From Jeff Green…
Four Harriers ventured over to Calderdale to run in Todmorden Harriers’ Flower Scar Fell Race, despite the yellow weather warnings of snow and bog (bog forecast available to Met Office subscribers only!
Both forecasts proved pretty accurate as you can probably gather from the photo!
At least 3 out of the 4 of us were first-timers – so were grateful that the navigation sections of the race had been removed (due to previous storm damage and environmental concerns). It was also slightly shorter than usual – again, probably no bad thing given the conditions.
The first 2 miles or so of the race consisted of a steep and muddy climb, followed by fields and then moorland up to Flower Scar. Once over the top, there was a short downhill section into a headwind of stinging sleet before turning away from the wind onto a tussocky drag up to the high point of the race (geographically speaking) of around 440m. Past the wind turbines, it was then downhill for the next 2 miles: a bit of track, but mostly the tussocky, snowy, muddy, slippery, boggy kind of terrain that might put some people off fell running!
Having felt quite strong for most of the race, it was a bit disconcerting to start wheezing asthmatically up the last climb (I’ve never had asthma). Fortunately, it subsided on the final descent and some post-race symptom googling (never a good idea, I know) suggests it might be exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. If anyone else has experienced it – please let me know if I should see a doctor!
Catching sight of Oli again before the finish was never going to be a good sign – he’d sprained his ankle less than a mile from the finish when he was holding on to 3rd place. Alas, that packet of crumpets had slipped through his fingers. Likewise, I could almost taste the jar of Nutella that I had my eye on, but was pipped to the first M50 spot by 3 seconds.
The journey home was almost as eventful – a dodgy fuel-injector meant that we could only limp along in 2nd or 3rd gear for most of the way and we passed several cars that were stranded in the snow on Oxenhope and Cullingworth Moors. Fortunately, winter tyres were the day’s winners, getting us safely (if slowly) back to Wharfedale.
(1 65:13 Doni Clarke, Todmorden Harriers)
9 70:32 Jeff Green
21 74:08 Oli Murphy
102 89:06 Paul Disney
174 127.11 Mary Jeal
185 finished