Crowden Horse Shoe 8m 1700ft
Thankfully the torrential rain that greeted me at
registration cleared up for the race and the weather was fine
except for a brief shower on the highest of the moors. I've not done this race before but the route is well known to me so the ankle twisting neck breaking terrain came as no surprise. The combination of muddy rocky paths, narrow channels above vertical drops, slippy flag stones, miles of bog and steep descents makes it necessary to concentrate very hard on this one.
except for a brief shower on the highest of the moors. I've not done this race before but the route is well known to me so the ankle twisting neck breaking terrain came as no surprise. The combination of muddy rocky paths, narrow channels above vertical drops, slippy flag stones, miles of bog and steep descents makes it necessary to concentrate very hard on this one.
Four miles of climbing with a couple of stream
crossings brought me to Soldiers Lump the bleak summit of the aptly named Black
Hill. Here is the turning point with 4 miles return by a parallel route down to
the start/finish line at Crowden outdoor pursuits centre. This summit also marks
the start of the real fun..... bog! Lots of it and nicely conditioned by
recent showers and months of high rainfall.
Still the down hill aspect soon had me recovered
from the grind of the climb and managing to keep a good pace I found myself
fully enjoying the race and even risked a few brief glances at the views.
Time and distance flew and having gained a few places I found myself at the top
of the final difficult descent. Thankfully the legs still felt strong and I
gained more ground on my pursuers allowing a quick but unpressured run to the
finish line.
Just under 1 hour up and over 30 minutes down
giving me a final time of 1 hour 30 minutes with only one fall and a handful of
partial immersions in the bog, I was very happy with that. Jill and the dog met
me at the end having just finished a good walk and as we headed back to the car
we spotted a few competitors washing away the mud in the river. Being
particularly well coated myself I joined them and found yet another use for my
Buff which made an excellent flannel.So being a bit cleaner we headed to
the nearby campsite shop and celebrated with cake and coffee before heading home
for a proper bath.
It had been a good morning out, but there was a
feeling of some sadness as I recalled at various points that the last time I ran
this route it had been in the company of our much missed friend John
Lawton.
Chris Brumby
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