A second race in a week proved too much for my legs.
Probably wouldn’t have bothered with this normally as even short fell races are brutal and this one was 850ft of climbing in a course that loops up, around and back down in only 3 miles but club championship points are addictive!
Ultimately my efforts at Dovestone on Wednesday meant my legs just didn’t have much in them as soon as the climb got steep about half a mile in and I ground to a slow climb pretty quickly and had to just try and suck in as much air as I could muster and keep moving.
The course basically climbs 850ft in a mile, loops around an undulating circuit on top of the hill for a mile then drops off the edge of what feels like a cliff before dropping back down the same distance to the start point.
Up to that tiny monument at the top and back down!
It’s short and tough and I lost a few places on the way up and another couple on the top before grabbing a couple back on the descent for 14th overall in 28:48. Not too bad but certainly one I could do faster on a better day but fell racing requires a different type of fitness to the trail running on easier terrain – the steep and irregular strides you need sap strength incredibly quickly and it’s something I’d love to dedicate time to get better at but other goals are taking priority right now.
Organisationally, it’s a proper low key local fell race – well marked and tough and at £4 entry – great value. Check out Saddleworth Runners races for more detail.