PIGUM 30, or Porth i Gymru Ultra Marathon, is a challenging circuit around the Gateway to Wales, the Black Mountains of Abergavenny. Conquer the iconic Sugar Loaf mountain and climb over 6,260 feet, one step at a time. Never has a beasting been so beautiful! Panoramic views await!
We’ve been tweaking the course over the last three years and it’s an absolute stunner, suitable for speedy mountain goats and walkers alike, with the Sugar Loaf providing a rather handsome backdrop. Despite the name, it’s neither sugary nor particularly loaf-shaped, but it does know how to make a good view. Expect cracking trails, plenty of character and the occasional pause for “a photo”. We’ve all done it.
Whether you’re new to the trails or have plenty of miles in your legs, come along for a challenge, good company and a proper day out in the hills. We’d love to see you on the start line.
Those who don’t fancy the full PIGUM 30 route can chose the PIGUM HALF. All the fun, half the distance, give or take!
Start Location
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales
Finish Location
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales
Start Time
0800 Saturday 3rd July 2027
Elevation Profile
6,260ft
Checkpoints
Two fully stocked aid stations Midpoint water station & drop bag point
Terrain
90% trail, 10% road, 100% bumpy
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?
NO CUT OFF TIMES
No cut-off times. Less clock-watching, more finding your stride. You bring the ambition – we give you room to fly.
PRE RACE PHONE CALLS
Every runner, a pre-race call. A friendly check-in to see how you’re feeling, answer your questions and ease any nerves.
DNF REDEMPTION
A DNF isn’t the end of your story. You get a free shot at redemption because unfinished business deserves another start line.
PARENTAL POLICY
Enlightened deferment policy for pregnant people and new parents. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
We use plotaroute.com for supplying our maps as this means we can provide last minute updates that are readily available and allow you to download them in the best format for your navigation device.
Note: plotaroute.com does have pop-ups. Pegasus Ultra Running will never charge you for downloading or accessing our route files
ABERGAVENNY & THE GATEWAY TO WALES
PIGUM 30 is a single looped route from Abergavenny Castle, across the River Usk (a bridge is provided), past the start of the Llanfoist parkrun (you don’t need your barcode today) and up the Llanfoist Inclines, past the Punchbowl pond and onto Blorenge (561m), a big chunky mountain that is often ignored for its more famous neighbours. The rocky trail here is very runnable – if the seemingly perpetual headwind allows you – and we’ll soon pass Keepers Pond and descend a short road section to Gilwern Hill, past sandstone quarries which form part of the Blaen Pig 19th Century industrial landscape, slowly being reclaimed by nature.
From CP1 at Gilwern, the route takes you onto the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal. Don’t follow the canal for too long, that’s a different race, the MBCR40 organised by our friends at the Canal Race CIC! Instead we will head east along the River Clydoch until we cross the Heads of the Valley Road and visit the Lonely Shepherd, a standing stone with commanding views of Clydach Gorge and the Vale of Usk. At Fell’s Swoop the route descends down the valley down a old industrial incline, testing our ankles. Take it steady, there’s all the time in the world.
Through the village of Llangattock and across the River Usk (again, a bridge is provided, we spoil you) and there is potential respite in Crickhowell, with shops and nice loos. Many a Pegasus runner and their supporters have been spotted in a pub during PIGUM. Just don’t tarry too long! Another climb awaits us, this time to Crug Hywel (451m) or Table Mountain, an Iron Age hillfort with commanding views over the Usk and visited by the Beacons Way. The route then heads down past Perth y Pia into the Vale of Grwyney and through the village of Llanbedr.
Soon it will be time to wend our way up Sugar Loaf (596m), the highlight of the race. Known in Welsh as Mynydd Pen-y-Fâl (mountain top of the peak), it is the southernmost peak of the Black Mountains, with a cinematic panorama that includes Blorenge and the Bristol Channel to the south; Skirrid, the Forest of Dean and the Cotswolds to the east; Pen y Fan and Corn Du to the west; and the rolling ridges of the Black Mountains to the north. Sugar Loaf’s distinctive shape leads many people to wrongly suspect it is an extinct volcano. We’ll be glad that there’s no lava chasing us down the slopes into Abergavenny, through the busy streets where shoppers and coffee drinkers will cheer us to the finish line at Abergavenny Castle. We don’t have to run up the battlements to finish the race… but we do if we want a medal!
With 6,260 feet of elevation, the terrain is mixed, including trail, grass, mud, rock and a smattering of tarmac so appropriate footwear is required.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Abergavenny, the Gateway to Wales was originally a Roman settlement called Gobannium.
Llanfoist Inclines are the historic industrial remains of a three-stage self-acting inclined plane system that once lowered limestone and iron wagons nearly 235 meters to Llanfoist Wharf on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.
Keepers Pond, or Pen-Ffordd-Goch is ordinarily a popular spot for wild swimming but in 2026 drought and extraction of its water to fight wild fires brought levels to an all time low.
Legend has it that the Lonely Shepherd was once a man who was so cruel to his wife she drowned herself in the River Usk. For his sins he was turned into stone, but at midnight on Midsummer’s Eve he comes back to life and walks along the river, calling his wife’s name. We have little sympathy.
Crug Hywel or Table Mountain is formed from an outcrop of old red standstone topped with quartz.
Llanbedr was historically known as Llanbedr Ystrad Yw, referring to the huge ancient yew tree that stands in the grounds of St Peters Church. The yew has been dated as 3,000 years old, making it as old as the Fortingall Yew in Scotland, the Defynnog Yew in Wales and the Crowhurst Yew in Surrey – therefore one of the oldest trees in Britain.
JRR Tolkien was inspired by Sugar Loaf after visiting the area. Keep your eye open for Erebor, the Lonely Mountain where the dragon Smaug guards his hoard!
Sugar Loaf was gifted to the National Trust by suffragette Lady Rhondda.
Abergavenny Castle was built in 1087 soon after the Norman conquest of Wales. The site of a massacre in 1175 and attacked in the Glyndwr Uprising in the 15th Century, it is said to have “been oftner stain’d with the infamy of treachery, than any other castle in Wales.”
MANDATORY Kit
Running shoes or hiking boots (trail shoes recommended).
Waterproof jacket.
Water bottle or similar (1-litre minimum).
Mobile phone (fully charged).
GPX route downloaded to a device (GPS, phone or watch).
Head torch or similar light source.
Survival bag.
A reusable cup – suitable for hot and cold drinks.
Backpack, race vest or similar to carry all other mandatory equipment.
More details are provided in the race manual.
Included with your Entry
No cut-off times.
A glorious finisher’s medal.
Pre- and post-race care.
Race manual packed with information (and a few rules!).
Three checkpoints – two fully-stocked aid stations and a midpoint water stop.
Access to drop bags at midpoint.
Professional medical cover.
Amazing support from “The Teulu”, the Pegasus & Stable Adventures volunteer family.
Fancy volunteering?
Want to experience an event from the eyes of “The Teulu”, the Pegasus & Stable Adventures volunteer family? Drop us an email to info@pegasusultrarunning.com and we’ll be sure to get in touch.
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