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Anniversary Waltz Fell Race 2008

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Gisborough Moors Fell Race 2008

Results

Gisborough Moors Fell Race 2007

Results

Gisborough Moors Fell Race 2006 - A report by Andrew Minister

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This years moors race took place the same weekend as I turned 30 (it was my birthday on the Friday), so it didn’t really figure prominently in my weekends plans, and the way I felt Saturday morning, after a night on the tiles in Newcastle, the last thing on my mind was sloshing through mud, toiling up Capt Cooks, Roseberry Topping et al and then hurling myself off the top of said “hills” as if my life depended on it.

The hair of the dog was needed, and as any not so serious runner will tell you, there is nothing like “a few” pints of the black stuff to set you up for a race, that’s what I keep telling myself anyway! And so it was, Saturday afternoon/evening was spent building up my iron reserves and watching my selections come to grief in the National, a moment of clarity during a hazy day!

Like the dedicated athlete I am I set myself a goal and stuck to it, I was to draw the line at 7 or was it 8, no hang on, maybe 9 pints……..and be in bed by 1030 to ensure a good nights kip.

Surprisingly, I woke pre-alarm and feeling err………30! With my usual pre-race breakfast of porridge, beans on toast, pint of carbo-loader and a couple of mugs of coffee inside me, I set off for Guisborough, hoping for, rather than expecting a good run. After donning Ken’s DFR vest, I knew I had some big shoes to fill.

My race plan was to set off running steadily and not get carried away by racing up the first climb, I thought to myself even if I lose a few places on the steep climb through the woods, I should be able to more than compensate for them by running strongly once on top of the moor.

Upon reaching the base of the woods I will have been no better than 20th, but not perturbed as I knew I was running within myself and that others around me weren’t.

By the top of the steep muddy section in the woods, I had moved up to about 10th and by the time we reached the gate to go out on to open moor land, I was in a little group containing stronger fell runners than myself, including Joe Blackett, Sid Coxon and Alan Harland, and we were chasing the front 3 down, at some distance it must be said!

Still feeling very strong I led this group down to Sleddale farm and up onto Percy Rigg. Sid Coxon had now been dropped and we had managed to catch Will Horsley, the winner of the Doc’s Gate race. The 2 runners out clear of the rest of us, were eventual winner Charlie Stead and Dan Middlemass of Loftus, it was obvious even at this point that these 2 had an unassailable lead. The race was on for 3rd.

After descending strongly to Lonsdale Farm, I settled myself in for the tough climb up the road to Coate Moor Plantation entrance, and took the opportunity to take some fluids on board. This gave the other lads the opportunity to get past me and I briefly thought that I wasn’t going to be able to stay within touching distance of them. But by the time we had entered the woods and started the run up to Captain Cooks monument, I found myself once again at the head of this group and setting a good pace, I thought for sure would drop 1 or 2 of them.

After passing the monument in 3rd place, I managed to get 20 or 30 metres ahead of the other 3 lads on the descent down to the water station at Gribdale, this lead allowed me to take some drinks on board without losing touch with the others. The ascent out of Gribdale is short but steep and it brought the 4 of us to a walk.

Shortly after reaching the bridleway that would take us along to Roseberry Common I was back at the front of the group and pushing along hard, trying to ensure I had some sort of advantage at the bottom of Roseberry Topping, as I knew I would be overtaken on the Descent of Roseberry, if not the Ascent. And so it was, as sure as the passing of time, I was overtaken by the other 3 upon reaching the summit rocks. And by the time I could say to myself, “them isotonic gels taste like…”, I was at least 100 metres behind my rivals and in danger of becoming disheartened and settling for 6th, that would be a pleasing result I thought to myself, but another part of me would have been disappointed after running so well to this point.

The climb up Little Roseberry is maybe the hardest on the course, coming at the time it does, and as I had been left trailing by the other 3, I was cursing myself every step of the way. But over the top, there is a couple of miles of easy running across Hutton and Newton Moor, so I grit my teeth and dug in and much to my amazement had almost latched onto the back of the other 3 runners. This spurred me on and upon finally reaching Highcliff Nab, was only maybe 50 metres behind Joe Blackett, who was in 3rd position at that point.

After overtaking Will on the run along the top of the woods, I latched onto Alan’s shoulder, but was overtaken again by Will on the steep muddy descent. At least now though I was close behind all 3 of them and upon reaching the firmer forest tracks toward the base of the woods, I opened up and soon established a lead that I would keep until the finish a km down the road. A 3rd place finish was much more than I had dared to think I would achieve, especially on Saturday morning.

Andrew Minister

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