Spenborough 20, Cleckheaton
Sunday, 18th March, 2007
Scenery: 4 – Started off on the track and
then went past a boarded up pub and businesses with their windows covered in
graffiti, but it did get marginally better! We ran through the historic
PB potential: 1 – Approx 1,150 feet of ascent and decent (Highpoint: Hartshead Moor
Top: 560 feet). Opinions of the height varied, but this was the figure on
the official poster at the Track.
Atmosphere: 6
Organisation: 9 – nothing spectacular, but efficient.
Value: 10 - £5 to pre-enter. Energy bar
and tea at the finish.
Beginner Friendly: 0.
Weather today was horrendous. A cross between Winter Hill Fell Race 2 years ago and this year’s St Annes 10! We had everything:
snow/sleet/hailstones/rain/wind (even the sheep looked p**d off!). At one point
I had to put my hand across my forehead to stop the hailstones or else I
couldn’t have seen where I was going! Wind speed reportedly 29 mph, (Michaela thought it was worse than this
more like 70mph as she was nearly blown into the road several times sideways
and the car took some steering on the M62!)
and talk on Runners World Forum
about it being close to being called off. Bum bag with full body kit should
have been an essential requirement!
Do it again: Yes, I think so, (it’s one of those
that nothing stood out about it at all except the severity of it!). It’s a 10
o’clock start, so we had to set off early, but its only 2 miles from Junction 26 on the M62.
At the Start,
Michaela asked me how I was going to approach the race and I said I was
going to treat it as a training run………….with Finlay (sorry Fin!). Always in the back of my mind, was the 1st V50 at last years race
did 2:41:22, so I thought I might
have a chance of a prize. Thought we wouldn’t know anyone, but met Wesham 2nd claimer, Julian
Mawson and a Clayton runner we
spoke to last week at Dent.
I tried to keep with the Clayton runner as I thought he’d be
good company over the next 2 hours or so, but I couldn’t keep up with him. He
finished in 2:17 and is looking for 2:59:59 in
I’d say there were just fewer than 200 in
the race and soon we were all fairly spread out. The distance held no fears
after doing Buttermere 22, just
wished I could have run a little faster.
I was wearing vest and shorts, (cos that’s all I had!), but
majority had thermals/hats/tracki bottoms/tops. At some points runners were
running towards us and runners running the opposite way. Bit disorientating,
but no danger of going wrong. The hail was that bad at one point, I started
swearing to myself and Michaela said
the same!. Some runners stopped running and went to shelter under some trees.
The weather is traditionally bad at this event. Last year a car was sent back
round the course as the snow was sticking asking runners if they wanted to
jack.
I finished in 2:31:27. Michaela was about 10 minutes later and appeared to be in
the top 10. It was a bit of an anti-climax as you entered the stadium, as there
was no one there except the shivering timekeepers. No sound of clapping just
the wind whistling in your ears! We handed our re-usable numbers back,
exchanged them for a muesli bar, walked to the car robotically…it was
unavoidable after that arduous toil of a pleasure, and headed home.
Full results not yet available, but they
will eventually be on John Schofield.
Written by: Martin Bates with help from Michaela.
Submitted: 19th March 2007
Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRREditor
N.B.
Michaela spoke to Barry Peatfield today. He has run this race a few times. His best
time was 1:50! (Late 80’s, he was 5th!!!)The weather follows a pattern on this race, in
one…arctic conditions! When he finished, his hands and arms were that cold and he
couldn’t undo his shoelaces……..so he got in the shower still wearing his kit to
thaw out.