STRONG winds and persistent heavy rain didn’t deter Lydney man Tony Callaghan from defending his winter and summer master champion title during a recent mission in the Brecon Beacons.

The champ went to Pen y Fan to compete in the SAS Winter Fan Dance which entailed carrying a 25lb bergen backpack plus two litres of water and food.

Tony said: “At the end of the event, the weight of your Bergen must still weigh at least 25lb. As soon as I’d finished, the directing staff weighed my Bergen and said it weighed over 30lb.”

Tony had to walk over the mountain twice and check in at various points where ex-SAS and Special Boat Service (SBS) personnel would assess if he was fit to continue.

He added: “The mountain support team are current serving Royal Marine Commandos.

“The event is extremely well run and the camaraderie among organisers and participants is fantastic.

“The weather was terrible and the ground conditions were extremely wet, muddy and slippy. I led from the start line to the finish and wasn’t overtaken by anybody.

“My time was 3hrs 1min, this was a slower time than previous. But they say you never run the same course twice, ­it all depends on weather and ground conditions.

“For winning I received another framed map of the course and a top of the range new Bergen which was presented by ex-SAS legend Ken Jones.”