The race left Hathersage at 11am, winding up through fields at first before heading into tree-lined tracks. I started at the back, not looking for places or times, just a good experience. Soon a road was crossed, and the track turned to blocks of stone cutting through bracken, all the time gaining height. Sometimes we ran, sometimes we walked. Before long we clambered up rocks, passing cheering climbers, up onto Stanage Edge and flat(ish) running along the top, dodging rocks and peaty puddles. All the time I was moving up places, although a few moved past me.
Dropping down off the edge was steep at first, then pleasant running along rocky singletrack though more bracken, the foliage obscuring the path at times making progess a little tricky. Along a road, through more fields and we're back in Hathersage, sprinting down a side road before finishing in a school field.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself, finishing the 9.7k course with a huge grin on my face and peaty mud up my legs in an hour and five, putting me in 218th place out of 301 finishers. Afterwards Dani and myself headed into Outside (an outdoor shop with a cafe upstairs) where I demolished a plate of chips and cheese along with a mug of tea, and leaving with a book of maps detailing the coast to coast mountain bike route.
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Well done, Paul. It sounds a tough course, but good to hear that you got over your initial flatness and finished in very good spirits- no doubt the thought of that plate of chips that you had earned had something to do with it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Iain, the course was a cracker, not the toughest but tough enough for a warm humid morning.
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