Intercounties Fell

[TimG]

Thanks Travs, not much in it between us, we must have been close as you say. I was too busy huffing and puffing to notice too much around me. Surprised we were only last by one point really! Very high standard in both races.

[Travs]

That time of year again.

I know a couple of people on here either running or indirectly involved through managing/selecting a team.

I've had the callup from the reserve list.

I enjoyed last year's course at Sedbergh, but this year will have some tougher climb and descent.

First off though, its the Uphill GB Trial tomorrow afternoon.... 4 miles from Bassenthwaite Lake up to Skiddaw summit via Longside Edge and Carlside.

A look at the lineup and its pretty intimidating.... a mixture of the elite of UK fellracing, some very good road/xc runners (and myself).

Also interesting that there's nearly as many women taking part as men (48 men on the start list, 42 women).

Having not done this race before it will be hard to know what to aim for.... i'd just like to feel i've ran well and hope to keep a few guys behind me. With the first couple of km being relatively flatter i could well be spat out the back of the field before even reaching the main fell.

[Witton Park]

With the first couple of km being relatively flatter i could well be spat out the back of the field before even reaching the main fell.

I've only ever watched and you are probably correct. There wil be a tadpole effect with the main body of 10-15 at the front and then a long tail.
Where you will be in the tail is hard to say, because some times a few locals will just turn up to take part.

You just have to run your own race.

I can't see the first flat section being a burnup, because most will know what is to come

[Llani Boy]

Good luck for both your races at the weekend Travs.

In the Inter Counties, if Derbyshire's declared team of Dan Haworth, Harry Holmes, Joe Oldfied, Finlay Grant and Tom Spencer make the start line they will hard to beat.

[Travs]

Cheers Llani. Keep your ears open on the Backfoot podcast for a review of the weekends events from yours truly.

Uphill trial today. It seemed a different crowd to your usual fell race... the "elite" making a much higher proportion of the field.... and a large number of decent road/xc clubs in attendance.... I spotted Leeds, Bristol & West, Aldershot, amongst many others.

I'm usually the only one doing drills/strides prior to a fell race, but a whole car park full today.

The race is 4 miles and 3000ft, and can be divided into 4 approximately equal sections.

The first part is a roller coaster through the forestry of Dodd Wood. Then a tough pull first up onto the start of the ridge and eventually up to the first peak (Ullock Pike?)

Then ab undulating run across the ridge and over to Carl Side. Then the finale being a short drop off Carl Side, then a tortuous scree climb across the side of Skiddaw, and a few hundred metres along the summit ridge to Skiddaw trig point.

I believe the races were won by Joe Steward and Scout Adkin... hardly surprising as they are top names on the mountain running scene where uphill races are more common.

As to my own race.... I felt stronger than ever, but such was the quality of the race, once it had settled down, there wasn't much scope to make up places.... I picked a few off, first on the steep pull onto the ridge, when some couldn't keep running, and then at the change to faster running along the ridge top, when a couple of people blew up.

Think I finshed 60th or possibly just in the 50's, and i think there were about 80 starters... but that includes male and female.... I think there were somewhere between 6 and 10 guys behind me at absolute most.

I was just over 50mins, which is roughly what I expected. I'd imagine the leaders broke 40mins.

A great tough race.

[Travs]

Finally saw the results.... only 4 guys finished behind me, but it looks like there were 6 dnf's and I know a couple of them at least were guys as I saw them pull up.

Was only 3mins behind the likes of Sarah Mcormack and Phllipa Williams, and a minute behind Emma Clayton, so a decent run, but was just a league below most of the guys there.

[Travs]

A great race yesterday over Latrigg/Lonscale/Skiddaw Little Man.

I must confess that when warming up i was really suffering from friday's race, and no doubt my long walk on saturday probably didn't help either.... on a gentle jog up the track round the back of Latrigg i was reduced to a walk. But once a couple of miles and some strides were under my belt i felt much better, and was looking forward to a battle with my 3 closely-matched team mates.

Up, around and over Latrigg then, and after some jockeying for position, i settled in to 2nd counter, expecting to catch the guy in front, but conscious of the two guys behind who on paper were the strongest.

Had a great section on the steep climb up the fence-line onto Lonscale, picking up about 10 places and dragging myself into first counter, where i remained until the summit of Skiddaw Little Man.

However the next guy, and on paper our strongest guy, had timed it to perfection, came out of nowhere, and was right on my tail.... he can actually descend so i had to forget about him, and he probably took two or three minutes out of me on the 20 minute descent back to Fitz Park.

My battle was for second and i had about 30 seconds head start..... with a reasonably competent run i stretched that out to well over a minute on the steepest section down Jenkin Hill.... but between Jenkin Hill and Latrigg Car Park, there's a small rise and then a few hundred metres of flat running, and this knocked me for six.... all the efforts of the weekend were coming back to haunt me.

I did my best to just let my legs free-wheel down the track back towards Keswick, and thought i was moving well enough, but turning at the road i saw my clubmate absolutely bolting down the track, no more than 10 seconds behind me, and seriously moving..... after a warning from a Warwickshire spectator that "he is going to catch me" (thanks for that!) i had a word with myself and tried to force my legs into action... managed to maintain the gap until we hit the cruel uphill finish on to the little rise behind Fitz Park pavillion... i did just enough to stagger over the line as 2nd counter, and promptly collapsed in a heap, totally spent from the effort.

Was very pleased with the race, went as well as expected.

I think Scotland North won.... i think the battle for English honours was between Yorkshire and Derbyshire, with Cumbria behind.

In the ladies' i didn't see too much as it started 15 minutes behind the men.... although Scout Adkin came rocketing past me with about a mile to go, so she was obviously clear in front, and i think Cumbria had three runners in the first half dozen or so, so they cleaned up the team prize.

A great weekend's racing and i'm very grateful i got the chance to put on the county vest again yesterday, i shall certainly give it full priority next year if i'm fortunate enough to be selected.

[Chris K]

Helped with marshal duties on both days, Friday very nippy in a cold wind being stood still, but great racing from the juniors and seniors, though held up at the finish as seven runners hadn't remembered to check in back at registration. All safe and remorseful/apologetic after phone calls to check on them. Saturday a walk to watch the start of the Newlands races (matching the pace of some 'runners' on a trail/path/road event). Sunday, the junior race over Lonscale incredibly fast, two fallers but well attended to by the medics on duty, all safely in before the senior men came through, the ladies were only five minutes later starting, Scout had passed the last two men before the climb up Lonscale and as Travs says, continued to carve her way through a big chunk of the mens field. Quite an array of heel blisters being sorted back at the finish!

[Llani Boy]

Well done Travs, sounds like all your training has paid off.