Wetton
Another Thursday night came round again.
This time the weather was not so good, with rain and mist. I was looking forward to this one, as I
had done some previous training at Ecton Hill. Therefore I knew some of the
trails, which I hoped would put me in good stead.
One thing I didn’t bargain for was the mist
that cloaked the hills from 200 meters away. Visibility was going to be a
problem, as was not knowing the route…
With the race underway, I managed to keep with
fast road runners, a little out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t until the first
hill section that I managed to gain a steady pace and figure out who I was
racing with.
I would like to tell what happened in
front, but I can’t for two reasons, one the reason was the mist and the other
was the top runners are bloody fast… I was running slightly behind, Tyler
Goodwin and Richard. My plan was to stick to these as much as possible as I
knew I would finish well. I
followed the pair along with a few other runners up and down through farm lands
and marshes. After a few miles I started to locate myself at the beginning of
one of the paths that leads to the summit of Ecton Hill. Here I tried to hold off someone behind
me and also catch Tyler and Richard. That was my motivation. I managed to do this, and we all had a
moment of joy once we reached the top. We then headed to the farm and up
another hill…And yes this was just another hill, as it wasn’t part of the
route. We somehow managed to go the wrong way, and added on another minute to
our time. By the time I realised I had gone wrong it was to late as screams
from Dale Calclough were heard as he shouted “Go on Dave”. It was at this point
that the marshal confirmed our error.
Determined to get some time back I put in more effort in to try to gain
a few places back. This did catch up with me at the last downhill section as I
was over taken.
Although I went wrong I still managed to
finish 10th. With 43:44.
Well done to Gareth Briggs (38.26) and Robin Hope (39:35) for Staffs Moorlands for 3rd and
7th. Also well done to Dale Colclough & Matt Statham for finishing 15th and 16th.
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