Friday 21 March 2014
National Cross Country Nottingham
Monday 10 March 2014
Long Mynd Valley Fell Race
Long Mynd Fell Race
02 March 2014
It’s a Feb 2014 and am back in Shropshire
to race at the Long Mynd Fell Race.
Its been a while since I did the Long Mynd
Hike, around 18months. The Long
Mynd was one of the reason why I started to get into running in the first
place. A broken promise never fore filled, add in regret and you have the
reason why I started. Its not to say I didn’t enjoy running in the first place.
I just never really thought about running for running’s sake before. I suppose you don’t until you hit with
the reality of completing a 50 mile hill race… Probably something I should of
took a bit more seriously. I drastically over estimated it. I also
underestimated how much I would become to love the sport of trail, fell and
ultra running. Its that reason why
am back at the Long Mynd, this time with more knowledge and more friends.
Though that doesn’t help you complete a challenging course, it does help a
little.
I traveled down with Gareth Briggs, Tracy
Dean and Ian Ankers. We also meet up with Dale Colclough and Will Neill.
The route is class as AL, meaning that is a
long route generally 10miles plus and also it tough, bloody tough. This was my first AL fell race. Lets hope I last the race. I’d finished other fell races, with the
Roaches been the next toughest I’d done before which is a BL.
Given plenty of advice from Dale, Gaz,
Tracy, and Ian we will set to start the race where the visitor centre is. Which
is a National Trust one. It
started in a middle of valley and lead up towards the Long Mynd vallery across
the top to Pole Bank.
This was the only part of the course that I
knew the rest was blind to me.
The whistle went for the start and we were
off over the first hill with the sun on our backs. I started steady, and took
it easy for the first two miles or so. At least what I thought was steady, I
was still tired. I knew I was going to be in for hard race. As the start was the gently part of the
course compared to other half.
We climbed up the first bank, legs and arms
pumping to move the body forward. Words of encouragment came from Dale “look at
young Bethell climb the hill, just like his brother (Forest Bethell).” That
motivated so I moved up through packed reached the first climb and ran like kid
to a candy shop all the way back down the hill.
The climb towards Pole bank was tricky and
I was trying to keep up with Tracy Dean. I stayed with her just before check
point two and she was and off. I
holded myself back at this point as I didn’t want to start to go a little
harder just yet.
We moved through heather and did some zig
and zag down the side of a steep hill, the approach was much like a skier.
Though a lot slower and I was the slowest descender compared to my follow fell
runners. I always loose places going down hill. Still work to be done it that department. After that descent
it’s a bit of blur where the course went, it was through streams, climbing
sheep trods, cracks in the valley and more heather descents until we reached
checkpoint 5.
Looking not so sporty...I will try to improve my fashion when running...
Tracy Dean looking good, approaching check point five
Now Checkpoint 5 – 6 was really enjoyable
running and one that I have enjoyed the most compared to other fell races that
I have completed. We followed a
stream all the way to checkpoint 6 on a route that is best describe as rocky
trail surface with odd twist and turn.
I must of enjoyed as I began to overtake people and once I reached
checkpoint 6 looked towards the next climb, I could see Tracy. I tried to catch
but she was to far ahead. At this point many people were taking different
lines. I didn’t have time to grab my map. Instead I just moved forward and
tried to remember the line from the map I looked at before the start of the
race. I decided to follow tracy and climb the steepest part of the hill instead
of going right and up like a few other people. The problem was I climbed the
painstaking hill, managed to overtake people but lost them when I reach the
summit. I blindly ran in the direction of the course on a trodden footpath.
After two minutes of running I realised I was by myself and everyone had taken
a different line. Then I looked a bit further a head and saw the rest of the
field. I decided to run straight to them. I did this but in my hurry I ran into
a blackthorn tree. Oops. That hurt and slowed me a little. I carried on
regardless and hit the bottom and saw checkpoint 7. I still haven’t decided if
I lost time or if I made time. It was close either way. I think I may of made
time. If just a fraction. As I didn’t recognize anyone else around me. I did see Tracy again, so it would have
been a case of minutes. I then headed for checkpoint 8 another zig zag climb.
At this point I felt a bit of cramp in my leg. So I decided to slow down and
stretch a little. I took two minutes and lost a few places, but then started to
run again. I seemed okay after this. Well that and the magic of salt and
vinegar crisps.
It was now for the hardest climb of the
course to checkpoint 9 on yearlet summit. And boy did this hurt…It took a while
to get to tope of this. Probably ten to fifteen minutes. Maybe I took the wrong
route. Though I did manage to catch and over take people climbing up there. My
ascent is far better than my descent. That’s for sure. Off to the finish then. Well this was
easy said than done. I could see a few runners in the distance so I headed
towards them. I passed a friendly face of Mark Davis who was watching the race
and the course. Thanks the encouragement.
At this point I was leading group of runner that had just climbed to
CP9. I tried to follow my nose,
but wasn’t sure so I slowed and waited for runners to catch in hope that they
knew. They didn’t. Lesson always know the course or have map to hand. We then
headed towards a car park and saw some other runners and headed towards the
finish line.
Out of breath, tired and worn out with a
blackthorn stuck in my ankle I was pleased to of made it back safe and sort of sound.
Will won the race in 1hr 43
Gareth finished in 1hr 57 in 11th
Tracy finished in 2hrs 16 in 54th
I finished in 2hrs and 21 in 74th
Dale finished in 2hrs 23 in 81th along with
follow and friendly runner Simon
Ian Ankers finished in 2hrs 43 in 143rd
There were 203 runners that took on the
challenge of the Long Mynd and am sure I ll be back to do it again next year.
Its such a good course and one that I would recommend.
I was a little bit disappointed with my
time, so I am hoping for 2hrs and 15 next year.
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