Saw somebody running up a hill and thought, 'absolutely crazy'. Didn't take long after that.
Saw somebody running up a hill and thought, 'absolutely crazy'. Didn't take long after that.
Measure the whole Surface of the Earth with our own feet. Don Quixote
Doesn't seem to work like that Graham, at least not for me. In my youth I was beaten by numerous V40s, in my 40s by various V50s, in my 50s by plenty of V60s and now there are more than enough V70s finding me behind them in the results. It's a good job I like doing races for the sake of that alone.
Although decidedly Mr Average, i was class myself very much a Fellracer first before a Fellrunner. That said i love the fells (see Wainwright thread), and if suddenly fellraces were outlawed, i'd still run on the fells for fun, long challenges, etc.
However i am a competitor and would certainly be giving it my all on the track/xc. Probably something wrong with me, but the competitiveness makes me tick.
I've tried to enjoy just tagging along at the back now that I'm banned from racing. But apart from the social side I find it a depressing experience. I was never often a winner so I would say I was a racer rather than a runner.
Are you sure you are not another Mark Croasdale?
I recollect he was given a diagnosis of heart irregularities that put paid to a promising racing career: only to be told by another expert a long time later, that actually the murmurs were not uncommon in very fit people.
But do you need races anyway? I much prefer being out on the fells at own pace with nobody pushing from behind, and nobody waiting if I fancy doing an extra few miles. Indeed i have only ever done a handful of "crocodile races" and hated them!
Of course beating my training partner is a given. Can't allow him past me whatever the event, by fair means or foul.
Last edited by Oracle; 29-05-2020 at 02:05 PM.
I'm very happy just running free in the hills but I really enjoyed racing. In South Wales the age groups were quite small so you'd only be regularly racing against a dozen or so regulars. It was nice and sociable. I was really looking forwards to competing in the v60 class having done well in the latter years of v50. But that's all gone now. Sadly I know enough about the situation to realise it was no false diagnosis!
I ran a road race called "Thru the Villages" near Chorley around 2007. I was part of the 2nd MV team and won a pair of Hilly Socks.
I still get an adrenalin rush recalling it
That's my taste of winning - so not what keeps me going.
Since I dipped my toe in to fell running it has taken me to some fantastic places that I would not have visited otherwise and I still want to find other new places to explore.
So whilst I like the races, because I'm rubbish I don't class myself as a racer, I'm a runner who's preference is for fell races that are not too technical and I like attending races for the company. Although there aren't usually that many around me in the last 1/4 of the field, it's still good to offer support to others and receive it when you are struggling, as at my end of the field we are running for the pleasure and can afford to consider and chat with our fellow racers.
My favourite race (and Mrs WP) was Anniversary Waltz. There are a lot of races out there I've never done, but the combination of the venue and route, time of year, level needed to complete and the background of the event all made it feel like more than a race, in one of the best places in the world.
Richard Taylor
"William Tell could take an apple off your head. Taylor could take out a processed pea."
Sid Waddell
Only 5% of a field ever has a chance of winning so 95% must enjoy their day out.
But you can still win or lose your individual battles against those around you (if you so chose)
Or your battle against a pb or best placing.