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Thread: breidden hills

  1. #61
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Yes the last couple of races, if memory serves me right, have seen a turnout of around 90-100. Some races round here seem to attract consistent numbers (Cardington Cracker, Long Mynd Valleys, Wrekin Wrecker), and others seem more prone to the variances in the calendar. Although 122 starters on a busy weekend, clash with Langdale, Birmingham Half Marathon, and atrocious weather, pretty good i reckon.

    I'm also a climber Anthony, and after hanging on to the back of the leading 15 or so up the track, i was looking forward to some proper climbing up the first hill, where i can usually run most if not all the way. but there was no grip, and it was actually quicker to walk.

    On the tricky descent through the trees, i actually considered going down it on my back-side, but them remembered there are some proper fell-runners behind me, such as Mark Agnew, etc, who are likely to come flying past any minute now, skipping down like a lamb, so i made a brave attempted to stay on my feet. True enough, Mark Agnew came crashing past... taking the whole 50 yard slope on his arse!


    Luckily i caught and passed him on the next climb, and put enough distance between us so that he couldn't catch me as i tiptoed down the final descent!

  2. #62
    Senior Member Athers's Avatar
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    Cheers Travs. Yes nice to meet you. Good to chat up the first climb. I started very steadily as i had a good run (6th place) at the LMH 50 miler the week before and felt very tired. Plan was always to start off slow and steadily pick a few up lads that inevitably will go backwards from starting too quickly. It seemed to work ok in the end...i think. Finished 10th 63mins. I would say i could have sat happily a few places higher with a stronger start but i was too tired for any heroics on the day.

    Great race anyway. Well organised and enjoyed the rain although it did make the rocky sections pretty treacherous.




    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    Another great Breidden Hills race today. The final Welsh Champs counter, and as ever, the opener for the Shropshire Winter Series, so a bumper turnout of over 100.

    The drive over was particularly fraught, the M6 and M54 were like streams, and the rain just didn't seem to let up. Conditions on the hill weren't too bad, very damp obviously, but it was the conditions underfoot which were the problem today.

    Usually this race is very runnable, with sections of the first main climb being the main part which reduces you to a walk. Same with the descents... apart from an awkward descent off the 2nd climb, the rest can generally be taken at something approaching full-pelt. But today the runnable climbs were difficult due to how slippy they were, reducing me to a walk when I should have been running. The first descent, which is usually an absolute flyer, was treacherous, and I actually lost control for about 30-40yards and had to veer off into the heather to regain control.

    As for the race.... started brightly and was in the top 20 going up the first climb, but then lost places to the bottom of the 2nd climb, and was probably outside the top 30 by then. But with technical difficulties over, I set about making some places back, and hung on for 28th in 1:08

    So a minute faster than last year, but 5 places worse off. Considering the conditions and the fact there was a bigger turnout and a champs race, I shouldn't be too disheartened. But as usual I'm never satisfied. Generally went well, and everyone else faced the same difficulties, but the tricky descents caused me all sorts of problems today, which seemed to be brushed aside by those in front of me.

    Hello to DaveMole, thanks for marshalling.... and to Athers, nice to meet you and well done... I haven't seen the results yet but I expect you saw me off by a good 4 or 5 minutes.
    "You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back"

  3. #63
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Great stuff Athers... you were still in touching distance going up the 2nd climb, but but once onto the technical stuff you disappeared quite rapidly, and never a chance I was going to pull any kind of gap back on athletes the likes of yourself and Mel Price, far too strong.

    Had been hoping to push under 65mins but fairly obvious I haven't got the ability to do that time in those conditions... confident I can get there (and more) on a day like last year if I keep working hard. Onto the next one... Wrekin Wrecker I think...

  4. #64
    Master PeteS's Avatar
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    Thinking about doing this one. Not done it before and never set foot on the hills - anyone got a map of the route or a brief summary of where it goes?
    Pete Shakespeare - U/A

    Going downhill fast

  5. #65
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    It starts at Criggion Village Hall, follows the wide track up through the woodland for a couple of KM, then a short section across farmland and a stiff climb up to Middletown Hill.

    Then a fast section off Middletown and across to Moel y Golfa. The descent of Golfa is the steepest and most technically demanding part of the course.

    Then a woodland/cross-county section before the final climb up to Rodneys Pillar, then a very fast fell/track/woodland descent back to the finish.

    Sorry I can't be more detailed, I don't know the area very well at all. Of the winter series courses, it's probably technically the easiest, with the exception of the Golfa descent which is first rocky and precipitous, then a steep bare vegetation descent (like the one off the Wrekin).

    Apart from the climb up Middletown and part of the climb up Rodneys Pillar, it's all runnable (if you feel so inclined to do so...!)

    I'll be there and should be bringing a Cov Godiva team, with the lofty ambition of pinching 2nd team behind Mercia...!

  6. #66
    Master Dave_Mole's Avatar
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    here's a link to my Strava:
    https://www.strava.com/activities/203585552

    The ridge section over Middletown is nice, but followed by a technical descent over a bit of rock and then through trees. It's easy to go astray on the north side of the road after Moel y Golfa, so look out there. Nice fast descent to the finish from Rodney's Pillar.

    I will probably be marshaling somewhere!
    ....it's all downhill from here.

  7. #67
    Master PeteS's Avatar
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    Cheers both. I'll check it out later.

  8. #68
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    Tomorrow then... hoping for a pb... Cov Godiva looking like down to 2 due to illness, so no assault on the team prizes!

    Myself, and a lad doing his first ever fell race.

  9. #69
    Master PeteS's Avatar
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    Didn't do Worcestershire Beacon today as I feel like a cold is about to come on. Still aiming to do Breidden tomorrow though and hopefully a good night's rest will see me fit enough. Looking forward to a new race and whole new area I've not seen before.
    Hope you and your new recruit have a good one, Pete.

  10. #70
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    Tomorrow then... hoping for a pb... Cov Godiva looking like down to 2 due to illness, so no assault on the team prizes!

    Myself, and a lad doing his first ever fell race.
    Not a bad race for a novice, as long as he's got the strength for the climbs and doesn't freak out on the short sections of awkward terrain on the descents. Well marked course (from what I remember), and no exposed, wild high fell.
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

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