Report from Joe Boardman

October is a good month to get away from the freezing cold British weather - well any month is good really ! This year I found out that there was a 10km race less than a mile away from my wee place in the sun. The great Spanish runner Abel Anton who won the marathon at the world championships in Seville 1999 was due to take part in this event bearing his own name. This new race had previously taken place at different times of the year (Sept/Oct) but hopefully it will now be a regular event in the October holidays

Well, it was a weekend not to be forgotten! My brother and I set out on the Long Score at the OMM. We'd been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and knew that it was going to be grim. I swapped the Laser Photon (world's lightest tent) for my sturdy Hilleberg and threw in some extra pegs before setting off. We started from Seathwaite in Borrowdale, the courses had been shortened for the predicted bad weather so we had a six hour time limit to collect as many points as possible rather than seven hours.

We set off and got a good start, heading up Glaramara and along to Esk Hause. As predicted the weather started to deteriorate, the winds increased and the rain started lashing down. We battled on and picked up more points, dropping down to the Corridor Route from Ill Crag. Burn crossings were becoming increasingly more interesting as every path turned into a stream and every stream into a raging white-water torrent. I've never seen so much water on the hills, it was incredible. We dropped down to Wasdale and circled round Kirk Fell to Black Sail Pass before heading over Haystacks. There were more points to pick up, but a check of the watch showed that we were fast running out of time so we dropped down over the other side to get as fast as possible to the overnight camp at Gatesgarth in Buttermere.

The burns were getting pretty hairy to cross by this point, but as lots of teams were converging on the finish there was a good deal of cameraderie as folk helped each other safely across. As we approached the mid-camp it started to become apparent that things were not likely to go to plan, as the fields for camping were now lakes. So, it was no surprise that when we finally reached the finish it was to be told that the race had been cancelled. That was when the fun began!

We were told that the best thing to do was to head five miles back over Honister Pass to the Event Centre back at Seathwaite. That was quite an experience, the wind towards the top was a real battle to walk against and the amount of water poring down the road and crags and getting blown back up was a spectacle well worth seeing. We got to Honister to be met by mountain rescue teams telling us to go back down the way we came, and this is where it all got a bit confusing. It's hard to unravel what actually happened, but it seems there was a complete over-reaction. We'd spent the afternoon happily wading through waist deep torrents, but were told that it was too dangerous to follow flooded roads back to the start. The owner of Honister Mines put on a bus to ferry folk back down to Buttermere. In retrospect, it seems the sensible thing to do would have been to ignore the advice and carry on back to the start.

Most folk I saw at this point were joking and in good spirits, not on the verge of death as has been portrayed in the media. We got the bus back down and spent the night with 700 others is a barn, before walking back up Honister Pass next morning in far more pleasant weather. We were disappointed it had been cancelled, but had had a very memorable and perversely enjoyable day out on the hills.

It was only after heading off and getting mobile phone reception in Keswick that I began to realise that something odd had been going on. On replying to messages left by Eleanor and my mam, it became apparent that the media had gone crazy. Because I had not got back to the start I was apparently one of the '1700 lost on the hills'. In reality a few teams had camped out and walked in the next morning, I think everyone was accounted for by about mid-day on Sunday, although apparently the BBC was still reporting that 100s were missing. In all there were about 13 hospital admissions, the worst injuries being a couple of broken legs and someone who banged their head after getting swept downstream for a bit. She's already joking about it on the OMM forum and fully intends to come back next year. I'm not sure this list of casualties would be vastly different from a 'normal' year and considering there are over 2000 people running around the hills it would be statistically unlikely for there not to be a few injuries.

Anyway, there has been an abundance of ill-informed opinions doing the rounds. Strangely, virtually everyone who was there seemed to have a great time while the criticism is coming from people who haven't got a clue about hill running or mountain marathons. Have a look at the forum on www.theomm.com for more opinions.

Cheers

Dan

Tuesday 10^th June 2008

12 runners took part in this event which gave them a chance to put in a fast run over a mainly flat country road route starting and finishing in Moffat. Most runners were pleased with their times, and it is good to see Caroline getting back into it after her marathon run. Jean seems to have recovered from her horrific fell race to Helvellyn (see her report) but unfortunately Joe Boardman took a wrong turning and spoiled his attempt at creating a route record.

Many thanks to Alan again for timekeeping, and to Robbie Minto for the Drinks Station.

If you like the Beeftub but find the descent a bit tame why not try Hevellyn!

John and I decided a day in the lakes on a sunny bank holiday weekend would be just the job. Not put off by the Mountain Weather Information Service threats of "severe windchill" and "winds gusting to 50—60mph on the ridges" we swapped shorts for ¾ lengths, and sun caps for balaclava and gloves and lined up for the start. (I did vaguely wonder at this point where all the less speedy clan were, who usually compete for the back slots on the start line).

Just as a warm up, the start rises virtually vertically out of the Thirlmere valley, 625m in the first 1.5km - most of us mortals at the back have still got peat under our finger nails from crawling our way up! At this point the weather forecast was proved correct, as we battled against the wind along the ridge, I wondered why I had not eaten an extra piece of toast for breakfast to act as ballast. The next amusement came on the final approach to the summit plateaux – having been actually bowled off my feet myself, I looked up the rocky ridge to see six strapping mountain men, with heavy sacks, all lying down on the ground clinging onto rocks to avoid being blown down into Thirlmere!

The return route was no less vicious – imagine a pack of fell runners running forward but leaning at 45 degrees to their right into the prevailing wind! Then finally out of the wind and back down the gully, which appears to be even steeper going down - crampons might be better than studs!

The winner was jim Davies in 1 hour 43 mins, John finished in a creditable 2hrs 21 mins, but I’ll not admit to my time (needless to say I finished last) however we both enjoyed the outing.

Jean Robson

Over the Easter weekend Jean and I wimped out of the Criffel race and instead took a trip  up t' North. We were expecting some testing hillwalking. But found that 80+ mph winds, white-out blizzards and temperatures, allowing for wind-chill, at minus far-too-many made the Cairngorms on Good Friday less than welcoming!

So on Saturday, we noted in the Hillrunning calender that Inverness Harriers were hosting a race. The welcome was much better - the sun shone, a bottle of beer from the sponsors was pushed into our hands just for turning up ( the beer was called 'Sheepshaggers' - the locals didn't seem keen to accept. They thought they might be stereo-typed. Sensitive bunch up North?). And when we paid our correct fee of £6.00 they gave us £14.00 change (we did correct them). All very welcoming!

The race was from a sports centre on the outskirts of town. 10km 270m climb. Mainly a trail run.

Results:

1.  P. Hogan (Forres H) m 35.41

11. M Todd (Highland HR) f 39.35

21. John Robson (adac) mv50 41.20

43. Jean Robson (adac) fv50 57.29

After an absence spanning almost a decade, I made my unexpected return to competitive road running on Sunday 2^nd March – competing in the Haweswater half marathon. This event constituted a key milestone in my training and one that I desperately needed to come through unscathed if I am to have any hope of crossing the finishing line in this year’s fast approaching London Marathon!

Given that the race coincided with Mother’s Day it seemed logical to extend the invite. Whilst on the face value a day in the Lake District sounds a thoughtful suggestion, 13.1 miles of tough undulating hills would ensure anything but a day of relaxation!

With the race due to start at noon I was on the scene for 11, eager to register and if the truth be known eager to get going! Having been out of the ‘game’ for some time the pre-race atmosphere was a daunting one, race fever having engulfed this otherwise tranquil, picturesque village.

All around me professional looking athletes donned in the finest ‘Nikey’ gear were participating in complex and professional warm up routines – my exact thoughts at this moment being "Where the hell are the fun runners!". In contrast I set about some simplistic (and probably now frowned upon) stretches in a pair of plain football shorts and a scruffy ‘Top Man’ cardy. This coupled with me carrying a pound or two must have left people in little doubt that I resembled none other than Simon Pegg himself in his latest blockbuster movie ‘Run Fat Boy Run’.

Heading to the start I slinked to the back of the field hoping I would remain unnoticed. This almost worked until my girlfriend bellowed in genuine surprise "look how hairy your legs are!" which did attract a few turned heads. On looking I couldn’t argue – clearly waxed legs were in but I couldn’t have predicted this!

The start was on a narrow country lane and with a field of over 400 the back really was….. well some way back. Post the crack of the starters gun pre-race nerves were now lost and my focus solely on getting to the next mile mark, then the next and so on. It soon became apparent that both my mother and I had somewhat undersold ourselves on our starting position and we started to work our way through the crowd.

Whilst the prospect of running out, then in along the same route doesn’t always appeal, in this instance it was clearly outweighed by the combination of beautiful scenery in the form of views over the lake, the constant stream of runners in both directions and the fantastic support from well-wishers along the length of the route. Owing to this it seemed like no time at all before the 1 mile had become 6 and we were turned and heading back towards Bampton village and more importantly the finish.

By my own accounts the race couldn’t have gone better. I somehow found hidden strength with apparently no extra effort and made light work of the hills to ensure consistently better than expected individual mile times. Whilst I did find the final 2 miles tough going I was able to dig in and completed in a respectable time of 99 minutes (finishing 132^nd) – a personal best owing to this being my first half marathon and not a bad effort for a fun runner! Mr’s Legg ran in at 1 hour 54 minutes (finishing 300^th), a time for which she was reasonable pleased with owing to the course and the windy conditions.

Before concluding congratulations must firstly go to the race organisers and importantly the host community. 400 plus people descending on a small rural settlement in the Lake District wouldn’t always be treated with open arms but in this case it clearly was. There was a definite sense of community ownership and pride surrounding this event and this was a key factor in it being the success that it was.

So has much changed in ten years? If I’m honest then no. Clearly attire and image still dominate the pre-race ritual but fortunately the best gear money can buy counts for little when the actual running begins. On the waxed leg front however I cant possibly comment. Is this fashion or a proven go faster technique – perhaps someone at the club can enlighten me? Failing that I could give it a go at London providing of course a generous amount was pledged upfront for a good cause!

Finally just to show I’m not all that mean, I didn’t let my mother leave without giving her some flowers and a card – unlike most mothers however, she did have to earn them this year!