Wirksworth Undulator

Sunday October 22^nd.

Summer Series, race 21

Last of the Summer Wine.

Farndon last week had been balmy. Since then we have had Hurricane Ophelia and we were taking to the hills in the tail-end of Storm Brian. Maybe it was ‘balmy’ this week as well, but in the other sense of the word. Not a bad turn-out, given that numbers have been disappointing of late and a trip across the Peaks in mist, rain and wind is not everyone’s idea of a perfect Sunday morning.

We had three sets of runners. There were the cognoscenti; like Tom, Andy, Sally, Malcolm, Richard, and Ian who do this sort of thing all the time, look the part, and possibly enjoy it. Then there are those who were desperate for Summer Series points; Carolyn and Jan, who looked like they were auditioning for a part in Nanook of the North, Stephen and Catriona. Then there were the obsessives who will go anywhere for a Series race; Paul, Mark, Chris, Julie and myself. Tony does not quite fit in any of these categories, I’m sure, as an experienced fell runner, his attire was entirely appropriate, he just looks like a pantomime baddie.

I had not seen the course profile, the normal theme is that the first half is uphill and the return is downhill. Whilst that was true to an extent, it was very much overlaid by what it says on the tin, constant undulations.

I was a bit late finishing, they were announcing the winners, the slow runners were getting cold, never mind the fast ones, and it would seem that my performance was not going to have a big impact on the prize-giving. So let me start with a personal perspective, then I’ll try and catch up with the results. I heard Malcolm’s name mentioned as I went through the finish, so he must have won something and Cat gave me a bottle of wine for Sally, so she must also have been a winner.

It was my plan to stick with Julie, Jan and Carolyn in the first half and then take advantage of my down-hilling in the second. That strategy lasted about 50m, when I ground to a halt on the first steep incline. There were lots of queues at stiles in the first mile, so I was able to keep in visual contact but as we got out of town and everything opened-up, I drifted backwards and ran a lonely race with no-one else within 50m in front or behind, although, just in the limit of my vision, was a Wilmslow shirt, which I took to be Stephen. 36 hours of rain had made the downhill very slippery, I fell on the first steep descent and was more tentative thereafter. I found it hard, the mud and constant climbing sapping the strength out of my legs, I was underdressed and it was cold, wet and windy. Chris had brought a whole box of very tasty-looking energy bars, I concentrated on those from mile 2.

Great run by Malcolm, resurrected after his injury retirement, he was first M50. Tom was 2^nd. M60.

Richard won the League 2 60-points from Andy, Ian and Paul.

Sally, unsurprisingly on the fells, was the first League 3 runner home as well as first F50. Next Mark and Chris. Cat had said how much she had enjoyed the race, looking at her time I am not surprised. Then Patrick.

Carolyn did brilliantly to come in ahead of Jan, who took the League 4 60-points, and Julie. I think the time-keeper had cold hands by the time I got in, they have me a time ahead of Stephen but that is not correct. With Tony’s demise, do we know what happened to him, I was first M70 but it was not an over-competitive category.

Mike and Ian bravely gave support.