Tid - you're in for a treat.
May God be with u !
Just don't go off too fast - the last sections are the hardest as Beasty says.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tid
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Tid - you're in for a treat.
May God be with u !
Just don't go off too fast - the last sections are the hardest as Beasty says.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tid
Well done to everyone that got round today. Horrendous conditions. Got to be one of the hardest middle-distance fell races in the country. Thanks to Mercia and all the marshalls.
Off to bed now.
Now i understand the phrases "exquistite torture" and "evil bastard" in relation to the LMVs race !!
I knew i shouldn't have been tempted by the saturday night curry and ale before doing this one and when i woke up this morning with a chest infection and badly bruised toe from the previous days training run i was feeling a little bit anxious on my way to the race this morning. When the marshall at the start explained there'd been a case of hypothermia the day before and that this race was for "the big boys and girls" it really didn't help to calm my nerves.
It was a hard but very satisfying race to finish and the mud slide descents were particularly enjoyable - can we do it again next weekend ?!
My second LMV. Brilliant race on some brutal ascents. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Big thanks to everyone involved in organising and running this!
Really tough conditions for this yesterday, both underfoot and weather wise... mud, slick grass, sleet, snow and cold. I was soaked despite my cag fairly quickly and a bit cold for most of the race. Times were generally 6-10 mins down on two years ago (last year doesn't count as there was lying snow!) Great race though, massive thanks to all involved, especially those who stood out for long periods in the wet and cold so we could run. Pauline's put a note up on the Mercia site with the results: http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2273
Nice to see everyone. Next stop for me is Torpantau...
What a day ! Was on the verge of being cold the whole way around but managed to keep just on the right side long enough to finish the race. I instantly changed into dry clothes at the end but I was still shivering an hour later in the pub...!
I really felt for the marshalls stuck out stationary in those awful conditions - so many thanks to you guys. I also stopped to offer a bandage to a guy who'd badly cut his knee after CP3, and am glad to see he made it back safely to the finish (DNF'd) - I didn't envy him the walk out, but he said he was OK, had food/waterproofs, etc.
In spite of all that I still managed to knock 1 whole minute off my previous fastest time :)
Thanks again too all involved in organising this brilliant race, and well done to all that turned out.
I thought the weather just added to the awesomeness of the race. Properly sorted the men from the boys.
I'm pleased with my 2hr 09min if the times were slower this year and especially as a virgin to the race. Can't wait to do it again. Although i would say that the conditions although bad didn't really slow me down.
What a classic event and MUCH respect to organisers / marshalls and photographers. You allow us to run on the hills like mad cases.
£13 for the full weekend racing. Whats not to like. Love it.
Long Mynd - Harder than Ben Nevis - Official
I'd only done one Shropshire race previously - Cardington Cracker - took a quick look at the fixtures book and absentmindedly noted that Long Mynd had much less ascent - clearly getting them the wrong way round. As I was struggling round Long Mynd (having had my error pointed out to me beforehand) it occurred to me that if the race had about 4,000 feet of ascent that would be equivalent to Ben Nevis. I checked when I got back - on paper at least - Ben Nevis is easier!
I very pleased just to have managed to complete this one.
WT
I think a lot of us were pleased to have got round... Not sure about harder than the Ben race though, there's not a 4,200' descent in the Valleys, but then the Ben race doesn't have a steep 650' climb a mile from home. Incidentally I know of quite a few Midlanders who use the Valleys route or something similar to get/keep fit for Scottish hillwalking.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wirksworth Tortoise
Jim :-)
Has anyone got the new Long Mynd Valleys route cracked yet?
What is the route from Windy Batch to Nills (CP 6 to 7)? Yearlet to the finish? Answers on a postcard...
Having been around there on Sunday I'm thoroughly looking forward to this. Right until just after I leave CP 6.
Yep Ba-ba it does get a little bit tough after CP6. Should make for a great race. People will be scattered a little over the hill i imagine. Need to remember to get my head down and run what i know and not follow. Looking forward to it.
Up to me trying out my new "route variation" (worked out on memory-map the day before :rolleyes: )it was going ok. But then I didn't see another runner for 20 minutes and when I got to the final climb I looked up and about half way up I saw a couple of runners who were with me up to the point I tried my new "route variation". So definitely not quicker and I won't be doing that again!
Apart from that the weather wasn't bad and the organisation was very impressive so my thanks to everyone who contributed. Oh and the new finish (from the final CP) is much better than the old one :D
cheers all involved. Chilly down in the CM valley but after 10m of vertical ascent it was a beautiful day!
Pete Vale and Will Neill neutralised the race to tie for 1st in 1:43:05, Tim Davies, Chris Jones (MDC), Rich Roberts, Rob Little, Simon Coldrick and Myself following home in that order at varying intervals up to 10mins behind.
Ladies was won by Mel Price just outside 2h. Caitlin Rice held off Anna Bartlett for 2nd. Full results here: http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2435
Great weather, fabulous running, a minor mistake near the end, but still happy with 17th, and 2nd overall for the Combined weekend.
thanks to all for the amusement and running.
As ever, the blog is up.
http://testedtodestruction.blogspot....race-2014.html
Third time now. New route and still a great race. Cheers to the organisers & bazillions of marshals out there.
Some video's which the old man took whilst watching yesterday, maybe a slight bias towards myself though....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PfxV...busWwt9rEUmXEw
I'm always intrigued by joint winners. Did you cross the line together out of a sense of camaraderie, or was there nothing to separate the two of you in the sprint finish?
Great result by the way. :)
Crossed the line together, he dropped me by around 30 sec going up Yearlet, I managed to hammer it off to catch him within half a mile of the finish and decided to finish together!
Pete was a class act yesterday both fitness wise & knowledge of the route, I just played the roll of a sheep, explicitly following for 1:40hr+! Great to see him back in that kind of form after a tough few years plagued with injuries and niggles.
Very pleased where my form is at this early point in the season, hopefully there is a little more to come for Donnard Challenge and Pendle!
well you are a damn fine looking bloke...Quote:
Originally Posted by Will-Moorlands
Anyone know if there are any photos of this race? There appeared to be a huge contingent of photogs out on the day, (and a lovely day it was), but I can find neither hide nor hair of them anywhere on the tinterweb. Did they ALL forget to put SD cards in their cameras?
There's some video here:Quote:
Originally Posted by zephr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PfxVR_w3QE
and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At3HT2qGiEQ
Think there are some on the High Sports website.Quote:
Originally Posted by zephr
Ah, got em.
if anyone else was interested
http://www.highsports.co.uk/blog/lon...ley-race-2014/
Anyone else on this tomorrow...?
Possible strong winds expected... Hoping it's clear enough to find my way up and down all those climbs in the second half....
I'm in, also Titterstone Clee this morning.
The nav is pretty straightforward in the valleys race, one slightly tricky bit on Callow, where you can see runners going up the valley infront of you, but you have to go right, into the valley to a CP, then left and up. Nice race.
Very challenging race today, I can see now why it has a fearsome reputation. As I'd been told, pacing is the key...
Conditions underfoot were pretty difficult due to the rain, however the weather on the day was pretty good, with the exception of a cold wind...
Started to have a bad patch going down Minton Batch, the group I was in (containing DaveMole) started to drop me, and knowing the hard stuff was still to come, and needing to mix things up a bit, took an alternative route... Everyone else went right, contouring round the hills, but I went leftish, up and over, which incidentally is the route on the Pete Bland map... I don't think there is much in it, however I did lose at least a couple of minutes due to my own idiocy.... Being on my own on unfamiliar hills, I decided to be safe and consult the map, unfortunately my wet gloves had inadvertently rubbed off all my markings and checkpoint locations, leaving me alone with nobody in sight, and not 100% where the next checkpoint was. Luckily I relied on memory and was soon back on course, but I definitely didn't take the optimum line. A few people behind me were quite aggressively shouting me back when I split from the 'main course' which was a bit uncalled for, I guess they were just trying to be helpful, but it was a free course between checkpoints.
Last climb was the real toughie, and the final descent on shot legs was difficult, especially with the finish line and crowd right at the bottom waiting in anticipation for the comedy crashes...
2hrs26 in the end, would have taken that before the start. No idea where I finished, somewhere in the top half so can't complain, seeing as I would class this race as a bit too short for my liking. Not that I'd finish much higher in a longer race..!
One thing I really liked about this race was the view of the front runners for the first mile or so, due to the almost immediate winding climb out of the valley. Although didn't glean much insider info, they were just doing what I was doing, but slightly faster...!
Apart from the couple of miles across the top of the Mynd, it's pretty much all up and down, a real good course.
Thanks to all the marshalls and organisers for another fantastic race yesterday! Just wondered if anyone knew of any links to the photos that were being taken yesterday??Spotted a few paps out and about.
Cheers
yes, another cracking LMV on Sunday. Harder than it looks!
The main photos are here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/70907794@N00/sets/
and results are here:
http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2734
Anyone on it this year?
Quite fired up for this one as been training hard and hoping to make an improvement on last year. Famous last words!
I'm doing it - the English champs version. This was one of my first medium fell races about 15 years ago. I was properly broken by the end. So I'm hoping to improve on that after this lengthy absence.
Doing the one Sunday, but not the Champs race as that clashes same weekend as Edale Skyline. Expect a larger turnout than usual this weekend, as I guess people will use it as a recce/training for the champs race. Mind you there seems to be a good turnout for this one regardless!
I've entered the Champs running of it but I'm at Mickleden this Sunday. Have a good one, Travs, let us know how it goes.
results from todays LMV: hope you all had a grand day out!
http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2872
As always in Shropshire a tough course and hard running. Ask the guy lying down with 2/3rds of the course done, but 3 climbs and the majority of the ascent still to go, poor lad.... Didn't see him finish, hope he's not still there...!
I personally thought the going was harder than last year, but looking at the times it seems it was pretty similar.
A big turnout of northerners came down the motorway, obviously checking it out prior to the champs race in March, resulting in a high standard field (to be honest it's usually a good standard field for this race anyway, such is the severity of the course)... Highlighted by the fact that I was 3 minutes faster than last year, but finished 30 places further down the field.
In a mirror image of last year, I didn't get going until 2/3rds in with the 3 tough climbs to go, which is probably where the race starts in earnest. Picked up at least 20 places between here and the finish.
For those with an interest in the champs race, there are three options for the final climb. 80% of people go a few hundred yards up the valley and make a diagonal climb up the slope. A further 10% appear to head to the end of the valley and up the Col. I was in the 5% that took it straight on the nose. It is a steep pull, and I guess depends on the individual, but I pulled out 3 or 4 minutes in those around me, so if you can stomach it, it might be a good choice.
Descending was typically poor. It was extra slippy today, but the trainers are shot and have been binned, a fresh pair for the next one. Overall pleased to take some time off. Was hoping to get closer to 2:15 (I was 2:23) but that would have represented more than a mile a minute improvement on last year and is probably reaching too far.
Good luck to those doing the champs race, it's a cracker, but do leave enough in the tank for the final 4 miles.
Pete
Great day on local hills. Nice to see some folk making the trip down for a recce. I think a fe of the really fast lads had a nice jog around. I think we'll see times 10/15mins quicker at the front come champs race day.
Helped me pull a few minutes out from last year with a 1.52 which almost squeezed top 20! That'll be good enough for Top 60/70 in a months time. Great organisation as usual. Top race. Hopefully a little drier next time. :)
Quick question...... can someone tell me if these are the checkpoints that will be used for the coming Eng Champs race on 25 March 2017?
http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2406
I emailed the organiser and he pointed me in the direction of this page that is now on the mercia website - (for CPs and more info)
http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2805