I'll look out for your head maze and beetroot stained clothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
I normally get clearance to park on the road, my car is a joke on a wet field and surprisingly heavy to push for a little old Porsche.
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I'll look out for your head maze and beetroot stained clothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
I normally get clearance to park on the road, my car is a joke on a wet field and surprisingly heavy to push for a little old Porsche.
399 now
Amazing. But how many will actually turn up?
The website says 273 is the record: https://fellrace.org.uk/races/dunnerdale/
I'm praying for rain, it'll keep the numbers down.
Cheers to BC runners, looked like quite a busy day. Everyone went left over the bog on the way to CP3, i went over the lumps as that bog is heavy going after a lot of rain. I ended up gaining places as a result. The descents were crowded, probably because i was quite a long way further back than normal. Nice to meet you and Steph, Noel.
I don't recall ever seeing Noel in any race results before (probably as i didn't know his full name...!)
But looks like he's a good runner!
Noel vs MrB vs Tindersticks vs Travs could throw up some interesting forum battles next year...!
Ooh, dunno about that, Noel will win every time. I'll have to get my missing 8% of my V02 max back again, and you and tindersticks will have to wait for me a couple of times.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Aw shucks. Thanks Mr B. Great to meet you. And nice to chat to you, Charmian. It was good to know you'd be the one on The Knott, then I could introduce myself, fleetingly.Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
Another brilliant day put on for us by Black Combe. I remember one year being snowed on at the summit of Stickle Pike. In contract, this year's race felt like June.
I lost my customary 5 or 6 places on the descent. I was hoping to get a few back on the short road section, but my legs were empty by then.
It's filling up, my entry is in. Looking at my recovery since last year and my recent good run at Gt Wherny, i should be crossing the line quite close to my PB. I was losing time everywhere last year, i think if i can run all the way up to the base of the pike after the road crossing i'll be in with a shout. I need to keep entering races in the leadup and do more parkruns.
I've just entered as well, its in the Ambleside club champs this year. Not raced it before but recently did the Cumbrian Traverse which goes over the first two summits before heading to Caw. Seems nice and runnable which is how I like it.
Nice and runnable would be one way to describe it, piss wet through and blowing a howler would be another. It's an uncomplicated route; there's a descent about one mile in that you want to make the most of, as a lot of people just freewheel down it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Croberts
Entries still open, 320 entered, with Helm and Ambleside running all of their members by the looks of it.
Not sure if i'm in PB form. I think it will be the flat section on the way to the final CP that will make or break it; i could easily gain time there.
Just looked up the route and I've realised that I thought it went the other way round! Luckily it looks like I should be able to follow someone else as early weather forecast is ok for Saturday, breezy but dry.
Take a map, it's required at kit check, they may have a few printed up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Croberts
The only route choices are coming off stickle pike, there is a backdoor way off that avoids the trod up, but in previous years i've found it a bit craggy and slow.
I'm totally convinced the direct route off stickle pike is slower, you're just constantly hampered by crags and 1m drops. The old way off where you backtrack down the trod a bit and go right is faster, I remember it from years previous.
Cheers to the BC runners guys today, weather wasn't ideal, a bit too bright and a bit too warm. The low sun was blinding you for half the race and made running at speed awkward, rocks not always easy to spot.
I need to get back up some time and scrutinise the course for alternate lines. I want to find a more direct drop off the CP at ravens crag, and a potential alternative route down to the road. The main descent to the road is so congested and I'm not fast enough over the preceding section to get in front of the stampede off. Plus I need an alternative off stickle pike, as mentioned.
I see what you mean about the low sun - it makes analysing the terrain jolly tricky.Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
Great race and good day for it, really enjoyed it. Managed to be fairly near the front at the start so didnt get too boxed in, was 34th at first checkpoint and didnt change much after that to end up 33rd at the finish. The sun was tricky on the way back at times making it difficult to see the lines/rocks.
I took the a fairly direct line off of Stickle Pike and managed to get ahead of 2 people who went further back so I am not sure what is the quickest route, definitely would have been useful to have recced that section.
Again on the last descent I took the main route and was lucky to not have anyone slower in front. Somebody did seem to take a slightly higher line and come out in front of me there as well, though they are faster than me in general and had been boxed in at the start and making up places all race.
Will definitely be doing it again at some point, though not quite as runnable as I thought it might be from looking at the map.
I'm going to try and find an alternative route down to the road crossing off the second summit, a spot height which i think is CP1 as ravens crag is not a CP. That crappy little trod is too slow, mainly due to traffic not roughness, i could go faster if i had a clear run. I'm developing a theory that the first part follows the line of a weakness in the rock strata, and that further north there will be a similar weakness that follows the same direction. Once off the fell crags, i'll need to find a way over to meet the little beck in the bottom. Should be fun.
Not a lot of love for this one I see! I'm on it today, I'll report back...Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
Currently sat in the blacksmith's arms after a run round the route, its astonishing what you don't notice or consider when you're in the race and otherwise occupied, things have really jumped out at me today that I've never noticed before.
I've found a route around that annoying little traverse on the way to cp1 after the dip. It's slow because the rock slabs are slanted and the people in front of you cause a bit of a queue. The alternative just moves some climb forward by 20secs and goes round the slabs.
I've found a route round the descent to the road off cp1 that entails visiting the mines over to the north. It leaves about 50' of climb out of the picture but is longer, and approaches the road crossing from the other side of the lump. The route through the mines is not one you'd like to take a tumble on, but it's fast and twisty.
I've found the elusive easy route off cp2, and by the looks of it I can straight line the bog on the way to cp3. Most go round to the left and veer right at the last moment, but I'm light enough to go as the crow flies.
My new route off cp3 to the wall leaves the race route at the first left swing and drops straight into a depression with a reed bed in the bottom that turns into a beck. The way down needs some balls, but once you're following the beck it's fast as lightning and sheep trods zig zag you down to the wall further back. Again it's longer, but there will be no traffic.
Love your alternative Fell Race route choice optimism Luke and enjoy trying to work them out on the map.
It seems to me that you come up with more bad uns than good uns and usually pick up a scratch, scrape or injury to remember them by.
Good on you for keeping trying and I'm sure one day you'll come up with a gem.
Oh, and Discord is still accepting new members;)
I doubt if anyone still looks for alternative lines any more, i think people just assume that after all this time the route is the route. These alternatives mainly get me clear of the traffic, which is the biggest problem at Dunnerdale these days. The route through the mines, which have some impressive stoped hushes, is quick and trouble free with no awful little trods clinging onto unstable hillsides, and no congested washed out footpaths. You could go flying quite badly on a couple of sections and get cut to ribbons by slate shards, but when you're in that nice flow state on a fast route and your mind is quiet everything just happens for you. I'll be most interested to see what happens after cp3; the new line there sees you hitting much higher top speeds than that nasty little path, but there is the drop down to the reeds first; if you get tripped by bracken there you'll be chewing rocks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy
Route choice is just one of the things that sets fell running apart from other races. As a mediocre runner at best I have to find terrain that suits me and maybe a sneaky shortcut into the bargain.
I often look for alternative lines. It always gives me an excuse for my poor performance: "I took a line that looked quicker but it led me into bracken/rocks/swamp/... ."Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
It might be a very dry year this year. The dry spell might last until saturday night.
I've got niggle issues that are cramping my style a bit anyway, so i'm going to have to start a bit slower and aim for a less strained level pace. I seem to be over 53m post-pandemic, having cracked the 50m barrier at one stage. I think given that, if i can run under 53m then my new routes are worth it.
Dreach, in a word. I've had 2 back spasms in the last 10 days, hams are very tight.
Let's not talk about the time. I got a terrible start, but having not trained for 2wks I knew there was no point. I didn't warm up properly as I didn't want to put more wear and tear on my back and knees, my last back spasm was 2 days ago. The shortcut round the rocky traverse didn't really gain anything, but it was nice to clear the traffic. If I had any level of fitness I could have used it a bit.
As I dropped off cp1 and beared right on the next misadventure, some grumpy old bugger from Pennine barked "flags!" at me. Obviously someone who doesn't approve of route choice and new lines, so I ignored him. I had no leg speed about me along the trod to the mines, it was a shame as its a quick section, and I went wrong slightly on a couple of the twists in the mines. The steep ramp up from the mine track killed me off and I was pooped as I approached the road. The mines route has 25m less climb, but as I crossed the road the old sod from Pennine was well ahead of me. It later turned out he was slow downhill, so I would have expected to be in front of him if I'd have gone the normal way.
Going the right way off stickle pike went fine and I overtook the grumpy old codger. Going over the bog saved me some time, so that short-cut works. On the way up to cp3 a woman from Ambleside told me to stop taking short cuts; don't know if she was having a crack or in bed with the old bugger from Pennine so I ignored her too.
Next short-cut was down to the wall via a soggy bog drain. The drop off the edge was a bit tricky and I jarred my back twice. My legs were shot and I was struggling to lift them clear of the bracken. As I descended the precipitous hillside I could hear yet more comments and queries coming from the ridge above, but I was too preoccupied to care. This line would've been a lot quicker if I hadn't gone face first into the soggy pig twice, but I was behind the same guy at the bottom so lost nothing.
My next shortcut over some downed walls in a small enclosure got me in front of the two Ambleside guys ahead of me.
So mixed results, but the new route off cp3 was the best, and I'm going back for another look at cp1 to the road, I'm not done with that one yet.
Top man :cool:
My left hand was bleeding at the finish too.
Excellent race report Luke, made me laugh. Thanks for posting that. :D