So I arrived at the start in beautiful sunshine to book in, now bare in mind that last week I ran a marathon with 4999 others I was unsurprisingly to be taking part in a small field of runners but there's small and there's tiny and friendly. It was almost like a group from the local OAP group had challenged the local football team to a race up over along down round and back up a massive hill after a few beers to many.
The field was about 30 runners many seniors that looked that they were still eating out the rash-ion book and some local younger club runners who came from places where you knew they had big hills but no chocolate. I must say though these guys were super friendly and very welcoming.
So having checked in at the local pub we were marched off to a lay-by on the main road where a gate was opened and like sheep we were ushered through. No ceremony just a quick safety talk and then go Go Go.. We headed off at full speed down a little hill, through a gate, across a stream and then it began. Up a hill a steep one that literally meant needing all fours to get up it. As I looked through my legs I could see that I was in fact one from the back a more rotund gentleman was climbing up the hill behind me. As I began to stand up which meant the hill was leveling out I could actually feel blood in my throat and wasn't sure if my heart had come through my ribs. So I plodded on catching the people in front of me. As I hit A slight downhill bit on a path the people in front had disappeared. I saw the yellow flag markers and thought I would follow them down a steep rutted hill. All of a sudden I could see no one in front of me and no one behind. But before long a. Marshal or should is say the marshal confirmed i was going in the right direction. A quick sort of sweep round and I was going up hill again by this time I was dead I am convinced my body had been taken over and was now being transported to the finish line by an exterior spirit. As I reached the top of the hill I came across about 6 runners that had actually been in front of me prior to the descent down the hill.it would appear they had got lost. Anyhow they rejoined the race in front of me and I had no issue with that as they had ran as far as me anyway. I ran along the ridge and then back down the mother of a steep hill that I ran up at the start falling several times, in fact I've skied down less steep black runs.
Soon I was panting my way to the finish gate, collapsed had a chat with a couple of runners we all went to the pub for a pint, people got wine for winning, we shook hands and we went home.
Wow. That was the most bizarre race I had ever done, amazingly tough if not the toughest thing I had ever done in running and I include marathons ultras and even a couple of A M and A L fell runs. The people that run these races are complete legends, some are well in to their sixties if not older, they turn up in tight shorts, no flashy kit and get on with it. A super friendly bunch of people who don't mess around oh and it cost me a fiver. They kindly invited me to run the next day in a 5km road race which would be part 2 of the 3 part bank holiday series..... Im a little to embarrased to give you my time for this Im afraid, other than too say two things. One I run a 10k quicker and two, I set a course record for this race which was broken twice by the people behind me....
Got the you know what? Give one a go they are great fun...
Details of fell races can be found at www.fellrunner.org.uk
Paul N.