My first proper fell run, good times. I must admit I was a
little apprehensive about this one, and for good reason, check out the contours
on this beauty!
Not to worry, I get to do 3 of my most favourite things,
camping, running and being amongst mountains and big hills!
Unfortunately I manage to fail spectacularly at the first
hurdle. Now when you go camping there are a few essentials that any moron would
bring with them, a tent for example, some tent poles and perhaps even some tent
pegs, these are all generally considered essential items of kit for a
successful camping trip. I didn’t manage to forget the tent, which would have
been silly; I did however manage to leave all the tent pegs at home! If memory
serves, I think I last used them as pegs for my purse nets, whilst out
ferreting.
Fortunately I had a surplus of cutlery, a few spoons and
knives later, coupled with the spare tyre for the guy ropes and the tent was
looking superb, mc guiver eat your heart out.
Race day arrives, I pay my £8 quid to the campsite, and
toddle of to find the start.
You can always tell who the fast people are at these things,
they just look fast, like a long dog or race horse you can see they have some
miles in them. I pick one chap that looks like a seasoned fell runner and think
it would be good to beat him.
At the briefing we get the usual stuff about the way marks,
checkpoints and warnings of weather being hot. The organizer then goes on to
explain that we will be running near a stream so if needs be we can drop down
to it and get a drink, I’m hardy but I’m not hardy enough to risk liver fluke,
and looking around I don’t think any one else is either!
We start with a lap of the school field to spread out the
pack before we got onto the fells, then its all stop. The first 5-6 miles is
up, and up in a big way, we all walk. After 6 or 7 miles I start to feel good
and on a down hill section I stride out a bit, overtaking one gentleman I look
up and where there were people, there are none. Confused I slow and ask the
chap I’d just passed “where did they go?”, yep we were lost, after a brief
conflab and consultation of the map we decide to go to the edge and look down,
sure enough there were runners, about 500 feet straight down! Only one thing
for it, make like a mountain goat and go straight over the edge.
Getting to the half way checkpoint I re fill my water pack
and plod on. Rather typically there’s a cameraman waiting at the top of a large
incline, after a series of large inclines to snap me at my best! Catching up
with the target in front, I decide to tab along with him for a bit, thinking
this would mean we won’t get lost as I’m not navigating. This turned out to be
a misjudgement of my new running partner’s navigation ability, after
jumping/falling over a fence and wading through a brooke we find the right path
and are joined by another chap.
Somehow we find out that we are ranking 10th, 11th
and 12th, thinking how nice it would be to finish in the top 10 we
all stride out a bit, the older chap, satisfied that neither of us are over 50,
and his vet position is likely top 3, is happy enough with any ranking, so we
all decide to come in together and let the clock sort things out.
Then half a mile from the finish disaster strikes, these two
bods, apparently getting beneficially lost pop up in front of us. We all
exchange pleasantries and they storm on, once out of ear shot we all have a
little grumble, then quickly get over it. Well two of us do, the other chap
being slightly ahead of us, gets all excited and speaking in hushed tones tells
us they’ve gone the wrong way. Not really the attitude I feel, if people go
wrong you tell them, not just watch them and snigger, glad you’ve gained an
extra place or two. Any how they didn’t go wrong so no harm done.
Finishing my first proper fell run, quads, calfs and
everything in between burning, in a time of 4:53:58, 13th out of 137
very pleased.
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