Bosley Fete Hill Race (from near the front but nowhere near …)
This was a cracking Summer Series race. The long flattish run in across the fields
gave the road runners a chance to recover the hard won advantage that the
mountain goats had gained on the hill leading to some close finishes. A beer and cake recovery in the sun meant
that everyone went home smiling.
I was under no illusions that I'd be able to keep up with Simon Bailey but the speed that he ran away from me was still impressive. Sections of long grass, uphill, bog and bumpy
ground just didn't affect his motoring stride at all: he is indeed a machine. My last glimpse of Simon was as
I started up the steeper second climb by which time he was just disappearing over the top. Running down hill on this
type of course is tricky when there is nobody to follow. I was picking out the markers one by one but
my pursuers could see my direction and choose the best line. As the going got rougher I knew that they
were getting closer. My "natural ability on most terrain" (N Bishop, 2013) doesn't extend to stiles and
bog. A SMAC vest came flying past as I stumbled over a stile then tip toed through the bog like Di. I could hear the others coming but now I had
the advantage of following. Leaping over the stream I managed to close the gap on the climb out. Back across the fields I knew that I should
be able to reach a faster pace if I could get my legs going smoothly again. Round the reservoir, past Mike
and the dogs again (thanks for the support) and I had ground out enough gap to enjoy the run in to the finish.
With the
rest of the field chasing me in and cheers from the crowd it sort of felt like I'd won. But there was Simon Bailey
grinning, barely sweating, and waiting to shake my hand. He'd been there for a full 3 minutes, enough time for a beer and a cake.
Rob