On Saturday Marcus Taylor and I ventured to Calderdale to run this 9m/2300' fell race organised by Todmorden Harriers. The start was at the Top Brink Inn, Lumbutts near Todmorden which is surrounded by hills and overlooked by the Stoodley Pike monument.
Heavy rain the previous night left us knowing that the ground would be soft but surely not quite as bad as Winter Hill a fortnight ago?
The race started with a steady couple of climbs up Heeley Hill and Coldwell Hill before a left turn which brought the runners back contouring downhill to Mankinholes. A run along a track took us to the start of the long climb up to the monument and as soon as the Pike is reached the ground flattens out and a long descent across the moors to Withens Clough Reservoir, before continuing to climb up onto the open moorland. This is where the rain the previous couple of days took it's toll on you as the peat bogs on the tops made running a bit of a lottery as to how deep in mud you could sink with every step. As soon as you got into a rhythm, you'd be in upto your thigh, having to pull yourself out then start to build a rhythm again, and so the cycle continued until after a seemingly endless slog, past the trig point at Little Holder Stones and down to Warland Reservoir ready for the race home. Well nothing's quite that simple in fell running because as soon as you get to Langfield Edge and you think you are home and dry, the course takes you right back up Jeremy Hill on a steep last climb. That done, nothing left now but to throw yourself down the last two grassy descents towards the finish. This is where you can really pass some of the more cautious runners to improve your placing or where you can be overtaken by other reckless nutters as you tippy toe downhill, the choice is yours. I chose a mix of the two and then raced down the track to the welcome sight of the finish line.
Marcus came home a short time later, suitably covered in mud, having had a similar trod, trod, sink, trod, trod, sink over the moors. He lost his shoe in the mud at one point and lost valuable time dragging it out.
After catching up with the family, time for a wash down/ice bath in the local stream.
All in all a really good, tough race. Unfortunately missed the pint and chip butties in the pub after but I'll make up for it next time round.
1st Tom Addison - Helm Hill Runners 1:12:05
101st Paul Jackson - A&T 1:37:41
170th Marcus Taylor - A&T 1:47:46
241 finishers.
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