Thursday, 5th July.
The rain lashed against the car window. It was thirty minutes till the start and just time for a warm up and a quick recce of the course. I pulled my vest on and opened the car door – freezing cold! I jumped straight back in again and turned the heating on as another heavy shower swept through Buxton Country Park.
The intended starting area had been washed away by earlier floods leading to some confusion but at least enforced a warmup as we jogged around surveying the likely alternatives. A line of soggy sawdust in about the most exposed area of the field was finally identified. We shivered in a huddle for ages while the junior race got going. Then suddenly we were off, blundering up into the mist taking a direct line to Solomon’s Temple.
Damian took the lead closely followed by Stuart who seems to have regained his old fast start as his injury recedes. I followed them as they continued to power on past the tower but fortunately noticed that the rest of the field had turned sharply and was following the prescribed route back down to the wood. Damian came bounding back past and away – and throughout the rest of the race he was really in a class of his own. Watching him disappear smoothly into the trees it was difficult to believe that he was even running on the same surface as the rest of us.
Meanwhile I hopped, skipped and slid down the mud covered limestone. There seemed to be a real danger of taking a tumble here but I shamelessly overtook Mike H who was performing the same feat without the benefit of vision through his steamed up glasses.
Up through the woods I picked up a few places but lost the benefit as I queued up behind juniors at the stile and again on the steeper paths. It was still cold and wet, another lap to go, and I was beginning to think that this race was certainly not the jewel in the Summer Series crown (*).
Second time around it was even muddier running up to the tower. But like a Boggart Hole cross country in December, the conditions were proving a real leveller and producing a good race. As we started back down Tom, Mike and I were sliding along as one. Tom proved the braver on the descent and opened up a solid lead. I followed a Trentham runner who seemed to be picking an efficient line. This enabled me to feel a good deal more stable this time and work clear of the floundering Mike. Back on the woodland paths I dodged past Trentham but Tom was still skipping up and away from me. The location of the finish was also a well kept secret and as we started up the tarmac it was unclear whether we’d be heading back across the fields or down into the car park. As it happened the finish was only just over the brow of the hill which just saved Tom and me from Mike’s last minute charge.
1 Damian (by a mile)
4 Tom
5 Rob D (close)
6 Mike H (closer)
More official results will eventually be at http://www.staffsmoorlands-ac.co.uk/summerseries.html
(*) Perhaps it’s time to replace this race with Bollington Nostalgia?
Rob Downs