Summer Series, race 9
Sunday June 11th.
I automatically entered Race the Train without checking distance or terrain. It was 11.3 miles, mainly trail, undulating and being point-to-point mainly uphill, albeit not at a gradient that gave you vertigo. This was a race to compensate those who do uphill well, Bamford having favoured the downhillers. The temperature was ok, it was part cloudy and part sunny, rain was a constant threat but we only got wet on Rawtenstall platform, waiting for the train to take us back to Bury. The course, in time, probably equated to running the Wilmslow Half.
I had envisaged spending much time running alongside the railway tracks but mainly we were on the canal tow-path and following muddy tracks through the Lancashire countryside. We did cross the railway a few times, once being delayed for a passing train. We had a number of Wilmslow runners around the 1:40 mark, which was the scheduled journey time for the official race train, but, apparently, it cheated, arriving at 1:37, perhaps reflecting the race starting at 11:03 rather than on the hour. The people with whom I was running happened to be on a rail-side stretch when it tooted and went through billowing smoke over us, depressingly we still had 4 miles to run.
Jeremy won one for the boys preventing Diane chicking us all. Jeremy was 5th., Di, again our outstanding runner, 6th. and first lady. Graham Screawn was 19th., Matt 26th. and Jarrod 32nd.
Graham Duce won League 2 from Ian, Paul, Diane Bygrave and Janine.
Nicky, as well being first over 55, triumphed in League 3 ahead of Gail, David, John, Patrick and Angela.
We possibly had other age category winners, grateful if you would post them as comments.
Colin comfortably won League 4 to make it 5 out of 5. I spent the first couple of miles just behind Julie and Angie but, as they slipped into the distance, completing getting to Rawtenstall became the limit of my aspiration. Ang ran ok but she’s struggling with two problems; I said I would not mention her bum, which I suspect is a piriformis strain, the second is undiagnosed and subject to a scan on Monday.
In the carriage next to us the runners were celebrating with cakes and champagne, further down they had a a large box of pasties, I had to be content with an egg mayonnaise sandwich I had bought at the station caff.
Gail thought a club bus that dropped us at Bury and picked-up at Rawtenstall would be a good idea were we to run it in the future.
As we ran Cat, Sally, Kate and Huma were returning in glory from their 24-hour London to Paris cycle challenge.