Windgather Fell Race.

Windgather is a long fell race, 21k, just over a half marathon, and my longest race to date. I wanted to do it for several reasons, to see how I'd fare over such a distance as well as it being a local course, running through the Goyt just outside Buxton. I'd already recce'd the course (part of which I know very well), in two halves, several times previously so I knew the terrain. On the day it was just a matter of putting it all together.

As this is a long race full kit must be carried, which meant stuffing my bum bag with full waterproofs, a map (photocopy), compass, and, emergency food (breakfast type bar in my case). I also included a bottle of water and several gels.

Registration was at Burbage, in the Burbage Bands hq, so it was just a walk across town for me, stopping at the cashpoint for my £10 entry fee. There were over 150 others entering, so a good turnout.

I don't really get nervous before a race, not even at races that I target, perhaps I don't take the sport seriously enough. Anyway, I stayed close to the back on the start line as is usual for me.
Once we were off, at just past 11am, I tried to keep a reasonable pace along the tarmac, being swept along with everyone else, slowing to a fast walk as it steepened. Bottlenecks are almost de-riguor close to the start of a fell race, and we came to ours just as we left the blacktop to head into the Goyt. After a walk up some steps we were onto the moors, heading across to Bunsal Cob, then a short tarmac downhill led to Fernilee Reservoir and woodland running before turning to farm track all the time heading North. After a steep uphill stretch of tarmac we headed left, up onto Taxal Moor then down into woodland, emerging behind Wingather Rocks. Mucky moorland tracks now took us to Pym's Chair, and my favourite climb, up Cats Tor and onto Shing Tor. Although I had been reduced to walking a few times already Shining Tor is a climb that I know well so as a matter of personal pride I kept running, overtaking a few others, enjoying the terrain and the views. From the its a short descent and a shorter climb up onto Stake Side, turn right then left and drop down past Goytsclough Quarry to come out onto the one way road. This descent is a little rough (lots of loose rocks) in places, a little boggy in others (recent rain made it more so, I lost my legs down to the calfs a couple of times), but mostly good running. Once the road was crossed we headed over Goyt's Moss, on a rather deceptive path. Deceptive because its climbs along its entire length, not a steep climb but steady, enough to reduce me to a walk along most of its length. However, on leaving the moor, its all downhill across sheep fields, coming out on the Old Macc. Road. Except that it wasn't, there was a left turn up a farm track, which included a very short but very unwelcome climb, not good for legs that have already done a tough 20k. Soon though the finish line was in sight, a very welcome sight even though it was just a flag and a bit of tape in a field.

Back in the hall refreshments were being served, £3.50 got me a cheese roll, a slice of cake and a cup of tea. Then, after prizegiving, it was time to walk home, with legs covered in peat. I stopped at our favourite Buxton cafe, The Green Pavilion, for a slice of beetroot cake and a cup of tea, before hobbling up the hill to home.

I enjoyed the race, perhaps not as much as others that I've done, but I reckon that I can do better. My running style seems to have degenerated in recent months, so at some stage I'll have to book myself in for some gait analysis. I could also do with some lighter waterproof trousers, the pair that I carried are meant for hillwalking and are bulky and heavy. Two things to sort out over the winter.

Paul

Tide to Tide

Tide to Tide is a 6 hour mountain bike race which takes part in Pembrey Country Park on the South Wales coast, the same venue as Battle on the Beach. It gets its name as the course runs along a beach for part of the way, in the time when the tide is at its lowest between high tides.

As I thoroughly enjoyed BotB, both for the race and the venue, and because I've never done an endurance race before I though that I'd give this race a go. Dani was also keen to race as well, she wanted to do well whereas I was just taking part for the experience.

As the race was on a Saturday we travelled down on the Friday in my new van, an ex-Scottish Gas VW Caddy (the Landy has now been sold). Unfortunately the Friday traffic, along with the sat-nav sending us on a silly route, made the journey last about 6 hours so we arrived after dark.

We took our Tentipi, which luckily is a doddle to erect, even in the dark and drizzle. The weekend started wet, and continued wet apart from a brief break before the race, so our camp was a bit damp. However, we have a meths heater to use in the Tipi so even though the weather was miserable we could at least stay warm under canvas whilst we listened to the rain and the sea roaring nearby.

Camp set up.

We woke on Saturday morning to mild drizzle. Which was far better than the heavy rain which we had overnight. The weather improved as the morning wore on, we ate porridge (the just-add-water stuff from Aldi, actually quite good), fed and walked the dogs, prepared bikes and sorted kit including our feed box, which would be left at the side of the course in a designated area, then recce'd the course.

Bike set up. Lights look good but were in fact a bit rubbish.

Pre-riding the course is very usefull, not only can we get a feel for the terrain we can also be prepared for any technical sections, repeatedly riding them if need be, but also look for any good overtaking spots and sections where we could take on food and water. The course was mostly through woodland, made up of dunes, with a short but firm section of beach riding. There was a techy bit near the start, an off-camber line around a stump followed by a steep drop-off, and a set of steps leading down to the beach, but aprt from those short sections the riding was mostly woodland singletrack with a short length of tarmac and grass at the start/pit area. And I should mention the exit from the beach, a short but steep push up soft sand that made the quads burn! Undulating is how I would describe the woodland singletrack, there were lots of short sharp climbs to keep the legs working, and the ground sandy in places and loamy in others.

Recce'ing.

At the start line I stayed close to the back. After a short briefing we were off, along, through a chicane, then into the woods. Lap one was just me finding my way, getting into a steady rhymn that I could keep up for 6 hours. Laps 2, 3 and 4 were pretty much the same, although  got slightly faster, then I stopped at the feed box to change my bottle and grab a bite to eat. Croissants and chocolate chip brioche, the former too chewy to eat quickly but the latter just right, and nice and tasty to boot. I stopped again after 7 laps to eat then again after 8 laps to fit my lights. These saw only little use until we were in darkness, to save battery life, at which point they decided to dim quite rapidly. Although we started in the dry, after about 2 hours the rain started, only light rain but enough to affect the trail, making the muddy parts rather slippery. On my last two laps the constant rain and hundreds of tyre tracks made the track very slippery, which  showed up one of the weaknesses of fat tyres, they just slide around on the surface of mud rather than cut in and find grip under the surface. On my very last lap I walked some sections due to the surface conditions and a lack of light. I lost a lot of time on those final laps pulling over to let other riders pass safely. Once across the finish line I could breath a sigh of relief, although I had enjoyed the experience the final stretch finished me off, if not physically then mentally.

Once I crossed the finish line I could look for Dani, who was by the Tipi, quickly put some dry(ish) clothes on, but not relax. The bikes needed to be put away in the van, the heater lit to warm the Tipi and dry us out, if only a little, and we needed to get to prizegiving as Dani had won the solo female veteran category. She also beat the all-female teams that had entered. So, once she had stood on the podium and had her photo taken we could eat. There were some excellent food stalls so we ate wood fired pizza and drank hot chocolate before retiring to bed, exhausted, a bit cold and damp but satisfied, already thinking ahead to next years race.

Once home the task of emptying the van and drying everything out could begin, with the Tipi hung over the banister, heating on and de-humidifier working overtime to dry it out. Once the van was emtied we could finally shower, drink tea, and start the mammoth task of washing everything, bikes, stoves and clothes. One thing that we both noticed is that we both felt to be in pretty good shape despite having ridden for 6 hours the day before. Even our bums felt ok, I had expected to have a sore posterior but no, we think that the undulating course which was us out of the saddle quite a bit saved our rears.

As I've stated before, we're both looking forward to next years event. This year for me at least, was more about the experience than trying to get a good result. I was aiming to complete at least 10 laps, preferably 12, so 11 is a good compromise. I've learn't a lot, and found some deficiencies with my kit, so hopefully with better lights and slightly different tactics I can do better next time.

Paul.

Bogfest Trot.

Sometimes I feel that you can tell the quality of a fell race by the vests at the start line. On display today there were plenty of Pennine and Dark Peak vests, both are strong fell clubs who seem to target the harder courses. Actually, the presence of a large number of Dark Peak vests was perhaps unsuprising as they organised the race...

Bogfest Trot is a new race for this year, and is run alongside the Moors for the Future Bogfest conference, held in Edale. All money made from the race goes into village charities. The race is graded AS, meaning that its tough and short, and is about 7k long (4.3 miles).

The start was at Shaw Wood Farm. I registered, had a quick warm up, then waited. I had already reece'd the route a couple of times in the week before, so I knew exactly what to expect.  At 11am we were off, after a brief briefing. Across fields, cross the Pennine Way, then the walking started. Through a gate, under some trees, then up. And up. Steep. Hands were needed, pulling on tufts of grass avoiding (hopefully!) the sheep droppings. Over a drystone (mostly flattened) and onto a plateau. A quick check with the compass confirms that we're all going the right way, hopping over tufts heading for the next checkpoint, located next to a pond. Now we carry on towards Grindslow Knoll, not actually crossing over the top but veering left circling around until we hit the main path following the edge. Follow the edge for a short way, then plummet down the bank to Grindsbrook Clough. The going was steep, very steep. I slid down most of the way on my bum, which worked rather well although I had to be wary of hidden rocks. Once in the Clough we had to climb out, just as steep as the way in. Hand again were pressed into play, grabbing grass and bilberries, making our way around rocks and onto the edge. Now we headed east, past Upper Tor and Nether Tor, then up onto Ringing Roger. The way off was steep and rocky, and to be honest this was the part of the course that I was least looking forward to. Still, it was soon over, then onto easier running until The Nab, and the rocky steps back down into Edale. Across a sheep field, cross a bridge, down the road and to the finish at the Moorland Centre.

I ran my own race today, kept my own pace. I finished in 1:08:31, a time that I am quite happy with, in 48th place out of 71 runners.
Great route, great race, great fun!

A couple of photos, taken from the recce's;

Across the plateau, by the pond. The Knoll in the distance.

The descent into the Clough as seen from below.

Paul.

Carsington Trail Run.

Last Sunday saw the start of Dark & White's Autumn Series of trail races. The first race long course took the form of an 17k extended loop of Carsington Water, a reservoir near Wirksworth.
I started well, moving at a decent pace on the well surfaced path around the reservoir. However, at the northern end where we crossed a road and started to move across fields my pace slowed somewhat despite my best efforts. I'm not sure of the cause, but my best guess is a lack of decent training in the preceding weeks, coupled with a summer of relatively short (10k) fell races. Fell racing might sound like good preperation for a longer trail race, but the two types of race can be very different. Trail races in my experience are mostly runnable at a good pace, with the odd short walk, whereas fell races with few exceptions involve a degree of walking and marked changes of pace. So at Carsington I was running not only further than I am used to but for longer as well and at a steady pace. Right, thats my excuses out of the way.
But basically I was crap.
I finished in 79th place out of 152 finishers, 20th out of 32 in my age group.

Not happy.

Paul.

Taddington Lanes Race and Pilsley Fell Race.

Two evening races.
I found out about Taddington Lanes Race from a flyer left on my windscreen at Edale Country Day. I knew little about it other than what was written on the flyer;

So on Tuesday I turned up, paid my fiver and pinned a number to my red + yellow vest. There were quite a few others there, mostly fell runners by the look. The start was at 7pm, outside the village institute. The course is mostly tarmac backroads and starts with a climb. A long climb. Turn left and keep climbing. Turn right and it undulates a bit. Cross a junction and its a typical green lane, stoney vehicle track grassy centre muddy in places. But much flatter. This loops around, heading back into Taddington, but before the finish line is reached we're taken across a road and up another lane between the backs of houses and fields. Then left, left and we return the way we left, running downhill now back to the startline. I finished in a time of 32:50 (official time 32:57), which I'm quite pleased with, and I set a new 5k personal best, 24:34. 43rd place out of 82 finishers.
A pretty unique race, well marshalled, nice course (although quite unrelenting), with a very laid back atmosphere.
By the way Taddington is in Derbyshire about halfway between Buxton and Bakewell.

Thursday evening and I was off to Pilsley, on the Chatsworth Estate.
Another fiver, another number on the red + yellow vest (washed between races!) and another start line. This time the race started from the village green, went up a small lane and across fields. Some fields had sheep, some had cows (thankfully kept out of the way), some fields were nice and flat and others hilly, some had neat 'estate grass' and others tussocky. One rickety bridge needed crossing, single file, queue nicely. Apart from one woman who jumped the queue, much to our disgust, "we're all racing!" was the comment from a chap behind me. A wasted effort on her part as I and quite a few others soon passed her... We passed a river, and crossed a golf course as well after ducking through a tiny gate in the fence. There were a few road crossing, all well marshalled, and any cars kept waiting seemed happy to sit and watch us go past. All in all a nice romp around the estate, a fell race in name only to be honest as its more of a trail race. Still, an enjoyable way to spend a Thursday evening. The course was well marked and the event well organised.
How did I do? Not great to be honest, although I kept a decent enough pace. I started at the back, my usual practice at a new event, and had difficulty making my way through the field. I was beaten by people that usually finish behind me, but hey, thats racing. Still, lesson learnt, start closer to the front in future.

I ran the 9.8k(ish) course in 57:48, average pace 5.55min/km. 170th place out of 255(!) runners.

So, two races, two evenings well spent. Although it would have been nice if I didn't have to get up at ten past four the following mornings and go to work...

Paul.

Dig Deep Whirlow 10k.

I've had my eye on this race for a while, mainly because all of the trail races that I've done so far have been with Dark & White so I wanted to see how another company work. There were actually four races going on over the weekend, two ultras on Saturday and two shorter distance events on Sunday, being 12.12 miles and a 10k. I entered the 10k, I quite fancied the longer 12 miler but as I've been doing mainly short fell races over the summer I didn't think that I would have the stamina for the longer course.
It cost £15 to enter, the fee including a t-shirt. So about three times more expensive than the average fell race.
The event started at Whirlow Hall Farm, a working farm which is used as an educational facility for children with special needs in Sheffield. The farm is the main benificiary of the event. registration was in a large shed, along with various stands selling running gear, beer, coffee and burgers. All good stuff.

Starting at 10.20, we set off out of the farmyard on a wide track heading north. After a short road section we headed south through fields and into woodland. I kept a steady pace as I never properly get into my stride until I've ran a couple of kilometres, but did manage to make up some places as the route headed into woodland and down some steep and slippery muddy steps. Here I could let go, ignoring the steps and running through the mud to the sides passing quite a few others. Then it was onto a wide undulating woodland path, which opened out and led to a road crossing. Once across the road the route took us up Houndkirk Lane, and I mean up as its a climb. We then turned left into Lady Cannings Plantation, a piece of woodland known for its mtb trails, running firstly on singletrack then onto wide tracks, shared with the occasional mtb, with more climbing. Quite a bit more in fact. But soon we were back in the open, heading back towards Hounkirk Lane. On reaching the lane the 10k route turns left and the 12.12 runners turn right. Soon we were running down, retracing our steps, seeing the back markers still making their way up Houndkirk. Through the fields and into the woods we went, taking a slightly different route back to the start. I passed a few runners on the way back, but soon had someone on my shoulder. I left him on the downs but he made the ground up on the flats, and because I didn't know the course I was wary of upping the pace too much to shake him off. Within sight of the finish line he made his move, but I sprinted away and left him. We shook hands afterwards as is usual after a finish line sprint.

My time was 58:36 (official time 59:45). 37th out of 132 finishers

A good event I think, nice trails and plenty of climbing. It didn't excite me as much as a fell would would have, but then it was nice to run somewhere different in the Peaks. And the t-shirt is rather smart as well. I'm tempted to try the 12.12 next year.

Paul.

Two very different races.

On holiday in Wells-Next-the-Sea recently I took part in their carnival race, held on a Thursday evening (August 3rd). There were short and long course options, I took part in the 8.3k long course, Dani's nephew Ryan entered the shorter race. The route took in wide woodland tracks and beach running, in two loops. The first short loop starts by the beach cafe, runs behind the  beach on good tracks before turning onto the beach and looping back to the start. Along the beach I was overtaken by some juniors taking part in the short course, as the short course is the same as the long course first loop. I was running well, and by the time I finished the first loop and got around to the start point I'd gotten into a good stride. Running across town to the start line as a warm up certainly helped...

On the second longer loop the course headed towards Holkham and the car park at Lady Anne's Drive on good level forest tracks. Along here I was going at a sub 5m/k pace. Not bad for someone who was in hospital under obs the week before. At the car park the course turned right onto a boardwalk and past a very welcome water station. The onto the beach, hard sand at first but turning softer as we neared the beach huts, the soft sand slowing the pace down by around 30s/k. Still, I averaged 4:59/k for the whole race.

I finished in a time of 41:36, two and a half minutes faster than last year, in 12 place out of 32 runners. Ryan finished a respectable 8th in the shorter distance.

Last week I took part in another evening race, Eccles Pike fell race on Wednesday 8th. This is a cat. AS race, 5.3k with 185m of climbing. An old race this, dating back to 1910, which is part of the reason for wanting to do it. Another reason is that it has a reputation for being short and tough.
The start is at Bugsworth, behind the Navigation pub. Parking involved squeezing the Landy down to the canal, past a badly parked van with inches to spare.
The race started by exiting the field and dropping down the road and through the basin, crossing the A6 on a footbridge, then across a sports field and up, first on tarmac then grass. And mud. Although the evening was dry we'd had a fair amount of rain in the days beforehand, making the going slippery in places. Luckily I had the forethought to wear my Mudclaws, this is a course for studs! The course climbed on, I walked some parts and ran others, the terrain a mixture of fields, tracks and rocks. Before I got halfway up the front runners were descending towards us, hurtling down at speed. Soon however I summited, crossed the top of the Pike, and descended. At first the descent took a slightly different course to the ascent, but then we were soon retracing our steps. A few others were still on their way up as I was going down. By this time the sun was low making it difficult to see ahead, at least on the higher ground. My descending wasn't terrific at first, especially on the top section, but I did make a couple of places further down, and held off some other runners. I finished in 102nd place out of 132 finishers, with a time of 36:45. Not a great result, but then I set out to just enjoy the race without any pressure to do well. Also when I do weekday races I try to look at them as training, an alternative to speed work or tempo runs. All in all though, a good way to spend a Wednesday evening. Its just a shame that I couldn't have stopped for a pint afterwards...

Paul.

Stoney Middleton Fell Race 2017.

Most sensible people would have stayed at home...

Last Tuesday I had an odd eposide at work. In the canteen at about 9.30am after second breakfast (first breakfast being at about 4.40am) the energy drained away from me, I started sweating quite heavily and my skin went grey and cold and clammy. Dave the ex-paramedic first aider ushered me into the first aid room, took my pulse (52) and generally kept a close eye on me. He later said that he "thought I would have to go to work on you", as he initially thought I was having a heart attack. Anyway, after about 20 minutes or so the colour came back and I went back to work, but not before I phoned Dani and asked her to book me into the doctors ASAP. The doctor phoned me at work and I was in at 11.40, taking the rest of the day off. After an ECG at the surgery and much head scratching I was sent to Macclesfield Hospital AAU (Acute Assesment Unit) as a precaution, where I had two more ECGs, blood taken, and my blood pressure taken at regular intervals. Apart from some irregularities on the ECG, nothing to be concerned about, there was only oddity which was a very low resting heart rate, down to 41 at one point. The blood testing machine was down however, and my blood sent to another hospital. So at 10pm we went home as the test results weren't due to another hour and a half. I wasn't worried about the results as the doctor felt that they wouldn't show anything out of the ordinary. So, a mystery.

On Wednesday I went to work and felt fine.

Thursday I had off anyway, so as I still felt good I decided to do the Stoney Middleton evening fell race for the second year running. I still hadn't heard anything about my blood results but no news is good news!

Of course Tuesday was on my mind as I set off, keeping a steady pace and taking it easy. Or as easy as you can take a 2.5k road climb, followed by more climbing off-road. Still, I held my own pace and didn't allow myself to get dragged into chasing people down. I felt ok, a bit slow perhaps, but otherwise fine considering my recent scare. Soon the route pointed downhill, quite muddy in places, but not as hard going as the previous year. I did slip over at one point but got straight back up and carried on. One final climb then down to the finish. It would have been tempting to up the speed to flat out, but I resisted, well until someone tried to come past me in the final few metres...

Despite not giving the race my all, and having had a bit of a scare two days previously, I managed to knock three minutes off last years time, finishing the 8.5k course in 113th place (out of 193 finishers) with a time of 48:25. So, I was quite pleased with that.

Should I have raced? Maybe, maybe not. But I know my body pretty well, and felt that I would be ok.

Paul.

Black Rocks Fell Race.

I don't usually do weekday races, they don't fit into working shifts very well, but for some reason I decided to head down to Cromford last Wednesday evening and do just that.

Rather than 'race' I thought that I'd view this as training, an alternative to knocking out intervals on the Monsal Trail. So, after registering and warming up I stayed near the back on the start line, which was on Cromford Meadows at the rugby club. A whistle, a lap of the rugby pitch, and we're on the canal towpath, strung out in a long line. I then started to get into my stride, moving up a few paces. A swing bridge took us over the canal and up an incline, part of the Cromford & High Peak Railway, where wagons were once hauled up by cable. I ran, others walked, until we turned off left into trees and rocky rooty paths. The terrain here was nice going, technical in places, soft in others, with some wet wooden steps to negotiate which took us down onto the track again for some fast running. Back into the dirt, up to a trig point, down through more techy stuff and more trees and we're on the incline again, heading down fast. I took a couple of other runners, enjoying running fast, then back onto the towpath, which seemed longer this time, and finally across the finish line.

It took me 54:40, finishing in 131st place out of 204 finishers.

We once went climbing at Black Rocks. The crag was covered in broken glass, and as we climbed a load of chavs turned up with staffies and barbeques. We finished the route and went home. Not nice.

Paul.

Peak Forest Fell Race 2017.

Yesterday saw me competing in the Peak Forest race for the second time. I've been keen to return to it after last year as I enjoyed the 9.8k course, the relaxed atmosphere, the post race refreshments (tea and home made cake, all at very reasonable prices), and the fact that the proceeds go to the community, this year the village school.

At 11:15 a whistle blew and the race started. As usual I set off at a steady pace, just over half way down the field and not too fast. It always takes me a while to find my rhythm in a race, despite an 8 minute warm up beforehand. Soon I was moving my way up as we left tarmac and hit the first climb, a gentle bridlepath. After a bit of cat and mouse with some other runners, one of which had headphones plugged into his smartphone and a little voice telling him how fast he was moving, I found and settled into my rhythm, leaving quite a few behind as we headed across fields.

This course has a few styles to contend with, luckily they don't come too quickly into the race and with only 80+ runners bottlenecks don't really become a problem, yes there's a bit of waiting but only for a few seconds. Most of the running is pretty easy going on good paths. There is some long grass to contend with, but those of us further down the pack can just follow the trampled line that the leaders leave. Heading up to Eldon Hill the route leaves the paths and we're heading through thistles and limestone, with a short walk at one stage before the summit. Then its all downhill back to Peak Forest, where I left a couple of other runners and ran beside another for most of the way to the finish where I just held him off. My downhill running is improving, which is giving me an advantage, helped by regular practice.

I finished in a time of 56.44, 4 minutes faster than last year. I came in in 41st place, out of 87 finishers, my best result in a fell race so far.

Paul.

Warslow Beer Festival Fell Race 2017.

Last Saturday was the annual Warslow Beer Festival, and in its second year the associated fell race. I did this race last year and have been keen to run the course again despite it being easily the hardest race that I've ever done.

Unilike last year which was cool this year race day was hot. Very hot. Conditions underfoot were better although there was still plenty of slippery White Peak mud to contend with, this is a course for fell rather than trail shoes, something I learn't the hard way last year.

The 10k course hadn't changed, so we had to endure some seriously tough running, and a large amount of walking. In fact one one climb, near the beginning, hands are required to help pull yourself up on tufts of grass. There are six climbs, the gradient profile resembles a bow saw blade. And of course what goes up must come down, climbing may be difficult but trying to run downhill on steep tufty grassland is even tougher.

As the race wore on I started to suffer (as did most others I reckon!), mainly due to dehydration. My own fault, I simply didn't drink enough before the event to carry me through an hour and a half of running in the heat. Lesson learn't, and I shall be looking for a very small bumbag which can carry a small soft bottle. At least once I just wanted to sit down for five minutes, which is unlike me. Still, I carried on. However, on the final climb, mercifully short, my hips gave out which resulted in a lot of foul language and the phrase "shut up legs" being uttered. This lost me at least two places. I kept moving, and as the terrain flattened off and I could see the finish line and hear the brass band playing at the beer festival I felt better. Once across the line I drank a cup of water, ate a protein bar then collapsed, pleased that it was all over.

I didn't realise it at the time but once I got home and studied my times I was 3 minutes faster than last year. I started slower on the first two kilometres (only by ten seconds or so) which I put down to extra traffic as there was twice the number of competiters entered this year. My downhill technique has improved and knowing how brutal the course is helped as I knew not to go off too quickly.

My time was 1:28:30 (official) compared to 1:31:41 last year. I finished in 62nd place out of 109 finishers. Not a bad result for a tough race on a hot day! Fastest time was 58:32.

Roll on next year!

Paul.

Whaley Waltz 2017

Yesterday was the annual Whaley Bridge Carnival, and following the carnival the annual Whaley Waltz fell race. I did this race last year and I've been keen to return to it and try and improve my time.

The race sets off down the main road after the carnival procession, allowing for the procession time to clear the way. This does of course mean a lot of waiting around on the start line, but finally the horn sounded and we were off.

I started quickly, feeling good as we headed down the road and into the park, where after a short climb we met the first bottleneck, a gate and stile which we all passed through quickly enough, then soon after another stile on a narrow track which did make us stop for a minute or two. These bottlenecks are the reason that I wanted to get away quickly. A bit of tarmac and a road crossing later and we were crossing fields and negotiating narrow footpaths as we headed onwards to Taxal.

Once in Taxal the race, to me anyway started properly as firstly we had a short steep tarmac climb followed by a walk up a field (some did try and run it, with varying degrees of success). Across the fields and we hit another bottleneck, a tall wooden stile over a drystone wall. We queued politely, chatting about the Britishness of our behaviour, then one by one we were over to be greeted by a marshall and helper handing out cups of water. I declined but thanked them anyway (I like to thank marshalls, without their help we couldn't race) and headed up onto Taxal Moor, alternately running and walking until I reached the highest point where it flattens out. Then down into woodland, dropping then rising up to Windgather, a climbing crag and the turning point of the race. Once we passed the turning point and doubled back we took a different route through fields back onto the Moor, and another climb. All the time I was running well, keeping my own pace and not being too worried about other runners even when I was passed.

Once off the Moor we followed a series of roads and paths down into Taxal, then retraced our steps back into the park at Whaley. The route through the park is slightly different on the return, as we headed left, then right, through bushes, over a patch of mud then before you know it we're on the riverbank and there's only one option - jump!

I landed and sunk up to chest height immediatly after a couple of others to huge cheers from the locals who gather to watch us get wet. A hand on my shoulder and behind me another runner who I didn't know was following so closely, a stagger across the river, a scamble up the back and its a wet sprint to the finish line.

I finished in a time of 59.13, 6 minutes quicker than last year, and in 130th place, 17 places higher as well. I'm happy with that.

Paul.

Dark Peak Trail Run

Another weekend, another race. This time it was a Dark & White Event's trail race taking part in the Hayfield area. As usual with their events there were two distance options,of 25k and 12k. I'm not ready to race 25k yet (although I'm working towards running that distance) so I opted for the shorter route.

The start times were staggered, common with D&W's runs, and as you could choose your start time I set off at 9.50, which was the second from last time slot. We had 'dibbers' on our wrists and had to 'dib' them into a box at the start and finish as well as part way round, which gave us our times. I usually try to dib last, so that I'm towards the back and not under pressure to set off quickly.

The start/finish line was to the rear of the scout hut in Hayfield and the route set out across a river and onto the Sett Valley Trail. This disused and converted railway line took us away from Hayfield on the flat,which was a welcome warm up before the trail headed upwards. I was running at a steady comfortable pace, I had already recce'd the route so knew what to expect. Soon we were climbing on tarmac, quite a steep hill which was made worse by the heat (it was quite hot!). I had already passed a fair few others and kept on passing people as I climbed, still at a steady pace. Tarmac turned to stony farm track (a restricted byway) and the steepness lessened as the views improved (they were good anyway!), in fact I could see the sweet factory down in New Mills where I work. After about 3k of steady climbing we left the farm track for a short stretch of tarmac (where a drinks station was located) which in turn led to bridlepath. Now the terrain started to get tough, stony in some places, steep in others, always heading up, and for the first time I was overtaken. To our right lay Chinley Churn, but the route carried on heading north back to Hayfield. Once over the highest point (426m) it was downhill fast back to the Sett Valley Trail. I passed quite a few others whilst descending (and got overtaken again), my recent downhill practice coming into play. Back onto the Trail I caught up with and overtook the chap that overtook me on the bridleway climb (the other one got away).

I finished in a time of 1:12:21, putting me in tenth place overall (out of 84 finishers) and second in my age group. I'm very happy with the way I ran, my tactics were to start steady, keep a good pace on the climb without overdoing it and to enjoy a fast downhill. I'm sure that I could descend even quicker with practise though, something I shall be working on in the next few months.

I came home with a bottle of wine, a beanie hat and a touch of sunburn. A good day.
(All landscape photos taken on Thursday's recce.)

Paul.

Edale Fell Race 2017.

Today was Edale Country Day, which of course meant the annual Edale Fell Race, an event that I rather enjoy. I did this race last year, in fact it was my first ever fell race. This year I wanted to do better and beat last years time of  57.22. I've run the course a few times over the last few weeks, getting used to the challenging terrain and looking for the best lines through certain sections.

I started too fast. The first section, uphill all the way, starts in a sheep field, goes through a gate and onto stone tracks up to The Nab and Ringing Roger. I went off at a good pace to the gate, so that I wouldn't drop back too far on the steep path where only the strongest run and the other 90% walk. Despite warming up before the race I was puffing hard on the long climb to Golden Clough, and even when I got onto the edge I was finding the going difficult (not helped by a strong sidewind). My mind was filled with negative thoughts, I didn't sleep well enough on the previous two nights, I should have downed a gel beforehand, perhaps I trained too much the in the week before, basically I was piling pressure on myself because I had set myself a target and wanted to do well on a local course. It didn't help that I wasn't passing anyone, instead there were plenty of runners passing me, but I did keep reminding myself that I was running my own race, trying to beat the clock. I soon reached Grindsbrook Clough though, and realised that I was on target. Still more runners passed me.
Soon I could see Grindslow Knoll, the last short uphill section. Up and over, after a short tactical walk, then down down down. Despite recce'ing the course several times I almost missed the runner's line down off the Knoll, which is a feint grassy track through the undergrowth running parallel to the awkward stone slab path where everyone else headed down. The runner's line is faster and easier on the legs, proved by the fact that I passed a few others who'd passed me previously. Then it was through a gate and onto stony tracks where I soon lost my advantage. However, by this point I was finally starting to enjoy myself. Another gate led into a sheep field, where the going was easier, then a tree lined path led out onto the road for the final section down towards the finish line. A few steps up a bank, a short section of grass and into the Country Day field and the finish line.

I finished in a time of 53:59, over 3 minutes quicker than last year and nicely under the sub 55 minute time that I was aiming for. I was in 108th place, out of 173 finishers.

Was I satisfied? Yes and no. Yes because I achieved my target but no because I feel that I could have run a much better race. I did go off too quickly, made obvious by the fact that I was getting passed at every stage, so I need to think carefully about and improve my tactics. Also I should make sure that I get plenty of sleep in the nights leading up to an event. So plenty to work on.

(The bike in the photo is Dani's, as she wasn't running she rode over from Buxton and came back in the Landy.)

Paul.

Mount Famine fell race.

Over to Hayfield today for another fell race. This one is, like Shining Tor, a cat. AS meaning that it has a lot of climbing (564m/1850ft) and is short distance (8k/5 miles).
This was my first time at this race, and also my first time running in this area although I have mountain biked nearby. So I was slightly nervous, especially as I couldn't find any obvious paths on the OS map that tied into the race route. However the race was listed PM which means partially marked so there would be flags on the ground to guide me in the unlikely event that I lost sight of the person in front.

The race started in some woodland called Elle Bank. So we spread out along a woodland path. But instead of going along the path when the race started, the route actually went straight up a bank. A loose loamy bank covered in ferns, brambles and branches. 4 minutes(!) of undignified scrambling later we hit a path, turned left and headed out onto open ground.

We ran along narrow rocky paths, walked up steep grassy hills and crossed stiles heading for Mount Famine itself. Once over the top we carried on down and up to South Head, then it was a steep drop on nearly pathless moorland down to Dimpus Clough then a stiff climb (walk) on more moorland back up to Mt Famine. Here we retraced our steps for a while before taking a slightly different route back through the woods and into Hayfield, the finish being next to the cricket club's grounds.

The weather started out overcast, with a little light drizzle. Then with a couple of kilometres to go that drizzle turned to rain. But I didn't mind too much, to me fell running is about pitting yourself against the landscape and the weather.

As for my performance, today was just about running somewhere different. I had a rough time in mind based on a quick glance at last years results (I'm generally finish about 2/3s to 3/4s down the field) which I came within 2 minutes of. I ran well I feel, on a course unlike any other that I've so far come across. I enjoyed running on the trackless sections, I liked hearing the skylarks although I was too busy watching my step to try and spot them in the air, I felt good on both the downhills and the ups, I liked the wind rattling my race number and I enjoyed the company of the other competitors. Yes I have work to do, practising running downhill faster for example, but I am satisfied with today.

My time was 1:12:15,putting me in 134th place out of 178 finishers.

Paul.

Shining Tor fell race.

I don't usually do the weekday fell races as they don't fit in with shift work, but yesterday I made an exception. The Shining Tor race is one that I've wanted to do for a few years now, its on my doorstep so most of the route is familiar and the Goyt is my favourite area to run in.

The day started wet, and continued in the same vein until the evening when it was just damp. So I wasn't overly looking forward to the event, mainly because I knew that the flagstones leading off the summit (the route ran clockwise) would be slippery no matter what footwear I used, a fact which hadn't escaped the organisers as they warned us about the flags beforehand.

We started on the road beside Errwood Reservoir at 7.15pm, heading along the blacktop to a carpark then leaving the tarmac and heading up past Errwood Hall. Then turning south we headed up towards Shooters Clough (map here). I had a good pace going, passing a number of other runners (some walking) on this uphill section, keeping the legs turning over.

Coming out of Shooters Clough we headed through a gate then again kept south following the wall. A few passed me along this section, but then we threaded our way through another gate headed for the summit. Once through the path drops down, where I let go and made up a couple of places, before the stiff climb up to the trig point. I was still running well, and was quite pleased to see the summit enclosed in mist, perfect conditions as far as I was concerned as I like being up there when its a bit claggy (and I was as usual overdressed, in long sleeve baselayer and gilet). On reaching the summit the path turns right and drops towards Pym's Chair on the dreaded flagstones. Usually I can reach a good lick along here, but they were rather more slippery than usual (although not as bad as the time when I found them covered in black ice!!) and I'm afraid that I took things far steadier than I ought to have. About 4 or 5 runners came past me, which could have been avoided if I just let go a bit more which in hindsight I could have done. Still, its all a learning experience, and I could always go back and practice (I usually run up this section, not down.)

Off the flags and I could let go a bit more down towards the gate and down The Street. Rather than run down the tarmac the route did of course stick to the side, where its rocky, wet, muddy and in places rutted. Leaving The Street we skirted woodland and went through a sheepfield, heading towards Errwood Sailing Club and the finish line. In the last stages another runner overtook me, who I couldn't catch despite my best efforts. I sprinted across the dam convinced that I had someone on my tail, and crossed the line out of breath but satisfied.

I finished in a time of 58:25, 137th out of 233 finishers. I'm happy with that, but there's work to be done for next year.

In closing I should say that this was a very well marshalled event (Buxton Mountain Rescue helping out) and I was amazed by the amount of spectators on Shining Tor itself and along the path down to Pym's Chair.

Paul.

Biggin Trail Run.

Today was the third and final round in Dark & White's Spring Series, starting and finishing at Biggin in the White Peak. Today's long course measured 15.9k. The terrain varied from rocky descents, grassy fields, stony byways, riverside tracks and part of the Tissington Trail.

The first section was a quite rocky descent, followed by a nice grassy track through a small valley. I set off a little too fast, partly to enjoy the techy downhill through a short rocky section and partly so I wouldn't get stuck behind anyone who isn't used to technical;

Then past a sewage farm and onto a road for a few metres, turning off left to climb up a byway towards Hartington;

I took a few people here, both going up and down the other side. The byway led to road, the route turned left and then left again up another byway and another short climb and drop. Crossing a road we headed down another byway, which got nice and techy although I wouldn't want to try and descend fast in the wet, limestone being rather slippery when damp. Part way down a rocky section the route took us through a gate and across a field;

And after a short climb we headed through a gate and onto a riverside track down Wolfscote Dale. Now it was just a case of following the water down through a very pretty valley;

There were a couple of bridges and quite a few gates to slow us down. The biggest obstacle however was a stiff climb heading up left. I ran the first third, taking small light baby steps, but soon had to walk. This climb took us into a field which in turn led us onto the Tissington Trail, a disused railway line which ran from Ashbourne to Buxton. Old railway lines aren't neccessarily flat, in fact it was mostly climbing for this 4k section before we left the trail and dropped onto sheep fields for the final short stretch.

A good race, I finished in a time of 1:28:09 which I'm very pleased with, especially as I came in 50th place overall out of 196 runners, 15th out of 35 in my age group.

The pretty photos of the course were taken on the 18th of April whilst recce'ing.

Paul.

Wirksworth Incline Fell Race.

Today was, for me, the first fell race of the year. And a good start it was, the weather was pretty much perfect, sunny but not too warm with a light breeze.

The course started in an industrial estate and after a few metres of flat tarmac we headed uphill on a stony track passing through the National Stone Centre. Up onto the High Peak Trail we went (a disused railway line now turned into a multi-user trail), turning left for another short stretch of flat on a good surface before The Incline. Along here I saw Dani who cycled over from Buxton (she came home with me in the Landy). This part of the trail goes up, quite steeply, on a part of the railway that locos couldn't climb so wagons were pulled up on a rope. Initially I started near the back, I haven't done this race before so wasn't quite sure what to expect, but by now I was starting to pass people. At the top of the incline, past the engine house that housed the steam engine that pulled the wagons up, we turned right onto fields and more climbing with some fine views. We did see some wind turbines over the hill, personally I find them to be quite elegant. The going was good, easy tracks and nothing technical or overly steep, just a few stiles and gates to hop over. One gate in particular, a rusty steel job which felt like it was about to give up, we clambered over twice as we headed into a field only to run around a trig point and return the way we came. This led to a bit of confusion as runners were attacking said gate from both sides.

After the trig point it was all downhill, across more fields on a slightly different route back to the High Peak Trail, where we turned left and re-traced our steps back to the start. This of course meant running down the incline, so brain off brakes off flat out down I went, thinking that I was flying until a couple of others passed me. Onto the flat I waved at Dani again and headed off the trail back down the stony track. At one point I mis-read a marshalls hand signal and went along another track until a spectator pointed out my error. Luckily I only went a short distance, but it did cost me one place.

I finished the 6.8k course in 36:17, which put me in 83rd place (out of 126 finishers). I'm happy with that.

A good start to the fell racing season.

Paul.

Swynnerton XC race.

As I'd enjoyed Battle on the Beach, and because Dani had already entered, I decided to have a crack at another mtb race and enter the 'fun' category. Part of the Midlands XC Series, this mountain bike race was on the 9th of April.

I took the Inbred, partly because the fatbike was awaiting attention after BotB and winter in general and partly to remind myself why I loved riding the thing. I had a feeling that the course would be suited to single-speedery, confirmed by pre-riding it before the race started.

The fun group was the last to set off in the morning, after the various age groupers etc. I decided to hang around the back as the day was all about seeing if I like this style of racing. Also, I was riding like a sack of spuds hung over the top tube.

I didn't really enjoy the first lap. The biggest problem with riding single-speed is climbs. Not the actual climbing but the fact that you need to get the power down through the legs and hammer up. If someone in front is going too slow and you can't pass then you're probably going to stall. This happened several times over the race, no fault of any other riders but annoying nonetheless. Rather more annoying is the rudeness displayed by other faster riders. As in shouting 'RIDERS' and expecting everyone else to move out of their way despite the fact that no-one is obliged to give up the racing line for anyone else. On the first lap some **** shouted from behind on tight singletrack (nowhere to move) then barged past me tangling our bars up. Then flew off without so much as an apology despite nearly putting us both in the dirt.

I didn't enjoy the second lap either. Again I tangled bars with another, this time on a climb. He did say "on your left" I gave him plenty of room and he still knocked into me. He did apologise though, but why try and take us both out for the sake of 2 seconds? Later on whilst pushing up a climb (stalled again...) a rider came up demanding that we all gave him room. Well sorry but you're not the only one here!

I crossed the finish line in foul mood, 15th out of 23 riders in my class. I dislike rudeness, when I overtake I wait until I feel that we both have enough room and  try to be as polite as possible. Maybe thats why I didn't enjoy today, I try to treat others with respect and perhaps its too much to expect that I'm treated the same. Or maybe the racing environment brings out the worst in people. Either way I shall think very carefully about enetering another race in this series. Perhaps I should just toughen up and ignore the ignorant. Good course though.

Paul.

Bradfield Trail Run.

This was round 2 of Dark & White's Spring Series and took place on the 2nd of April in Bradfield, Yorkshire. As before the long course runners went off in waves rather than in a mass start, a good idea as it reduced any bottlenecks as we set off.

The long course set off along the North bank of Agden Reservoir, through rooty woods. So rooty in fact that I tripped over... I went down on my side, rolled into it and immediatly got back onto my feet. I'd like to think that I showed grace and dignity under pressure but I probably just looked like a clown.

Out of the woods then along tarmac, then downhill flat out through grassy fields. Nice! Next came the second reservoir of the day as we ran around Dale Dike Reservoir on pleasant but muddy tracks. We left the waterside for the one big climb of the run, up through woodland to tarmac.

The blacktop led downhill (flat out again) to the feed station, where I grabbed a couple of gels before heading across more fields and across to our last stretch of water, Damflask Reservoir. By now my legs were suffering, I'm not good at running on the flat(!), but I managed to hold a decent pace as we did a complete circuit of the reservoir. By the end, when Dani met me as she warmed down (Dani ran the short course) I was in quite a bit of pain.

The finish line couldn't come quickly enough. Although I had run pretty well and passed quite a number of people I know that I could have done better. One thing that I didn't do was recce the course beforehand, mainly because I got my dates mixed up and thought that the run was later in the month.

I finished the 15.2k race in 93rd place out of 204 runners, 21st out of 35 in my age group, my time 1:24:46. The overall winner had a time of 1:00:07.

Paul.

Battle on the Beach!

Battle on the Beach (BotB) is a 45k bike race that takes place in Pembrey Country Park, near Swansea. The 2017 race took part on the 26th of March. The race is run over 3 15k laps, the first 5k of each lap being along the beach. There are 850 places, and the event usually sells out in 24 hours, entries open on midnight on new years day. So, guess what I was doing when others were letting off fireworks and steam! Its also the British Fat Bike Championships, however whilst there were a large number of fatties present riders could also be seen on mountain bikes of every shape, including a few really ancient frames (mid 90s Orange P7 for one) and a large number of cross bikes.

The week before I found rather stressfull. I had a lot of packing to do, not just sorting out clothes but digging out the tipi and camping gear, which was scattered about the house and loft as we haven't camped for a very long time. I also had to check the bike over, fitting new brake pads and stripping and re-greasing the rear hub, which really needs new bearings after a Peak District winter but I didn't have time to source any so a dollop of grease had to suffice. I also changed the rear tyre, swapping the On-One Floater for a Schwalbe Jumbo Jim, which is lighter and faster rolling (at the expense of some grip).

The journey down, although a steady drive, took us about 5 hours. Its at times like that when I start to think about selling the Landy and buying a small van. A van would be practical and cheaper to run, but I know that I'd miss owning a Landrover, even if mine is slowly falling apart.The Landy is happiest at 50-60mph on the motorway, so I'm losing about 15-20mph over a car or van, which adds up on long journeys.

On arriving at the campsite the first job was to let out the dogs! Then the important business of erecting the tipi could start, despite not having used for a few years we managed to remember how;

Kettle on, beds made then Dani had to disappear for a marshalls meeting. As she wasn't riding Dani decided that marshalling would be a good way to spend her time. So, tea drunk, biscuits eaten, camp set up, time for a ride, or in Dani's case a run along the beach and through part of the course. I went and had a play on the beach;

On Saturday night a time trial had been organised on a shortened course. I didn't take part but did watch the start where Dani did her first marshalling stint;

After a jolly nice wood fired pizza we returned to camp and rather boringly went to bed at 10. Well, we were both tired, too tired in fact to enjoy the beer that I packed. We knew the campsite would be busy and noisy, but in fact the revellers weren't overly zealous so we enjoyed a decent nights sleep under canvas.

Sunday morning started with Dani walking the dogs on the beach whilst I boiled water on the Trangia, ready for Aldi's finest instant porridge. which is actually quite nice. Dani dissappeared off to her marshalling position whilst I drank more tea and prepared myself for my race (which mainly comprised of checking tyre pressures, chatting to folk and drinking more tea). Then the time came to head over to the start.

Not knowing what to expect when 800+ riders try to set off at the same time I decided early on to stay near the back of the bunch. We were funneled between barriers on the entrance to the beach, and being close to the back I didn't hear the start horn. Some riders in front moved forward so I did as well, in fact it wasn't until I was nearing the beach that I realised that the race had actually started.

We moved off the hard path and onto the beach, through a patch of soft sand at first until we reached firmer ground. The beach for the most part was hard packed, and fast! As I moved along I saw a couple of early DNFs, one rider on the ground (broken collerbone apparently) and another sat watching who I later found out had ripped a tyre on a shell. According to my Garmin I was moving at 28kph on the sand, which I though was rather good until I later found out that the Dutch leaders were clocked doing 28mph!

Yes I was carrying a camera! Which I managed to use on the fly.
Coming off the beach we again hit soft sand, then onto grassy sandy doubletrack. This was actually the worst section of the course, being bumpy, lumpy and just generally uncomfortable. However on the first lap there was enough banter between us riders to take our minds off the ground. Into the woods we went, soon hitting the first singletrack section. Hitting is perhaps not the right word to use, it was in fact a queue as we hit a bottleneck. Still, we had time to chat, exchanging pleasantries with Team Sumo. Yes, 3 riders did the entire 45k race in Sumo suits.

There was plenty of singletrack to enjoy along with some short sharp climbs. I saw Dani at her marshall point, she had started to worry as I didn't come through as quickly as she expected and she'd heard on the radio about the accident on the beach at the start. Soon we were out of the woods and onto the grassy marquee area where we went through the finish line and followed tarmac back to the beach and onto another lap;

Did I mention that the race leaders, from Holland, lapped me whilst I was in the woods, still on my first lap? We heard the shout 'leaders' and then they were past. Of course I was lapped several more times, but without the shouting.
On the second lap I was riding well, the course and more importantly the ground conditions were becoming familiar, and I rode with a big smile on my face. Through the finish line again and back onto the beach I went for the third and last time.
The third lap took a different route about halfway into the woods, so that the leaders could have a clear run at the end. I crossed the line in 440th overall place (183rd in my class, vet male 40-49) with a time of 2:23:06, a result that I'm very happy with.

Afterwards I met up with Dani, and we ate a lot of pizza!

The drive home was rather tiring, and again it took us about 5 hours. My calves were burning from lactic acid, which made driving quite uncomfortable especially when you're holding the accellerater in the same position for hours on end. Still, we eventually got home, emptied the Landy, drank tea, ate more pizza and went to bed for a well earned rest.

Would I do it again? Yes yes and yes again!!! I had a fantastic time, well you would wouldn't you, riding a bike on the beach and through the woods in superb weather with loads of other like minded folk. I'll be back next year for sure.

Paul.