Middle Pack

The view from the middle of the pack

I took a trip out with Judy Howells from Wharfdale Harriers to do the Beamsley Beacon fell race. A hot evening to run from Addingham, up to the beacon then straight back down through a small ginnell covered in nettles and thorns. I have only ever done this race route in the dark so it was going to be a novel experience seeing where I was going.

It was a race I kind of talked myself out of. I wasn’t feeling too great so convinced myself that I wasn’t going to run great. The race starts wth a fairly big bit of flat road and trail which left me behind the pace. It then gradually goes up the hill through a wooded bit and a fw fields until finally hitting the moors. All the worst kind of terrrain for me – runnable terrain!

Once at the top then the descent down to the bottom begins. The initial descent is quite rocky and steep. A lot rockier than I remember when it was dark. Guess thats what you get when you can see. Then a road section to a sneaky little ginnel. This was the bit I was dreading. Thorns at eye height and nettles and thorns at leg level and this was meant to be a mad dash? On getting there the rumours I heard at the start were true. Someone had gone up the night before to strim the path a bit! This person is a star! This meant full tilt down the ginnel that last time I couldonly walk down in the dark. Catching up with others on the descent. It soon leveled off and we were running back into Addingham.

Slightly disappointed with my race. Could have done better at the start of the race and I made a bit of a meal out of the whole thing. The evening though was great! Straight in to the pub afterwards and I wasn’t driving so a few swift pints and driven home via chip shop and getting a few more tins of beer.

17th out of 89 finishers.

What a great way to spend an evening! An enjoyable drive up to Kettlewell with a club mate followed by some vague pretence at warming up followed by a great race route up to the top of a ridge, plumetting down the other side then a slow slog back up before a final plummet down to the finish. 5 miles yet 1800ft crammed in there.

After Wednesdays mountain bike race I was tired all day and had a good whine about tired legs and put in my excuses for a poor performance right at the start of the race. Dead legs, tired, its just  a training run etc etc. So with my excuses in, all that was left to do was to jack up on strong caffine drinks, nigella lawson flap jack and run the race.

The race starts with a steep hill with loads of false summits. I tucked in behind my Valley Strider club mate Eirik Stanges and started up the hill. About half way up I took over from him as I saw the first runner gaining a bit of a lead. Off I went and at the top I found myself in second with a fair lead on the rest of the field but a considerable distance away from first position. So the race was then could I keep second and will the first person blow up as that was my only hope of catching him. By the bottom of the hill my position was pretty much the same but with a short flat bit at the bottom it seemed like they were catching and first was getting further away. I knew if I was half way up the hill on the way back I could hold off my club mate but wasn’t sure about the rest of the field. I had lost the leader and never saw him again so I was just looking behind me. Its not a comfortable position to be running as there is no-one to chase and all of a sudden you feel like the hunted.

I managed to run all the ascent and it felt like I was getting some of my ascending strength that I had at the end of last season so was happy with that. Even felt I could have gone a bit faster if needed. The descent was great grassy descent, again I could have gone slightly faster but wanted to maintain where I was in the race and not do anything stupid so just made sure I got to the bottom without falling. Job done there was then a stretch of undulating path that I was trying to push on but there was someone catching me up, and FAST! I was going as fast as I could but he was still catching. The question was then could I get to the end before he caught me? Being careful went out the window and now it was eyeballs out, lung rasping and careless running over rocks, through the odd stream and jumping down small depressions. There was the final field up ahead I could do it!

I managed to hold my position and came second! A quick congratulations to the winner who was looking a bit too fresh for my liking and a shake of the hands of third, who in all honesty if we had a bit longer would have taken me and there would have been nothing I could have done. He was flying the last mile! I then decided lying on the ground was the best thing for me!

Great race and great organisation from Abbey Runners! Congrulations on 25 years!

Final result, 2nd out of 41. Winner was Bruce Elsworth from Wharfedale Harriers (Also the winner of Weets the night before.

In keeping with my recent theme of no running training and only racing on races that are less than 6 miles and usually on an evening, it meant I could do the Otley Chevin fell race. Although only 3.5 miles it does pack in a whopping 900ft of ascent before tumbling back down to the finish.

This was the only category A fell race in the Valley Striders Fell Champs and it was also my only official short category race I competed in for the whole of last year. Last year I biked to the start only to realise that my house is then 10 miles uphill from Otley. This year I took the car. Quick pick up of another runner and we were in Otley in plenty of time. Quick register and on the start line.

The race is a cruel one, with a lot of tarmac, steps and road so not your typical fell race terrain. Really a very steep trail race would be a better description however I feel that wouldn’t do this classic race any justice to class it as a trail race.

The race started with the minimum of fuss and off we went up the cobbled street, over the bridge and up a steep road. As it was a Strider fell champs race and I wasn’t sure how fit the others are at the moment I decided to try and hang on to the faster Striders and see what happened. We were soon onto rough trails but still going steeply uphill. It then turns in to a steep section of stairs. Here I culdn’t decide which would be the fastest way to get up them? Hands on knees? stand upright? start jogging? It was kind of inbetween all three so I tried all three. That was until first lady ran past me on one side and a guy from club walked past me on the other. the guy from club looked like he wasn’t trying as hard as the lady so I tried to walk just behind him. As the path flattened out briefly I tryed to catch up but this was just not happening as the brain was saying go faster but the legs were not listening. So I tried to tuck into a nice rhythem and keep my breathing under control as we went up a final ascent to the top of the Chevin. Thinking I will get him later (I always think that, but never do?). There is then an all too brief spell of generally flat trails across the top of the Chevin, going round Suprise View before the great descent back down to the finish.

The descent is a very fast non technical descent that seems just to plummet to the bottom of the Chevin. At one point I was flying down only to lose my bottle a bit and try to apply the brakes. I really do need to master that descent as you could really pick up some mighty speed if you could get your legs to keep up with you.

Eventually the track goes onto concrete and an even steeper section that really does jar the legs. I was catching my club mate so kept on pushing. Back the way we came and I was now catching him fast, but also seeing the finish come even closer. I pushed hard down the road, finally finding a bit of speed 200m from the finish line but just couldn’t catch him.

I came in 22nd position overall, in a time of 20.48, club mate beat me by 2 seconds in the end. Winner Graham Pearce from Pudsey and Bramley in 17.35.

Another great evening race. Thanks to Skyrac for putting on the race and marshalling. I will definately be back next year and who knows I may even have a few goes at the descent in the meantime.

After the fun of Jack Bloor, I thought another of these short sharp blasts was a great way to spend an evening. So I decided to get myself up the the Kildwick Fell race. A measly 3.9 miles with 860ft crammed into those miles.

As always with these evening races, there is a mad dash to pick people up and get out of Leeds to register for the race and get sorted. Once arriving, we managed to register and get ourselves sorted and over to the start line before the heavens opened.

Soon we were starting and as soon as the race started the rain stopped, leaving a cool evening air, and the great smell after a recent rain shower. Perfect for a run.

The race starts with a steep road ascent before hitting moorland and upwards still. I felt a load better than Jack Bloor last week, but was apprehensive not to push too hard too early. The up soon gave way to a gradual descent back down to tarmac and me thinking I was on my way back to the finish so started to push a bit only for the people in front of me to disappear back up the hill again. Damm, back up to the top again, I wish I had looked at the race route beforehand. So up again, lungs now gasping and rasping. Always seems to be the time the photographer gets snap happy and catches you looking pained and deadly serious as you concentrate on not stopping to catch breath.

This time the ascent was shorter but a lot steeper, and soon we were back downhill, gradual, followed by steep followed by tarmac and very steep. Before you know it you are sprinting (if you can call it that) across the field to the finish, before stopping and trying to catch some breath.

The best bit about these evening races is the pub afterwards. A swift pint, a catch up with other runners you know and a bit of banter. Oh and if you are lucky a prize. Somehow I managed to come away with a bottle of wine for my efforts.

Final result was 17th out of 105 in a time of 29.27. Winner was Jonny Bradshaw from Wharfedale in a time 26.02, but ran closely in by Tom Adams from Ilkley only 2 seconds behind. There are some seriously fast juniors around that are giving the seniors a real run for their money.

The foot was hurting afterwards, but I know that I am reasonably confident on it on shorter distances and races. So with that in mind any long distance stuff is going to be on the bike this year and only short stuff on the fells.

Huge thanks to Brett and the marshalls for organising a real cracker of a race. A great pub afterwards as well.

I would like to thank David Brett for the use of the photos. Some of the others are absolutely great! Definately worth a look at. Bob Wightman was also taking photo’s so you can check out his as well.