Sunday April 17th.
Summer Series Race 5
There was some discussion about appropriate dress. There had been a heavy frost overnight and its after-effect lingered, on the other hand the sun was warm, remembering it was now Spring not Winter. Like many I opted for a vest and felt I’d made the correct choice.
Mow Cop starts with a 2km. climb, broken-up with queues for stiles. I had run well at Llandudno, the early part of which was also a steep ascent, by making a slow start. Repeating the tactics here I glanced back and could see only Trevor and two others behind me and thought I might have overdone it. However, Sally was not far in front of me and she worked her way through the field to win F50. (My heart-rate graph illustrates my failure to pick-up the pace in the second half of the race – its probably all the housework with Anne incapacitated).
Looking up to the sunshine and blue sky was an antithesis of what you got looking down; mud, mud and mud. Huma had apparently fallen three times, looking at her at the end it was difficult to believe it wasn’t more. Leanne just in front of me lost a shoe, I saw one runner walking with the sole of his shoe completely torn off.
The men won the team prize; Damien, Tom and Allan. Sally and Tom were our only individual winners, a rare race when we come home so unencumbered by prizes. It is only a small race (148 finishers this year was a record turn-out), despite excellent organisation, but it attracts quality runners.
Damian was our first home in 4th. place followed by Tom, 13th., Allan in 21st. and Mike, back for his 2016 debut after a long lay-off, in 29th.
Louisa, unsurprisingly, was first Wilmslow lady, her sort of course and the same is true of Sally Gilliver, happier in the hills than on the road. Third was Amy, who is steadily improving and then Huma and Sally Price.
Matt made it 5 races, 5 first places in League 2. Then came Jarrod, Steve, Pete, Richard, Louisa, Paul and Tim. I would appreciate you using the comment facility to add a bit of colour.
Gareth, only three weeks after his marathon+, along the canal towpaths, won League 3. Next was Sally, Alan, a new man this year, Chris, very good given his hamstring is still playing-up, Bernard, Amy and Huma. Andy was the final league 3 runner, he was worried beforehand that, whilst his dodgy knee was well supported, his ankle lacked stability. This looked a good run in difficult conditions that should go some way to assuage his fears.
Having let my rivals go early-on, I set off in pursuit catching Julie at 2k, Don at 3k and Leanne at 4k. I now had Rachel and Clare in my sights but that’s where they stayed. Rachel only gave birth three months ago, surely after all those wakeless nights she must be knackered. Maybe she was, but she had no trouble holding me off. Clare’s a great climber but, I thought, wrongly, that I might catch her on the descent. How about Gail, first race back after her marathon training ended in tatters and what’s more she’s put on weight (I know she is claiming that it is muscle, it would be inappropriate me to venture an opinion) and Carolyn, she must be treading carefully with London next weekend – never saw either of them, nor Angela who is going very well this year. Least of all Sally who made it three League 4 wins in three races. Can’t we have more men in League 4, the ladies are too good?
Leanne took the 60 points in League 5. Don managed to hold-off Julie and Trevor had his own victory.
It’s a good, varied, challenging course but queuing at the early stiles is a frustration.
Ian
Great write-up Ian