Hope Winter Fell Race

After an injury related lay off, I'm looking to get back on the fells, and I've earmarked this Sunday as my first race of the 2018 season. I've created a calendar for myself for the coming year with the races I'm wanting to do, but for this first race I have a clash - it's either the Hope Winter Fell Race or Hoppit's Hill. Hope is closer and more like the terrain I like, but, oddly, kit requirements and an 'NS required' still make me nervous.
Does anybody have any experience of the Hope Winter Race - is it generally well marked and marshalled? Is the course fairly easy to follow? I've done several nearby races - Bamford, Hathersage etc - but these have generally been summer affairs. I'm expecting to be in the back 20% of runners, and don't want to be too strung out/getting lost in these temperatures!

well at the summer version of the race last year a chunk of the field ended up going the wrong way when a marshall got it wrong - mistakes happen!

However, having been over some of the course before that race, I can state it was well taped.
The winter route is a reverse of the summer route, so the descent in to the woods from Win Hill is a bit technical (especially if slippery)- all part of the fun!
Being organised by the same people as the summer race, I assume it will be similarly well taped (and after last year's directional snafu, marshals double checked to know in which direction to point!).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ba-ba

well at the summer version of the race last year a chunk of the field ended up going the wrong way when a marshall got it wrong - mistakes happen!

However, having been over some of the course before that race, I can state it was well taped.
The winter route is a reverse of the summer route, so the descent in to the woods from Win Hill is a bit technical (especially if slippery)- all part of the fun!
Being organised by the same people as the summer race, I assume it will be similarly well taped (and after last year's directional snafu, marshals double checked to know in which direction to point!).

---

I'd set myself the target this year of doing all ten races in the Gritstone Series and remember reading that about Hope last year - perhaps that's what was playing on my mind :) Apparently there ended up being three different routes taken by different packs of runners.
Think I'm going to aim for Hope - will give me an idea of what's coming for the summer version too.

mountainsloth I did this in 2016 the day after running the inaugural South Pennine 24. It's a brilliant route. If you want an idea of what it's like, here's the link to the photos I took: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickha...57555671/page1.
I quite fancy having a go at the double again, given the good forecast. If I'm there I'll be the Glossopdale Harrier with the camera. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BritNick

mountainsloth I did this in 2016 the day after running the inaugural South Pennine 24. It's a brilliant route. If you want an idea of what it's like, here's the link to the photos I took: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickha...57555671/page1.
I quite fancy having a go at the double again, given the good forecast. If I'm there I'll be the Glossopdale Harrier with the camera. :)

---

Thanks Nick. That's an excellent set of photos - really got me itching for the fells again.
Did you find that you had to navigate/use a map at all or was it fairly well marked?

Mountainsloth,

Don't worry about going wrong, flags etc. With the number of runners and nature of course I would say it is virtually impossible to get the route incorrect. The incident last year was caused by a marshall actually directing the lead runners in the wrong direction!!!!!!

I agree with wazzy, no navigational issues at all without marshal hiccups, which thankfully didn't happen when I ran it.

Well, glad to say I made it to Hope and the race went smoothly. Fantastic 10.5km course - ridiculously steep ascent up to the top of Win Hill and then a fantastic downhill to the edges of Ladybower. Flapjack stall at the top of the hill was a first - probably shows why I'm a backrunner, the fact that mid-race I thought 'oooh, food' and grabbed a couple.
It was a dry day - cold in the wind - with sun on the ascent but frost and frozen streams on the dark side of the hill. Tea, coffee and more flapjack at the finish line made it more bearable. My GPS estimates 1,100 calories burned - problem is, I think I consumed about double that in complementary snacks.
On a personal note, disappointed with my time and place, but gives me something to push for before Wolfs Pit.

Well done mountainsloth. Sorry I never made it in the end. It wasn't to be. I'm still hobbling from the knee bashing I received on the South Pennine 24. :(