Quote Originally Posted by wheezing donkey View Post
In 1983 John Wild competed, quite out of the blue - see the RO's report in the FRM - and blitzed the record. I think it might well have been one of the last fell races that he competed in; I don't think that John participated in any rounds of the 1984 championship?

In the 1983 Pendleton race I seem to recall seeing in the results that a Skyrac junior did very well ...... Gary Devine and that another Devine finished in the vets category ..... his father?
I should really dig out my old results sheets to confirm that ...... can you remember those days? Write your name and address on a brown paper envelope, at the bottom of the finish funnel, then pop a 20p inside to cover postage. Everyone was over the moon if the results landed on the doormat a fortnight later.
Looking at my results sheet from Downham 1983, I see that Dave Cartridge was only 25 seconds slower than John Wild. I remember the wall, but I don't remember the plank; although the plank must have been there, because with my wall-climbing skills I wouldn't have finished at all without some assistance to get over the wall. I did Downham again in 1990; it must be the toughest short race ever run on Pendle, so it's a pity it has disappeared from the calendar. As for the village of Downham: people rave about how beautiful the stone-built villages of the Cotswolds are, but when I first passed through Downham I remember thinking that it must be the most perfectly picturesque village in England.

And yes, I do remember the brown envelopes for results.