Club Series, Race 9
Sunday June 10th.
30 Jarrod Homer 1:20:27 2V50
34 James MacDonald 1:21:02 4V45
63 Richard Lawson 1:25:25 12V45
150 Colin Walton 1:36:02 4V55
166 Patrick Grannan 1:37:45 1V65
181 Nicky Mowat 1:39:38 1F55
241 Catriona Marshall 1:47:57 3F50
319 Julie Lucas 2:00:44 3F55
326 Ian Ashcroft 2:02:13 3V70
I was completely exhausted when we reached Rawtenstall, more so than after any race in recent memory. Nicky also was very tired which might point to our Bordeaux-Biarritz cycle ride but that, although eventful, was fairly leisurely, the scales indicating calories burnt falling someway short of food consumed. Patrick, who had not cycled, was tired but not exhausted. The others, who were returning to Bury by car rather than the train, had departed by the time I had recovered sufficiently for conversation, their take would be interesting.
Then there’s the course, it is not easy, 10.5 miles with uphill significantly outweighing downhill, but none of us had found it so difficult last year.
The temperature was 25o people were taking-on plenty of water, even though the demand was such that you had to stop and queue. The official stations were supplemented by a lady with a hosepipe and children with water pistols. I suspect that the heat was the primary cause of our exhaustion. Perhaps, surprisingly, our times were similar to last year, but the course had altered and was probably shorter.
In the last 5k, I was sorely tempted to walk but concluded that would merely extend the discomfort and I was frightened of missing the train back. What’s more, bad though I felt, I was not alone, gaining, rather than losing, places in this final section. (as I went through Sunday evening it became increasingly clear that I had allowed myself to become dehydrated and was probably one of many).
Team-mates coped much better. It was tight for the 100 points with Jarrod coming-out just ahead of James, and Richard a few minutes behind.
Colin continues to show how successful his marathon training has been for everything except London itself, this time he was not nobbled by another scorcher.
Patrick seems, at present, to have the edge on Nicky, both, if my scanning is correct, won their age categories.
Catriona was the loser on a day when, for everyone else, points were there for the taking. She was 4th. in League 3, whilst Leagues 1, 2 and 4 only produced 5 runners between them.
Dunham had been my best race of the year, but the optimism generated was dispelled early-on. The entry limit had been lifted from 400 to 500, there were six longish queues for steps and gates in the first three miles and my target of beating last year’s time was quickly out of reach. Julie, who will always beat me on an uphill course, steadily stretched away from me, as she had done last year. Everyone else was somewhere in the distance.
Racing the train is an interesting concept but requires the logistics to work. The train was late arriving and we had to hang around 25 minutes for a delayed start. There was then a problem, en route, which resulted in the train taking half-an hour longer than the planned 1:40. Finally, the train to take us back to the start, perhaps in sympathy with the new national timetables, departed at 14:20 instead of 13:40. It was frustrating and unsatisfactory.
Race the Train scored well in the pre-season vote but Wilmslow numbers were well down on last year. If next year we were to use as a criterion following how people voted with their feet, then Bury-Rawtenstall is unlikely to make the cut.