Windy Hill Fell Race

Hi, just a quick note to say that:

Next years race is on Feb 10th 2018. For those who have not raced it before its a cracking race to the start the year off.

Fast Runnable trails and fells and one great climb !!

Live Chip timed Results - times as you finish.

Top Prizes (as per usual) and this year we are offering £50 cash to the first man or women to break the existing records.

All other details can be found here:

http://cannonballevents.co.uk/windy-hill-fell-race/

Any questions please ask through the website or on this thread.

Many thanks.

Fantastic race, I'll be there again mate.

Driving to today’s race and I’m sticking to the average 50mph speed limit when a lorry goes flying past with the bloody nerve to have one of them “how’s my driving” stickers attached to the back. At this point I speak out aloud to myself, “ it’s bobbins mate, you’re going well over the speed limit and swaying all over the lane”. It then dawned on me that the swaying of this high sided vehicle was being caused by the wind.....blimey, if it’s this wild on the motorway what’s is going to be like on Blackstone edge....more of that later.

Registration is in the rugby club and even the home of those with funny shaped balls is feeling the wrath of the weather. Evidence of this is a bucket I trip over that was placed under one of leaks that the ceiling had sprung.

In recent weeks, like most people I know, I’ve had the annoyance of a cold. My impractical way of getting shut of a cold is to continue racing and flush it out....so far it’s not working. My wife recently had a particular nasty cold and was told by someone at work to rub Vicks on her feet as it worked wonders. She thought it was a joke but she was getting desperate and tried the Vicks....to my amusement. After a couple of days she decided it wasn’t working but on the plus side she did say her socks were a doddle putting on and taking off...every cloud.

Given the weather I’m not taking any chances and get fully kitted out. By the looks of it nearly everyone has the same idea and to be fair it proves to be a wise decision...maybe they’d also encountered swaying lorries on the motorway?

To my ignorance today was my first time at Windy Hill fell race and in truth the reason for my previous non attendance was I just didn’t fancy doing a race that runs so close to the M62....in fact the race runs under/over the motorway 4 times...However, I’ve found out today that it’s a great race taking in some proper good fell terrain. The climb up Roman Road which leads up towards Blackstone edge certainly gets the heart and legs working overtime. Given today’s less than favourable weather I was actually warm whilst slogging up this section. My warmth was soon replaced with coldness once the bitter wind chill greeted us as we run along the gritstone escarpment that forms the edge. Parts of this section are familiar from doing the midweek Blackstone Edge Race, from which I once won some bog roll.....very handy.

Running away from the gritstone towards the motorway to my amusement I enjoyed running over the narrow foot bridge that straddles over the motorway as we made our way along the Pennine Way. I can only imagine what the drivers of the vehicles thundering along below must’ve thought....”bloody idiots”...would be my guess. From now on whenever I travel under this particular bridge I’ll have a big smile on my face and look back on a tough but memorable day out on the fells.

Once over the motorway the wind and rain seemed to get even more savage and progress towards the transmitter station was slow. It’s at this point I encountered what I can only describe as brain freeze. My face was numb with the cold wind and rain but this was soon fixed once I’d sorted my flapping hood out....hmmm, cosy.

The undulating path over Windy Hill and along Rochdale Way is hard going whilst running into the weather but it’s great fun trying to negotiate the best route choice through or around the large puddles. The descent off the moors and back under the motorway is a cracker, it’s here where Mick Fryer is taking photos. Such is my concentration I only realise it’s Mick once I’ve passed him....cheers for being out on such a testing day mate.

Well done to Shaun and Alice on their wins. Really pleased to see Shaun back running....class athlete.

Many thanks to John and all his amazing helpers.

Windy Hill...yep, it sure was!

Great write-up

I was also taking pics on the descent near Windy Hill (sheltering under a black brolly next to a huge puddle).
Here they are.

KEITH

Windy Hill race. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

Alice Swift. Does exactly what she says on the tin.

Thank you for the pictures.

Quote:

Originally Posted by parky

I was also taking pics on the descent near Windy Hill (sheltering under a black brolly next to a huge puddle).
Here they are.

KEITH

Great pictures Keith, thanks for sharing.

Great to see Windy Hill lived up to it's name Big Style!!!! (wish I'd been there too)....

Ace write up Darren, nice to see a cold cure in action (plenty of snow under Kinder this eve - "helping" mine get better ;-) )!

Very Well done all who made it happen & took part too :-)