If you would like to know more about why this Fan Dance challenge caught my imagination, then watch my "Hard Challenge" video - ruclips.net/video/PMCBABD_m5A/видео.htmlsi=_xrsVkDsIcZIChjS
I did the Paras 10 in 2022 (Cattrick). One of these would be a good practice for the Fan Fance. It was a 45lb tab, water on top of that can’t be included in your weight. Also if you pack your weights as flush to your back as possible it will feel so much better, pack the front of the pack with volume and padding. My husband just did the Fan dance this week, ran it clean with no weight on the 1st try and he’s said it was awful 🤣 He’s doing it again with weight next time.
As someone from Colorado (with mountains of over 4000m), I laughed when I first saw Pen Y Fan (pronounced Van in Welsh I believe...but I'm a yank, so what do I know). My roommate and I ran most of it (not with 45lbs though) and loved it. It's a very lovely..."mountain" but it can be proper steep. If you are allowed poles, I'd bring them. There's an old cobbled road down the other side that can get pretty slippy especially if it's raining, which let's face it, it's Wales...it's going to be raining. It can be a bit rough on the knees that bit. I'll have to try the Fan Dance at some point when I'm back in my favo(u)rite country :). Great work!!
First and foremost, I do not intend to criticize any aspect of what you are doing. I did 35 years in the infantry and am certainly conversant with rucking. Now, at nearly 60, I am too broke up to ruck or even run at all. So, hats off to you. You appear to have amazing stamina (like that 3 peak extreme run). I've watched a few videos of civilian types doing events like the fan dance. They all seem very fit and are decked out very scientifically with the latest high speed gear. To make the challenge serious, the civies should try to match the military conditions as close as possible. Issue bergan. Issue web kit uncomfortably worn under the bergan. A load simulating front line issue of ammo in metal magazines. Issue boots. Thick, heavy cotton uniform that tends not to shed water all that well. An increased load more on par with what an SAS candidate would carry (non of my military rucks was ever as light as 45lbs. Mind you, we were speed marching and not allowed to actually run under load). Finally, a simulated personal weapon. I'm fairly certain the L85 weighs close to 10lbs so, a serious competitor should be hand carrying a 10lb bit of pipe. You'd be surprised how exhausting that little bit of weight is after hours and hours. All these little tweaks combine to make the dance much harder. Civilians love doing it with their high speed designer clothes, light weight trail runners etc and brag about how they did what the SAS do. To be sure, it's a physical achievement. But, it's no where near as hard as doing it the army way.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. First thing I want to say is thank you for serving! I have the upmost respect for those that do and have served. I am under no illusion that my eventual Fan Dance attempt will be nowhere near as hard as the real SAS selection process. I have screen shot this comment for later and I will attempt to replicate IRL conditions.
I bought an old bergan and cotton smock for it too-. To be fair the smock I bought in the Army was lighter and nicer- back in the 80's. (We did a LOT of runs , Infantry but usually with 35lbs , weapon , helmet all the gear etc). I do think you should look the part- to a degree. Felt like old times, great fun.
In the day. Bergan was 50lb belt kit was about 10lb and SLR 12lbs with no sling. DMS boots and putties . Nav 1, Nav2 (both about fan dance length marches) then long drag 60km on consecutive days
Did a 10miles march in 1986 in Northampton, Simpson , full pack from the floor, to a squat, and webing. And shovel. And S.L.R, rifle. 100 pounds in Weight. Before the covide lockdown, did the Welsh half marathon in 3hours and 30min.
What I used to do for weight is fill freezer bags with pebbles then completely wrap them in duct tape then distribute the weight as evenly as possible across my Bergen
‘Pen y Fan’tastic video! Integrating genuine substance, honesty, experience, and feelings into your planning. ❤️ing it! - I'm seriously considering doing wall Pilates, I haven’t got sprayed walls so no excuses 😀
Ryan,just watched your video ref the fan dance and a first time subscriber. I'll see you on the start line pal as iam doing it aswel. Hope the training goes well and try to enjoy it. Look forward to seeing more of your videos on this event. Phil
My best 12 mile Ruck when I was in was around 3 hours and 15 minutes. Our rucks had to weigh 45lbs and they had a plastic frame to help support the load. You also want to load your weight up high on your ruck so it helps push you. The way I did it was stuff the pack with soft stuff and then sit the weights on top.
Great video Ryan, looking forward to this challenge and the training involved, 😮 ironic that you have worked so had to lose all that weight to do an event that you have to carry 45 lbs. Try using padding under your straps and tape over your shoulders. Good luck you will smash it.
I said that! 😅 Or you could look at it the other way round, that I have loads of practice hauling a heavy load up trails and hills. Thanks for watching. 👍👌🙌
I do the Yorkshire 3 peaks with my old army bergen about 3 times every summer.. I love it, but with the 35lbs on my back I average between 9hrs and 10hrs weather dependent.
I've been training up slowly for a 10 mile tab next year. I'm using the Snugpak bergen (100 ltr)and it's got a good cummerbund that allows you to shift the weight from your shoulders periodically throughout the course. I've been doing 2 hour fast walks (full weight) with some elevation to allow my body to get used to the pack and weight. Slowly slowly.
@@MrG77 Thanks for the comment. The plates are designed for rucking, I just need a better rucksack to hold them. They are uncomfortable because they weigh 40lbs. 40lbs of sand would pull straight down in the middle like these plates did. They need to be better evenly distributed. Thanks for watching.
@@RyanCondon no problems mate I just thought they looked really uncomfortable to run with. Well done though and I will be watching your Fan Dance for sure.👍
You really dont need to train with weight on your back. If you have never carried weight on a tab/run like this then just put a bit of weight in it occasionally to get used to it. That small bag will not do it- buy a cheap army bergan- about £30max. Soldiers build up to these weights gradually. Anyway best advice - run, run, run- do trail /cross country running with lots of hills and and awkward terrain. I did that every other day for 3 months- no more than 5mile runs with a couple of miles cycle to the woods. At night , as my event was at night. Days in between I did a bit of circuit training in my flat with some basic leg strengthening exercises. Nothing mega or sophisticated. Then I did the Fan Dance at night in January- 4 hrs 16 at 48yrs old. Took it nice n easy as worried my Sunday League wounds and buggered knees would let me down on Jacobs Ladder on way back. No problem really. It's not as hard as some make out. I suppose being a soldier decades before helped as I had an awareness of tabbing (rucking) . And I do know the area well which helps- go and have a jog round before the event. My partner then did it, 44 year old woman, with no experience, did same training and she managed 3hrs.58 in the summer nightime event.
45 pounds is no joke.... full ultralight thru hiking kit with full tent, sleeping bag etc... can be well under 30 pounds... the military is on a whole other universe of fitness 😅
@RyanCondon that's right! 💯 but you will have fellow fan dancers to keep you going when it gets tuff I will say hello if I see you on route💪you've got this
Damn, Ryan. You're not doing things by half taking this on. Is it a closed event, as in there won't be tourists all over the mountain during it? That would make it very tough, to have to get around all the people meandering up the path. As if it won't be tough already.
To be honest, I doubt it'll be closed but it starts dead early and I would want to be a tourist with me and a few other big hairy blokes barrowing towards me.
@@RyanCondon 😆 I guess it's pretty difficult to close it off. Yeah, hopefully should be empty enough, at the start at least. Just realised you'll have done the London to Brighton bike ride just a few weeks before this, too! You're going to be carved out of wood by the end of next summer. 💪
Hello Ryan. As a 3 time competitor & a volunteer for the DS, if you'd like any advice, certain information as I cannot divulge everything, please PM me. I've beaten the clock every time when the cutoff was 4 hours dead. This includes the High Moon during winter. There are obviously people who can tell you a great amount of info. But I've been on both sides therefore I know all that is required.
I appreciate that Graeme. Would you please drop me a DM on Insta so I can reply as I do have a question about Rucksacks. Thank you sir! Instagram - @ryancondonpics
you though of checking out army surplus stores there everywhere you can pick up a nice bergen cheap for training and well there army gear so meant for this kind of punishment
If you would like to know more about why this Fan Dance challenge caught my imagination, then watch my "Hard Challenge" video - ruclips.net/video/PMCBABD_m5A/видео.htmlsi=_xrsVkDsIcZIChjS
I did the Paras 10 in 2022 (Cattrick). One of these would be a good practice for the Fan Fance. It was a 45lb tab, water on top of that can’t be included in your weight. Also if you pack your weights as flush to your back as possible it will feel so much better, pack the front of the pack with volume and padding. My husband just did the Fan dance this week, ran it clean with no weight on the 1st try and he’s said it was awful 🤣 He’s doing it again with weight next time.
Thanks for the comment Janine. I'm looking forward to The Fan Dance. 🙌
I take my hat off to you I did pen y fan many years ago as a youngster it was brutal and I had just a small backpack on
Congrats on that achievement. I'm looking forward to it.
As someone from Colorado (with mountains of over 4000m), I laughed when I first saw Pen Y Fan (pronounced Van in Welsh I believe...but I'm a yank, so what do I know). My roommate and I ran most of it (not with 45lbs though) and loved it. It's a very lovely..."mountain" but it can be proper steep. If you are allowed poles, I'd bring them. There's an old cobbled road down the other side that can get pretty slippy especially if it's raining, which let's face it, it's Wales...it's going to be raining. It can be a bit rough on the knees that bit. I'll have to try the Fan Dance at some point when I'm back in my favo(u)rite country :).
Great work!!
Thanks for the tips. 👌
First and foremost, I do not intend to criticize any aspect of what you are doing. I did 35 years in the infantry and am certainly conversant with rucking. Now, at nearly 60, I am too broke up to ruck or even run at all. So, hats off to you. You appear to have amazing stamina (like that 3 peak extreme run).
I've watched a few videos of civilian types doing events like the fan dance. They all seem very fit and are decked out very scientifically with the latest high speed gear. To make the challenge serious, the civies should try to match the military conditions as close as possible. Issue bergan. Issue web kit uncomfortably worn under the bergan. A load simulating front line issue of ammo in metal magazines. Issue boots. Thick, heavy cotton uniform that tends not to shed water all that well. An increased load more on par with what an SAS candidate would carry (non of my military rucks was ever as light as 45lbs. Mind you, we were speed marching and not allowed to actually run under load). Finally, a simulated personal weapon. I'm fairly certain the L85 weighs close to 10lbs so, a serious competitor should be hand carrying a 10lb bit of pipe. You'd be surprised how exhausting that little bit of weight is after hours and hours.
All these little tweaks combine to make the dance much harder. Civilians love doing it with their high speed designer clothes, light weight trail runners etc and brag about how they did what the SAS do. To be sure, it's a physical achievement. But, it's no where near as hard as doing it the army way.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. First thing I want to say is thank you for serving! I have the upmost respect for those that do and have served.
I am under no illusion that my eventual Fan Dance attempt will be nowhere near as hard as the real SAS selection process.
I have screen shot this comment for later and I will attempt to replicate IRL conditions.
@@RyanCondon Best of luck to you! I wish I could still do stuff like that.
I bought an old bergan and cotton smock for it too-. To be fair the smock I bought in the Army was lighter and nicer- back in the 80's. (We did a LOT of runs , Infantry but usually with 35lbs , weapon , helmet all the gear etc). I do think you should look the part- to a degree. Felt like old times, great fun.
@@KMilton-iw2tk Respect to you guys who do it - regardless what you wear. I'm not physically capable of doing it so... best wishes!
In the day. Bergan was 50lb belt kit was about 10lb and SLR 12lbs with no sling. DMS boots and putties . Nav 1, Nav2 (both about fan dance length marches) then long drag 60km on consecutive days
Did a 10miles march in 1986 in Northampton, Simpson , full pack from the floor, to a squat, and webing. And shovel. And S.L.R, rifle. 100 pounds in Weight. Before the covide lockdown, did the Welsh half marathon in 3hours and 30min.
I’m also doing it in the summer..
Hope training is going well! I’ll see you there
Thanks. 🙌 See you on the start line. Good luck. 👍
How did you find it? I did say hello to you! I got bad cramp and hurt knee so slow time but pleased I finished it
Rucking Hell, that's a beast of a challenge. Best of luck Ryan. Looking forward to this one.
Thanks Edd. 💪
Yes! Im so excited for this challenge and the training videos.
I'm pleased you saw this video. Thanks for the recommendation Puggle!
@@RyanCondonhope you enjoy it , I think you'll smash it 😊
This looks amazing, mmmmm for me thinking now….
Definitely captured my imagination.
ive been training for the summer one since June, I bought a warrior assault xp300 comfy most of the weight on the hips
Thanks for the tip. Good luck in your training.
Best of luck with this one Dora! 😊
Good luck
In the Welsh language a single 'f' is pronounced as a 'v', so it's the 'Van Dance'
And the highest peak is pen-er-van
I completed the winter fandance2024 last week. Great Challenge to take up. I'm going for it again in the Summer Keep up the good work
Congrats. Amazing achievement. 💪
What I used to do for weight is fill freezer bags with pebbles then completely wrap them in duct tape then distribute the weight as evenly as possible across my Bergen
‘Pen y Fan’tastic video! Integrating genuine substance, honesty, experience, and feelings into your planning. ❤️ing it!
- I'm seriously considering doing wall Pilates, I haven’t got sprayed walls so no excuses 😀
Haha! I see what you did there and who the hell has spray painted walls? They must have money to burn. Thanks for watching and commenting Mrs O. ❤️
Oh this one looks unbelievably tough! Looking forward to following your journey to success 👍🤞🙏
Thank you. 💪
Ryan,just watched your video ref the fan dance and a first time subscriber.
I'll see you on the start line pal as iam doing it aswel.
Hope the training goes well and try to enjoy it.
Look forward to seeing more of your videos on this event.
Phil
Cheers Phillip. Thanks for watching and commenting. Good luck in your training and see you on the start line. 👍
Super impressive Ryan, this is not a trivial day out!
Cheers Robert. 🙌
Sounds like quite the challenge can’t wait to see it good luck
Thanks 🙌
My best 12 mile Ruck when I was in was around 3 hours and 15 minutes. Our rucks had to weigh 45lbs and they had a plastic frame to help support the load. You also want to load your weight up high on your ruck so it helps push you. The way I did it was stuff the pack with soft stuff and then sit the weights on top.
Thanks for the tip. I have screen shot this for my notes. Appreciate it Jake. 💪
Great video Ryan, looking forward to this challenge and the training involved, 😮 ironic that you have worked so had to lose all that weight to do an event that you have to carry 45 lbs. Try using padding under your straps and tape over your shoulders. Good luck you will smash it.
I said that! 😅 Or you could look at it the other way round, that I have loads of practice hauling a heavy load up trails and hills. Thanks for watching. 👍👌🙌
check out "Go Ruck" That's what I train with when Rucking.
Will do. 👍
Good back packs distribute the weight mostly in your hips rather than in your shoulders
That's what I'm hoping. 🙏
Preemptive congrats on 2k!
I do the Yorkshire 3 peaks with my old army bergen about 3 times every summer.. I love it, but with the 35lbs on my back I average between 9hrs and 10hrs weather dependent.
@@DaDaW9762 Thats a great time. Welldone. 💪
Brecon becons😊
I've been training up slowly for a 10 mile tab next year. I'm using the Snugpak bergen (100 ltr)and it's got a good cummerbund that allows you to shift the weight from your shoulders periodically throughout the course. I've been doing 2 hour fast walks (full weight) with some elevation to allow my body to get used to the pack and weight. Slowly slowly.
Good luck 👍
You should have used sand or something because that plates look very uncomfortable for running against your back mate.👍
@@MrG77 Thanks for the comment. The plates are designed for rucking, I just need a better rucksack to hold them. They are uncomfortable because they weigh 40lbs. 40lbs of sand would pull straight down in the middle like these plates did. They need to be better evenly distributed. Thanks for watching.
@@RyanCondon no problems mate I just thought they looked really uncomfortable to run with. Well done though and I will be watching your Fan Dance for sure.👍
Great video thanks 😊, level 20, zwift cycling, in C cat.😊 did my first 100.7km in 3h 2min, 726m elevation. 😊
Good luck.
Thank you 🙏
Love it, hit the gym and work those traps (or shrugs with those plates)
Sounds like a plan.
Hi mate. Which company are you doing the fan dance with? I’m doing it in July also 😁
thefandancerace.com 👍
You really dont need to train with weight on your back. If you have never carried weight on a tab/run like this then just put a bit of weight in it occasionally to get used to it. That small bag will not do it- buy a cheap army bergan- about £30max. Soldiers build up to these weights gradually. Anyway best advice - run, run, run- do trail /cross country running with lots of hills and and awkward terrain. I did that every other day for 3 months- no more than 5mile runs with a couple of miles cycle to the woods. At night , as my event was at night. Days in between I did a bit of circuit training in my flat with some basic leg strengthening exercises. Nothing mega or sophisticated. Then I did the Fan Dance at night in January- 4 hrs 16 at 48yrs old. Took it nice n easy as worried my Sunday League wounds and buggered knees would let me down on Jacobs Ladder on way back. No problem really. It's not as hard as some make out. I suppose being a soldier decades before helped as I had an awareness of tabbing (rucking) . And I do know the area well which helps- go and have a jog round before the event. My partner then did it, 44 year old woman, with no experience, did same training and she managed 3hrs.58 in the summer nightime event.
Thanks for the advice. I've done the training you've mentioned which is why I've progressed to the backpack.
good advice from a civvi
That’s gonna sting in the morning! Hopefully the decent backpack helps. You’d rucking hope so for £300 😄
The prices are a rucking joke!
45 pounds is no joke.... full ultralight thru hiking kit with full tent, sleeping bag etc... can be well under 30 pounds... the military is on a whole other universe of fitness 😅
@@JohnCx youre not wrong about the military. Thanks for watching. 🙏💪
Fully invested into doing this challenge too! Definitely think we should do it together, I reckon we are about the same fifties level
Thanks for the offer Josh but I'll be going Lone Ranger on this event, as I do with most of my events.
Thanks for watching. 💪
@RyanCondon that's right! 💯 but you will have fellow fan dancers to keep you going when it gets tuff
I will say hello if I see you on route💪you've got this
For your shoulders buy some sanitary towels great cheap padding
That actually sounds like a good idea 😅
Damn, Ryan. You're not doing things by half taking this on. Is it a closed event, as in there won't be tourists all over the mountain during it? That would make it very tough, to have to get around all the people meandering up the path. As if it won't be tough already.
To be honest, I doubt it'll be closed but it starts dead early and I would want to be a tourist with me and a few other big hairy blokes barrowing towards me.
@@RyanCondon 😆 I guess it's pretty difficult to close it off. Yeah, hopefully should be empty enough, at the start at least.
Just realised you'll have done the London to Brighton bike ride just a few weeks before this, too! You're going to be carved out of wood by the end of next summer. 💪
Hello Ryan. As a 3 time competitor & a volunteer for the DS, if you'd like any advice, certain information as I cannot divulge everything, please PM me. I've beaten the clock every time when the cutoff was 4 hours dead. This includes the High Moon during winter. There are obviously people who can tell you a great amount of info. But I've been on both sides therefore I know all that is required.
I appreciate that Graeme. Would you please drop me a DM on Insta so I can reply as I do have a question about Rucksacks. Thank you sir!
Instagram - @ryancondonpics
you though of checking out army surplus stores there everywhere you can pick up a nice bergen cheap for training and well there army gear so meant for this kind of punishment
I do need to do this. Thanks for the reminder. 👍
the terms YOMP or TAB are used for speed marches ruck is mainly used in the USA ...
Thanks for the correction. 👍
What bergan did you see? I'm doing the dance on January 28th
Crossfire, DG3 or Dragon Supplies. All three companies look decent.
@RyanCondon will do, appreciate the reply. Have a great day
@@jamespenston1122 Good luck on your winter attempt!
My weight is 123kg.😊