"Ill advised", "idiotic" or "asking for trouble" would be comments that would sum up my decision to run in the Austwick Amble fell race on Bank Holiday Monday.
Thankfully I'm pleased to report I came through relatively unscathed. The calves are a bit sore from Sunday's football and the quads are a bit sore from the fell but both are better than a sprained ankle (or worse).
I'd bowed to peer pressure as 2 of my brothers have been running the fell racing circuit and had asked me if I was competing at Austwick. I'd agreed on the basis that the course was pretty familiar to me (I was brought up in Austwick and had walked most of the course in my youth) and I figured that by fell racing standards I wouldn't find too many which were this gentle (8miles/1200ft climb).
As I found out fell racing is different to the roads. The first mile and last mile and a half were on the road so I knew I had to make good my time whilst on 'my surface'. I was in pretty good shape until the fell and whilst I didn't completely die I got picked off by the seasoned fell runners in the middle third of the race.
2 such runners came past me as we approached the top of Crummack Lane and the road eventually allowed me to overhaul them just before the finish line (helped by a steep road downhill which I used as my sprint finish). My finish time of 1:00:37 (27th) seemed pretty good although I had few pre-conceived ideas of what a good time would be.
As for my brothers; Harry is knocking on the door of the 'elite' group with a time of 55:00 (9th) and Sam, despite having to stop to tie a shoe lace, finished in 1:01:38. Another mile on the fells and he'd have caught me.
Thoroughly enjoyable though and luckily no lasting injuries that I can feel!
Results are here and the route is here.
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