Sharp Haw Fell Event
Posted in Running
As I am still reasonably new to running, it is the only race event I have actually done more than once so I actually knew the route and knew what to expect. It was also a good chance to see if I had improved in the last year.
Around 30 runners and a bloke on a crosser turned up with varying degrees of lighting. From the top class Hope vision lights to your usual petzls etc. I have to say this is the place for a bit of headtorch envy as there is such a clear advantage to have a bit extra power strapped to your head but it could be claimed to take some of the fun out of running in the dark.
At 7.30pm the event started with a bit of jostling up the road and onto the moors. This is where the fun started as you realise that much of the path was like sheet ice and you knew there was going to be a few falls that night. A sharp run up to the top of Sharp Haw followed by a great descent down towards rough haw before ascending that, round the trig and back down a steep rocky section and back up the slog towards Sharp Haw. As there was still snow on the ground it was often a bit easy to go off the paths and find yourself in some rough stuff which really drained the legs.
Then the final desent back to the road. Last year this was great fun, a slight gradient on pretty flat soft ground. This year just a mix between visible ice and black ice or the option to go slightly off the paths and risk the ankles on the tussocks and slightly longer grass in the dark.
Overall I finished 5th in 38 minutes 21 seconds so I was nearly 2 minutes out of my guesstimate of 40 mins 10 seconds. The spooky thing is that the race time was exactly the same as last year to the second. So why I was so wrong on my guess I do not know? I think I have improved as most peoples times were between 2 and 5 minutes slower than last year due to conditions and I didn’t feel I had pushed as hard this year as finishing in one piece was more important than getting a good time in slippy conditions.
A fair few bloody knees, and tales of slides and falls as we retired to the warmth of a bar to give out the prize for closest to the time.
All in all a great way to spend a cold Wednesday night in December.
Picture courtesy of Bob Wightman
December 12th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I’m gonna have a crack at Fell Running very soon a friend is taking me out in the Mountains here in North Wales in January for a few runs. I live very close to Snowdonia only 20 minutes or so in the car. I know the hills here quite well as i walk and do a lot of Wild Camping so combining all that with running just feels like a logical step. I’m also an ex squaddie and learnt to navigate when i was in. Really looking forward to giving this a crack. It’s a completly new level i know but i have to have a try
December 12th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
As for the Bob Graham …..wow just amazing i had heard of it before because i know someone who has done the Welsh version, Paddy Buckley.
One day maybe
if i have a spare few years to train.