A 68-year-old man has died while taking part in a Special Forces-style endurance event on South Wales’ highest peak, Pen Y Van, according to police.
Emergency services were called to Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons National Park on Saturday, BBC reports.
The man was taking part in the 24km Fan Dance event when concerns were raised about his safety, according to Dyfed-Powys Police Department. He told people In a statement.
Police said: “Officers attended along with the Mountain Rescue Service and Ambulance Service. Sadly, the 68-year-old has died. His relatives are aware of this and his death is not being treated as suspicious.”
Global News has reached out to Dyfed-Powys Police Department for further comment, but has not received a response.
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Race organizer, Avalanche Endurance Events (AEE), Describes the Fan Dance event As “a grueling 24km SAS selection test walk” which “is used as the first major indicator of whether a candidate has the physical and mental competency to complete the legendary selection course.”
in Statement on Facebook“This message is to share the news that AEE experienced a fatality during a Fan Dance Race Series event on Saturday, July 4, 2026,” wrote Ken Jones, AEE’s March Director.
“At this time, our focus and thoughts are with the family, so AEE, nor I as Director March, will issue any further press release until the family has the full schedule of events and approval of any further messaging. Our team is working on this at press time,” Jones added.
“I would like to extend my thanks to the Air Ambulance Service, Brecon Mountain Rescue Team and the AEE Mountain Safety Team for their quick response and professionalism. Our thanks also go to the event sponsors whose professional skills and responsiveness helped us manage this important and challenging event.”
The Fan Dance event “has historically been an integral part of the British SAS selection course which was first introduced as a core examination in the decade following World War II”, the AEE said. According to the site.
“The UK Fan Dance Race Selection Series was originally created by the AEE as a training and testing exercise for agents wishing to enter the elite branches of the British military system, namely Paratroopers, Royal Marines Commandos, and SAS & SBS reserve units,” AEE wrote.
The original AEE Fan Dance UK competition takes place twice a year with a summer and winter edition in January and July, according to the website.
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