Crawfordjohn 30-miler

29.8 miles / 1:41:48 / av. speed 17.5 mph / 1810ft ascent
Just done my favourite 30-miler. Crawfordjohn, Leadhills, Wanlockhead, Sanquhar, and back along the B740 to Crawfordjohn. Saw about 3 cars. I didn't run this. I found it easier using my Cannondale road bike.

Coniston Country Fair

24th July 2005
6 miles / 2500ft
Results
The Route
After my short break from hill racing, and running up and down Blencathra in 53 minutes yesterday, I decided it was time for another race. The Coniston Country Fair fell race starts at the show ground at Coniston Hall, up steepish tarmac and tracks until you are out on the open fellside. From there it's a free-for-all to the top of the Old Man and back again. Alan Smith out-foxed everyone by drifting off rightwards after the final gateway, thereby avoiding the waistdeep bog that most of the rest of the field strangely chose. I made the bad move of not following Alan - and if there is one thing I have learnt from Scottish hill racing, and that is you should always follow Alan Smith - so why I didn't, I have no idea. Not surprisingly Alan popped out at the summit way ahead of the rest of the field and held position on the run back. First three:
1) Alan Smith, Deeside, 55 minutes
2) Dan Golding, Ambleside
3) Quentin Harding, Bowland
I finished 9th in 1:02.
101 runners
My nephews Robert, Jonathan and Andrew decided against the fell race, preferring the large variety of fair ground sports.

Maddy Moss - 20th July

6 miles / 2300ft
Results| SHR Report
A healthy turn out of nearly 100 runners for the 9th and penultimate race of the mid-week Bog and Burn series. Not one of my better runs - more than 2½ minutes slower than last time, and in better conditions. In fact the driest I've ever seen the course. Felt like I was descending in slow motion along the runnable trod, which seemed strangely narrower than usual. The lead group took a bizarre detour at the start, heading on up the hill for an extra 85ft before realising that the path was 85ft below, with some nice vertical bracken and rocks to negotiate to get down to it. Not the best start! Otherwise a great race, but could do with better flagging at the start and finish so you knew where on earth you're supposed to be going in the maze of rocks and gorse bushes - or maybe that just adds to the fun!
The race was won by Ochil's Alasdair Anthony, ahead of Fife's Andrew Liston.

Inter Lacs 16/17 July

Probably the best race I've ever done (back in 2003), the Inter Lacs is a 2-stage race in Corsica starting at the head of the Restonica Valley above Corte in the very centre of the island. The route each day takes in some of the most scenic sections of the famous GR20. It is a massive event and takes over the whole of Corte for the weekend. Only three people have ever won it - Jean-François Luciani, Mohamed Kabbache and Dawa-Dachhiri Sherpa. This year is was the turn of the sherpa. Pudsey and Bramley put in an appearance and picked up 2nd team.
Results

Glamaig - 16th July

4.5 miles / 2500ft
Results
Brian Marshall, Stewart Whitlie and Jill Mykura all consolidated their positions in this Scottish Hill Runners Championship race with wins in their respective categories.

Aonach Mor Uphill - 15th July

2.5 miles / 1800ft
Results
Friday night hill race en route to Skye. Goes up the steep track to the gondola station. You then have to jog back down. The race was won by Henry Blake of Highland Hill Runners. I finished just behind Steffen in 27:37.

Glasgow Green 5km - 13th July

Definitely not 5km. Closer to 5½.
Charles Thomson of Cambuslang won the race in 16:30, first lady was Lesley Chisholm of Springburn in 19:03. Carnethy's Mark Johnston finished 6th, I was 16th, and Steffen Gorgas was 23rd (running as Phillipe Grosse).
533 runners
Results

Wasdale Fell Race - 9th July

British Championship Race no.5
21 miles / 9000ft
Results| Split times
Scorching heat combined with the toughest race on the Lakes calendar meant that only 144 of 238 starters completed the course. The other 94 runners retired or were timed out on the day. Apparently 332 runners were logged on the Sportident pre-entry database.
My plan was to start slow and work through the field later on. Part of this plan worked. I did start slow. But after Pillar I got slower and slower on the Kirk Fell traverse. By Beck Head I felt really quite unwell, and couldn't imagine how I'd get over Great Gable and Scafell Pike. The descent from Great Gable was slow, wobbly and uncoordinated. Alan Miller passed me just before Sty Head. I tried to track him on the way up to Esk Hause, whilst being closed down myself by Jane Meeks. I stuck with Jane almost to Scafell Pike, but I was dying again on the final climb from Broad Crag col, so I let her take off. Alan had got a second wind and had long since disappeared. My plan for a sub-5 hours was long since out the window. My watch bleeped the 5 hours just as I reached the summit of Scafell Pike. The first section of descent is horrendous awkward rocks and scree, but eventually you get onto some decent runnable grass, which gets steeper and steeper as you move down the Lingmell Nose, and suddenly the finish is in sight tucked in at the head of Wast Water. Trying to keep some sort of tempo up to at least get under 5½ hours. At last into the final 200 metres of riverside track and cutting into the finishing field. The time 5:29:04. 83rd of 133. Collapsed in the shade and promptly threw up the sugary sticky contents of my stomach.
Now for the best part of the day, a leisurely sit down in the river to cool the frazzled body.
At the sharp end, the first men were: 1) Simon Booth, 2) Nick Sharp, 4) Jethro Lennox, 4) Phil Davies, and the leading ladies were 1) Sally Newman, 2) Jill Mykura, 3) Sharon Taylor, 4) Jackie Lee
Ronnie's existentialist report| Map at CFRA website

Hardrock 100

Hardrock 100 website| Stats summary
The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run kicks off from Silverton, Colorado on Friday July 8th.
This is possibly the toughest single stage mountain race in the world, and has possibly the most complicated ballot system for any race in the world. The 100-mile route has over 33,000' of ascent, a highpoint of 14,048' at Handies Peak, and a record time of 26 hours 39 minutes.
The only Brit I know mad enough to take part is Tim Laney. Good luck to him!
Postscript: Well done to Tim who finished in a fantastic 5th position in 31:46:50.
Live results here| Final Results

SLMM - 2/3 July

Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon
SLMM Website| Results
I joined Crispin as a last minute replacement for Damon Rodwell in the Scafell Class. We failed to match Damon and Crispin's usual high standard of finishing 2nd, but managed a 3rd place despite a few dithery moments trying to find checkpoints. The 4th team very nearly caught us in a mad dash for the penultimate checkpoint, but we did just enough to hold them off.
The routes started at Gatesgarth farm by Buttermere and crossed the Ennerdale hills for a mid-way camp in Wasdale next to Joss Naylor's farm at Greendale, before returning back across Ennerdale on Sunday.
According to my Suunto X6HR, the total climb each day was, Day 1 - 7270ft, Day 2 - 5150ft