Well it is called a Plunge for a reason!Originally Posted by Travs
Well done Travs. Two good efforts in consecutive days.
Well it is called a Plunge for a reason!
Well done Travs. Two good efforts in consecutive days.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
Another good 13 minutes of action, fully justifying the 2hrs+ drive to get to the foot of Moel Famau.
Was fortunate this year with the traffic so no issues with getting to the start on time. A leisurely walk up which turned into a more serious warmup as i neared the top.
There was a vicious headwind on top, i was 5 yards from the RO giving the briefing and i couldn't hear a word.
The signal to go and it was the usual manic charge at the front, people going all over the place. I found myself in what i thought was about 10th... although it was full-on from the start and with the wind and rain i could hardly see, so 10th was a guess.
Managed to negotiate the initial rocky section without falling (which was more than i can say for one poor guy in front of me... i never saw him again).
Then a new sensation for me, i was actually getting held up on one of the steeper parts of the course, a greasy grass track through the heather.... frustratingly, the guy in front then found his legs as it widened out into the final section of fell down to the road, and i couldn't catch him.
Although i'm made of sterner stuff than i was last year, and i managed to catch and pass him (and one other) on the steep and slippy road section, giving me a vital lead onto the first of several stiles.
Did drop one of the places in the final couple of fields, finishing what i understand was 8th.
13:15.... which is 7 or 8 seconds slower than last year.... that said conditions were appalling, and the final few fields were like parliament hill on a bad year at the national cross country. The field immediately after the road section in particular, usually that's pretty decent, but today it was awful.
So on balance it was arguably a slightly better run than last year.... but then again, conditions weren't great last year either, and i was on fresh legs this year as well.
Not seen any results yet, but i think it was a stronger field than last year.... i'm pretty sure the guy who won last year only just made the podium this year. A lot of the guys who started fast today were clearly decent runners, there weren't many people falling off the pace midway this year.
Few photos the lad took today, while his dad kept his sister company on her second ever race.
https://www.facebook.com/share/U7CwT...ibextid=K35XfP
https://www.facebook.com/share/VXc1t...ibextid=K35XfP
Despite the start being pretty much the same distance from home as the finish (but in the opposite direction) work has meant I haven’t managed to do this one before, was great, will give it a proper go next year….assuming daughter hasn’t outpaced me by that point!
You said it was raining Travs.
Looks a lovely day to me
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
It was pretty dire at the summit!
It was a little bit grim 🤣
Hey Travs, chatting to a friend, Luke Beresford, today at the XC he told me that he did a "mental" race in Wales on NYE. I knew straight away which one it was!
He finished second, he's an awesome descender, and said he had to wait for Joel Gomes a couple of times as he didn't have a clue where he was going! You might have recognised him as he does quite a few of the Shropshire races. He's not seen the results yet either.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
I know the name, but can't picture him.
It was a bit higher standard race than usual. Usually a chunk of people absolutely fly down the first steep section, and a quarter of a mile later when they hit the first undulating section, they start going backwards.
But most of the people who went off hard, managed to maintain it this time. I did pull a few back but it took me most of the race to do so. I finished 8th, having been in and around the top 4 for the past few years.
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