THOUSANDS braved monsoon weather to watch the annual Man versus Horse marathon which began in Llanwrtyd Wells on Saturday.

The town square was heaving as everyone strained to get a view of the runners and riders as they set off on the 23-mile route which took in the nearby Cambrian mountains before finishing at Maes y Gwaelod.

Yet again the four-legged beasts beat the two-legged beasts with Rheidol Petra, ridden by Iola Evans, finishing in just over two hours and 23 minutes to win the “race” from Longslade Skipper, ridden by Colin Moore.

The first runner home was Owen Beilby, who came in 27 minutes later. He was seven minutes behind the Royal Marines A Team, who finished in 2:43.42.

The first lady runner to finish was Maddie Horton in 3:15.52.

This year’s race saw a record entry of over 1,000 entries, including three-man relay teams and 51 horses and their riders. A total of 693 entries finished.

To avoid the possibility of a stampede at the start, the horses began 15 minutes after the runners but each competitor received a number that contained a chip to enable precise times for completing the route to be calculated at the finish.

Bob Greenough, of organisers Green Events, had said beforehand that as usual every effort was being made to make sure the horses would not be over-exerted.

“Although it’s meant to be a race, we are taking steps to ensure that none of the horses’ health is put at risk,” he said. “To that end there is a pre-race vet check, a vet check at the half-way point at Abergwesyn and a final check within 30 minutes of the horse crossing the finish line. At the end of the day it is meant to be a fun event for everyone, including the horses and their riders.

“There will also be regular drinks stops where both the runners and horses can take on board refreshment to guard against dehydration.”

Clyro-based Sarah Overton, who rode the race on her strawberry roan pony Scooby Doo, said that despite the weather she had thoroughly enjoyed taking part.

Her 14 hands high, 21-year-old pony completed the route in one hour’s less time than it took on the only other occasion they took part in the race, finishing 15th of the 41 horses and 23rd overall.

She said: “I think we did well because we know the climate and the terrain. The organisation, as last time, was excellent and the vet checks on the way round are vital for the horses’ welfare. I think we walked more when we did the race four years ago.

“Scooby Doo is a good little trekking pony and I never had any doubts he’d get round.”

The first Llanwrtyd Wells Man v Horse race took place in June 1980 following a chat between two regulars over a pint in the back bar of the Neuadd Arms Hotel.

The then landlord Gordon Green overheard the men discussing the relative merits of men and horses running over mountainous terrain. Never one to miss an opportunity to promote Llanwrtyd Wells and his hotel, Mr Green dreamt up a race to put their arguments to the test. And so began Green Events and its now internationally acclaimed Man v Horse race.

The course was changed in 1982 to provide a more even match between the man and the horse, resulting year on year in very close finishes – sometimes with the horse winning by only a few seconds. It took 25 years before a runner finally beat all the horses – in 2004 Huw Lobb won in 2 hours and 5 minutes, beating the fastest horse by two minutes. His feat was repeated three years later by Florien Holtinger, but the horse has remained unbeaten since.

The escalating jackpot for a runner who beats the first horse and rider, which started at £500 and increases by £500 per year until it is won, stands at £2,500. The first jackpot received by Huw Lobb in 2004 had reached £25,000.