Gritstone Tryal

A big thankyou to the oprganisers and helpers of this navigational 15 mile'ish event, this time at Teggs Nose Country Park near Macclesfield. Despite unpleasant rain at the start, it proved once again to be a challenging and enjoyable race. The Ashbourne trio (A Scotsman, an Irish Lady and an Englishman with a dodgy knee), were doing ok until after the last control, when yours truly dropped a navigational b***ock.:o Went completely the wrong way. Once we'd proved that the compass wasn't lying, we retraced and rejoined a few places down:(. Our lady still picked up third lady, so not all lost.
Good post-race scran too. Put it in your diary next year.

Wish you had posted BEFORE the event then we could have joined you. Was going to do Mountain Ringlet in Lakes but that got cancelled so would have loved to have come to Mac.
Never mind.

The weather was okay if you were moving. Sitting around waiting for competitors could not have been pleasant. The marshals are the stars.

(The Mountain Ringlet was completely off my radar, it looks a fabulous event, something for next year.)

great event, every year....thanks alot to those who organised and helped out...I had a great day :)

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Originally Posted by karen nash

Wish you had posted BEFORE the event then we could have joined you. Was going to do Mountain Ringlet in Lakes but that got cancelled so would have loved to have come to Mac.
Never mind.

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Karen

Really sorry. I'll get the hang of this forum thing eventually. I promise to start a thread next time BEFORE the event if there isn't one already. Suitably chastised:(

Dear All.
Has anyone does this before? What’s it like?
Does the route change every year?

Thanks

Tim

I did it last year. It's a navigation race, new route each year, maps given out an hour before the start, all start together. I'll be back again :-)

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Originally Posted by Joe

I did it last year. It's a navigation race, new route each year, maps given out an hour before the start, all start together. I'll be back again :-)

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See you there Joe.

Had a great time today on this. I especially enjoyed the bit over the moor S of the Cat & Fiddle and the section on the moor by Shutlingsloe - quite a bit of route choice.

Aye a smashing event... was glad to finally find CP1.

Thanks very much Swoop for the company and the words of encouragement on the final hill.

I'll be back for more next year.

Great day out
I have never run around there before and really enjoyed the views and company I had (shame the wheels came off after control 7 - thanks for the concern from those who passed me) Swop I thought it was you I chatted to re route choice before we set off.
Thanks Ian - I will look out for it next year.

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Originally Posted by Tim Ruck

Aye a smashing event... was glad to finally find CP1.
Thanks very much Swoop for the company and the words of encouragement on the final hill.
I'll be back for more next year.

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Thanks for your company and support Tim. We did over 15 miles and 3000 feet!

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Originally Posted by karen nash

Great day out
I have never run around there before and really enjoyed the views and company I had (shame the wheels came off after control 7 - thanks for the concern from those who passed me) Swoop I thought it was you I chatted to re route choice before we set off.

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We found it a hard slog back from control 7 but just managed to dip under 4 hours (most of that spent on the first control!)

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Originally Posted by Swoop

Thanks for your company and support Tim. We did over 15 miles and 3000 feet!

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Nice one mate.
Did the 3000ft include my climb up to the Shutlingsloe trig?


Tim

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Originally Posted by Tim Ruck

Nice one mate.
Did the 3000ft include my climb up to the Shutlingsloe trig?


Tim

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You are a glutton for punnishment Tim!!

Yes another well organised event Ian, thanks. This was my 6th outing so 100% to date. Always good fun and great company. The cunning 1st control caught out all the headless chickens including myself. After about 25mins Ian was coming out to collect the control back when he met me climbing back up to the view point. After using the compass I found the hidden path and got going at last across ground I know really well. I managed to claw my way back to 4th place 2hrs 35ish.
If you enjoyed this event have a go at the Gritstone any time challenge. See details on the thread under Long distance challenges.

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Originally Posted by Moorlander

The cunning 1st control caught out all the headless chickens including myself. After about 25mins Ian was coming out to collect the control back when he met me climbing back up to the view point. After using the compass I found the hidden path and got going at last across ground I know really well.

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If you went down to the bottom of the hill you could have picked up the bottom of the track and followed it easily back to the control. Unfortunately I didn't do that. I ran down the correct path, thought it was the wrong one so turned off through brambles and bracken looking for the right one, dropped right over the path with the control and ended up on the path 100 foot below the control, realised where I was, and climbed up through waist high brambles and bushes to the right path, where I too found Ian who I am sure had walked to the first control. You should see the scratches on my legs - and they still smart!

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Originally Posted by Joe

You should see the scratches on my legs - and they still smart!

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Think most of us looked like we had been savaged by wild beasts - my legs certainly stung when I got into the bath on Sunday evening and I got away lightly!

Great event - first time I have done it but I'll certainly be back - thanks to Staffs Moorlands for organising it.

I've been looking at the Gritstone Anytime Challenge - think I'll have to give it a go some time.

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Originally Posted by Tim Ruck

Nice one mate.
Did the 3000ft include my climb up to the Shutlingsloe trig?
Tim

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No. You can add a bit more on!:)

Great event and thanks Ian and team for organising. Being as the course was as it were in my own back yard, I was very conscious that I'd better not mess up on the navigation. That first control was a bit naughty but I somehow managed to hit it first time. This made a huge difference to my overall time and I'm sure that without local knowledge I would have been floundering around like so many others. Aye well that's the nature of the game.

Thanks again.

Ha

Now I think I know who Emma 7027 is?
Lady with Stone (red) vest on at start? who I thought was farirly local and could be worth noting which way she went?

K

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Originally Posted by karen nash

Ha

Now I think I know who Emma 7027 is?
Lady with Stone (red) vest on at start? who I thought was farirly local and could be worth noting which way she went?

K

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That'll be me Karen. Unfortunately Stone isn't that local so not much help - it has been a few years since I have done much in that area.

Were you the lady with short hair in the blue windproof who I spoke to before the start when we were earwigging for tips?

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Originally Posted by emma7027

You are a glutton for punnishment Tim!!

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I fear so. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Hey Emma,

Let me know if you are up for the Gritstone Anytime Challenge, as I'm keen on doing that some time over this summer...the company would be nice. See you on the hills again soon.

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Originally Posted by emma7027

Think most of us looked like we had been savaged by wild beasts - my legs certainly stung when I got into the bath on Sunday evening and I got away lightly!

Great event - first time I have done it but I'll certainly be back - thanks to Staffs Moorlands for organising it.

I've been looking at the Gritstone Anytime Challenge - think I'll have to give it a go some time.

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Originally Posted by phil the bat

Hey Emma,

Let me know if you are up for the Gritstone Anytime Challenge, as I'm keen on doing that some time over this summer...the company would be nice. See you on the hills again soon.

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I certainly will there will probably be a few from SMM who will be up for it - I'll speak to a few people and let you know.

Results now up - http://www.staffsmoorlands-ac.co.uk/...yal&Itemid=147

Sadly no splits this year - they would have been interesting to see Moorlander come from last to fourth!

Tim - did you know you took the winner's route? Simon went over Shutlingsloe too! I measured my route as 13.5 miles and 2800 feet, but didn't include the "extra" bit I added on to the first control.

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Originally Posted by Joe

Results now up - http://www.staffsmoorlands-ac.co.uk/...yal&Itemid=147

Sadly no splits this year - they would have been interesting to see Moorlander come from last to fourth!

Tim - did you know you took the winner's route? Simon went over Shutlingsloe too! I measured my route as 13.5 miles and 2800 feet, but didn't include the "extra" bit I added on to the first control.

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Hahaha... the same route, just two hours later :rolleyes:

Web dos say splits to be added later. I guess at non-electronic events it is a real chore having to type them all in.
Would be good to see tho- how much I lost at no1, how good the middle wa and how I fell apart at the very end!

Dear All
The splits are on the Staff Moorland AC website BTW.

Tim

Thanks Tim. Interesting reading. Dale went from 33rd to 4th!

I can see that if you'd taken the slowest time for each leg you'd have taken 5:31 to get round, an hour behind last place, so that shows how much time some people lost!

Whereas the fastest times for each leg added make 1:54:30, just 6 mins ahead of Simon. He lost 4 minutes of this by going over rather than round Shutlingsloe.

If only it had finished at checkpoint 2, I'd have had my first ever top 3 finish!

Really enjoyed it, despite a serious fade in the last four or five miles. Knowledge gained from the dark and white MMM in March was a big help!

Col

Due to my shocking time for this event I went back today and did the same route (still going up to the Shutlingsloe trig). I was 39 mins faster. Not amazing but better.
I saved a 30 mins between the start and the location of CP2. The other 9 mins I picked up on a few of the over sections.
Looking forward to the Gritstone Tryal 2011.

Tim

I am hoping to do this(the 2011 event) on Sunday, some family complications though so have been holding off entering in advance. Does anyone know if it will be OK to turn up on the day?

Great event today from the Miners Arms Higher Poynton, I made it 13.1 miles. Many thanks to Ian Ankers and all the marshalls.

I agree, a great morning. First time I have been in the top ten in a fell race! Thanks to Ian and all his helpers.

Good to see you swoop. Was a perfect low key event and an interesting course. Nice to flex the navigation muscles a bit and it was a good test for my rehabilitation from injury. With a lot of strapping and pruffen and some slow descending it was all ok. I'll be back next year, thanks organisers.

I had a great time too - thanks organisers and marshals!

Yeah, really enjoyable event - many thanks to the organisers/marhsalls for putting this on. Looking forward to next year already!

I was sad to miss it this year. Roll on 2012!

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Originally Posted by Truck

I was sad to miss it this year. Roll on 2012!

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Shame you missed it Tim. If you had finished with me again you would have made the top 10!