The fell running section
of Preston Harriers. Some of our fell runners also do cross country and road
running, but fell running is our main activity. Our junior fell runners are in a
keen fell running section, you can read about them in juniorfellblog
below. Preston Harriers running club was
established in 1881. Mick McLoughlin our chairman of fellblog recently did
the Bob Graham Round. Fell Runners are not as much bothered about PB's as they
are about 3B's ( a local brewery).
Preston
Harriers Fell Section
:- fellblog
Settle
Hills
Settle
Hills. AM. 7m/1750’ 1.7.06
Seventh race in our championship and eleven harriers in Settle on a glorious
day, just to hot for fell running. There was a large field as this race was also
an Inter Counties race. We started in the town centre and headed up the road on
the long run able climb to reach the grassy paths of the Dales. The heat was
getting to me as I jogged along the tops and descended to the valley near
Attermire
Caves
before the steep climb back up again. Runners were starting to drop out as we
looped around via the caves to the steep descent of Attermire Scar back to the
valley. I was really struggling as we started climbing Sugar Loaf Hill, the last
hill, and the pace had dropped to a gentle jog across the undulating tops to the
very steep decent to the road and the welcome relief at the drink station. From
here it’s a mile to the finish and mostly down hill and along
Lambert Lane
, so after gulping down plenty of water it’s a dash to the finish. With
Roy
and John just behind me I tried hard to keep up as fast a pace as possible. We
passed Gordon, who unfortunately was reduced to walking after the recurrence of
his calf injury, as we reached the road and continued to the last descent down
the field to the track. I managed to stay in front of the small group I was
running with as we passed more casualties laying by the track side before
reaching the rugby field and the welcome relief of the finish line. Once over
the line I went straight into the showers to cool off. It’s an excellent race
but too hot on the day for some and the ambulance was called out, hopefully
everyone made a speedy recovery. Best performance of the day must go to the
Fellblogger, who despite the heat and a liquid diet of Speckled Hen was first
harrier V60 and 5th V60 overall.
After
the race we went to a local pub to watch the football, the less said the better.
Results,
1st
Andi Jones,
Salford
, 48.01
53rd
Willy Garner,
1.02.46
56th
Alan Metcalf
,
1.04.04
75th
Steve Bamber
,
1.07.17
79th
Dave Holmes,
1.08.12
111th
Mick McLoughlin, 1.14.41
121st
Roy Parkinson
, 1.16.11
129th
John Carberry
,
1.17.50
140th
Bob Shepherd
,
1.22.47
148th
Dave Simpson
, 1.24.04
158th
Gordon Thompson
, 1.29.12
163rd
Brian Dearnaley
, 1.33.47
169
finished, a lot more started.
Mick
Mack (left wing) lines us all up for the pre England Match. Roy of the Rovers (centre
red) the only one appropriately dressed.
Blogger
is grateful to our Main Man Mick Mack for his kind & encouraging support.
The Speckled Hen referred to was consumed in quantity on the night before at The
Great George Arnold's 70th Birthday Bash. A Jazz Band & Disco helped to keep
me on my toes during my pre race training. George is seen below dancing the
night away! During the race however, Blogger employed his usual tactics, the
Speckled Hen was always something there to remind me, but the bottom line was
that the non speckled chicks got me through, keeping my mind focused, my heart
beating & my legs working.
Simmy
became an early victim of Speckled Hen despite Joe's pleas for moderation, while
George danced the night away with every woman at his do.
Reports are like buses,
you wait for ages then 3 come at once!
& so a proper
report, by way of a personal view from John Carberry.
In an
attempt to at least run the minimum number of races counting towards this
year’s Fell Championship, I realised I had to do Settle Hills as I not done
any of the other medium races so far. Here
follows my babble about the race …
Saturday
July 1st was hot, probably too hot; I
drank half a litre of juice while driving to the event and then consumed another
litre before starting, I even contemplated taking my Camelback with another
litre in it, as I knew I would feel the effect of the sun today.
The race started (ten minutes late) in Settle town centre, and it was
immediately uphill. One short section on the roads was followed
quickly by another short section on a stone track, then we where on the open
fell - but it was steep. Somewhere along the track I saw Steve Bamber just
in front of me, the next time I saw him was when I came into the finish field at
the rugby club ... an hour & 15 minutes later.
The
gradient eased after about half a mile, and in another, we started to go
downhill towards
Attermire
Cave
at the bottom of Attermire Scar. It was now very hot; some people were
already stopping and retiring. I
didn't feel thirsty, but could do with a nice cold shower ... I couldn't
see any other
Preston
runners around me, so had absolutely no idea whether I was running well or not.
Passing under Attermire Scar, it was a short flat run to the next climb, up
toward Ben Scar. As I started the climb I could see Mike McLoughlin, about
mid-way up it and around 20 places ahead I would guess ... maybe I was not
having that bad a run after all. It was on this climb that my battle with
XXX from YYY started. For the rest of the race she would pass me on every
up hill section and I would pass her on every downhill run ... The climb
and the canter across to the sheepfold were on the roughest part of the course,
tussocks and small sections of limestone, meant you had to be careful where you
put your feet. The course then swung west and dropped down to Jubilee
cave, before turning south and heading down Attermire Scar itself.
(Pre-race talk had warned of a steep decent but this didn’t seem too bad ...
that’s the problem with a black and white photocopy of a map with no contours,
and you can convince yourself nothing seems too bad). At the bottom of the
scar the course re-traced itself for a couple of hundred yards before crossing a
wall via a style. It was just as I got to the top of the style that I
notice someone was right behind me ... there with a big grin on this face was
Roy Parkinson. I thought he has either put a big effort in to catch
me and won't have much left or he is stronger and going to come past
easily. As he didn't pass me straight away I thought maybe he has very
little left too; We both jogged/ trudged/stumbled up High Hill (where did this
hill come from, I thought it was all down hill from Attermire Cave – b/w
photocopy maps again), and XXX passed me again. Mick was in sight again
going up, but a bit further ahead this time - neither of us would catch him.
Roy
caught me just as we neared the top of the climb. Then came the steep down
hill, thigh burning, needed a bit of zigzagging and a top class downhill
forward roll, but I got the bottom; Roy descended better than me and though I
could see him for most of the rest of the race I never closed the gap on him.
Roy
appeared to be sprinting
away from me over the next field to the road crossing - I later found out he
thought it was the finish, rather than a drink point !
A
welcome drink of water at the road crossing was my undoing, a few moments later
I tripped over a stone cut my knee, grazed my thigh, and put bruises in two
other places - what a silly place to put a stone right in the middle of a track.
I now thought I should throttle back, preserve myself, and slowed a bit. Then
just as I near the top of the last small climb a Harrier vest appeared on the
horizon just in front of me ... could Roy have blown up, it wasn't Mick, who was
it; as I closed in I realised it was Gordon Thompson ... walking. A quick
"you okay" was greeted by "yes, at least I will get a point
today", so I plodded on. Nearing the finish I passed someone who
appeared to have collapsed, probably from heat exhaustion, the Paramedics were
just arriving, so I carried on by. The finish was a welcome sight.
Roy, Mick, Dave Holmes and Steve were all sat on the grass drinking water.
I was glad to have finished, I was tired. While sitting around Gordon,
Dave Simpson, Bob and Brian all finish. I wandered off for a cold shower
... It was great !
The rest of the day did not live up to
expectations (England, Rooney et al) but post race thoughts are, it is good race
and I would like to do it again …
Thanks
John, good reading......Wonder who XXX is, maybe Gill Carter? Or Tracey Mardhall?
See results below
Full
Race Results Thanks to SportSoft
Back
to Settle Hills 2005 (Juniors!)
fellblog
