Tough today, very tough...

I had a disappointing run and finished around 1200th. But it wasn't the position, or the time (which was actually what I estimated before the race), but the manner of my run.

Couldn't get going at all until the final lap, when I picked up a decent amount of places, as people struggled on the hill sections and that horrible stretch of mud in the final half mile. Managed to pick up some places in a valiant sprint finish as well.

Have to say it was a tough course. The final lap was fantastic, I saw a couple of people walking the hills!

Great event, I was there from around 11am and it was a great day out. Funnily though, my parents who come to watch most of my fell races, find it much more interesting at fell races, which I thought would not be the case, as at the xc you can see exactly what was going on!

My mum commented that "it's tough, but it's not tough like fell racing, where people come back covered in blood".....! I found it incredibly tough, which says more about my strengths and weaknesses than anything else.

Or did I have such a bad run? In a championship fell race I'd probably be expecting to take half the time again of the winner, and today was similar (I was 58 something compared to the winner at 39 something).... But statistics can't hide the fact that I was disappointed with my performance today.

Cheers to the marshals. Corniceman I kept an eye out for you but to no avail. Couldn't see much at all really, as in the meleé across the first coup,e of water/mud crossings, I took a full open eyeful of mud and actually thought I was going to have to pull out due to the pain. Couldn't see much after that but luckily it all came out in the shower.

Pete