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Winter
Hill Fell Race (AM) Sunday, 11th February 2007 11 miles 2750 feet ascent |
The race
starts and finishes at the Great Barn
at Rivington, which was shut and out
of bounds to fell runners before the start of the race! The race organisers were issuing numbers from
the window of a car; it was well organised. The list was in Club and then Name order so when I said Wesham
they didn’t need to ask any more, I was the only one!
I had
travelled over with Stewart Forsyth
and Derek Buckley, both running for Bowland. The weather was fairly good, much better than
last year but I still ran in a Helly
shirt under my club vest and long tights, finished off with gloves and a
hat. I wondered what the Horwich
runner next to me at the start wore when it was hot as he queued up in vest and
shorts!
The route
takes you along rough tracks past the pigeon tower and onto the fell just
before Rivington Pike. The feeling of icy cold water
oozing into your shoes for the first time is never nice but it does warm up
eventually.
Easy to find Checkpoint 1, follow the crowds to the
stream junction. Then off across the
moor towards the shooting hut at CP2. No problems here as visibility was great,
once over the road that goes to the top route choice is important as too far
down the hill the terrain is really rough.
I picked up the footpath and was soon running against the flow of faster
runners coming away from CP2. Run round the ruined shooting hut as the
marshal records your number then back onto the track for a short way before
turning for the top of the hill, I always struggle to find the route here on
recce runs but it is so easy when following the crowds!
Across the
broken wall at the top and then onto the fast descent to CP3 on the Belmont side
of the hill, I managed to pass Derek
Buckley down here who was struggling with his ankles; this was the first
time I have been in front of him in a race!
The good
track back to the top was a struggle for me, usually runable, I ended up
walking and Derek passed me again near the top just before CP4. I was following him
along the top as he slipped and fell, not wishing to miss an opportunity I shot
past and led him down the next descent to CP5
on the Belmont side again. Derek was
saving himself on these descents, not wishing to spoil his skiing holiday
booked for next week.
The climb
back to the top is a slog and I was finding it really hard but once CP6 is gained at the Trig Point there is a
really nice
run down the ridge. My legs were tiring
here and I knew that there was still some hard running left. Checkpoint
7 is at a little bridge right down near the road; the route then turns back
up onto the fell. Once across the bridleway the route to CP8 causes difficulties for some when visibility is poor however
today was not a problem. I glanced at my
watch coming away from CP7 - 1 hour
22 mins, I could be on for a sub 2 hour finish, (dream on!)
The path to CP8 back at the stream junction is
terrible; tussocks of grass surrounded by marshy ground, some of it
frozen. The running was hard as your
feet sometimes stayed on the top and then sometimes broke through the ice into
the mud below.
I couldn’t
remember much of the route from CP8
past CP9 and to the finish; I must
have been struggling at this point last year.
This year was no exception and, as I started the climb back towards the Pike and the
I finished 1
minute up on last year’s time, a bit disappointing, as weather conditions had
been much better. After a couple of
brews in the Great Barn we headed
home. Perhaps I can do a bit better next year?
Written by: Richard Davies
Submitted: 18th February 2007
Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Editor
1st Rob Hope
Pudsey and Bramley 1:33:03
50th Richard
Davies Wesham RR 2:08:20
65th Derek
Buckley Bowland 2:14:06
85th Stewart
Forsyth Bowland 2:19:34
165 finishers