Neil Ford writes –

This was a short fell race on relatively good paths close to Keswick.

It consisted of a short sharp climb, a rapid descent and finally a

couple of miles along a disused railway path back to Keswick. We had

great support from members of our new 2nd choice club, Keswick AC, and

also VRUK member Hilary Jacob, who was enthusiastically marshalling

the course.

I was surprised to have people streaming past me going uphill and

equally surprised to regain the lost places going downhill. The

descent was not very technical, so I’ll probably find the going

tougher on a rockier descent. I hadn’t completed a fell race for 20

years due to combination of car crash injuries and then ME but the

race was as painful to run and satisfying to complete as I remember! I

and my wife Caz both used the race as a fitness test ahead of much

longer challenges. I’m doing the Hardmoors 60 ultra and Caz the Loch

Ness Marathon next month.

Given that we are now living in the spiritual home of fell racing with

a lot of talented runners in the area, I was pleased to come 9th.