BallWAG’s!
A Tale of 2 Nags at the OCT 16th May 2009
Dale (Moorlander) and Karl (Ambrosia Kid) entered this event some months ago but never really got around to putting in the hard work required, we both seemed to be dwelling on historical fitness .
Dale and I kept saying to each other “ we will just take it easy and get around in about 10hrs no racing” this plan worked well as we soon found out, we could not race anybody after hitting the first peak of Helvellyn.
It was a great start seeing familiar faces, no rain and the cloud seemed to be lifting, the run over to Grasmere was spot on with everyone in high spirits and tightly packed together.
We started our accent up to Grisedale tarn and on reaching this point was greeted by Dales partner Denise encouraging us on, unfortunately we were also greeted with wind, clag and rain. Waterproof tops on and the contour upwards around Dollywagon started, it was pretty miserable going up there, once at the summit of Helvellyn and turning away from the wind it was a breeze going downhill, Dale set the bearing and it brought us bang on target for our descent down Whelpside gill . Now out of Clag the gill was in full view, the only trouble I had going down here was holding my tracksters up( they were soaking wet and my waist cord was in a knot) , and trying to keep up with Dale , oh yes and I got hit on the back of my right calf by a rolling rock, but apart from that all ok. We hit the forest and I lost touch with Dale as he bounded through the infant spruce/pine trees on a small slippery trod, after getting slapped in the face a few times by these wet tree branches I eventually caught him up again.
Denise was at the bottom of the gill and jogged with us to the checkpoint, were she received my discarded tracksters , I was ready for a cup of tea and some lovely food, Dale was not savouring the moment like myself and got me to get moving sharpish,,, huh! We were both eating cake and jam sarnies on the way up Wythburn valley, this is a good long slog and higher up very boggy ground. We were glad to get through the bog and gain height to contour around High Raise. Dale had another team in his sights and started to push on, I just hung on the back, I was a little disorientated to say the least and kept asking Dale where Rossett Pike was(he did have the map). After going a little to far on the contour we then desended right, and saw other teams behind us had already started to descend, the guys in front just kept going into the mist!!!!
We were feeling pretty cheerful at this point just below Rossett Pike and heading towards Angle tarn, we encountered a group of ladies running the Langdale horseshoe all pretty fit, they were impressed with our task ahead.
Angle tarn checkpoint came and went so we pushed on to Esk Hause this was when Dale told me he was feeling a bit ropey (I have never ever seen Dale falter before) luckily he had the food of a thin old mountain man we once knew( George B), ECCLES cakes, after two of these less a bite that I had and a drink Dale was back on track. We filled our water bottles up at my favourite stream Calf cove below Great end ( on leg 3 of BG I always volunteer to get water from here, its saves me going up Great End) .and then over the boulders all the way to Scafell Pike, dodging the tourists to the Summit.
Here we had a plan to take a direct route instead of backtracking to Little Narrowcove, we had reccied it the previous week. It started great, finding our gap to the left of a crag and then the trod downwards, a move to the right across grass and then down to a familiar looking outcrop, just then we spotted two runners to our far right taking a bearing, Dale said “shall we follow them they look as if they know where they are going” one of them then proceeded to fall flat on his bottom, I said to Dale “ No chance, we are doing well here it looks good” a few minutes later we had become stuck above some precarious ledges, and what made it worse , the team we had seen 5minutes earlier were heading down into the valley towards Great Moss at a good pace. We seemed to be ages trying to find a safe exit from our predicament, but eventually got onto good ground.
What could go wrong now, well, Dale fell and emitted such a cry I thought he had broken his ankle, luckily for me it was just cramp, so I pushed his foot back (too quickly for Dale’s liking) to stretch his calf out.
Then I fell managing to do a contortionist act but it was not that entertaining, well not for me, after managing to remove my leg from the back of my neck we were on the move again.
All the teams (approx 5) we had passed were now trotting over to Mosedale well in front of us, and Dale was feeling ropey again.
It was a big relief to reach the next checkpoint at Cockley Beck bridge, we had made the cut off time by 15mins, (we both laughed and said if we had hung about a bit more on Scafell pike (Rough crag) we could have thrown the towel in and gone to the pub) Denise was there and I grabbed some rice pudding off her, she looked a little worried at Dale’s condition.
We stocked up on cake and tea, before the climb up Grey Friars, I was feeling the strains of the day looking up to our next climb, but we dug in and went onwards and upwards at a steady walk. On reaching the col our spirits were lifted as we knew it was gentle terrain for a good while.
We soon got on the trod to the Old man of Coniston , we had to don extra clothes here as it was a freezing cold headwind, we were meeting lots of other teams coming from the Old Man, one team stopped and gave Dale some sweets, it was a mate of his, I never got one huh!
We hit the summit and knew we had cracked it, all downhill from here, Dale picked up and we were soon catching two teams in front, it was great to see him nearly back to normal.
We went straight to Three Shires stone without further incident and met up with Denise again, she must have been relieved to see Dale in good spirits, we steadily plodded past Blea tarn and over the ladder styles to finish with out any cramp. It was great to here the sound of cowbells that had been ringing at various points through the day, this time though we could stop and relax we had done it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Denise then drove us to the pub and then to campsite, beer, food and sleep what better way to end a hard day on the fells.
We will be back next year hopefully!!!!!!
Karl Edwards (Rice pudding boy)
Summer Sun Advice….with THE MASTER
- Remember to use Sun lotion as you could be exposed to strong sun at higher altitudes (or in the case of the Master- you could just be exposed!)
- Keep you fluids consistent. Look for clear running streams at altitude as these will provide the best water sources….Probably best to avoid tarns
- Have some food with youin case you bonk, and are so desperate you scavange off old animal bones. This is especially applicable on SEATALLAN.
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Clifton Country Park Trail Race & Fun Run, Sunday 24th May
Any Ponies in the North West fancy this little race next weekend? Proceeds go to charity and little Ponies can do the Fun Run (Im hoping to be there). The photo shows the start of last years race in Worsley which will be held again this year in September.
Visit the Athlete Matters website for details….just click the link on the right that is now cleverly obscured by my dodgy posting of the poster….www.athletematters.com if you cant see it!
9 MAY 09: THE MASTER turns 40!
Sophie ploughs ahead
Many Happy returns fatty from all at the ponies…..enjoy your vet 40 status!
PS- Amex has arranged a special birthday treat for you……
“When I turn the big 4-0, I will finally admit that I am a fatty ladyboy, and in awe of the pure speed and talent of young FellMonster. He’s like the son I never had! He was so kind waiting on me when I was slouched in the stream at Wasdale….a true hero”
(The Master, April 25, 2009)
Manx Mountain Marathon
I think we had 2 Ponies in this race…..our resident international Manx Pony Steve K was joined on the island by Pony Simon who has written a few words below:
So that’s what a 32 mile fell race feels like!
It’s 32, as opposed to 31.5, because I got a bit lost round Inkebreck (can’t even spell it - Injebreck) just as I did when I recce’d it.
Really looking forward to it and the weather on Friday was looking promising. The early start (up at 05.30 to get sorted and up to Ramsey from Castletown) was pretty cool but shorts were the order of the day and I have come away a little sunburnt.
Coming off Clagh Oyur, I sank up to my thigh in a boggy bit, just about managing to get out without help (but almost without shoes - one of those where you have to concentrate on keeping your toes pointing upwards so you don’t have go ferreting round afterwards to get your shoe back ).
Enjoyed the company of other runners all the way and the scenery was just gorgeous. Coming off Carraghyn, lost my way somehow. A Scottish bloke I was with was as lost as me, and we were joined by three more (including a girl for whom it was her first fell race!). We scrambled around a bit and found the route in the end, and then faced that drag up Colden… on and on… and then the cramp started; not full blown yet, but worse than half way.
Chunked along a bit more and was passed by the first of the later starters on the awfully long drag up to Slieau Ruy (?) and he was shifting. Jackie Lee passed me on the flat section towards St.John’s (looked as though she was going round the park - completely relaxed - how do people do that ).
Met my wife and girls at St.John’s and cracked on up Sleau Whallian (STEEP). Coming off there I had a real dip. My legs didn’t want to go and it was all I could do to put on a shuffling trot to the checkpoint at Garey Gate. Another handful of honey roasted salted nuts seemed to help (or was it the electrolyte drink needed to wash them down?). Dragged up the road and up South Barrule (LONG DRAG) but the views from the top were stunning. The whole of the South spread out in front of you like a map, with the sun glittering on the sea . Bumped into another Macclesfield Harrier and he directed me across the heather with a few words of encouragement (Cheers Alan).
Up and over Cronk ny Arrey Laa and the descent off there was great - I actually felt as though I was making healthy progress. Picked up a couple of places around Fleshwick and then of course, had to work to keep them. That climb out of Fleshwick is tough but trotted off the top after the checkpoint at Bradda Cairn, and then did my best to keep running down to the Tower (I knew a bloke was closing on me ). Encouragement from spectators gave me a bit of a lift and then on the road for the last half mile (where a group of adolescent girls wondered what the hell this fat old bloke covered in mud was playing at), and as my moment of glory (don’t laugh) arrived, my welcoming committee drove past in the car… the WRONG way! ARGH!
Crossed the line and dibbed my dibber at 8.45… congratulated my pursuer who was not far behind and sat with a couple of other Macclesfield Harriers who’d finished 3 minutes in front of me. Basked in the sun and applauded the other finishers (including the girl in her first fell race - don’t know if it’ll be her last).
Now 8.45 is pretty pedestrian, but for me, it’s not bad, as at Garey gate I thought I was going to end up walking the rest of it. Learnt a lot: honey roasted salted nuts seemed to help keep the cramp from going mad and the descent off South Barrule went well despite the odd stumble; that gave me a bit of a boost. Whilst I walked a (very) good bit, I could still manage to run OK towards the end and I didn’t lose control of my legs.
Great race, well organised and thanks to all who made it happen… I can understand why so many people cite it as their favourite… I’ll certainly be back.
Sedbergh
In order of minisculity, Andy, Phil, George, Ian, Karl and Dave turned out for this. Spot the man not trying in the photographs
Round Hill Fell Race
After spending most of winter gallivanting round on an Iron horse and doing a long swim, bike, run thing it was about time to get muddy again.
Consulting the shiny 2008 race calendar and thinking ‘no chance’ to Pendle Cloughs….(lets face it letting me loose with nothing but a map, I’d frankly still be there!) Round Hill came in as favourite.
A 9 mile race with 1300ft (false advertising claimed it only to be 1100ft!) round a hill, how hard can that be?
I have no idea who ordered summer to start at approximately 10.55 on the 28th July but started it did. Registration is in the library of the picturesque village of Timble, the race start being some quarter of a mile away and no where near a pub! Thoughts of deciding against Pendle were clearly coming back to torment me.
The race itself is actually very pleasant! Nothing too horrible and no real surprises. The course starts off on a track and with only 91 polite fell runners running there was never an issue nor any of that road running argy bargee as the track narrowed to a gate.
The route is soon onto open moorland where given the weather in that the persistent rain of previous weeks have been the norm it could have been very muddy indeed. However the million degree heat that was blazing down had clearly evaporated the stagnant bog water in record time as it was rather pleasantly dry-ish….well only just above ankle deep so that’s positively sahara like right?
It was uphill for the first 4 miles albeit gradual and the kind of course I usually really like but this English rose was truly wilting in the sun. Everybody suffered and there wasn’t one person I don’t think who actually welcomed the furnace like conditions, the route was well marshalled and marked and a lovely lovely man was half way on the course handing out cups of water. At first the worry was he was just a mirage in the boggy wilderness but no he was larger than life and the pink pony vest was enough currency to warrant a full cup as opposed to half! In reality it was probably more to do with me being right at the back and he didn’t want to carry all the water back down again!
Rehydrated it was another 4.5 miles to go!
It did seem to go on for ever but again just due to the heat the course itself is a relatively fast one and one that is all runable. The finish is along a wide path of about a mile where you would normally be able to pick up the pace however I think someone has ‘borrowed’ my racing legs and failed to return them…..can I have them back now please?
All in all though a great little race, well run, organised and marshalled and the spot prize bottle of ale went down a treat!
(Words of Pony Emma)