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.