Jura Fell Race

26th May 2007
Results

Ian Holmes won his 5th Jura Fell Race overall and 3rd year in a row, finishing in 3:18:31, closely followed by Lloyd Taggart in 3:20:45. Angela Mudge was first woman in 4:07:55. I finished 13th in 3:57:53.

I resisted doing my usual sprint start up the track, inside sitting in behind David Riach and Mike Robinson. I ran with these guys, more or less to the first Pap, or until they took a poor line up a boulder slope. I found the normal route along a terrace to the right up easy grass and heather and caught Adrian Davis at the summit of Beinn a'Chaolais.

After the quick scree descent, Mike and I followed Adrian up Beinn an Oir with Dave Ward in hot pursuit. Dave promptly hurtled past on the grassy descent. Mike went after him, whilst I went through a slight lull on the climb up Beinn Shiantidh.

After blagging a drink of water at the summit of Shiantidh I felt slightly better and enjoyed pottering down the jaggy scree on my own, but aided by a line of walkers to aim for. Once across the broad lochan-filled col, I could track Mike, Dave, Adrian and Adam Ward up Corra Bheinn.

Descending towards Three Arch Bridge I opted for the river crossing, since I could see that I was catching Adam that way. I passed him just before the bridge, and checking my watch was relieved to see I had a full 26 minutes to make the road section to guarantee the sub 4 hours.

There wasn't really much point in rushing the road, with nobody in front to chase, so I plodded along at just over 7 minute miles, trying to avoid onset of cramp, and succeeding but for the final short climb to the finish which sent my right aductor into spasm - exactly the same as at the end of Stuc a'Chroin.

Goatfell Race

19th May 2007
Results | Photos | More Photos

Dreadful run at Goatfell. Easily my worst race since Two Breweries 2006. Legs and body not functioning at all. Gave up racing halfway up the climb and just bumbled along, slipping further and further down the field.

Finished about 5 minutes slower than I'd have expected based on Ben Lomond and Stuc a'Chroin - but I had been feeling completely done-in for the past few days, with a chronic feeling of fatigue and desire to sleep.

Momentarily got into racing on the descent after passing Bella runners Elke and Matt, but once we hit the fast runnable forest section they both tore away from me, showing why they ran such great times at London Marathon.

Felt completely washed out and barely able to keep my eyes open on the ferry back, but at least I hadn't wasted my time with the abandoned Scottish Island Peaks Race
- see Damon's excellent report

Latrigg Fell Race

16th May 2007
Results | Photos

Damp and rainy evening in the Lakes.

Latrigg is one of those races with an unbeatable Kenny Stuart record of 16:37 - dating from 1984, the same year he set the unbeaten Ben Nevis record of 1:25:34.

I pottered round in 21:27 to finish in 13th place, 3rd V40 and 5th runner called Chris. At one point on the climb there were 4 Chrises in a row - Doyle, Robinson, Upson and Knowles.

Like last Wednesday's race at Dockray, Borrowdale Fell Runners got positions 1, 2 and 3 with Ben Bardsley finishing first in 18:15, followed by Simon Booth and Andrew Schofield.

Ben Lomond Hill Race

12th May 2007
Results

Grey and drizzly, but fairly mild at Ben Lomond.

Simon Peachey was the clear winner in 1:08:37 after Brian Marshall crocked his ankle on the descent. Helen Palmer had a good run to win the ladies race in 1:27:36. I finished 10th in a PB of 1:17:17 despite the greasy conditions and generally feeling lack-lustre after racing on Wednesday and straining by left ankle. Arrived at the summit in 51:00, so descended in 26:17. Could easily have descended faster if I'd avoided a few more of the greasy rocky sections.

Dockray Hartside Fell Race

9th May 2007
Results

Dull and cloudy evening.

The race started with a mile or so of uphill tarmac before reaching the open fellside. Ben Bardsley and Morgan Donnelly set off at a cracking pace, followed at a distance by Scoffer Schofield, Dave Birch and myself. Bit by bit Scoffer and Dave pulled away, but I thought I had a reasonable lead on the group behind. When I reached the top of the High Brow, I had no idea which way to go and got sent in totally the wrong direction by the marshall. This added a good detour which allowed the group behind to catch up and more or less overtake.

After that minor error I decided to stay with Mike Robinson over the next 2 summits of Hartside and Common Fell. Mike was pulling away on the descent and I was catching him again on the climb.

I just about caught Mike at the summit of Common Fell, but he easily got the better of me on the long tussocky descent, opening out a good lead.

Stuc a'Chroin Hill Race

5th May 2007
Approx. 22km, 1500m ascent
Results | Photos

Comfortable running temperature and pretty dry underfoot. Clocked a PB by 5 minutes, finishing 11th in 2:26:28. Stewart Whitlie won for the 4th year in a row in 2:14:24. Jill Mykura was first lady in 2:34:09.

Caw Fell Race

2nd May 2007
Results | Route

A stunning sunny evening at Broughton Mills. 50 or so runners lined up outside the Blacksmiths Arms for the downhill cavalry charge along a few 100 metres of tarmac before reaching the hill. I lead for the first 200 metres or so before stepping aside to allow Lloyd Taggart to bound off into the distance.

Mike Robinson & I were shoulder to shoulder at the summit of The Knott, then ran together through the boggy hummocky ground to Caw Fell and back. Shortly before The Knott on the way back I switched on the after-burners and opened up a 20 seconds gap on Mike, which I just about managed to hold until the end. Finished 5th in 52:34 just behind Matt Reedy and Nimrod Lockwood who I hadn't seen at a race in ages.

Lloyd finished first in a new record of 45:57. Jackie Lee was first lady in a joint record time of 56:27, finishing one second behind Dave Ward.

Whangie Whizz

25th April 2007
Not that I was there, here are the RESULTS for last night's Whangie Whizz race just outside Glasgow.

London Marathon

22nd April 2007
Results  |  My Splits  |  Route Map

The day's temperature was set for scorchio, so I knew a speedy approach wouldn't pay dividends. Instead I treated it as a slow pootly jog that would double up as my One Pound Challenge run for the day.

I pushed right onto the front row of the Green Start next to Liz McColgan, with my foot against the starting mat. When the hooter sounded, Liz and I lead out for the first 100 metres or so until I chose to back right off to heart rate just over 160. I enjoyed watching swarms of people overtaking, thinking there would be all the more targets to aim for in the 2nd half.

The first mile arrived at 6:20, and I kept the 6:30 miles going until halfway at 1:25:06. That was half of the race out the way without breaking sweat.

I then got a bit too excited after mile 14 and started pressing too soon. Runners were there for the taking, but I attacked with too much vigour and then started feeling a bit washed out around miles 16 to 20. Gels and lucozade were taken onboard, fighting back the queaziness, and around mile 22 I started winding it up.

One last lucozade station just before the delicious coolness of the underpass, then back out into the searing heat for the final 2 mile section along Thames Embankment. My target time of 2:50 was now out the window, unless I could clock sub 6 minute miling to the end. I ramped it up again to what felt like a sprint to cross Parliament Square and race up Birdcage Walk passing dozens of flailing runners.

Hitting the final bend beneath Buckingham Palace I turned to hammer into the closing straight, but couldn't make any sense of what I was looking at: Runners veering off at all angles. Red, green and blue lines aiming for 3 different gates. Officials giving no directions. Clock times that made no sense. Completely baffled I jogged into the middle of the 3 gates in a hoarde of other runners finishing simultaneously.

I felt fine after finishing, apart from the endless trudge down The Mall to find some grass to slump on. And pleased enough to have run 20 minutes quicker than last time, clocking 2:53:19.

Grangemouth 10k

15th April 2007
Results

Warm sultry conditions for the Grangemouth Round The Houses 10k. A scenic route in the shadows of the Grangemouth Oil Refinery. I managed to scrape a PB by 2 seconds, finishing in 35:23 - 29th overall and 4th vet.

The race was won by Robert Russell in 30:24, with Hayley Haining first lady in 32:59.

Manx Mountain Marathon

7th April 2007
50km, 2500m
Full marathon: Overall Results  |  Splits
Half marathon: Overall Results  |  Splits

Finished 8th overall and 2nd vet in 5:12:07, after a measured and restrained run.

For once in my life I decided to start off steadily, and actually did start off steadily. In fact I ran almost the entire race well under pace, simply pootling along apart from a brief sprint along the disused railway line into St Johns. The result was that I knocked 36 minutes off last year's time.

Quite a surprising revelation that running far more slowly makes you go faster. I still don't quite understand how that works...

Lloyd and Jackie broke the men's and ladies' records in the perfect conditions.

Loughrigg Fell Race

4th April 2007
Results

Ran the Loughrigg Fell Race just over 2 minutes faster than last year. Accidentally sent off a bit fast, and was in 2nd place running up the initial steep tarmac. Danny from Kendal was the only runner to set off faster. Nick Sharp pulled alongside after a while and I paced him for a bit before getting dropped. Then Ben Abdelnoor pulled alongside and I paced him for a while before getting dropped.

Nick won the race and Ben came 3rd. I eventually got caught by the cavalry charge just before the summit where there was some jostling and manoeuvring to get round the trig. My lines were repeatedly blocked on the descents as runners cut in front and obstructed my view of the ground.

I more or less held position on the run back and very nearly pipped 2 on the line but was nervous of totally wrecking my hamstrings with the big sprint finish. Ended up 12th in 29:48 and got beaten by the first V40 by 2 seconds!