Full Tour of Pendle

[IanDarkpeak]

4 seconds Ian!!! :w00t: felt i could reach out and grab you but i was spent!

Thanks to the organisers, great event! and the weather gods. My first outing. Will surely be back.

so was I mate, legs were cramping, another 100m and you'd have been passed me. you were flying up those hills.

[Martyn P]

Cracking pictures Ady! Good one of me with my Serious Face on ....

[woodenlegs]

From what I know they've been taking that line for years, just that normally you can't be sure of the line for the clag. Someone on a recce in the clag ended up at Mearley Clough

If a route is compulsory it should be flagged and there was a marshall there at CP1 that could have directed everyone down the wall if that was the line to be taken.
I was at the back end and couldn't see that anyone followed the wall.

On a recce around 3 weeks ago, that line was a track that appeared to have been left by a quad bike and I followed it on my recce.

Seems a fair point. None of us want to knacker the environment (and jeopardise the race!) Anyone (like me - sorry!) who took the wrong line just needed to be directed down the wall at CP1. To infer we don't care or ignored advice is unfair. Just didn't see it.

[garymcmahon]

Could the checkpoint be placed at the end of the wall so that everyone would need to go that way? (I did the wall and feel good. Lovely day, lovely race. Thank you Keiran.

[Daleside]

report of the front of the race and top ten and top three ladies

http://fellrunningbriefs.blogspot.co...mber-2011.html

[wjb]

“2009 was the year I moved CP1 to the site shown on the attached sketch, “CP1 mods”. I had not thought about people taking a direct line across Barley Moor to the new location, the whole reason for moving CP1 was to keep people off it because of erosion, the whole area is a big sloppy mess, a paddy field and I do not want the race creating sloppy black paths across it.

The route to be followed from the start is past the Village Hall on the farm access road past the Res and on, when you come out of the trees and can see the damn of the second Res you can also see a concrete track in front of you to the right, rising to a gate in the wall. This gate will be marshaled on race day and will be open. You pass through the gate, turn right and climb with the wall on your right. Pass through the gates at the top of the field (also marshaled) and climb to the trig point on the Big End (this is CP10). Maintaining your line carry on to the gate and stile in front of you (the original site of CP1), cross the wall here using the stile or gate then head for CP1 (the gate in the wall before the stile) on the path at approx 45deg. to the wall you have just crossed. These are established paths, stoney or firm grass.

I expect all runners to follow that route and I expect any runners who see any other runners taking the direct line across Barley Moor to make a note of their numbers and I will disqualify them, they are cheating. Can I say it any planer. The reason I moved CP1 to its new location was solely to reduce erosion and minimize evidence of our presence on the hill. There are migrating birds who spend a couple of weeks on that area of moor on their way to somewhere and also on their way back, I’ve seen bird watchers observing them. In April and May it is a sea of snow white moorland cotton. The old path from Ogden Brook to the trig point has been flagged with stone slabs to protect it. We are not the only people concerned about it. Each runner must respect it and accept responsibility to preserve this area on race day.

If you want any info on this race e-mail me: [email protected]

Kieran Carr, Race Organizer, Tour of Pendle Fell Race.”

Firstly I would like to thank Keiron for organizing another superb event, certainly always one of the highlights of the year for me.
But I feel the need to point out the reasons why CP1 was moved in the first place, which I have highlighted above from Keirons post.
Unfortunately due to a significant number of the field (certainly around my position in the race) deciding to take a direct line from the new CP into Ogden causing a distinct line to appear across the moor, exactly the same scenario is happening with what is also a sensitive section of moor, if these people had taken the time to study the large race map in the village hall, they would have seen the correct route highlighted in green following the wall into Ogden. Having frequent correspondence on this subject with the landowners on this part of the hill, I feel this could not only jeopardize this race but the future of other races over Pendle.

Email from Kieran to me a few days before the race:

"CP1 is a steel gate where you cross the wall, generally opened by the marshal, IT'S UP TO YOU WHICH ROUTE YOU GO TO CP2 easiest way is to pass through the gate turn immediate left and follow the wall to Ogden Brook and the fence turn right and follow the path slowly rising away from the brook."

As far as I was aware it was only the route across the field to CP1 which was compulsory. This email says that the wall route was simply the easier way and was not compulsory.

[felldragon]

Not a successful race for me, died a death on the second to last hill. Managed to recover to just nip in under 4 hours, 6 mins slower than last year I think. Thanks to the lads who led me to the well on big end, if I ever do the race again I'll remember that route!

[Ady In Accy]

Well done to Keiron!

[joeyd]

My first Tour - what a run and what a glorious day for it! Thanks to all the ROs and marshalls for putting together such a good race and for selling their souls to secure some delightful running weather into the bargain. Looking round at the views whilst my lungs were bursting on the ups really lifted the spirits. Pleased to get round in 4 seconds under 3.30 - sitting in the river soothing my feet thoughts already started to drift to 'what if I took a slightly different line here...', which means I must be planning a return. Nice to see so many Hurriers out there too!

[Fungus Mungus]

My first Tour of Pendle also. My fist 'long' fell race at all in fact. Was going great until half way up the climb from Mearley Clough, then suffered horrendous cramp the rest of the way back. Going to try a gentle bike ride today to see if that helps sort my legs out. Fantastic race, great organisation, great support around the course and possible the best weather the hill has seen all year. Big thanks to those involved in organising all of that.