Race 5: Kirby Moor

This is a great little race over moorland on the edge of the Furness Peninsula, just South of the Lake District National Park Boundary. There were nearly 100 entries  this year, mainly club runners, and feeling a little under the weather with a cold I finished outside the top half  in 54th position. The weather was bright and clear and Kath made her way up to the top of the course from Gawthwaite to get some great photo opportunities.

Richard Lecky-Thompson of Ambleside leads a group in to the
third checkpoint. I'm hanging on at this point but I was dropped
 by the group on the way from here to the final summit.

A view of Dow Crag from Kirby Moor

Results: 54th/97  1:10:29

Distance: 10.5km/6.5 miles     Climb: 490m/1608ft

Race 4: David Staff Memorial Fell Race

Back to Darwen for race four - my ninth go at the David Staff Memorial Race . Like Arnside last week, this is a fast race with a lot of runnable hard surface so not really ideal for me. Not so many Dashers taking part because there are so many needed for marshalling and timekeeping and just like all the races so far, what a fine job they do. The kiosk in Sunnyhurst Woods makes a great location for the registration and presentation and the moorland around Darwen is truly wonderful so despite this not being a famous classic, it does capture the atmosphere and ethos fellrunning perfectly. Similar result to last week, inside the top half and better than my times from 1995 and 1996 but not by any means my fastest. Very happy to have achieved my target top half finish though.

Kath walked up to the tower with the camera today but got
this shot at the top of the final climb, about three quarters
round the course. Looks like I'm still running - nice one Kath!

Results  56th/142  43:42
Distance: 8.2km/5.1 miles  Climb: 366m/1201ft

Race 3: Arnside Knott

A first time at this race for me and what a lovely venue for the start. I have never before, in over 20 years of fell running, seen such well appointed toilet facilities! Rows of sparkling clean cubicles, wash basins an even showers. Fantastic! There was even a very tempting cake stall with teas and coffees too but I resist these before the start. I'm sure Mo Farah doesn't do cakes until after a run.

Looking at the course on the map it looks like it will be fast. Not my speciality I have to admit but I am still chasing a top half finish and the initial climb and descent towards Arnside feel good. A fair effort on the main climb to Arnside Knott saw me arrive at the trig point in the top 50 and I picked up a couple of places on that first descent but the third and final climb took its toll. My blood sugar level seemed to drop under gravity, starting from the top of my head, and when the draining sensation reached my finger tips I decided to back off, loosing several places. Perhaps I should have had that flapjack before the start after all!

Kath did get a couple of pictures of runners including me
at the top but it really looks like I'm walking so here's a nice
picture of a cow on the path instead. And no they didn't
move out of the way when we got there!

Results  57th/147  46:17
Distance: 8.85km/5.5 miles  Climb: 280m/919ft

Race 2: Dunnerdale

Dunnerdale is definitely one of my favourite races. Real fell race terrain packed into such a short route is I'm sure what makes this race so popular. I have done the race 8 times before, walked it many more times, did some of my Mountain Leader training there and have even used the area for navigation coaching myself, so I should know my way round pretty well by now. I started at the back again but not a problem after the first hundred yards as the lanes are wide enough to pass the slower runners. As we left the tarmac on the way up to the Knott I saw Lecky who I know from LOC just ahead of me so I settled in, thinking that he would set a good pace for me. At the top I didn't recover much from the effort so when we hit the second climb I was still finding it quite tough. I would have expected to get past a few people on the descent from the second checkpoint but my recovery was so slow that it just didn't happen. I kept Lecky in sight all the way through the third and fourth tops and was only two places behind as we went in to the final big descent. I found just enough energy to make up the two places by the bottom and pressed on through the trails to finish ahead. My second worst time ever but I beat my 1993 effort by 15 seconds avoiding another pw. Top half again. Got to be happy with that.

Yes I know that looks a bit fat for a fell runner but
I have my jacket tied round my waist, under the vest.

Results  113th/255  56:11
Distance: 8km/5m  Climb: 550m/1804ft

Race 1: Shepherd's Skyline

My first race since March and only my second race this year but I have done the route a few times before and trained a bit this week so set off hopeful that at least I could get round in one piece. I was caught out by the start and set off right at the back up the narrow path but I was happy to have a bit of a warm up section to the race. 12 minutes later and still not out of the clough I was wondering whether that was wise but I plodded on, headed steadily over the moor to the monument and as expected, struggled horribly up the second climb. I finished in a personal worst time - first time over the hour but did just squeeze into the top half of the field. Job done then. Back home for a party feeling happy to be underway.

Kath got this picture of Stoodley Pike from the start field

Results:  128th/277  1:01:50

Distance: 10km/6.2m  Climb: 350m/1148ft