Race report. Matty and Phil are in my club.
Day started "early" with Steve W. picking me up from home, despite his having decided not to run the race, which was incredibly kind of him. Got to Matty's, with Phil arriving almost straight away, then a fairly uneventful trip to Holmfirth, with a coffee and several piddle stops on the way. Got lost in Holmforth, till Matty got out his GPS and directed us up some ridiculously narrow streets and sharp turns to get to the start. Registered and went to the loo several times, all the time looking at the ominous clouds overhead. Not long before the start, the rain set in and we stood around getting wet while the late arrivals arrived, late.
Eventually, the usual low key start occurred, and we trundled off along a track for a while, then a short section of road, before heading off on another track before a very, very steep descent down to the woods just by Ramsden Clough. A muddy path took us to a bridge, then a good long climb out before a muddy contour around Twizle Head Moss, complete with many peaty bits, wet bits, clumpy bits etc. etc. Got to the car park on the A602, then crossed the road to the first water stop. Since I was carrying a litre of Lucozade Sport, I missed that and drank on foot. There then followed a steep climb up onto Tooleyshaw Moor, followed by a long descent (with a few "ripples") down to Crowden Almost had an encounter with the bogmonster when I optimistically tried to cross a very wide area of peat, but saw the error of my ways in time to retreat and take a different route. Managed to slip on some rocks here, and perform the rarely-seen reverse double windmill manoeuvre, only just regaining my balance. Steeply down to Crowden, then a flagged run up the valley, before an astonishing climb up to Westend Moss. New technique discovered here of left hand on left knee, with right hand pulling on fence, all the way up to the next checkpoint. The rain then came on in stairrods here and as a result of this, plus a bit of ineptitude, plus following the wrong people, overdid the contouring a little and had to descend a hairy section to get down to Crowden Little Brook. Waded across here, and then a rocky jaunt up through the bracken to Laddow Rocks. An interesting scramble up here to gain the top, and a water stop, before heading off along the Pennine way all the way to Black Hill. This path was a stream all of the way (I'm sure some of the streams were flowing uphill....) with very boggy bits, before turning into a stone path for the last 3/4 mile ascent. Bit drained when I got to Black Hill, and managed a spectacular fall headlong into a large boggy puddle (one of about four in total, I think). On the flagged route off the top I got out an SiS GO bar - these are monsters, and it took me quite a while to eat that, and my jaw was aching by the end. Perked me up a bit though for the continued run along the Holme Moss gully back to the A602 and the car parks. Back to Twizel Head Moss for an interminable run around the contour path, until the steep descent to Ramsden Clough again. A muddy run up along the woods, then a precipitous climb back up to the track - at the end of such a long run, this was really terribly unfair and a real challenge. Got a bit of cramp in the last 10 metres or so, so had to walk/stagger for a couple of mins before I could run again, then just a run back to the Finish, but it seemed a very long way!
A hose down followed (note, not a hoe-down) - I was waiting for a woman to finish and she gave me an odd look, and as I peered down to my shorts I saw that they were all covered with froth, which was running down my legs - I think it was just poorly rinsed washing liquiid, but it certainly looked strange. Then saw Matty, and sat down to eat the FREE food of a large cob with a slice of cake and endless tea and coffee. Vaguely human again, so got changed and saw Phil coming in at that point. Had severe trouble putting my right trouser leg on, owing to cramp, but eventually did it, then back for more tea.
Old bloke had staggered in, who was drenched, covered with mud from head to toe, with a cut knee and a cut elbow. As he was limping past a group someone pipes up, deadpan, "did you run the race then?". Still tickles me.
