Powys Fan Dance changes rules after participant death

Pen y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain, where the annual Fan Dance endurance challenge takes place. <i>(Image: Supplied)</i>
Pen y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain, where the annual Fan Dance endurance challenge takes place. (Image: Supplied)
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The organiser of a gruelling SAS-inspired endurance challenge has announced new spectator restrictions after claiming crowds hampered emergency communications during the event in which a participant died.

In a lengthy statement following this summer's Fan Dance, march director Ken Jones said organisers had largely remained silent since the fatal incident on Pen y Fan on July 4 "out of respect for the family".

Mr Jones said the family of the 68-year-old man had since been given a full timeline of events and that no further details would be released.

He also invited competitors who assisted in the emergency response to contact organisers so their details could be passed to the family, who wished to thank them privately.

The statement revealed changes for future events, with spectators set to be banned from gathering around the red phone box on the route, a well-known meeting point for supporters.

Mr Jones said emergency radio traffic increased significantly during the incident and claimed spectators made it difficult for staff to communicate.

He wrote: "We had a serious event on Saturday 4th July which occasioned a significant increase in vital radio traffic.

"Your friends and family were so loud and obstructive we couldn't clearly hear the radio transmissions coming in, nor transmit our own messages back as procedure requires.

"We repeatedly asked people to move away, then lowered ourselves to pleading with spectators to leave the area and to do so quietly.

"They simply wouldn't cooperate."

He said the area would be cordoned off in future and warned that competitors could receive time penalties if their supporters breached event rules.


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Elsewhere, Mr Jones defended the Fan Dance's strict military-inspired ethos, insisting he would not compromise on safety standards or the challenge's links to SAS Selection.

Despite the tragedy, he described the event as a success overall, praising competitors' preparation and saying completion rates were among the highest in recent years.

He also revealed that two participants required hospital treatment for injuries, while several others were penalised or disqualified for alleged breaches of equipment and footwear regulations.

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