Stolly Hill Runs 2010

[mr brightside]

That said I'm kind of getting stuck in my ways too and only ever want to run in the Dales nowadays

Nothing wrong with that, and yes i'm sure that SS and UKH are saving up to buy Pendle Hill and split it between them .

[Man from Del Monte]

Oh god! The Dales, the Dales, the Dales, that's all we ever hear about! Why not run somewhere else...

i'm with Stolly on this one

[wharfeego]

Oh god! The Dales, the Dales, the Dales, that's all we ever hear about! Why not run somewhere else...

less chance of seein' soft southerners up yon Dales

[Stolly]

That said I'm kind of getting stuck in my ways too and only ever want to run in the Dales nowadays - the peak has too much mud and bog and the lakes has too much rock and rubble.... and too many tourists

And not forgetting the biggest reason of all, 500 square miles (give or take ) of the southern and south western bits of the Yorkshire Dales National Park start right outside my back door

[southernsoftie]

less chance of seein' soft southerners up yon Dales

Aye, that's true. Can't move on Pendle for those buggers!

[OneHillWonder]

And not forgetting the biggest reason of all, 500 square miles (give or take ) of the southern and south western bits of the Yorkshire Dales National Park start right outside my back door

Alright alright, stop showing off

*dreams of the day*

[Man from Del Monte]

And not forgetting the biggest reason of all, 500 square miles (give or take ) of the southern and south western bits of the Yorkshire Dales National Park start right outside my back door

and i have just bought it on the latest memory map 1.25000 so its going to be the only place i can go running without getting lost and its on my doorstep toooo

[mr brightside]

*dreams of the day*

Dreaming of this again?...

[OneHillWonder]

Yup, too right Mr Brightside. One day

[Stolly]

The High Peak Marathon

42 miles ~ 5,400 feet

Edale Village Hall --> Hollins Cross --> Lose Hill --> Win Hill --> Below High Neb --> Moscar --> Cutthroat Bridge --> Derwnt Moor --> Lost Lad --> Sheepfold Clough --> Cut Gate --> Outer Edge --> Swains Head --> Bleaklow Stones --> Bleaklow Wainstones --> Snake Road Top --> Mill Hill --> across the top of Kinder to Edale Cross --> Rushup Edge --> Hollins Cross --> Edale Village Hall

And jeepers did I make hard work of it. I can think of a myriad of excuses; I know I didn't sleep enough on the Friday of the event or the week leading up to it so I was probably starting tired, maybe I didn't put in enough mileage leading up to it, I was definitely carrying too much stuff in my backpack (following the incredible recce last week) or maybe, just maybe... I'm just crap! I suspect though that the main reason for my struggles was that, as a team, we just went off miles too fast. Well too fast for me anyway. I have a run all day (and night) pace that I know would have got me round in good nick and probably an identical if not better time but the first 11 miles to Moscar, done at a fairly full tilt, did it for me.

For a start I was sweating cobs as we were going up Win Hill, such that I had to take my waterproof, gloves and hat off, with both tops that I left on now drenched with sweat. Coming down into the Moscar drink and food station both SS and I had been lagging behind our other two team mates, not helped by getting stuck behind another couple of teams. But pretty much as soon as we'd got there, where I had to fanny about putting my warm stuff back on in readiness for the high ridge running ahead, the team wanted to press on, meaning that I whacked back a couple of cups of cold water and a cup of coffee and we set off with me trying to gulp down a couple of mouth chamming slabs of fruit loaf on the hoof.

I tried to find another gear from there to Lost Lad and massive respect for Gary who did manage to find one and could then keep pace with the others. I basically knew what gas I had in the tank and settled for getting round my way and became a distant 4th member of the team from that point on. In fact I virtually solo'd the rest of the route. Eating was a real struggle for me too - I was feeling sick and was definitely "windy" most of the time and desperately thirsty by Snake Pass (I had a poweraid in the bag but the thought of drinking it made me feel even sicker). The Snake Pass stop was better for me and I made sure I got plenty of water down my neck but I still had trouble eating the marmite sandwich I picked up there.

Anyway I 'powered' on through thick and thin and the team managed to finish in something like 12 hours 15 minutes. I loved every minute of it despite all my 'difficulties' and it was a cracking endurance/survival training session for sure!! I was an hour quicker this year over last so roll on next year's HPM and an 11:15 finish <cough>.

Well done Andy and Kevin, who breezed it, and Gary who did brilliantly to keep up with them.


Bleaklow ahead in the early dawn light




The Pennine Way off of Bleaklow.... is there somewhere under all the snow




Kinder and our snowy line up it ahead




Edale comes into view (southernsoftie bottom right having a sit down)