Langley 7 race report

Some argue against the inclusion of Langley in the Summer Series, and it is certainly not summery in Langley in November but it’s a wonderful race and I suspect the 30 who took-on the hill yesterday would have been less than 10 without the magic of the Series. Six runners needed their seventh race to get the t-shirt and mug with their name on, all were there, rarely since the missionaries charmed the natives have trinkets been so valued and, if Tony’s sales technique is sometimes not out of Harvard Business School, then he is clearly a master of marketing.

What makes the race is its variety; the fast downhill start, the hill which steadily gets steeper and gives the climbers a real chance to make their mark and then a 3½ mile sprint for those of us whose talents are less robust.

Damian came second for the third year in succession, to three different winners. Some would be immensely frustrated, he’s in good form, he was first onto the field and lost it on the sprint, but his nature is simply to admire the performance of the winner. Malcolm continues to defy his age and was third. Mick and Tony made bold statements for the pensioners, Mick took the over 60 prize, I won it two years ago but the bar has been raised. Nicky was not only first L50 but first Wilmslow lady, a warm-up before next weekend’s Cannes-Nice marathon. Macc Harriers took both the team prizes and, compared to previous years, Wilmslow silverware was sparse.

I needed to beat Damian to improve my position in the table, so my race was about pride and pleasure; the pleasure being tea and cake. In my previous race, Congleton; Chris, Penny, Sarah, Catriona and Amanda had all beaten me. Langley looks likely to be my last race of the year, other than a score to settle with Roy at Bramhall, so the pride was to re-establish the Group 4/5 pecking order.

Sarah and Amanda had both been ill and talking to them neither seemed mentally attuned to running to their potential. Catriona is utterly inconsistent, brilliant in the second half at Congleton. My view was that, left to run her own race, I could comfortably beat her but if I left getting ahead of her to the downhill, where my strength lay, she would rapidly discover that she had too much pace for me. I needed to be ahead of Cat at the top of the hill. Penny is the opposite. She was going to beat me to the top, my calculation was that I should ignore her and run my own race unless she looked like establishing a lead in excess of 100m. This was not an easy calculation, Penny’s improved so much, and it proved flawed, had she had a 100m lead, I would not have caught her.

Chris ran so well at Congleton and Gin Pit, I took the view that I was unlikely to be able to challenge him. We found ourselves together at the Church House turn and ran side-by-side to the 1 mile marker. I expected him to get away as the road began to climb but we were still together at 2. He was edging ahead at the start of Withenshaw Lane when, familiar panting from behind, announced the arrival of Penny. She and I stayed together up the early gentler first section of the Lane but when we hit the steep bit, she ran and I walked. I don’t know if I’m conning myself but I work on the principle that, when I get down to a certain speed, it is better to walk because I’m using different muscles or the same muscles in a different way and I’m preserving strength. Penny established a 40m gap but, back running, I held that for the next half mile. Turning at the junction for the final ascent we hit a strong cold headwind but 40m was a good result, my legs felt strong, I quickly started reeling-in Penny and on the first steep downhill stormed past her. I started to wonder how far Chris might be ahead and could I catch him.

4 miles and Penny was on my shoulder. This was Roaches again, or probably Penny again, she doesn’t know when she’s supposed to be beaten. I pushed on again but 5 miles she’s back, shoulder to shoulder past the marker. I needed to go really hard now, I was potentially vulnerable on the long flat beside the reservoir, again I got away, again, come the reservoir, she was back. I now let her determine the pace, confident if we were together at the Leather Smithy it was nearly all downhill. As we passed the pub I accelerated again, Mike and Kate cheered us both, I estimated I had opened 10m, then it flattens and climbs again but I couldn’t hear her, then back onto the decline,  Simon was there, “20m”, should be OK, right, left and flat out across the field. A hug of mutual satisfaction on an afternoon when we both gave everything.

Cat followed-in Penny but had lacked motivation in a Wilmslow-free zone. Roy, Peter and Trevor all ran well whilst Sarah, Amanda and Rod displayed evidence of their colds but at least Sarah has now got the t-shirt.

Ian Ashcroft