At 11:30am my chances of making the race weren't looking good: I was sat in Keswick A&E with my wife who was sporting a nasty looking bite? on her left thigh....the bite wasn't of my doing but was obviously my fault. Last week we were in Durham and Alison thinks she was bitten by a Horsefly whilst doing the parkrun.....if I hadn't been up in Northumberland fell race bagging (Falstone Falcon) she wouldn't have done Durham parkrun and been on the receiving end of a rancid Horsefly. I told her she could just so easily have been bitten back home doing her usual Haigh Woodland parkrun but apparently there are no Horseflies in Wigan....we begged to differ on that one.
So a week later after said bite we're in the Camper in Keswick and Alison's had an extremely restless night....definitely not my fault, I was flat out after Grasmere sports. She wakes me up and says, "look at the size of that".....I'm lost for words: what looked like a harmless little spot all week has morphed into an angry lumpy thing that's started tracking....."blimey love, we'd better get you some assistance with that beauty".
After a trip to Boots we're advised to go to A&E and that's exactly what we do.
By this stage I've sacked the race off, there's always next year, and we wait patiently for Alison's turn. Unbelievably we're in and out of A&E within the hour and our diagnosis is correct...it's a Horsefly bite. Off back to Boots with a prescription for antibiotics and it's 12:02pm....the race starts at 13:30pm and we're 1hr 15 minutes away...it's doable but I'm not that bothered about going, I've kinda lost the urge. I say to Alison I'll do Barrow at 2pm...she's having none of it saying you've done Barrow before and you've planned the weekend around Black Combe so get your foot down....my beloved has spoken and my urge is back, Black Combe here we come.
Typically we get stuck behind 'driving Miss Daisy' for miles and it's not looking good. Eventually I get the chance to overtake and I tell Alison I'm going to give him a nasty look. She says, " I wouldn't if I was you, he's built like a brick shithouse and one trip to A&E is enough for one day".....I tell her luckily for him I'm not a violent man and he's had a lucky escape....she laughs and tells me I don't half talk some bollocks.
After much flapping I arrive with about 12 minutes to spare...panic? What panic?...it was never in doubt.
The race is part of a typical Lakeland country show which is very well attended....unfortunately the race itself isn't well attended with only 26 of us making the startline. It's such a pity because a race of this quality deserves more runners. Black Combe Country Fair certainly ticks many 'fell race essential' boxes.....it's a bloody belter.
Those that have done the classic Black Combe race in March will know how tricky the terrain and navigation can be on this south-west corner of the Lake District. It's a great hill to run over and the descent on today's race is up there with it's more popular namesake ..until the bracken, or did I take a dodgy line?
From the show field in Bootle all the way to the foot of Black Combe the route is marked....this section lasts for a few miles over some interesting paths and trods. When the hill comes into view the markers are gone and it's anyway you choose all the way to the summit cairn and back....route choice aplenty.
Great race and even the weather held off....right, I wonder if Alison will let me squeeze that bite?
Many thanks to Peter and all today's helpers.
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