Loopy Latrigg: Race 16 of 60@60

On paper this looks like an easy win, well not a win, obviously, but as a short race with relatively benign route it's an easy way to bag another race. Not so. About a third of the way round, still in the forest on the initial steady climb, I slipped off the one bit of sketchy path and down the slope to the right, crashing my shin into the corner of a sawn tree trunk. I spent a minute or two rolling around like a Premiership footballer before, aided by another runner, I clambered back up to the path. I tried to get going again but it was sore, pushed on a bit longer but eventually decided to jog the second half, making a fairly slow descent into the finish.

Much concern from the officials, a magic ice pack, a cup of tea and some choclate biscuits and on we go to the next one. The drive home was uncomfortable and the result was crap but never mind. As my old PE teacher used to say, it'll stop hurting when the pain goes. 

Before

After

Results: 136th/217  V60: 11th/19   Time: 59:45
Distance: 8km  Climb: 460m

Blake Fell: Race 15 of 60@60

25 years ago, when I was running reasonably well and trying to compete for top 10's, I imagined that in the senior veteran categories I would be jogging round at the back just enjoying the run. Think again. I've never fought harder for my place than I did in this one and on top of that, the conditions were as bad as any you will come across in a British fell race.

The route was shortened to take out the summit of Blake Fell and after we had summited Gavel Fell, I doubt that any of the competitors would have quibbled with the organiser's decision. The temperature was low, the ground icy and the wind extreme. Looking back to 10 years ago, I shouldn't have been surprised.

A magnificent win for Josh, an excellent run from Tim but my battle was with Rebecca, who beat me by a few seconds here last year and with Nick, clearly coming back into form. Both surged past me early on, Rebecca faltered in the gale on the high fell but Nick beat me to the top. I stumbled past on the downhill, struggling to stay upright and thinking that I had opened enough of a gap down through the forest. At the turn as we approached the finish field I saw that he had closed the gap to a couple of metres so I gave it everything I had to stay ahead. 10 metres to go I  thought I had done enough. 5 metres to go and I saw a youth from the V40 category burst through, then, even stronger, came Nick.

Jon and Rachel completed the team for BCR and what a team - 7 runners, 5 categories, filling out the field from front to back but all with an equal sense of acheivement. Is that the very best thing about Fell Running? And thanks to Jane too, for picking me up from the floor after the race. 

Results: 53rd/84  V60: 5th/9  Time: 47:19  (Nick: 47:18)
Distance from watch: 7.6km  Climb from watch: 390m

Stanbury Splash: Race 14 of 60@60

Strolling back through the icy car park puddles from registration, what a pleasure it was to bump into old friend, rival and legendary Darwen Dasher Dave Naughton. A club legend not because of his peerless downhill dashing, nor for the time he went through kit check with a handbrush to fill out his bumbag, but because he's the only person I know who can traverse under a table, arms only, and lengthwise. Anyway, apparently I narrowly beat him on Boxing Day and he's out for revenge.

I know this route well enough to know that apart from the dips down to the stream crossings there's a fair bit of track and path so it's imperative to run the runnable bits runningly. I pass Dave on a track but he gets me just before the stream, I pass him again but the pattern repeats approaching the second stream. We're neck and neck round the top of Ponden Clough then disaster. A shoe lace works loose having caught on the heather. No option but to stop before the fast descent. How did I not know that my fingers were numb? One each.

I grew up running on the moors, albeit on the other side of the Pennines, and I just love to go back. For me, there isn't a mountain route in the whole of Cumbria to compare with that peaty path round the top of the Ponden Clough. As to the result, well, well beaten by various good V60's but in a time comparable with 10 years ago. It'll do. You can't win 'em all.

Coming away from Ponden Clough

The finishing straight

Results: 92nd/203  V60: 8th/28  Time: 1:06:35

Distance: 12km  Climb: 400m

SOB: Race 13 of 60@60

I realise that I'm the outlier here but I find it hard to muster any enthusiasm for races like this, although they tick a lot of the right boxes. It's a lovely short course with steep climbs, technical trails, swooping downhill, even great weather this year and perhaps that's it - it's all a bit too perfect - a bit too instagrammable. Or maybe it's had the joy kit checked out of it. The furtive passing on of waterproof trousers at registration on a day when, if I was going for a run by myself, I wouldn't dream of taking full waterproofs seems all just a bit unecessary. 

The shortage of portaloos meant that when I arrived at the start I hadn't fully drained down and as the track was fenced both sides, there was nowhere discrete to sneak off to. Consequently, as we trotted back up through the yard after the start I decided to pay a call at the now fully available facilities. When I emerged I was all of 50m behind the last runner which had the undoubted benefit that I could only improve from there.

Me and Simon Franklin of CFR
I got him on the downhill!

After the race (which didn't go up Skiddaw)

Results: 138th/232  V60: 8th/19  Time: 59:01
Distance: 8km  Climb: 500m

Giant's Tooth: Race 12 of 60@60

A bit of an unusual one this, as it's short, fast and mostly on well made paths with no technical bits. I know I've spent half my life running round reservoirs in the West Pennine Moors so I should know how it's done but I'm really not, and never have been, very quick. I can only assume that this is a problem common to most over 60's as I came away with a category win in much the same time as last year's V60 winner. As the course was mostly marked and marshalled, no navigational tools were included in the kit list although oddly, a telephone was required. 

Phil Clayton coming in to the finish

I'm going to need a bigger bag.

Results: 50th/82  V60: 1st/10  Time: 23:58
Distance 4.8km  Climb:120m

Bilberry Fields Winter Fell Race: Race 11 of 60@60

So on to Todmorden for the third race in 4 days, making hay while the sun doesn't shine in the busy week between Christmas and New Year. This can't go well. I've never done the Bilberry Fields Winter Fell Race before but looking at the map outside the pub at registration I do have a vague recollection of once doing a summer evening race with an out and back bit on the Calderdale Way. After much discussion, we figure out which way round we'll be going and it's up, along, down, back up, back along, back down. Simples. Minimal kit requirements, just follow everybody else, it'll be reet, just like the old days!

Tim again sets off fastest of our group, Luke follows, then me, just trying to stay running up the concrete road where the race starts. Katie again sets off at the back. My legs feel surprisingly strong and I pass a few on the first along then pass some more on the first fabulous down, Tim amongst them. He gets me back on the back up and opens a small gap but I repond on the back along, passing on the turn into the back down. Great fun - a proper ding dong do. Beating the boyfriend of your daughter, of half your age, is an inestimable pleasure, and first V60 to boot. A good day!

Left to right: Tim, me, Luke and Katie

Results: 23rd/74  V60:1st/12   Time: 47:47

Distance: 7.4km  Climb: 371m

Luke: 16th T: 43:56    Tim: 30th T: 49:21   Katie: 47th T: 55:12

Wansfell: Race 10 of 60@60

The day after the trip to Rossendale this was never going to be easy and the conditions for the race made sure that it wasn't. Flooded roads, pay-by-phone parking nonsense in Ambleside and constant heavy rain made even getting to the event a bit of a test of stamina. Our family team of four made it to registration in time though, complete with full kit, the requirement for which was rigorously enforced at registration. I must say that I felt a bit sorry for anybody turning up without a map to run a course which could be fully described in one short sentence but hey, organiser's prerogative and I'm happy to comply.

I found the climb hard and soon lost sight of Luke and Tim, with Katie taking a cautious approach behind. The wind at the top was savage, the rain horizontal and a couple of the juniors in the race had fallen by the wayside and were being helped back down as I climbed past. I soon passed Tim but to be honest, didn't descend very well at all, slipping and sliding a few times on the way. I finished OK, behind Luke by a long way but with only superficial damage. The real winner was Katie who overtook Tim at the bottom of the fell descent and held him off on the run in to the finish.

Results: 70th/118  V60: 5th/13  Time: 33:13
Distance: 4km  Climb: 405m

Luke: 40th T: 28:14,  Katie: 95th T: 37:58, Tim Lages: 96th T: 38:07.