BURN VALLEY RUN Saturday 1st July 2006

“Wherever there’s a race in the North, there’ll be a Wesham vest”. John Bertenshaw and I returned to Masham, North Yorkshire, to face the music once again. Our personal targets tell you something about the course: John wanted to break 90 minutes; I wanted to run all the way round this year! In true Yorkshire style, the toughness of the course was played down. Unlike Skipton’s 10 miler, the race name gives nothing away. The bandwagon feeling in the market square, the fantastic sweet shop, the King’s Head and the nearby Black Sheep brewery, lure you into a false sense of security. The only slight giveaway is in the small print on the entry form, “one of the UK’s most challenging half marathons”.

After the soaring temperatures of last year, early in June, I joked to JB that a freak spell of cold weather was predicted for the race this year. This came back to haunt me on the day, as the searing heat reached 35 degrees by the start time. The mood was still upbeat though, as Sally, her mum, John and I drove up the A1. Shortly after parking up, I spotted John and Elaine, then Julian Mawson and his mum soon after. “This is a great way to spend my 37^th birthday”, I thought, reminded about this every few minutes, because Arthur Rayner, the race director, had kindly given me race number 37! This was also my finishing position last year. Other local rivals at the start line were Dave Preston and Anne Sweeney.

The crowds cheered us out of Masham market square; the first mile was treacherously gentle as we ran through the spectacular grounds of Swinton Castle. Then came the hills. Boosted by decent runs at Leyland 10 and Welsh Castles, I thought I was at least guaranteed to run faster than last year’s 1:38. Julian, who’s run this 9 or 10 times, gave me some advice: “After 6 miles you must feel like you’ve hardly done any running”. Advice I again failed to take. My mind had tricked me, blotting out the hills from last year. I was really struggling after just 6 miles, caught out again by the relentlessness of the ups and downs. By 7.5 miles I’d almost run out of steam, and had the first of several walks.

The sun beat down, the hills kept coming, and so did the runners – Dave Preston flew past me between 9 and 10, followed by Anne Sweeney a mile further on. My only response was another walk up the next hill, scanning the horizon for a water station. JB was never in sight; he had a great run, finishing 18^th in 1:34. Julian was equally impressive, 2^nd for the second consecutive year in 1:24. The final half mile was mercifully flat, but nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. Sally had told Arthur that it was my birthday, and word had got round, so as I ambled in, the crowds lining the finish sang “Happy Birthday” to me, and Sally had made a banner. An unforgettable moment. Race number 37, 37 years old that day, 37^th last year. My finishing position this year - 36^th and a bloke pulled out with just over a mile to go!

The irony of this tough race was that my legs were fine the following day. I hadn’t been able to run fast enough to cause any stiffness. The mental scars will take longer to heal. Four times up The Saucer? Longridge 7? The Widow Maker? are all strolls in the park compared to this in the heat. Twice I’ve sworn I’d never go back. See you there next July!!

Written by: Andy Yelland.

Submitted: 1^st September 2006

Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Editor