Virtual Y 100 Sir Fynwy - Report & Results


Report

In 2016 when a small committee in South Wales met and agreed to apply to host the 2020 100-mile event, none of us could have predicted what would unfold as 2020 approached. In the latter stages of 2019, we all became aware of a SARS type virus in Asia, and I'm sure that the majority of us thought that this was news that was unlikely to affect us, noted it and carried on with our lives.
 
By February 2020 it was clear to a number of us on the Committee that Y 100 Sir Fynwy was going to be affected by what was identified as Covid-19 and we naively chatted about hand sanitisers, gloves and food hygiene. Within a month all LDWA activities had been shut down and we all eyed 2021 with hope and optimism based on the information that the various governments were sharing with us. Consequently, the Committee applied to the National Executive for permission to push the event back to 2021. With the support and help of Trans Pennine, Elephant Bear & Bull and Speyside 100 committees the application was granted so we simply mothballed our plans and looked forward to dusting them off in the latter stages of 2020.
 
The uncertainty dragged on and on and was compounded by the fact that the rules in Wales were different from the rest of the UK. With large financial outlays imminent and with absolutely no certainty that the event would be able to go ahead, it was with extremely heavy hearts that the Committee concluded it was impossible to organise Y 100 Sir Fynwy in 2021 and the membership was advised accordingly. In hindsight our decision was absolutely correct as even now as I type this (July 2021) events are still not allowed in Wales for the numbers of people involved in the LDWA 100-mile event.
 
But, there was hope that we could rescue something from the ashes of two cancelled events and the Committee is grateful to the previous 100 Coordinator, Alan Warrington, who worked hard with the Committee to design what would become Virtual Y 100 Sir Fynwy. An event was designed that would enable LDWA members from all over the world to design and walk their own 100-mile walks. We had to remain pragmatic about what routes people might design as we were conscious that the rules of the nations across the world would differ and what would be allowed in one country might be barred in another. 
 
We monitored the LDWA Forum, Facebook and WhatsApp pages and became inspired by what members planned to do. It was clear that people were fully engaged with the concept of the event and were determined to make the most of what was being offered. Members were encouraged to share what they were doing pre-event but also importantly, what they were doing during the event. We are pleased that so many engaged with our various pages so positively and the team of three members who had agreed to look after the social media side of things were kept busy congratulating members and, in some cases, encouraging others as they tired in the latter stages whilst walking alone. Hundreds of photographs were shared and the wider walking community learned of the event's existence. 
 
The concept of a virtual 100 was new to us all but from the very beginning the Committee, whilst working with the National Executive had concluded that there had to be a validation process as all results would be sent to the keeper of the 100 Database. As the database contains historical data as far back as the first ever 100 in 1973, it was important that successful completions were validated accordingly.
 
We really tried to make this as easy as possible and we were grateful that the vast majority of entrants embraced the challenge of providing evidence to support their claims. We were willing to accept gpx files, witness testimonies, photographs of members on their chosen route, receipts from shops or even receipts from ATMs to prove that a member had been at a certain location at a certain time. We accepted that the process was far from perfect but the process focussed members' minds and we received some really good quality portfolios of evidence.
 
I really do have to single out the hard work of Gerry Jackson at this point. My words will not do Gerry justice in relation to the amount of time that he spent on the validation process. In the months prior to the event, Gerry created an interactive database that enabled the Committee to be divided into two teams. One team uploaded the evidence submitted by the members and the other team then read the evidence and either validated or asked for more evidence to support a particular claim. Gerry's work made this whole process very smooth and we all soon fell into a routine of upload / validate. And, once we got going, the whole process was really quite straightforward.
 
Now we're into July and the final process is to post out the certificates, buffs and badges. This will be done by a small team and will probably take a day and then the Committee will have discharged its final responsibilities and all eyes will turn to Trans Pennine 100. So, thank you for embracing the unique challenge, for entering and because of your enthusiasm, for making the event as memorable as it was.
 
Finally, my thanks go to my friends who formed Virtual Y 100 Sir Fynwy. They worked so hard for five years and were disappointed that they couldn't showcase our area of South East Wales on what turned out to be a very warm and dry weekend. But, without the dedication of Alan Warrington, Alwyn Nixon, Andrew Clabon, Gerry Jackson, Gwyneth Littlejohn, Jason Winney, Rob Richardson, Shirley Hume and Simon Pickering the virtual event could not have taken place. When you read this, please raise a glass to them and thank them.
 
David Morgan
Chair
Virtual Y 100 Sir Fynwy
 

Results

The Virtual Y 100 Sir Fynwy was a hundred like no other; and the results of the event demonstrate that the retirement rate was higher than on other LDWA 100-mile events. Many people took the opportunity to enter the event as they had not had to provide a 50-mile qualifier and some set themselves a goal that was less than 100 miles. Consequently, many people achieved their personal goals and are to be applauded accordingly. However, this was a 100-mile event and as a result, any person who walked a distance of less than 100 miles is shown in the results as a retirement and people who walked 100+ miles are shown as having completed the event.
 

Statistics

Entries:   496
Starters:   433
Non-starters:   63
Completed 100 miles or more:   199
Completed 50 to 99.9 miles:   195
Completed less than 50 miles:   39
 
The provisional results are presented using PACER where distance bands in miles (for example 50-59.9) are used instead of checkpoints to indicate the approximate distance completed. These results can be seen at this page.
 
If entrants see an error with the results in relation to their participation in the event, please would you contact us at  virtual100@swldwa.uk by 31st July 2021.