A trip up to North Yorkshire and to the lovely village of Ripley to celebrate my birthday by running the Guy Fawkes 10 mile road race was greeted with fantastic autumnal sunshine.
Hosted by Nidd Valley Road Runners and supported by Up & Running, the Guy Fawkes race is a famously super hilly course taking in the stunning countryside of Nidderdale. The race starts and finishes in the grounds of Ripley Castle, which has been the home to the Ingleby family for twenty six generations, dating back 700 years.
The hilly route boasts in a total ascent of over 1100ft and has three climbs of note quirkily named ‘Birstwith Brute’ Swincliffe Swine’ and ‘For Fawkes Sake’ with the route up to the finish being newly named ‘Hollybank Hell’. A really well organised race with fantastic support along the way with most of the route being on lovely quiet country lanes, a race thoroughly recommended.
Finishers were rewarded with the famous goodie bag containing Yorkshire Tea and a array of chocolates and a long sleeve technical t-shirt, followed by homemade vegetable & lentil soup in the village hall HQ. Representing MAC and fuelled on Black Sheep Beer I managed to squeeze inside the top 10 and just broke inside the hour mark taking 1st Vet 40 prize.
Winner – James Eaton – Tadcaster Harriers – 56.10
Female Winner – Jemima Elgood – Leeds AC – 1.04.04
Luke Beresford – Matlock Ac – 7th – 59.51
