Calderdale Hike

[Twinkletoes]

Agree with Karen and others, yesterday was so well organised and a big thank you to the organisers and the marshalls - the refreshments were great and welcomed. Have to say at Jerusalem Cp I couldn't be bothered to go up the stairs to get any nibbles as I feared I may not have got back down them!! Was thinking about 8 hours, chuffed to get it over and done with in 7.17, with a sore throat and ear ache. I think the beechams sachets got me round!

Glad I reccied Delph to Luddendon Foot, and was dreading the Hoof Stones section in trail shoes - waders would have been better... Steve Foster - I think it was you I caught up going down to New Bridge, you were running with a lady. When I didn't see you at Jerusalem I presumed you had scampered off well ahead, sorry to hear you had a detour on the moor top - not what you need so near to the end.

[Drunkeneuphoria]

Another top Calderdale Hike. Usual smooth organisation and plentiful foodstops all part of a very reasonable price. I really liked the last 3 years route, but maybe I was being a bit spoilt with the dry conditions and lack of a tough moorland section, so it was good to get out and learn about this new route. Given the conditions and not pushing too hard it was nice to get back in 8.40ish.

Navigation was a mixed bag for me, had to scramble under and over a few barbed wire fences in early miles and then soon after Cross Stones had to scramble up a slippery bank. But I think we made up for some of that extra distance - if not time - with a diagonal crossing of the moor from Hoof Stones to Gorple Upper res dam (not as wet or tussocky as I'd feared). Also learnt from a knowledgable local some good route choices after the Bronte Bridge and across and off Midgley moor (Cheers again for those). Then a bad route choice at the death from the canal to Sowerby probably added a bit. Don't think we could have gone that much shorter though and still did over 38m.

Does anybody know how this route compares to lasy years elevation-wise? I've recorded it as less (garmin FR 205), but didn't seem that way out there. How were the east-then north and north-then east routes to Widdop? Wet, tussocks, runnable? Did anyone go significantly under 38, or even 37?

Nice to meet you old un, hope to catch you at more events and maybe a training run closer to home sometime. Also good to see other familiar faces on the day. Good day and felt there was plenty left in the bag.

[stevefoster]

Agree with Karen and others, yesterday was so well organised and a big thank you to the organisers and the marshalls - the refreshments were great and welcomed. Have to say at Jerusalem Cp I couldn't be bothered to go up the stairs to get any nibbles as I feared I may not have got back down them!! Was thinking about 8 hours, chuffed to get it over and done with in 7.17, with a sore throat and ear ache. I think the beechams sachets got me round!

Glad I reccied Delph to Luddendon Foot, and was dreading the Hoof Stones section in trail shoes - waders would have been better... Steve Foster - I think it was you I caught up going down to New Bridge, you were running with a lady. When I didn't see you at Jerusalem I presumed you had scampered off well ahead, sorry to hear you had a detour on the moor top - not what you need so near to the end.

You must be the Wharfedale lady with the ponytail, it was my own fault, i went off to the right rather than over the top from delph, done it on the mtb but it's slower running, especially when you miss the path! You must have got to Jerusalem before us. Good run even though you were'nt 100% Well Done Twinkletoes:thumbup:

[karen nash]

Drunkeneuphoria- no idea of mileage or climb but i was back in very similar time to previous years,(6.39 in 2011, 6.41 in 2010 and 6.52 in 2009) and that after a dodgy start. So not much in it?
I followed fence north after Hoof Stones and then hit the big track to reverse the Hobble route- plenty of wet and tussocks but it seems it was equal time to those who went for your diagonal route as two of us slit and both got to Widdop Dam at same time!
Glad you enjoyed it Twinkletoes and hope you got to the party in Patterdale safely.
I had an experiment yesterday- mainly coz I thought I was going to have a rubbish run. I mademyself eat all the way round- and had a storming second half, so maybe everyone has been right and I need to eat more when I run. Also very odd but quads and hams are fine today whereas after Hobble I could barley move. If I do it next year I will be looking for an aletrnative to the long road down after J Farm

[crowhill]

Didn't go to plan for me to say the least. Wooden legs from about the tenth mile in and spent the entire time fighting the urge to pull out. Thanks to the organisers for a brilliantly arranged event - the chilli and yoghurts at the end and the bananas/flapjack and good humour of the marshalls throughout were most welcome!

[DinoF]

Really enjoyed my long day out in Calderdale which I was using as a training run for the Fellsman. Managed to keep up with Twinkletoes until after the soggy,snowy Hoofstones section but then the weight of the sandwich she had stuffed into my backpack at Lumbutts started to tell and I slowed down. I then ran with another fellow Wharfedaler for the rest of the race, with only a couple of small deviations from the best path, possibly. Spent a bit of time wandering around after New Bridge finding a way up to Pecketts Well.

I think the checkpoint at Jerusalem Farm inside a barn with mugs of tea and a good layout of food was the best I have ever seen in a race, and it was cruel to have to leave it knowing there was only about 4 miles left.

Think I ran just behind Stevefoster early on, between checkpoints 2 and 3, but you disappeared into the distance up Stoodley Pike before I introduced myself.

On my Garmin I made it about 37.5 miles, but only got 5,500ft ascent, which feels about right. Just need to double the height gain for the Fellsman.

[stevefoster]

Think I ran just behind Stevefoster early on, between checkpoints 2 and 3, but you disappeared into the distance up Stoodley Pike before I introduced myself.

Glad you ad a good un Dino, not often i disapear into the distance uphill but i was being beasted by my Old Counties Tops partner!
Best of luck for the Fellsman:thumbup:

[BritNick]

Steve you're flying these days. You disappeared out of sight within the first half mile. 7:30 is an excellent time. Sorry we didn't get a chance to chat beforehand. I thought I might catch you afterwards. Ha! What was I thinking? I finished in 8:34, which I was quite pleased with given that I was coughing up lumps of lung all the way round, which wasn't all bad. At least I left a few chunky morsels for the slugs to chew on. I had to have a liedown to recover before the drive home. The exercise must have done me good because I feel much better today.

Karen, you had a stormer. Well done. For a more interesting route after Jerusalem Farm, take the footpath diagonally right up the hill immedately after the farm. It joins up with a higher road, then choose your route from there. It's the way I went. I arrived at the next checkpoint at exactly the same time as others who took the lower level road route.

ol un, good to see you again. That's another good time under the belt.

Drunken, I did exactly the same as you in taking the diagonal down to the reservoir dam after Hoof Stones. I couldn't believe my good luck in finding such good terrain after the peat bogs I'd recced along the fence line. I thought I'd made good time too, but it's probably not as fast as we think because of the additional descent we have to do before climbing back up.

Twinkletoes, 7:17, simply awesome.

[stevefoster]

Cheers Nick, Well Done yourself, never easy running when your below par. I needed a good un after missing the Hobble.

[Twinkletoes]

Karen, Yes I eventually got to Patterdale at 8.30pm, just in time for the bacon butties and chips! I managed half a glass of wine before my eyelids started going! Poor attempt but I managed until midnight before bed called. I let the other Wharfedalers party on into the early hours... That is quite bizarre what you said about your quads and hams after Hobble - I was crippled until the Thursday afterwards, my quads were constantly cramping, but after Saturday the legs are just tired. I also struggle with eating whilst running, but am gradually improving on the 'little and often' approach.

I liked the Jerusalem to Luddendon Foot bit as it was just easy tarmac that you didn't have to think where to put tired feet, I just shuffled along - each to their own.

DinoF - I was thinking about that ham sandwich yesterday - what did it look like by the end??!! You had a good run on Saturday, because it will reflect the speed you need to go at for completing the Fellsman - well done!