It was the fine weather and finding out that the race didn’t start untill 11am that made the decision to do the race for me. After weeks of not running and a late night (or 2) I was about as prepared as I ever am. A text to Diver-Driver secured my lift up to the cricket club and we were off.
A quick look over a map of the route revealed a couple of cunning changes. The first was the ascent of Pule Hill to my favoured route and the second was a completely different finnish. Instead of the normal finish around the top of Carr Clough to the cricket club, a second ascent of Bobus had been added. The route then followed the catch water for a couple of hundred metres before taking a steep descent deep into Butterley Clough. Another small ascent up the other side of the clough before zig-zagging down to the stream and on to the finish back at the cricket club. This, I thought, would make the course significantly more difficult.
Starting off about two-thirds into the pack I managed to maintain my position along the trail and onto the stream crossing (scene of last year’s youtube classic). Finding it less strenuous to run slow rather than walk fast, I decided to try to maintain a steady, but slow, pace regardless of terrain. Seemingly the right choice, this lead to me overtaking half a dozen people who had opted for walking the first ascent of Bobus. It was a relief to get to the catch water at the top where the going was flatter and beautifully spongy. The half-dozen I had overtaken on the ascent were soon breathing down my neck and I think they had all passed me before we got to the dam of Swellands Reservoir.
Turning Northwest over Black Moss dam I was met by a fierce wind which took a little out of my pace. I was soon engulfed by the half-dozen who had now been joined by Nigel – Diver Driver’s brother. Wanting the freedom to travel at my own pace on the upcoming flagged pennine way section, I mustered a sprint which took me beyond the half-dozen. I was pleasantly surprised that: a) this sudden burst of energy didn’t kill me and b) it worked. Widening my stride to lessen the impact of the slabs on my delicate, puny knees I wasted no time getting down to the now sadly empty Redbrook reservoir.
Slowing down along the ascending Standedge Trail I managed to keep my position. Maintaining my strategy of run rather than walk, I adopted a ‘rest pace’ along the catch water leading to the bottom of the ascent of the sharp side of Pule Hill. During this section I was caught up and overtaken by the half-dozen but I felt confident that my Pule ascending skills would pay off. A third of the way up Pule I was picking off the tail enders of a large group who were walking the ascent. Sadly my strategy failed when the group swallowed me up and made the effort of passing so many people on the steep climb not worth the effort. I gave in and had to walk the last half of the ascent. Bloody tourists 🙂
The top of Pule saw the wind again (no surprises there!) and I managed to keep pace with Nigel – who had overtaken me on the way up. In what seemed like no time at all we were at the junction at the top of the incline where the route took a ninety degree turn East. At this point I saw a runner somersault into a small gully. Nobody seemed to notice. Memories of Dr Ali’s chin at Ravenstones Brow played through my mind so I was glad when I saw the chap leap back to his feet and dart off across the moor.
The section from Pule across Brown Hill did for me last year. With no path and only random trods it is difficult to get a bearing so this year I took a compass. Also the going is tussocky and full of rough gulleys which makes it hard work for tired legs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that ths year it had been marked out very well with flags. The compass stayed in my pocket.
Upon reaching the trail where the race started my legs quickly turned to jelly. I remember this from last year and think it must be a symptom of the radical change of terrain from the damp, tussocky tendrils to the firmness of the trail. I developed a horrible niggling pain in my right thigh. I paced Nigel and a couple of other runners until a couple of hundred metres before the stream crossing where I overtook them to get a clear run up the second ascent of Bobus. This was most definitely a lot easier the first time round but I plodded up again without breaking my now almost static gait.
Someone was breathing down my neck as we ran along the soothing sponginess of the catch water track again but this time I didn’t know or care who it was. A marshal was on hand to kindly point out the descent route which would take us down to Butterley Clough. Horrible with deep tussocks but with gravity working in my favour it wasn’t long before I was overtaken by the couple of runners who had been breathing down my neck. After I was overtaken by a third runner and with the end surely not far away I summoned enough energy to retrieve two places with a death defying leap when the two runners hesitated crossing a narrow gully.
The descent into Butterley Clough steepened into the sort of angle that almost required roping up. After crossing the stream and ascending the other side of the gully the route flattened out into the most evil terrain imaginable to man at this stage of a fell race. Deep tussocks with no discernible route through. Jellied legs now became liquified, heading off in all directions with any attempt to control them utterly futile. I began to get cramp in my right calf and just managed to flop over the style at the end of this hellish section and onto the path which zig-zagged down Carr Clough to the stream.
Ascending the other side of Carr Clough I wasn’t far behind a group and was tempted to run after them to try to gain a couple more places but seeing no obvious place to overtake on this narrow path I decided that as long as nobody came sneaking up behind me I was happy with my position.
Rounding the corner I was surprised to see the finnish line and overjoyed to see Jess, Zuni, Nerissa and Phoebe all waiting there to cheer me home. A fantastic ending to what is the most enjoyable fell race I have done. Back to the pavillion with the family for hot tea and sandwiches.
Addition Results: Just found out that I came 63rd, 21 places up on last year 🙂 and my time was 69:44.
[…] the Pennine Way, hoicking my trousers up every couple of minutes. Funny, but I’ve just read my previous account this race in in 2010 to find that spead up in this exact same place. I think it may be down to the turn in the course […]