The Wadsworth Trog – 19 miles and 3650ft of climbing over rugged moorland and fells.

What makes this route so challenging is the terrain. The boggy ground saps your legs of energy and it’s a constant battle with the tussocks and the mud. The weather is usually inclement on race day and you have to be able to navigate as very little of the route is flagged. Not surprising then that many people refer to it as ‘The Beast’. Only tough, seasoned fell runners need apply. This is not a race for the pretty boy athlete.

3 years ago I made the mistake of tackling this animal unprepared, I clearly wasn’t ready for what I was about to face. I hadn’t reccied the route or done the necessary training that was required to perform over such a distance. So my game plan was simple (obviously like me at the time!) – to follow my good friend and record holder Karl Gray. As the most experienced ‘Trogger’ in our club there would be little chance of him going the wrong way. The only thing I hadn’t considered was the fact I’d have to keep up with him!!!

‘I WAS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY SMITHIED’

It was never going to end well. The first few miles felt relatively easy but I was lured into a false sense of security. 13 miles in and it was a very different story. The wheels fell off and I was left to painfully watch Karl disappear into the distance. Less than a mile later and I inevitably lost my way. Now when I say lost, I mean REALLY lost. I was completely and utterly Smithied* – the absolute worse kind of getting lost. I’d love to explain where I ran that day between High Brown Knoll and Sheepstones but the truth is I have no idea. I was tired, disorientated, hungry and a pale shade of blue. I wandered the fells like a shivering ghost, desperately hoping I’d have enough strength to reach the finish. To put things into perspective it took me just over 21 minutes to run the last couple of miles. I’m just relieved that I’d not yet discovered Strava or my embarrassment and shame would be forever preserved within the pages of the internet.

In all honesty ‘The Beast’ had completely torn me apart. I swore blind I’d never do this bloody race again.

*Definition of being Smithied: ‘To do a Steve Smithies’ (Calder Valley) i.e. become completely and utterly lost beyond all hope of ever being found/OR without knowing where you are/OR recollect where you’ve been. This usually happens on local ground which should be only too familiar. An embarrassing incident which occurs frequently during fell races, especially if your name is Steve Smithies.

‘THIS TIME I’VE BEEN TRAINING HARD AND I FELT READY’

Pictured above: Taming ‘The Beast’. The CVFR train in full flow heading towards Cock Hill with Karl Gray and Tim Ellis in tow (www.woodentops.org.uk)

Pictured above: Doing my best as guest speaker to inspire the Trawden AC club members at their annual presentation awards.

My message was simple – to excel at anything it’s down to how hard you work to achieve your dreams and reach your goals. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to run a sub 50 minute 10K or compete in your first park run. In fact it’s not even about the running at all. What matters is that you enjoy what you’re doing and you do your absolute best to get there.

‘THERE IS NO TALENT HERE. THIS IS HARD WORK. THIS IS AN OBSESSION. TALENT DOES NOT EXIST. WE ARE ALL EQUALS AS HUMAN BEINGS. YOU COULD BE ANYONE IF YOU PUT IN THE TIME. YOU WILL REACH THE TOP AND THAT’S THAT. I AM NOT TALENTED. I AM OBSESSED.’ CONOR McGREGOR

This quote I used on the final slide says it all. I’d love to lay claim to these words but they are in fact those of the current UFC champion, Conor McGregor. It’s a fantastic message and one which I believe in wholeheartedly. If you adopt this mantra as your own then you’ll always achieve success.

The highlight of my night was helping to present the club trophies and listening to all the many reasons of how and why people had earned their respective awards. Trawden AC is a brilliant club and there is a real community spirit amongst it’s members. It’s easy to see why they won the award of England Athletics North West Club of the Year 2015. It was a pleasure to be a part of such an occasion and play a small part in helping them to celebrate all of their success. A huge thanks to Chris Singleton for the invite and to chairman Paul Brown for his kind words.

There is however just one question weighing heavy on my mind…who the hell puts beetroot on pie and peas?! When the food was served for the evening I thought that Heston Blumenthal must have been working in the kitchen. Full marks for the quality of the pie and peas but beetroot on top is like a bushtucker trial. Plus there wasn’t a single jar of mint sauce in sight!

Lancastrians take note. This is how we serve Pies and Peas in Yorkshire…

Pictured above: This is how pie and peas must always be served (the Yorkshire way) – WITH mint sauce and NOT beetroot. Live and learn Lancastrians.

1. Edale Skyline 2007 (English Champs). Those who ran still bear the scars. This was an epic race with a capital E. 21 miles of fell running in utterly horrendous weather. People were literally blown off their feet at the top of the first climb (Ringing Roger) and most of the sensible fell runners dropped out at Hope village before the real drama began. Visibility was so bad on the tops I remember Lloyd Taggart running in ski goggles. That day I collapsed at the top of Jacob’s Ladder and woke up in a tent manned by the Mountain Rescue. A bad day on the fells, still my worst racing experience yet.
2. The Great Lakes 2012 (English Champs). 13 miles of driving rain, mega wind and streams that turned into rivers. Never before have I seen that level of camaraderie amongst fell runners who both shared and survived the experience. You could have made a film about what happened that day and it would have been a blockbuster hit. All I remember about the finish is waking up in the back of a St John’s Ambulance whilst Karl Gray laughed his head off and took photos of me on his iPhone for future ransom.
3. Lee Mill Relay 2015. A surprise new entry, straight in at Number 3! When I woke up yesterday morning I never expected this to enter into my Top 10 of ‘Epic Races’. After all it is only 6.2 miles with 1150ft of climbing on reasonably local fells- hardly anything to be scared of!? You’d certainly think not. But today was a learning curve, even for me, someone who claims to be an experienced fell runner. The truth is I got caught out and I paid the price.

A few weeks ago I entered two teams into the Lee Mill Relay to cap the end to a brilliant season of club running. It was supposed to be a bit of fun, some friendly competition between the CVFR ‘Golden Oldies’ and the CVFR ‘Ewe’th team. We purposely didn’t enter our strongest CVFR team, the plan was just to have a laugh and enjoy some pre-race banter in the build up. Others in the club had exactly the same idea. We’d entered about 12 teams in total and there was even beer money riding on some of the results. The battle between the ‘CVFR Shimmy Shakers’, the ‘CVFR Herbivores’ and the ‘CVFR Gladiators’ was billed as the biggest contest in club history. Some of the lads had gone nearly 10 days without a pint and Mark O’Connor hadn’t eaten a slice of cake for at least 24 hours prior to the start. Make no mistake, they were treating this race with some serious respect. Ben Frechette was also quoted as saying that ‘this was the biggest race of his life…everything he’d done before today had led him to this one moment. A victory would be even more memorable and important than his wedding day’ (his words, not mine Mrs Frechette). You could cut the tension with a knife. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself.

The relay made it’s debut last year as a calendar replacement for the very popular Calderdale Way Relay, an end of season event that I’ve really enjoyed doing over the years. Richard (the Lee Mill Relay RO) also shares my love for the CWR and thankfully he’s stepped in to fill the missing gap in my life. Last year we entered a couple of teams and we really enjoyed the race. It was a good end to 2014 and it was nice to win too, despite a low turn out. Fast forward a year and the relay has swelled in popularity, over 100 teams had pre-entered and there were some strong teams on the start list. The perfect recipe for a classic race. It was just a shame that the unpredictable English weather had once again reared it’s ugly head as we were set to run in some pretty serious conditions.

Leg 1: The Welsh ‘Whizz’ard vs Mad Legs Mulholland

Math Roberts was first up for our ‘Ewe’th team but he’s been struggling to run for the last 7 days. Last week he injured his big toe and it swelled to the size of a peach. He showed it to me at the FRA presentation (last week) and I was nearly sick in my pint of Guinness. He’s been on antibiotics since Monday and it was good enough to race (just). The main problem however was his massive hangover. He went to see Judas Priest perform in Manchester on Saturday night and he was drinking and moshing till the early hours of Sunday morning. So when I saw him before the start of the race he was limping around like an extra from the Walking Dead and any expectation of us winning quickly disappeared. This was all but confirmed when we saw Tom Adams, Ian Holmes, Jack Smith and Sam Watson all skipping up the track to register their super-team, ‘The Green Head Monsters’. The bookies had stopped taken bets, this was a done deal.

Our ambition was to try and beat the CVFR ‘Golden Oldies’, a much more realistic aim and the main reason that we were running. All the Welsh ‘Whizz’ard had to do was beat the mighty midget Gav Mulholland (on Leg 1 for the ‘Oldies’) and try to give us a commanding lead for the remaining legs. Never an easy task but Gav’s not been running much or racing recently so he was expected to lose a few minutes to ‘Manky Toe Math’, with or without his injury and hangover.

Video of the race start (courtesy of Dan Biggs)…

https://www.facebook.com/Daniel.Biggs/videos/10208189333719023/

The race began and the leg one runners set off in the howling wind and driving rain as we retired back to the warmth of the registration building to drink tea and eat cake. 40 minutes later we headed back to the start line to watch the changeover. I expected Math to be somewhere near the front but it was very much dependant on the scale of his hangover and the damage to his toe. Sure enough, the first signs of movement in the distance revealed a red and white vest with another runner tucked in right behind. ‘Manky Toe Math’ had done a top job, outsprinting Wharfedale’s Jack Smith to set us off on leg 2 in 1st place. A few minutes later Gav returned in 4th place but in a pretty poor state, he was a pale shade of blue at the finish so Karl (Gray) quickly led him inside to warm him up.

Leg 2: The Cliffe vs Logie Bear

Leg 2 was supposed to be the Painted Stallion (Johny Helliwell) vs James ‘Logie Bear’ Logue but unfortunately the former pulled out on Thursday night so we had little time to bring in a decent sub. Thankfully Martin Cliffe (Eryri Harriers) stepped in, after a little persuasion from Math, and we were back to having a solid team. All he had to do was try and hang on to the coat tails of the legend Ian Holmes, easier said than done!

When the first runner returned from leg two it was no great surprise to see Holmesy finish with a commanding lead. The only thing that would’ve prevented the Green Head Monsters from winning now was injury or poor navigation, both unlikely scenarios. So when Sam Watson set off on leg 3 he had plenty of time to spare, there was no catching him. The rest of the teams had to wait patiently to see who might be the next to emerge in the distance. A few minutes passed and still no sign of second place. Then ‘Mr Reliable’ James Logue appeared faintly in the distance, he’d had a great leg and moved up two places in the field. Daz Kay set off for the ‘Golden Oldies’ and we waited a bit longer for the next man to come through. Finally Martin appeared, much to our relief. He handed to Tim Ellis who sprinted up the track at pace in hot pursuit of Daz.

Leg 3: Timbo Baggins vs Special Kay

Both Timbo and Daz are running well at the moment so the stage was set for a real heavyweight clash, well more of a lightweight one really as Timbo only weighs about 7 stone wet through. Even so I was excited to see how both of them would get on, there was still time for us to challenge for second place.

I started my warm up with Karl Gray and we jogged up the first climb. The wind was strong and it was raining but we were both adamant it was still ‘vest’ weather. I’ve set off in similar conditions before and almost instantly regretted wearing too many layers because once I hit race pace I soon start to overheat. Also in heavy rain there is no such thing as a waterproof jacket, it’s always soaking wet after two minutes, it flaps about in the wind and ultimately weighs you down. Instead I decided to keep mine as dry as possible and pack it at the bottom of my bumbag just in case of an emergency. Karl agreed and we headed back to the start to wait for the changeover.

Leg 4: The Master vs The Apprentice

Leg 4 had all the makings of a classic race between myself and the master. Tom Adams had already set off a few minutes in the lead and Daz had ran a solid leg to hold on to second position. Karl headed out after the exchange and I waited nervously for Timbo to return. I’m not sure how long I had to wait, maybe a minute, but it felt like a long time. Timbo had done a brilliant job though and kept the team in contention for second place, it was obvious he’d ran one of the fastest legs of the day. All I had to do now was run a spectacular leg myself and try to reel Karl back in. I clearly had my work cut out.

I set off in trademark style, my intentions clear from the start. The headwind on the run out was seriously strong and I was having to work extremely hard to maintain a decent pace along the track. When I hit the first climb I could see Karl in the distance and it spurred me on. I love time trialling, which is essentially what relays are after the first leg. I also prefer to be chasing the race too, so I was happy to start in third place.

As we hit the first summit I quickly realised just how strong the wind actually was. The path thins out as you run above the quarry and there were some pretty big drops off either side. I was nearly being blown off my feet and I was struggling to keep my balance. I was relieved when the track opened out and there was a brief respite from the wind. As we hit the next climb I started to gain time on Karl, I was feeling pretty good, despite taking a massive battering from the wind and rain. As we climbed higher the weather worsened, the strength of the wind picked up and the rain turned to hail. I did think ‘why the hell am I running in this’ before I managed to talk myself round and continue to soldier on. Just before the summit I passed Karl and it was here that the weather was most intense. I wasn’t expecting this, I knew it was bad but this was serious stuff. I felt like I was running head on into a tornado, the wind must’ve been around 80mph. I was struggling to stay upright and no matter how hard I ran I wasn’t making any progress towards to top. It was a huge relief to turn at the summit and head back across the moor with the wind behind me (see race footage at the foot of the blog – 9:35 minutes into the video). For a brief moment Karl pulled up back alongside me and I knew I had to put in a big effort to try and drop him from my tail. I opened up my stride and ran as fast as I could, I didn’t want a sprint finish for second, instead I wanted to distance myself as much as possible before the final descent.

It was probably at this point that I realised how much I was beginning to suffer. The hail was battering me so hard it felt like I was being shot. I was like the guy on the front cover of ‘Platoon’, taking bullets from all angles. I didn’t want to stop and put on my jacket either because I didn’t want to lose any time. Most importantly I couldn’t afford to stop for even a brief moment because wrestling the wind whilst fumbling in my bumbag would’ve made me even colder. Plus I’d lost all feeling in my hands and I could barely even speak. Instead I ploughed on…tripping, falling, slipping…the ground was so wet it was hard to grip and the wind was so strong I was struggling to keep my balance. It was a massive relief to finally hit the descent and drop down to the lowest checkpoint. Up to here I’d made good time, I knew I was on for the fastest leg too because I’d caught Karl and also put some distance into him. Like a true Strava geek I created a segment after the race to see how I’d performed over the first 2/3 of the course…

https://www.strava.com/segments/10954138?filter=overall

Considering the conditions and the way I was feeling I was very happy with how I’d been running up to this point. Things however soon took a turn for the worse. As I began to climb steeply out of the valley I realised that I was quickly heading into a zombie like state. When I hit the top of the ascent the wind hit me like a head on collision with the Hogwart’s Express and literally took my breath away. I was well and truly battered. I felt dizzy, disorientated and I just wanted to stop and wait for Karl. I honestly stopped caring about the race, I just wanted to finish.

Pictured above: The face says it all.

Unfortunately for me there was still a long way to go. I kept looking back and Karl was closing in fast, I couldn’t respond. People reading this might think I’m over exaggerating but I was in a really bad way. I was freezing cold, delirious and I couldn’t speak. I remember crossing a small lake, except it wasn’t a lake, it was just excess rain that had filled an empty pocket of the quarry. I didn’t have the energy to turn round or find an alternative so I headed straight into the freezing cold water and it was up to my waist. Still it could’ve been worse I suppose – Gav, Karl and Tim must’ve been up to their necks!

The final stretch across the moor was a bit of a blur if I’m honest. I was stumbling around like Math Roberts at the end of a Judas Priest gig and I was desperate to stop. The thing is I just knew I needed to get back to the finish as fast as I could because if I did stop I would’ve been in some serious trouble. The last mile felt like a marathon, I was all over the place. When I hit the final track it was just sheer relief.

Pictured above: Photo of leg 4 courtesy of Darren Sargent (CVFR)

I ran straight through the finish line and back to the race registration to try and get warm and recover. Somehow I’d managed to beat Karl to second place but I couldn’t care less. I could barely even walk up the steps inside the building and when I finally managed to get to my bag I couldn’t get out of my wet clothes. I couldn’t stop shivering and I couldn’t speak. Thankfully Gav was there to get me out of my wet clothes and help get me dry (Phil Winskill will love reading this I’m sure!). I was like a zombie and I’d gone completely hypothermic. All I remember is a few people trying to dress me, make me drink hot tea and warm me up as best they could. A few others, including Karl Gray (shock horror), were taking pictures for future bribes, he must have a massive collection of me now! At one point I was the filling in the middle of a Claire Harris and Gav Mulholland sandwich, much to Karl’s amusement. Sinead Hayes was amazing too, she must’ve made me drink at least a pint of sugary tea and looked after me for ages. I was really grateful to everyone for bringing me round and if they’re reading this I want to say a HUGE thanks to you all. I also want to say a huge thanks to Richard (RO), the marshalls, the Mountain Rescue and all of the race team. On that day, in those conditions you all deserve a medal for your efforts. I also want to publicly apologise to them all for putting myself in the state I was in. In hindsight, I should’ve worn a merino base layer under my racing vest and I take full responsibility for my actions. It would’ve made a huge difference and who knows I might have even enjoyed the final few miles of the race. I only have myself to blame for underestimating the weather and I’ve learnt a valuable lesson. I’m just lucky that I made it back in one piece and that there were plenty of people at the finish kind enough to look after me. As an experienced fell runner I really should know better.

Apart from that, it was a bloody great race. Congrats to the Green Head Monsters and well done to everyone who took part, you all have my upmost respect. No doubt I’ll be back next year for this brilliant event…obviously wearing my inov8 merino baselayer 😉

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/441554323

Results: http://www.rossendaleharriers.co.uk/results/Lee%20Mill%202015/Lee%20Mill%20RelaysTeams.pdf

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iC7uipS-g0 (courtesy of Dave Lee)

Finally I’m sure you’re all wondering who won the ‘real race’ of the day. I can reveal that the ‘CVFR Shimmy Shakers’ were triumphant over the ‘CVFR Herbivores’ and the ‘CVFR Gladiators’ with captain Lee Shimwell the star man of the day. Thankfully for Mr and Mrs Frechette, their wedding day still remains the best day of Ben’s life…..well at least for another 364 days.

Pictured above: Mark O’Connor and Richard Ingram (CVFR Shimmy Shakers) proudly holding their winner’s trophy.

Trofeo Vanoni was my last major race of the season and my plan has always been to enjoy a well earned break from competition before preparations begin for next year. However, it seemed a shame to waste the form I’m in so I decided to have a stab at the Shepherd’s Skyline last Saturday. After all it’s one of the best local fell races and always attracts a stellar field. This year was no exception. Topping the bill was Ian Holmes, the ultimate fell running legend. Holmesy has won the race no fewer than 12 times, set the record of 39.25 in 2007 and has proved year after year than he is the man to beat. Frightening to think he turns 50 at the beginning of December.

Amongst the other favourites to take the win were my club mates Daz Kay and Alex Whittem. Daz is in great shape following the relays in October and recently finished 2nd at Great Whernside. Alex, although not race fit, is always a threat and lives 5 minutes from the start of the race. You can’t put a price on local knowledge and familiarity of the course and terrain. Also in contention were P & B’s Joe Baxter and Clayton’s Chris Holdsworth. Both are in the form of their lives and were looking to take some big fell running scalps.

The 58th Trofeo Vanoni Relay

This prestigious event takes place every year in the little town of Morbegno, nestled in the Valtellina Valley in Northern Italy, a hotbed for mountain running. The route runs along the historic centre of Morbegno and the ancient paths that lead to the village of Arzo. The individual records are held by Alex Baldaccini (28’21 “in 2012) and Anna Pichrtova (21’41” in 2007).

143 teams (with 3 athletes) had entered, each taking turns to run the challenging 4 mile route. With almost 2000ft of climbing and a crazy descent to the finish, this was a race perfectly suited to my style of running. If Carlsberg made mountain races…

The Trofeo Vanoni is twinned with the Snowdon Race. I’d been selected to represent the Snowdon Race GB team following my 3rd place finish at the Snowdon International in July. Joining me in the team were the two other top GB finishers in the race, fell running legend Rob Hope (who was 4th) and Yorkshire speed merchant Tom Adams (5th). The women’s team was just as impressive, Lindsey Brindle (2nd), Katie Walshaw (3rd) and World Mountain running silver medallist Emmie Collinge (winner of the Snowdon uphill only race).

Pictured above: (L to R) Tom Adams, Lindsey Brindle, me, Katie Walshaw and Rob Hope.

We were also joined by the Welsh team…Richard Roberts, Pete Ryder, John Spill, Heidi Davies, Katie Beecher and of course my good mate Math Roberts. We were all in charge of looking after Math – famed in the town for his late night drinking sessions. One year he fell asleep in a bush and almost missed his flight home after extreme post race celebrations.

True to form, he woke up Marco (the hotel owner) on the very first night coming back from the pub! Haha!

Training Camp

I was desperate to make the most of my 5 days in Morbegno so that meant running as much as possible before and after the race, but careful not to tire myself out before the big day. We arrived late on Thursday and set our alarms for an early start the next day. The plan was to catch the bus to San Martino and head up Val Di Mello for an easy run in the mountains. Rob had done something similar on the same trip a few years ago so he was our guide for the day. Pudsey & Bramley might want to consider him for leg 3 of the FRA relays next year as he proved himself more than capable with a map in his hand!

The landscape and surroundings were absolutely stunning. As we climbed steeply towards Passo Di Zocca it made us all appreciate not being stuck behind a desk at work, this was the kind of run I only usually dream about.

On the way up we talked about how fast Kilian Jornet runs uphill on his DVD, a sprint compared to our paltry pace. We thought it would be funny to take a few of our own Kilian style pics at 2000m. Plus it’s a great advertising for Salomon as Rob is one of their top sponsored athletes.

Pictured above: Me x 3, John Spill (star jump) and Rob Hope in various ‘Kilian’ style poses.

We also managed a visit to the beautiful town of Colico on the Saturday. The italians were very entertained by our midday swim in the freezing cold waters of Lake Como…

Pictured above: The beautiful Lake Como and our quick dip!

The ‘Braulio’ Brothers

Forget the Brownlee brothers, there’s a new partnership on the running scene…Rob Hope and yours truly.

Aside from Karl Gray, my fell running heroes are Ian Holmes, Rob Jebb and Rob Hope. All 3 are fell/mountain running legends in their own right, plus they’re still competing at the highest level and have been for the last few decades. What I also admire about them all is the fact they’re just a great set of blokes, no bravado and no arrogance. So for me spending 5 days with Rob was like the equivalent of going on a football holiday with Gary Lineker.

Funnily enough I’m not entirely convinced the italians share my love for the ‘Great White Hope’…

Pictured above: Comedy timing on the start line!

Rob and I were both keen to sample the local food and drink. Popular in this region is Braulio, made only 60 miles from Morbegno in Bormio. It’s an aperitif made from mountainous fruits, roots and berries. You can’t drink pints of the stuff but it’s nice to enjoy a couple on a night and it kept me off the Peroni, which I’m prone to drinking too much of! We aimed to work our way through most of the top shelf in the hotel and sample the best local liqueurs. My personal favourite is Genepi, worth a try if you’re next in Italy. I’m hoping after drinking so much Braulio they might offer us both some sponsorship in return for some free advertising.

RACE DAY!

The women’s race

The women’s race was an amazing spectacle to watch. I was very jealous that they got to start at such a reasonable hour (11am and our race started at 2pm) but very relieved they ran separately. That was because Emmie Collinge was simply outstanding and I wouldn’t have wanted to race her. She led from start to finish and smashed the course record to pieces. Italy’s star runner Alice Gaggi was 2nd but couldn’t compete with the ferocious pace that Emmie had set on the long climb.

Pictured above: (L) Emmie at the finish and (R) the top 3 women.

The rest of the GB women also ran superbly. Next home was Katie Walshaw (7th), just a whisker in front of Heidi Davies (9th) and Lindsey Brindle (10th), with Katie Beecher in 13th. Heidi suffered from some serious blisters on the descent so did really well to finish inside the top 10. At 17 years old I’m confident she’ll be winning the race in years to come. Lindsey also ran well considering she was full of cold, her pace on the descent was incredible.

Results of the women’s race…

Classifiche Femminili 2015

The men’s race

Prior to the race we had to declare our team to the organisers for the race programme. We decided to go with Tom on leg 1 for a controlled and sensible start, Rob for an experienced and solid leg 2 and me for a ‘headless chicken’ style leg 3. If all went to plan we knew we could be in with a chance for a top 5 finish and individually we all might have a chance at sneaking into the top 10 of the fastest legs.

Pictured above: A sample of the race trophies

I couldn’t believe the scale of the support, in Italy mountain running is a serious sport and very popular. The crowds are well clued up and they know who all the top runners are. There were thousands of people spectating en route and the race was televised. I usually get pretty nervous before a race but this was on another level, I don’t think the pressure of the final leg helped either.

Pictured above: The start of the race

Before the race began we headed up to the top of the first climb so watch the front runners come through. So much for Tom’s steady start as he was leading the race from a strong field. To be fair he did look really comfortable and I knew at this point we were serious contenders for the win nevermind the top 5!

We headed down to the finish to see Tom come through to the changeover point in 5th place, clocking a very impressive time of 31:46. Next up was Rob and we listened on the loudspeaker as he began to pick off the teams in front one by one. He ran a superb leg and by the time he’d reached the top of the climb he was up to 2nd. I was bricking it, mainly because i knew then I was going to be embroiled in an epic battle with Julien Rancon of France, whose team was now leading the race. Worst still I’d have course record holder Alex Baldaccini hunting me down all the way. My heart sank, suddenly my ‘glory’ leg didn’t seem quite so glorious anymore! The double espresso I’d just washed down with a caffeine gel was going to have to propel me up the steep climb.

I waited nervously at the changeover for first runner to appear. In came the French and Rancon set off at a blistering pace. I waited again. Then suddenly Rob appeared, he’d had a stormer and sprinted through in 31:04. I was off! Chasing Rancon and running scared from Baldaccini!

The first climb felt relatively easy (probably my espresso and gel) and I felt great. I hit the road and still felt good, then it was onto another steep climb. I was struggling now. Rancon was well clear and realistically I was running to protect 2nd place. I was about 1km from the top on the final switchback to the summit and I made the mistake of looking down. Local superstar Baldaccini was closing in like a Cheetah on it’s prey…oh dear. The crowd were going wild, it was clear who they wanted to win. They were also screaming what sounded like ‘Die Ben, Die!’ in italian. Bit harsh you might think but thankfully I knew it was ‘Dai!’ – an encouraging word for ‘come on!’. Either way I was going to have to destroy myself in the final 2 miles to have any chance of protecting 2nd place.

I hit the descent like a bullet. I could’ve almost been in a 100m race with Usain Bolt. I’d practised the route twice before the race so I knew what to expect. The only problem was practising at a jog is very different to full on race pace. I overcooked turns, missed a few choice lines and was lucky at times not to break a leg. To be a good descender you have to take risks and I was taking them in abundance. I felt like I was playing roulette with an almost fully loaded gun. Thankfully I’d taken out extra travel insurance before the trip so I was running with some added confidence at least 😉

My risk taking had paid off. As I neared the end of the descent I was flying. My thoughts now turned to the final run in on the road, I’d not got much left in the tank. My pace was slowing as the gradient flattened and I honestly didn’t know if I could hang on. I didn’t turn around because I didn’t need to. I could hear the roars of the crowd and they were all cheering for Baldaccini. He was closing in fast and there was still 100m to go. I laid it all on the line, full gas! It was enough…JUST! In the end the gap was only 2 seconds but it felt as good as winning the race.

Pictured above: (L) The end of the race and (R) The Snowdon GB team – Rob, me and Tom

Rancon and the French had taken the win by just 16 seconds and Baldaccini had to settle for third behind us despite his heroic effort. I was buzzing! One of the best races I’ve ever done and to get a top team result with Tom and Rob was the icing on the cake with an italian cherry on top. Time to celebrate.

Pictured above: Me (2nd), Julien Rancon (1st) and Alex Baldaccini (3rd)

Strava

https://www.strava.com/activities/420142014

Individual results

Individuale 2015

Team results

Staffette 2015

Race video

Trofeo Vanoni Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/trofeo.vanoni/?fref=ts

The presentation was a very grand affair compared to the kind I’m used to i.e. standing in the cold rain whilst prizes are dished out from the back of someone’s boot in a pub car park. We cheered the women as they received their well earned prizes and waited patiently for our names to be announced as the 2nd team. Before that was the presentation for the 3 fastest legs. In 3rd was Czech Republic’s Jan Janu who’d smashed leg 1 in a very impressive time of 30:33. He’s a class act. A few weeks ago he’d finished 10th in the World Mountain Running Championship in Wales. Baldaccini had finished just behind him in 11th and I was 31st in comparison.

Then something very strange happened. They announced my name as the second fastest leg…WTF! I couldn’t believe it, I don’t think the rest of the team could believe it either. I knew I’d ran well to hold off Baldaccini but he’d reeled me in all the way so I’d just assumed I’d ran a mediocre time. In reality he’d ran an unreal time of 28:48, only 27 seconds outside the record. I’d ran 30:21 including the second fastest descent, one of the best times ever posted by a GB athlete. Not bad for my Trofeo Vanoni debut. I can’t describe how shocked I was, in fact I still don’t quite believe it. It’s certainly the most money I’ve ever won for a race and coupled with team prize it’s the first time I’ve returned home from a trip with more money than I actually went with!

The trophy was pretty impressive too – a huge glass panel artistically decorated and designed to sit proudly on a handcrafted metal plinth in the shape of a mountain range. I had grand ideas of taking it home on the plane and convincing my wife to let me put it on display in the house. I carefully carried it back to the hotel and stored it safely in my room. Less than 12 hours later it was quite a different story. I carried it down to reception, carefully leant it against the wall and then watched it slide onto the floor and smash into a thousand pieces. Gutted. I could’ve cried. Everyone else thought it was hilarious including my wife when I told her the story.

On the plus side at least we don’t have to wear our Snowdon GB team polo shirts again…

Pictured above: (Top) The presentation – WITH trophy before I smashed it (Below) 2nd team and 1st Darts team

The loss at the hands of Borrowdale in the Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay really hurt, as a team we were all gutted. So after 2 weeks of licking our wounds, multiple reccies of Pendle and serious team talks, it was now time to make amends and lay a few demons to rest. The day of reckoning was finally upon us…The British Fell Relays 2015.

This year we had the added pressure of starting as favourites with our South Yorkshire neighbours, Dark Peak. Last month it was we who emerged victorious by beating DP to the Open and V40 titles in both the English and British Championships. In my opinion if you are the best team over the season then you need to prove you’re also the best team at the relays, on a day when every club fields their strongest 6 runners.

Our first challenge of the day was to put up the CVFR club tent. There were plenty of people to help out but it certainly wasn’t our finest display of teamwork. The women suggested we read the instructions, the men suggested we didn’t. For me reading the de-structions is like having to read a map during a fell race, it takes time and I’m not prepared to stop and do it. So in typical fashion we tore open the bag, began assembling the poles and 5 minutes later realised the poles we’d erected on the inside of the tent should’ve been on the outside. Whoops. Personally I didn’t really think it made a difference anyway – the weather was good, it wasn’t going to blow down and perhaps no one would notice anyway. Also best to get any mistakes or bad examples of teamwork out of the way before the race and when it really matters!

Pictured above: The CVFR tent

Thankfully our preparation for the relay itself was much better. We were all more than ready, everyone knew their legs and we’d all been training really hard. Plus Daz Kay had spent just as much time planning his red and white outfit as he had on reccies. Only a terrible nav leg, accident or a faster team would deprive us of the win.

One thing I’d not mentioned to the lads is that prior to the race every team had been asked to provide some information about every member of the team (2015 achievements etc.). This was so the race commentator would have plenty to say as we finished each leg and approached the changeover in the final field. I’ve included the commentary I provided at the beginning of each leg description…(time for me to own up lads just in case you were wondering how they knew so much about you – sorry! You can get your own back at some point I’m sure)

Leg 1: Solo leg, 7K with 450m of ascent

Tim Ellis

Lancashire Fell Running Champion 2015 

4th at Guisborough 3 Tops (English Champs)

Owns the best and most expensive running gear in the country

Single and looking for a new relationship- open to offers and not fussy- men/women

2nd smallest of the 3 Calder Valley hobbits.

We decided to stick the mighty hobbit, Timbo ‘Baggins’ Ellis on leg 1 as we wanted a strong start. Timbo has been running well on the short stuff recently so it made perfect sense. We knew he’d be well up in the mix and pushing for the win.

As expected, the legend that is Rob Hope romped home in 1st place for Pudsey & Bramley despite struggling with a serious cold. We were however delighted when Tim followed him home in 2nd place and just 6 seconds behind, with Helm Hill’s Mark Addison in 3rd. It was the perfect start.

Pictured above: Tim working the climb on Leg 1 (Photo credit to Woodentops https://plus.google.com/photos/110439573756197443848/albums/6206882697492717585)

Leg 2: Paired leg of 15k with 630m of climb

Ben Mounsey

Yorkshire Fell Running Champion 2014 & 2015

Represented Yorkshire, England x 2 and Great Britain (World Mountain Running Championships) during 2015. 

Top 5 finishes in English and British Championship races- Flower Scar and Ras Y Moelwyn. 

7th in the UKA Mountain Running Championship

3rd in the Snowdon International

Selected to represent Snowdon GB team in the Trofeo Vanoni relay in Morbegno, Italy at the end of October 2015.

Matthew Roberts

3rd at Ras Y Moelwyn (British Champs) and Bradda Niarbyl (English Champs)

Robbed of a top 5 finish in the English champs at Guisborough

Wales’ finest export.

Best beard in fell running (apart from that s**t hairy bit under his bottom lip)

Worst shorts in fell running.

Pictured above: The map of Leg 2 inc. checkpoints

The start of leg 2 felt like a 400m race and it was all my fault. I like to start fast, it suits my style of running and after a good strong blast I can quickly settle into a rhythm. By the top of the first field we’d managed to wrestle the lead from Pudsey’s Graham Pearce and Joe Baxter but there was still a long way to go.

I’m not sure what it is about the relays but because I get so fired up for the win my only tactic is to run eyeballs out and I could tell Math was in for a rough ride because I felt super strong from the off. As we entered the woods and began the first climb, I began to pull away and from this point we were in control of the race. Now I just needed to make sure Math could stay with me. Plus we needed to try and shake the P&B boys from our tail, easier said than done!

I thought before the race that we’d be the pair to beat on leg 2 but I didn’t consider the fact that we’d be winning the race within the first minute. Now it might sound daft, but being in the lead didn’t really help our chances of running the fastest leg because a) I was in charge of navigation (the route wasn’t flagged) and b) We’d nobody to follow. I won’t lie, I was really nervous as Math hadn’t reccied the leg and I’d slept since I reccied it, so there was always a good chance we might go wandering on the moor. To put the situation in perspective I once got lost in a cross country race that I’d organised! I’ve also gone wrong a couple of times on the Yorkshireman Half Marathon, despite doing the route every year for the last 7 years… so I think I’ve made my point 😉 I always find it easier to chase a lead than to protect it so we really did have our work cut out.

My first major worry was getting the line down to checkpoint 4, which was located at the bottom of Ashendean Clough. I knew the teams behind would all follow us and I didn’t want to get caught in the deep heather and bracken only for them to skip round us and take the lead. I decided to play it safe and stick to all the sensible route choices and to the lines I’d decided to take prior to the start of the race.

Thankfully we arrived quickly and safely at checkpoint 4 and the next section was the steep climb to the memorial stone on Mearley Moor. Within seconds of the ascent Math was paying for our fast start and Pudsey were slowly pulling us back. I knew if we were going to win this relay we’d have to make every second count and give our leg 3 runners the best possible start. Therefore instead of skipping off up the climb whilst Math suffered, I dropped back and helped to push him up the steep section with a series of very hard efforts. I think it made a big difference because we managed to extend our lead just enough to descend out of sight to checkpoint 5.

Pictured above: The climb to the Memorial stone, checkpoint 4 to 5 (Photo credit to Adrian Nicholls http://anevent.co.uk)

From checkpoint 5 to Ogden Clough there was serious route choice. Follow the stream up the valley or climb up steeply to Black Hill and onto the fast runnable track at the top. I opted for the latter, still unsure whether it was the best choice. Had we been following anyone else at this point perhaps I may have chosen differently, but this was the way I’d decided to go after my recce so I had to play it safe.

As we began to climb I turned to see Graham and Joe descend down the wrong path and they were way off checkpoint 5. It would have been easy to turn a blind eye and let them struggle to find the right way but I’m a true sportsman and if I’m going to win then I’m going to win because I/we are the best on the day. I shouted to Graham and pointed him the right way. We’ve been friends a long time and I thought it was the right thing to do. Others reading this might disagree!

The climb up to the track seemed to take forever but I knew once we got there Math would find his running legs again and we could stride out to Ogden Clough. It was a relief when we finally made it and true to form he quickly lifted the pace.

Once we hit the top of Pendle Hill and checkpoint 8 we were back in full flow…

Pictured above: The descent from Pendle summit (Photo credit to Woodentops https://plus.google.com/photos/110439573756197443848/albums/6206906474650853409)

We flew down the descent and the run in to the finish almost felt effortless as I could hear the support from the crowds on our arrival to the finish.

Pictured above: The final 1km

I was happy we’d done our bit and I was even happier we’d manage to extend the lead with Dark Peak coming through in second place. As we handed over to Logie Bear and Daz on leg 3 we now had to pray the God of Nav would be kind to us and bring them home in contention.

Leg 3: Paired navigation leg

James Logue

The best orienteer in the club- given the huge responsibility of not getting lost on leg 3

Mr Serious

Doesn’t like losing or making mistakes.

In charge of shouting at everyone else in the team

Darren Kay

Most colour co-ordinated, fashion conscious man in fell running

Owns 25 pairs of different coloured Oakley sunglasses just in case he switches clubs again

Owns shares in Costa coffee

Loves to win, hates to lose. Argumentative, judgemental and not afraid to say what he thinks.

Has battered himself into shape for the relays and reccied each leg at least 10 times

Now I’d love to provide commentary on what happened during leg 3 but in truth I’ve no idea. I don’t even know if half of the runners on leg 3 knew what happened on leg 3!

We were hopeful our lads would do the business but equally there was also a good chance they might murder each other halfway round. Logie Bear likes to take charge and let others follow his lead. Daz also likes to take charge and isn’t afraid of saying what he thinks. Pairing them together was a bold and daring move, I can only compare it to the time I dropped a couple of Mentos in a bottle of Coca Cola. It didn’t end well. Hopefully this would be different?

By the sounds of it the lead changed more times than Daz changes his sunglasses. There were tears of joy, tears of frustration and for everyone watching tears of relief when we saw the runners approaching the changover. In one of the closest fought relays in years, no fewer than 4 teams sprinted in together with Pudsey and Bramley leading the charge! Thankfully the red and white vests were just behind Horwich and Keswick which meant Karl Gray on Leg 4 was still within touching distance of the lead. That bad news was we all knew it would take an unbelievable effort for him to win.

Leg 4: Solo leg, 8K with 400m

Karl Gray

World V45 Master Mountain Running champion

3rd at Duddon (English Champs)

4th at Bradda Niarbyl (English Champs)

V45 Gold medal winner in the English Championships

Tallest of the 3 Calder Valley hobbits

Calder Valley legend

John Heneghan (P&B) led the race out, followed by Sam Stead (Keswick), Jonathan Bruton (Horwich) and Karl Gray (CVFR).

There was much debate over who would take the win once these first 4 runners passed us on the first climb. There was also much doubt as to whether Karl could do the business, he was chasing the first 3 right from the start.

Pictured above: Karl climbing to the summit of Pendle Hill (Photo credit to http://fellephant.com)

I never doubted him for a minute. He’s in superb form and I knew no one would be able to match his speed on the descents. Despite my confidence it certainly didn’t stop me from being nervous!

We watched, we waited, we guessed, we prayed and we hoped. Eventually a figure emerged in the distance. It wasn’t clear at first but then another appeared and another behind them. They quickly disappeared behind the line of trees in front of us and when they finally emerged it was Karl who was now leading the race. We couldn’t believe it!!! (well I wasn’t surprised – just VERY relieved!).

Pictured above: King Karl at the finish of the ‘glory’ leg

It was an amazing feeling and one we’ve all been waiting for for a very long time. I still can’t quite believe we’ve done it. Team gold in the relays now proves we are officially the best team in Britain! It was close and it could’ve easily been a very different result had something gone wrong but the main thing is we’ve done it! Worth all the training and certainly worth the wait.

To add to our achievement our Calder Valley women also made the podium with a superb 2nd place!!! Well done ladies!!!

Pictured above: The victorious CVFR men’s team and the CVFR women’s team

I was also really pleased to see Pudsey & Bramley in 2^nd, they’ve enjoyed a revival this season and it shows they’re back as a major force in fell running. Dark Peak rounded off the medals making it a clean sweep for the Yorkshire teams. Keswick unfortunately just missed out on a top 3 but they won’t be too disappointed I’m sure. I’ve no doubt 2016 will be a big year for them and apart from Phil Winskill 😉 they’re a relatively young team with bags of potential.

I also need to take this opportunity to thank Clayton Le Moors Harriers and everyone involved in organising and making the relay such a brilliant and memorable event. You all did an outstanding job!

http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2015/BritishFellRelay/fell_relay_relayoverall.html

https://www.strava.com/activities/414947984

Pictured above: The prestigious winners shield and my team gold medal

So what’s next for me?

….Morbegno, Italy for the Trofeo Vanoni Relay with Tom Adams and Rob Hope (Snowdon GB team).

I’ve got my fingers crossed there’ll be even more to celebrate this year!

http://www.gscsimorbegno.altervista.org/Trofeo%20Vanoni.htm

Pictured above: The Snowdon GB team vest

“You lot are bloody useless. You can get 8 runners in the top 10 of the English Champs and we usually have 1. You’ve been beaten by a bunch of old men”. 

Scoffer (4^th October 2015)

Nobody can quite sum up a bad day at the office like Borrowdale legend Andrew ‘Scoffer’ Schofield. Harsh words but very true.

We (Calder Valley) were beaten convincingly (yet again!) in the Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay, by an 8 man Borrowdale team with an average age of about 45. After all the build up, all the hype and all the expectation I can’t help but feel extremely disappointed and very deflated.

For the last decade the top fell clubs have all been muttering ‘this is our year’ and year after year the men in purple have always delivered the goods.

The thing about the IHMR is that you need to be consistently good over all 4 legs. You can’t afford to make mistakes, you can’t afford to be ill and you can’t afford to get lost in the mist. Everything needs to go well, your runners have to be well matched and you need to have the right pairs on the right legs. Borrowdale are rarely the fastest team on paper but they’re by far the smartest club and they know how to win. They don’t make mistakes. You have to admire and respect them, it’s as simple as that. More importantly you have to respect the race. It’s the toughest relay in the country for a very good reason.

So where did it all go wrong?

It’s always easy to point the finger at people but the answer is we just simply weren’t good enough as a team. Plus a number of other clubs like Keswick, who finished 2^nd, massively raised their game this year and the competition was as good as it’s ever been. I was particularly pleased for Keswick as my good mate Phil Winskill had a storming run on leg 2 with Mark Lamb and Carl Bell and Steve Hebblethwaite were a class act on leg 4. Extra kudos for Carl as he’s been plagued by injury for the last 18 months and we all know he’s a very special talent. It’s great to see him back running and competing at the business end of races.

Phil Winskill also provided the highlight of the day by donning the most outrageous yellow shorts I’ve ever seen and coupled with a pair of leopard print boxer shorts. He’s the only man in fell running capable of pulling off this look.

Pictured above: Phil Winskill and ‘those shorts’. The Ian Hodgson relay 2015 summed up in 1 photo.

In truth we were always going to be chasing the race after leg 1. Jason Williams paid the price for racing the road relays the day before and we then had nearly a minute to make up on the first pair. Tim Ellis had also been struggling with a cold for the last couple of weeks and unfortunately he and Math Roberts finished leg 2 a few minutes down on the top 3 teams, Dark Peak, Borrowdale and Keswick. In stepped Daz Kay to save the day with Gav Mulholland on leg 3 and they managed to claw back some time on the front lads to set up a titanic battle on leg 4.

The evergreen Davies brothers set off 1^st for Borrowdale knowing that they would have to run an excellent leg to protect the 3 minute or so lead they had after the changeover. Next went Dark Peak with Neil Northrop and Dave Taylor, before we set off in tandem with Carl Bell and Steve Hebblethwaite for Keswick. I led out the chase to the first checkpoint and set a very quick pace. It was clear from the start it was going to be a sufferfest as we raced hard and attacked the climb, looking to claw back some time on the other teams. Interestingly all four of the top teams took a different route to Hart Crag and when we reached the summit Keswick had appeared to run the better line, or just ran faster, probably a bit of both if I’m honest. Karl worked his socks off on the ascent but he was in a world of pain and by this point we’d already lost too much time to Keswick and realistically we were running for third place.

We reached Hart Crag just in front of Dark Peak and from there we pushed on and ran the fastest split of the day to the summit of St Sunday Crag. In between these two peaks lies Fairfield and the descent to the bottom of St Sunday requires some serious route choice. We appear to be one of the few teams who chooses to take the most direct line over the treacherous Cofa Pike. For anyone who’s unfamiliar with this big lump of Lakeland rock, it’s extremely dangerous to run down at pace but if you can descend fearlessly and over very challenging terrain then I still believe it’s the quickest route. The alternative is to drop down to the left of it from Fairfield, avoid it completely and traverse round to avoid risking a potential leg break. It’s slightly longer in distance but better if you’re not confident at descending.

Pictured above: Cofa Pike with St Sunday Crag in the distance

From here we climbed strongly to the summit of St Sunday but poor route choice from the top of the final descent cost us some valuable time. By this point Keswick were too far ahead to catch and Borrowdale were completely out of sight. But we were never going to casually trot down the final descent as Karl had had a bet with Ted Mason over who would get a faster time from the summit to the finish. In the end were the comfortable winners of the bet and Ted still owes us both a beer. A Yorkshireman never forgets so come the FRA dinner I’ll be following him to the bar and reminding him ;-). Perhaps we could go double or quits at the FRA relays in a couple of week’s time?

Strava | Results

Despite not winning it was still a cracking day out on the fells as it always is. This relay never fails to disappoint and it’s a shame we’re going to have to wait another 12 months to do it all again. Until then I’ll have to continue to dream about a Calder Valley win.

Maybe next year we can break Borrowdale’s purple patch?

Easier said than done!

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