Printable View
Well done Travs - an interesting account.
The two trods I usually take to the left/west in the vicinity of Heron Pike are definite trods - the second from start to finish; the first becomes a trod after about 10 yards until it ends, so it requires knowledge as to where to go left.
When I was watching the race a year or two back I did not see anyone take the first; they all took the second.
Why did you go around the rock step Travs? Did it look like there was going to be a queue?
No there wouldn't have been a queue at the step yesterday, it was fairly well spread out where i was (about 1/3rd of the way down the field)... and i didn't see anyone go that way.... i think Dan who was close behind said he saw one go that way...
Just having the detour path fresh in mind i knew where i was going and what was coming, so stuck to my plan.
I used to be an advocate of going around the rock step, but when they "upgraded" the track - made it much less pleasant to run on in other words - I changed my mind. Having said that, the rock step requires respect, and it does bring you to a complete halt, which can make re-establishing a rhythm difficult.
I think I must have finished close to you Travs as I was in the 1:48's as well. This was my first ever lakes race and very enjoyable it was until the heat got to me three quarters the way round. I took the option of the rock step and felt like I lost quite a bit of time compared to those who dropped down to the left. Maybe it just felt like that having to stop and climb down while the marshalls grinned below. Agreed the run in along the track was torture.
Gooders, judging by an educated guess at your name (:D), I've had a look at the results and it looks like we were pretty close all the way round.
I hit Fairfield 20secs in front, and finished 30secs.... So looks like we had a close race!
In fact I've had a look at the photos, and I do recognise you...
You surged past me quite soon after Fairfield, and we swapped places a couple of times...
I had a black/yellow Scott vest on and a cap on backwards
"surged" is being a bit kind ha ha. Yes I do recall seeing you a few times now. I also took the low line round Heron Pike (following a few locals I thought)and didn't feel like it paid off. This had been one of this years races I had hoped to reccie but it just didn't work out so I was happy to be a bit more competitive than at Long Mynd. I'm still in a bit of pain today, but only with sunburn!
If anyone is doing a Duddon recce this Saturday and would like some company on the fell one of my fast female club mates is looking for a buddy to recce with. I'm racing on Sunday otherwise I would have gone myself.
Greenie....
Harv on the forum is i think South Lakes based, and has generously offered to recce Duddon with me in the past.
Ey up
I might be able to squeeze a duddon recce in Sat morn - feel free to msge me to arrange summat
Harv
Thank you... I'll let her know Harv..
Entries for ChapelFelltop are now open for FRA members: https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.ph...event_id=11298
I'm in.
Haven't seen the course, but will recce it the day before.
Hoping for a better result here than the last two.... i think i'm a little better at the shorter races than i give myself credit for.
Hopefully the location and being a few races down in the champs, might see a slightly smaller turnout than the previous two!
It's an out and back, but plenty of microlines through the groughs on the summit. The first ~third of the ascent is runnable track, then it turns to runnable grass for a bit, then the terrain gets heavier and there's less of a well defined line. It's a rounded summit so if the clag's in it could be challenging. If you go too far over the other side yo might hit the ski tow!
Then turn around and head back down the hill.
I see DanGilbert picked up more points in the British Champs race this weekend in Scotland.
Interestingly i spotted Jamie Crowe tearing off the start line in a video... a very good level road/xc runner... i see that he came 5th in the end.
Should be interesting this weekend.... a slightly more unknown race compared to some regular champs races... i see from last year's results that ba-ba ran it.... presumably checking it out prior to including it in the 23 champs.
Can't see many (if any) other forumites on the start list.... entry is lower compared to the other champs races i've done this year, presumably due to location. Still 300+ though, although of course the men and women will be in separate races.
Had a look through the start list and as usual, i think it'll be a tight one to pick up some champs points in the v40 category.... probably somewhere between 10 and 20 spots available for myself to fight for, along with those i may have discounted, and the hordes of entries from the north-east which names i'm entirely unfamiliar with.
Also looks like there's going to be quite a bit of rain this weekend.
I'm not there for obvious reasons, but it looks like a reasonable route. Even if the cloudbase is down nav shouldn't be too bad, it'll boil down to lines and LK.
Had a look around this afternoon.
The great and the good of fellracing were out and about.... spotted Dan Haworth on his way down as i headed out of the village.... further up i spotted five of Keswick's finest descending on a line a hundred metres or so to the west of me... several other individuals who i didn't recognise but were obviously preparing for tomorrow...
And hello to Charmian who was on her way up as i headed back down to the village.
My opinion is that there is no single line which will make or break the race, but plenty of little variations which will cost or gain seconds.... i for one am glad i've had a look round and know what is coming... happy with my way up, but i think down is pretty unpleasant whichever way so will probably straight-line it.
Poor weather certainly has the potential to cause an issue.
Good luck for tomorrow Travs.
Hopefully your recce will reward you with points.
Results from today: https://www.sportident.co.uk/results...ChapelfellTop/
41st vet today.... missed out on a champs point by a single place, and 11 seconds.
Despite that, was my best English Champs performance of the year by a long way, in terms of position.
Stuck to my pre-race plan of not gunning it on the uphill until i reached the open fell.... this seemed to work well as i felt very comfortable, and still went past John Hunt (who is a good marker for me that i'm climbing well) about 10mins in, whilst still on the long track up to the fell.
Pushed on once on the fell, and found myself pulling level with ba-ba (this didn't last long as he was much quicker than me once we hit the tussocks and groughs higher up).... it was generally hard to really push going up the fell as it was so poor underfoot... the above-mentioned tussocks, peat groughs, and the non-stop rain had made things very soft.
Had a decent descent by my standards, "only" losing 7 places.... unfortunately 5 or 6 of those places were to fellow vets... pushed hard where possible and only fell once... although descending was still comparatively poor compared to my climb.... compare to ba-ba who reached the summit less than a minute in front of me but reached the finish 4 minutes ahead.
Under pressure from behind all the way down the long track back to the village, negotiated the broken wall crossing, into the final field and held on to my position.
Hello to Charmian, ba-ba and GeoffB.
Pete
Well done Travs, nice write up and unlucky to miss out on points. I decided to give it a miss today. Had a cold all week and the thought of 5 hours travelling and a very wet race as well didn't appeal. Hopefully make the next one.
11 seconds - ouch! Well done in those horrible conditions.
Was made all the more disappointing as when I checked the results shortly after the race, I'd made 40th position and a solitary point.
So jogged back off up the fell to watch the women's race with a spring in my step....
Got back down an hour later, re-checked the results and it had changed.... :D
Typical start of the summer holidays weather, added a bit more interest to proceedings. Looks like a blanket finish in the men's, have seen a picture of the front 4 all lined out in the finish field, separated by less then 10 seconds. Billy in 5th makes the Championships a bit moree interesting going into Sedbergh and Shelf Moor.
Not long ago there'd be about 4 V40s in the top 10 and maybe an U23 in the top 20. 5 U23s in before the first vet in 18th place - good to see Joe Hudson (14:02 5000m/29:16 10000m over in the US this year) enjoying some of his summer holiday in Weardale, and the Sheffield/Dark Peak creche paying dividends, with Grant, Sharrock, Corden, Williams, Pannone.
The going was a bit heavier for the women after 170 men had churned the course up, but I think think Phil Williams was pleased that there was a line on the ground to follow! She had a fair gap at the fell gate, but Nic had closed this by the summit. From what I overheard Nic closed with the more direct line on the descent.
Spotted Dan Haworth trying to sneak into the finish field, jacket on and hood pulled up, having not found the summit checkpoint after pulling out a descent gap as the leaders ascended into the mist.
Nice report.Quote:
Originally Posted by ba-ba
Dan Haworth who I spotted reccying the course on Saturday :D
Don't be too hard on yourself, Travs - ba-ba is not a good comparator for downhill speed - he's at the pointy end of the curve.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Quote:
Originally Posted by ba-ba
Poor bloke. It must be hard at the front with no people or studmarks to guide you, and needing to make decisions faster than the rest of us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Yes it was bleak on the race day.... i didn't have the confidence to take my reccied line out on my own, and didn't head in that direction until i saw one or two others heading that way first.
It's still a good result and, although you might not see it at the moment, you should be fairly happy with it as you were very close to your target and not minutes away from it. I hope you'll be able to use it as motivation for future racesQuote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Given the weather it looks like complacency to me. By the sound of travs report the cloud base was below the fell, and looking at the short distance of open fell to the turn the potential for deviation was minimal. Did he have his compass out?Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
One problem I encountered on my historic ascent of Meugher was the indistinct, rounded profile of the hill. It was very tricky to locate the trig pillar as the curvature of the hillside offered bugger all guidance. The foot of snow hampered me too. This is what makes Yorkshire awkward in poor conditions, the whole place just looks the same. By comparison the lake District tops draw you ever upward by virtue of being mainly pointed in profile.
This is why I feel cat b races ought to be included in the champs selection pool, when conditions are at their poorest the lie of the land will make navigation the most essential skill to possess.
I'd say potential for deviation was still significant. From the intake/gate there was probably still around 1.25 mile of climb, and it was pretty featureless.
Certainly one where if you're out in front on your own, unless you were bang on with your line/navigation, you could miss the top...
One could question whether he was using compass.... but there by the grace of god go all of us.... i did exactly the same the previous weekend on a race i've done 5 years in a row, careered off into the mist and lost the race.
I never trust the herd, i'd have dead reckoned it on a straight bearing if i'd have been running.
The compass isn't the infallible solution to the problem of finding the summit. At the Half Peris race, I followed my compass through the clag to the summit of Elidir Fawr. I did get to the summit - across a massive boulder-field that I might have avoided if I had followed the runners who were going slightly to the left.
Last Saturday's Maesgwm Detour was the last race in this years British Champs and the penultimate one in the Welsh. It has been a champs race a couple of times previously, but with a slightly different route, as the Maesgwm Muddle. I haven't done that so cannot compare.
Setting off to Llanberis at 0700am in what was monsoon like rain, with the forecast for it to get worse, I wondered what the day was to bring.
The rain eased and the skies looked less threatening shortly before the start which enabled many of us to remove a layer of clothing. The first 3 miles and 1,500feet was a bit of a drag, on varying terrain, up to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog. From here it was steeply up in a westerly direction to the first hill, Moel Cynghorion, aided by an easterly, but cold, tailwind. I was so glad I had a long sleeved HH baselayer on!
From the summit it was a blustery but lovely ridge run along to Foel Goch, Foel Gron and over to Moel Elio. Some great views when the clag allowed. At the end of the long descent off Moel Elio to Bwlch y Groes my legs didn't want to play anymore but spirits were buoyed by seeing runners ahead returning from the out and back to the TP at Cefn Du. Still running in a westerly direction I could hear the voices of runners, who had passed me in the opposite direction, on the easterly wind saying "well done Darren" and knew that Tindersticks was chasing me down. I pushed on as best I could and as I ran around the TP I was face to face with him. He offered a me high five as we passed which I accepted :rolleyes:. It was the first time I have participated in such a greeting, but shan't be making a habit of it.
I went full gas from here, but there was little left, and managed to overtake a couple of runners in the short, fantastic bracken section but dared not look behind as I was expecting the black and white striped one to come flying past but fortunately managed to hold him off.
The race was won by Joe Steward of Salford AC who managed to hold off Matlock AC's Billy Cartwright, the pair of them over 3 mins ahead of third. Nichola Jackson of Keswick was 1st lady.
I was 6th M60 in 88th place. Darren was just behind me in 91st. Great to see you Darren and thanks for pushing me on. I was also 1st M60 of those in contention of the WFRA champs title and it looks as if I have an unassailable lead going into the last race, The Peris Horseshoe.
The 1st M60 was fell running legend Colin Donnelly who finished 41st overall! A pleasure to run in the same race. I believe he still holds the Welsh 3'000er's record set in 1985 and there is a great video of the attempt on You Tube.
A great effort by Mike Blake and his troops to put the race on and thanks, especially to the marshals on the summits, and to Dave Farrow for shouting abuse at various points on the course ;)
Nice one Llani, i browsed through the results but must admit i didn't spot your name.
Be interesting to see how you go on Peris which is a real test. Do you know the course well....?
Oreet Bob
Great report and well run!
Sedbergh Hills on Sunday - 11:00 start, clashing with the Women's World Cup Final which, if it completes in ordinary time, will be a Schrodinger's result for the runners.
Final race in the British Champs so all to play for; English Champs will become more clear after this with only one race left after it. I've not had much time to digest the tables of late!
Alas a dodgy calf and lack of stamina means I'll most likely be spectating or helping. First trip to a champs race for Ba-Ba junior. I'm back training and racing but taking it fairly steady in build up and I think a trundle around Sedbergh would cause more harm than good at the moment.
Some photos from yesterday here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjARRU7
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e279447b_c.jpgDSC07223-Edit.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr