The 10-year rule also works for me: I ran my first fell race in 1977, and my two best years were 1987 and 1989.
As for peaking at age 35-40: I met my wife when I was 36, which somewhat distracted me from the serious business of fell-running.
The 10-year rule also works for me: I ran my first fell race in 1977, and my two best years were 1987 and 1989.
As for peaking at age 35-40: I met my wife when I was 36, which somewhat distracted me from the serious business of fell-running.
In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
Jorge Luis Borges
I started fell running at 28 after rugby and probably peaked 5 years after that...but that was more to do with career and family competing for time. Performances thereafter held up pretty well till 55, then fell off a cliff, although I turned the clock back a bit by losing a stone in weight a couple of years ago.
Simon Blease
Monmouth
I'm 56 years old Wheeze and have also well and truely fallen off a cliff performance wise. In my mid-forties on a very good day I could just finish in the top third of a race. Most of the time better than halfway was the norm. The last 2 years have been terrible, 2 minutes a mile slower at the Cracken Edge race. Losing half a stone or more wouldn't go amiss. It was starting to get to me but I remembered why I took up running 40 years ago and just enjoy being on the hills, even if it is at a much slower pace.Originally Posted by Wheeze
Mmmh. I think when I developed my Pendle Performance Profile (Fellrunner Winter 2016 p48) I did not account fully for the Feminine Factor. I might need to rework my Doctoral Thesis.The 10-year rule also works for me: I ran my first fell race in 1977, and my two best years were 1987 and 1989.
As for peaking at age 35-40: I met my wife when I was 36, which somewhat distracted me from the serious business of fell-running.
"...as dry as the Atacama desert".
After managing to step-up to a V65/24 hour JNLC in 2016, I just considered that 2017 had been rather barren; then I got to thinking back:- April, 2 day Fred Witton, overnighting at Borrowdale YHA; May, L5 of a clubmate's BG; June, Lancaster to John o' Groats (via Isle of Arran & The Great Glen) on the bike; July, x2 on-hill supports on a clubmate's PBR.
Plus I marshaled at more races than most of you probably ran?
My first year of 'local' fell running was 1983. I peaked in 1984 with a 1-31-?? at Coniston (the year that Kenny lowered the record to 1-06-??) then the dreaded exercise induced asthma set in and my racing days were effectively over.
But as Wheeze stated in an earlier post, once this fell running malarkey is in your blood.....
I was a bit of an oddball until I was abducted by aliens; but I'm perfectly OK now!
Similar to Travs I am relatively young at 32, this year was my first year ‘proper’ fell running after several years on road. I have done 3 races, Hutton Roof (finished in top 1/4), Kentmere and Langdale (finished in top 1/2).
High point: loads of great runs but reccying legs 1 and 2 of the BG in December with a mate was probably the highest, although i loved all three races. We intend to attempt BG in May 2019.
Low point: the climb up Stickle Ghyll during Langdale Horseshoe, I felt awful and really struggled, however I then made up 92 places in the second half of the race (I am rubbish uphill, not too bad downhill).
Discovering Fell running has been one the best things to happen to me. I am generally a solitary runner - I go out very early in the morning to avoid it impeding on family time - however this can be great as often I am the only person up places like Kentmere (one of my local runs). I love the atmosphere at races and the community feel, definitely planning more this year with Old County Tops at the top of the list along with more BG reccys.
Target for 2018: get better ascending.
My advantage, having stopped racing in my late 30's and then started again in my mid-50's, is that I never fell off a cliff. I just woke up one day at the bottom of the cliff and noticed that the view was quite nice down here.
In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
Jorge Luis Borges
Some lovely and quite inspiring posts on here! 2017 was going to be another come back year for me, but alas not to be. I started running on the fells in 1980, best years should have been '85 and '86, but did the BG instead of racing - the BG turned out to be the best attended Keswick AC club run of the year - what a fantastic day out it was. Some truly epic 'assists' on other BG's, more or less decided to stop racing in 1999, until a phone call from a certain Helene....''....would you like to be in a disabled team on the Hebridean Challenge? I'd love to but it would take me a year to get fit. That's good, it's in twelve months time'' and hung up before I could protest. Adventure racing at its best, wish I'd found it a few years earlier! Now looking forward to helping on the LAMM out on the Western Isles, an adventure not to be missed!
A circular route mostly downhill
A nice post Chris - I hope that things come good for you this year.
I got involved with the Hebridean Challenge in 2001 .... the first year that I had a van ( just a makeshift sleeping platform with all the kit underneath). We started from Vatersay with the intention of 'bagging' the highest point on every inhabited island. I think it was on S Uist that we bumped into Martin & Debbie and as I was around 24 hours behind the last team in the race, I agreed to pick up the Sport-Ident checkpoints from the summits and meet up with them every evening ..... the wife accused me of having it all pre-planned but it was purely coincidental.We even rescued a Greek guy who was competing solo - came across him at 23.00 hours at the top of the pass between Harris and Lewis, pushing his MTB with the rear mech ripped off.
Pat forgave me when we were invited to the presentation meal in Stornaway.
Ian Roberts (Steve's brother)
Last edited by wheezing donkey; 06-01-2018 at 11:04 PM.
I was a bit of an oddball until I was abducted by aliens; but I'm perfectly OK now!
I'm waiting to get to my peak.
Got to get back to running first.
Nice to read other positives though😂
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