Bob Foreman reports:
On an overcast and cooler Wednesday evening 185 runners took the start line at Hope Playing Fields for this years race of just over 6 miles and 1,440 feet. A loop of the field then out through the village, across the Edale Road, and under the railway bridges from the Cement Works where a train, travelling at tortoise speed, gave everyone’s eardrums a wake up with the horrible screeching of metal on metal.
Up the bridleway under Hope Brink to Wooler Knoll and then down into the forest over looking Ladybower Reservoir. The afternoons drizzle had made the surface slippery so care was required on descents. A right turn and then a lovely traversing forest track for around a mile before another right turn took us steeply uphill, firstly through trees and then on a single width heathery trod to the TP at Win Hill.
The playing fields finish could be seen but to get there a fast steep descent on a combination of footpath, muddy gullies, slippery grass and a horrible tarmac section before back across the Edale Road followed by a few fields and the finish funnel.
The race was won in a new record time of 39.09 by Joe Steward of Salford Harriers. The first lady and 5th overall was Phillipa Williams in 46.20.
For MAC, Bob Foreman was 61st and 1st M60 in 57.12, Matt Govan 94th in 1:02:21 and Dave Greatorex 114th in 1:05:45.
Another MAC putting in a magnificent performance was Nick Gant who was a major cog in the results collating department!
This is great local race with varied terrain , well organised and also EOD, which is nice.
I went up to collect my prize in the pavilion and selected a pair of gloves from the table of goodies. It turned out that they were not gloves but those silly socks with with separate toes. Doh!
