26 percent worse in the summer two of my mates died from dehydration staff should of At least let them have water with some electrolytes but no the teamm lead at the tin was stephen s...... and Peter.. mc I.......,but no true escape and evasion alot of people as long as its warm you can get water any wear in the world
I did this when I was in Brecon for my SCBC when I was 24 years old. Came in second with the safety rucksack on top of my gear so best guess at least 60lb came in right behind a guy from the Argyll and southern islanders. We ran rings around all the Para guys that were there that day. Trained hard for it and it was tough but when we were 24 Air Mobile brigade we trained carrying way more weight, as we had MILAN missile systems to carry that was way tougher than the fan dance...
He wasn´t cheating o got caught. He was PRANKED by the staff 😀😀😀 The same happened to me and i fell completly for it. I was about to hand over the Finisher-Patch saying: "I´ll be back next year!"
👍 Thanks for watching and a deserved "well done" for completing the Fan Dance ! If you care, there is link for a sort of training montage at the end of the video. I did my normal running routine (training and races) and added a weekly uphill march with the backpack (sadly i didn't manage to do it every week because i'm rather lazy 😅 )
@@Lame_Duck I see a LOT of running. I need to know what kind of running standard I should reach to get a good time on the fan dance. How quick can you run a 10km for example? I am a slow runner!
@@F2fntypvvjs I´m an average Runner, maybe even below average. Usually i need 50-55min for 10Km. But don´t neglect the weight marches ! Test your Boots and the Backpack to avoid nasty surprises at the Fan Dance. Go uphill but also downhill
@@Lame_Duck I found the downhills, on the hard surfaces with hard boots very.... Hard! I had to stop frequently on the uphill as well. I did train hills once a week also. My 10km is probably over 60mins but not by much I think. I also had the worse night sleep ever before (probably 2hrs) so not great!
The Paras 10' which is the ten miler they do as part of P Company is an event they do at Catterick and Colchester, and looks similar to this. A proper tough test, like they say, 'the ultimate endurance test'.
The SAS award cloth badges at the end of Selection- a tradition that has proven popular. Something more meaningful than a tacky medal. You wouldn't know who were the better organisation as you have never done the original AEE event have you. Unblemished safety record versus an organisation who have had to rely on mountain rescue to bale them out multiple times, and who pass off civilians as DS. Nice try all the same!
👍 Not only did the Roman Legionary carry more weight. While we where off to the Pub after the Fan Dance, the roman soldier had to build his fortified camp (still wearing his armor and carrying the Gladius)
No Walter Mitts on that mountain, just a shed load of guts and determination. That mountain is a killer that needs respect, 1 death already this year. I'm lucky it's in my backyard
HA haha.. foolish worm. They wouldn't stand a chance against even the Welsh Guards, let alone paras.. commandos.. don't even bother testing the SAS. Those fools barely handled the Americans, and they are largely pathetic, relying on equipment and all their fancy technology.
As a young 17-18 year old Birmingham police cadet I was part of an eight man team descending Pen Y Fan when we came across Paras climbing up. "You Birmingham Police?" they asked. "Yeah" we replied. "Your instructors are down there, fuck me they're angry, you're late." This shocked us as we felt that we were doing well for time. We ran the rest of the way down and arrived at our instructors looking completely f...ed. "Why are you running?" they asked. "Those Paras told us that you were angry" we replied. You live and learn.
LOL quality
Welcome to squaddie humour :)
bet ya made a good time tho !
Pmsl😂😂
I've been up and down that bloody hill god knows how many times, and here i am, watching people race it!
Can someone help me, please, not again......
One more time...come on! 😜🤪
Me too 😂😂
@@jeremysinglehurst9036Same goes for you ! One more time a least 😁😁😁
I’ve done this load bearing event twice summer 2015 and winter 2016. I was 40yrs at the time and came 6th both times in 3.28 / 3.30.
This has reminded me that I am going to do it again. It’s a great day out.
Hog roast at the end!
👍 Well done ! Impressive time 😶
I done this in 2017 then completely let myself fall apart.This video is helping me to get back in the game and have another go.
How are ya getting on pal??
The Fan Dance looks a great test of what you've really got. How fit and strong you are, and if you can keep going, even though you can't anymore, and you are absolutely tired out. That's, what makes the best
I did 3:55 in 2017....thank you for this video.. now I can see the holy route any time I miss it. greetings from Croatia 🇭🇷
Well done for doing the Fan Dance under 4h 👍
good effort .
@@Lame_Duck thank you mate!
That's an impressive time. Good going. 👍
Loved the ribbing at the end :) done mine for real in 1980 - seeing this might try a another dance in 2022
Hard hard going! Good effort to everyone who completes this
I did the winter edition on crutches in 2017. This video is making me want to go again!
I wouldn't mind doing that. It looks really good, and a proper challenge too 💪💪
Stumbled across your video looking to enter this for 2020 and low and behold found myself running past you at 4:40 ha impressive time btw!
Well done, mate ! 👍
Make sure to sign up for the next year, its a great experience
Beautiful trails my friend! So big backpacks! 🙄Although it's an older clip, enjoyed it in full with great appreciation, buddy! 👍
BZ, this was a great effort. Everyone starting and finishing this run deserves a pat on the back.
I did this first in September 1981 and have done it many times since. 55 pound bergen plus rifle and two full water bottles. The weight went up from there.
Are you talking Depot, Pathfinder or Selection?
Just got home.. went up last night and slept at the bottom of Jacobs Ladder -
No video (that I've seen) does justice to just how brutal these hills are:
1. Phonebox to first ridge. Way way steeper than this video portrays,
2. Stream-crossing up to Corn-du. Very steep, very long.
3. Jacob's ladder. After 12 miles this really will destroy your spirit. Advice, keep your head down 😞
Sadly in this video there are only a few moments of "Jacobs Ladder-Footage". Dragging my self up there i was in serious trouble so i didn´t pay much attention to filming.
One of my mates had his camera mounted on the backpack and kept recording while going uphill. Check out our second video, in wich you can see the misery and struggle on the Jacobs Ladder
ua-cam.com/video/QZ-j-yB05SU/v-deo.html
Very tough challenge well done.
Been up and down pen-y-fan meny times. No big challenge for most of us in military in 60s,
As most recruits were fit to start with. Gone from bottom to top, and down to grab new recruit and drag them to the top, three times, and still had 20 +miles to go. Loved it.
Were in the brecon mountains
Every week end for 18 months.
During training.
I love way most of these civvis bimble into final RV with no sign of any real effort. Also all the huge bergans with kit hanging off all over the place. No idea at all.
Summer “96 came in with the pack in 3.46. I hated every single step!
Just seen this, cracking effort! I'm absolutley dreading hills :)
I ran this route last year, in 2 hours 30, but that was just in shorts and vest top, carrying 1lt of water.
👍
What about finding out if you can do it with the backpack ? 😉
3 peaks is still tougher, did the fan dance in the army, and the 3 peaks in 2000 for charity! Good efforts to all who compete in either!
National or Yorkshire 3 Peaks? I've done both and find the Yorkshire harder due to non-stop walking. The National is tough only because of the overall time spent on the road and walking. I was awake over 40 hrs for the National which was what made me tired. We did the Yorkshire with Fan Dance weight - now that was tiring lol. I've also done the Fan Dance a few times. Their all tough in their own ways!
I did the national about 20yrs ago and it was simple enough ... but we did transit between the hills by Sea King helicopter 😂
I did the national 3 peaks earlier in July in under 20hrs and reckon that the Yorkshires or Fan dance would be tougher
Even better if you enter the Might contain nuts Ultra Brecon 40miler race which covers that neck of the woods
I'm on this tomoz defo can't be assed
I was 13 or 14 when I first did it
What size backpack did you use? Thanks
I did used the Backpack from my year of service in the italian army ( +/- 100Litre ). Even smaller ones will be ok, if they fit the mandatory kit/weight.
Zacher Bursch! Kaffee verdient. Porfekt!
Why did they not go straight up and over corn ddu?
Corn ddu isnt the route. This event takes the longer, official selection route
ex welsh guards . my best times are 2.50 light . and 3.40 laden . 56lb
1970s combat gear and dms boots . with webbing lol
coldest up there was -15 of frost . no snow .
👍 Well done! 💪
Carrying 56 lbs too? Wow, go on fella. That's summat else 💪💪
@@seanwood8883 i look back now and think wow . then you didnt even think about it , it was just part of the job . be honest though , if you are not experienced , keep away from places like that . it will kill you if you are not prepared . a summers day can turn into a nightmare .
Not sure the sas strolled up the motorway path or handrailed a fence
They need to let them pick up the correct weight bergen and equipment at the start to let them see what they would be carrying.
Then the boots they'd be wearing.
Then let them know this is just one event in selection.
Don't want anyone thinking they are sas material just because they do this.
I'm not ex sas before anyone asks.
Was in the army and was never interested in giving this a go
Literally 1 day of selection
@@GbJoshyyyx And you go again tomorrow, might be a shorter distance, but it might be longer with less weight and faster.
Good effort lad. As someone who's done this twice I know what it takes. Well done 👹
Do you have to carry a certain amount of weight and what are the rules?
thefandancerace.com/rules/
Is there a required weight to carry?
thefandancerace.com/rules/
35 Lb...then you add food and Water.
Excellent effort! Will you be there next summer? I'm looking to participate.
Sadly i won´t be able to be there. Maybe my mates will give it another try.
What a shame!
Just one more question, did you do it with 35 or 65lbs?
35lbs + Food and Water
(sorry for the delay, but youtube thinks somehow that your are comments are spam 😶 )
1984 basic wales 505
Kev
It's better in the winter 26 percent worse in the summer two of my mates died from dehydration staff should of At least let them have water with some electrolytes but no the teamm lead at the tin was stephen s...... and Peter.. mc I.......,but no true escape and evasion alot of people as long as its warm you can get water any wear in the world
I did this when I was in Brecon for my SCBC when I was 24 years old. Came in second with the safety rucksack on top of my gear so best guess at least 60lb came in right behind a guy from the Argyll and southern islanders. We ran rings around all the Para guys that were there that day. Trained hard for it and it was tough but when we were 24 Air Mobile brigade we trained carrying way more weight, as we had MILAN missile systems to carry that was way tougher than the fan dance...
That one guy cheating with his weight hahahaha got caught in the end lol
He wasn´t cheating o got caught. He was PRANKED by the staff 😀😀😀
The same happened to me and i fell completly for it. I was about to hand over the Finisher-Patch saying: "I´ll be back next year!"
I did this the other day and the video captures it very well. What kind of training did you do for the event?
👍 Thanks for watching and a deserved "well done" for completing the Fan Dance !
If you care, there is link for a sort of training montage at the end of the video. I did my normal running routine (training and races) and added a weekly uphill march with the backpack (sadly i didn't manage to do it every week because i'm rather lazy 😅 )
@@Lame_Duck ill check it out.
@@Lame_Duck I see a LOT of running. I need to know what kind of running standard I should reach to get a good time on the fan dance. How quick can you run a 10km for example? I am a slow runner!
@@F2fntypvvjs I´m an average Runner, maybe even below average. Usually i need 50-55min for 10Km.
But don´t neglect the weight marches ! Test your Boots and the Backpack to avoid nasty surprises at the Fan Dance. Go uphill but also downhill
@@Lame_Duck I found the downhills, on the hard surfaces with hard boots very.... Hard! I had to stop frequently on the uphill as well. I did train hills once a week also. My 10km is probably over 60mins but not by much I think. I also had the worse night sleep ever before (probably 2hrs) so not great!
How many paratroopers and Marines do you get testing themselves before they you know....😑
The Paras 10' which is the ten miler they do as part of P Company is an event they do at Catterick and Colchester, and looks similar to this. A proper tough test, like they say, 'the ultimate endurance test'.
The SF Experience are a better outfit to do this with as you get a bit more bling than a patch.
The SAS award cloth badges at the end of Selection- a tradition that has proven popular. Something more meaningful than a tacky medal. You wouldn't know who were the better organisation as you have never done the original AEE event have you. Unblemished safety record versus an organisation who have had to rely on mountain rescue to bale them out multiple times, and who pass off civilians as DS. Nice try all the same!
The roman soldier used to carry quite a lot of weight
And they conquered the known world
👍 Not only did the Roman Legionary carry more weight. While we where off to the Pub after the Fan Dance, the roman soldier had to build his fortified camp (still wearing his armor and carrying the Gladius)
@@Lame_Duck
In the film Spartacus the Roman's
Forgot to fortify and the slaves
Slaughtered them
@@angloaust1575 you see what happens if you go to the pub after the march 😉
whats with all the "I did it in 1hr with one leg, blind after testing positive for HIV using crutches" comments
Taping your boots up!!! Why put yourself and others in peril.. with poor kit selection... barn dance not fan dance
It happened that i was the only one in the vicinity who had watched Macgyver as a kid and had packed the duct tape.
Lots of Walter Mitts pretending to be on SAS selection.
There's actual lads who are using the course before entering selection.
No Walter Mitts on that mountain, just a shed load of guts and determination. That mountain is a killer that needs respect, 1 death already this year. I'm lucky it's in my backyard
Said from the comfort of your armchair… 😬
The iraq and Afghan freedom fighters that kicked the brits out do this in 90 minutes
HA haha.. foolish worm. They wouldn't stand a chance against even the Welsh Guards, let alone paras.. commandos.. don't even bother testing the SAS. Those fools barely handled the Americans, and they are largely pathetic, relying on equipment and all their fancy technology.