[Photo credits: Dave Woodhead]
From Dan McKeown…
The Yorkshire Three Peaks Race returned to its customary late-April slot after a three-year hiatus and the occasion was marked with the kind of glorious Bank Holiday weather that makes you wish you’d packed more water and fewer base layers.
The race (for those who haven’t done it, or those who have but have successfully managed to suppress the memory) starts out of Horton, scoots straight up and down Pen-y-Ghent, lopes mostly along trail to Ribblehead, grinds its way up the eastern flank of Whernside, blunders down the treacherous steep paved section southwards, hauls its weary, battered husk up the rocky northern ascent of Ingleborough then falls over at the top and has to give itself a bit of a talking to, before starting the long, lonely trudge down the Dales High Way back to Horton, bereft of hope or humanity, its pride and shoes in tatters.
A baker’s dozen of hardy Harriers toed the start line, although Tom Adams was racing for the star-studded Inov-8 squad in a blow for the plucky Harriers team; to quote Moneyball: “Goliath, dissatisfied with his size advantage, has bought David’s sling.”
To Tom’s credit, he kept a share of the podium as far as the Hill Inn checkpoint before the last peak, but a tough section up Ingleborough saw him fall out of contention. Fellow Harrier Ruaridh Mon-Williams summited Ingleborough hot on Tom’s heels and delivered the coup de grâce on the way down, overtaking Tom for 8th place (3:06) and claiming the MU25 category win.
More silverware was to follow: Michael Odell finished 17th with a very well paced run, and brilliant efforts from Simon Bell and Jeff Green to finish in the top 40 meant that the Harriers quartet claimed the men’s team prize – a truly jaw-dropping achievement which was further gilded by the evergreen Jeff claiming the MV50 trophy.
(Sadly, I wasn’t able to get a good victory quote from Jeff as he’d come over a bit funny and was mumbling into his bean stew in the finish tent.)
Otherwise worthy of note: Dave Robson claimed a course PB, squeaking under four hours for the first time. Alison Weston completed her 21st Three Peaks Race (no overall victory as yet, but you can bet she’ll be back for another go next April). Also, ‘chapeau’ to Harriers’ Lanterne Rouge, Danny Thompson – a recent training accident meant he was a doubtful starter and an even more doubtful finisher given that he had to walk most of the downhill sections. Not only did he beat the cut-off at Hill Inn by a handful of minutes, he also participated in a sheep rescue on the way round the course. Commiserations to Becky who was just the other side of the Hill Inn deadline and would have stood every chance of besting the hapless Thompson on the remaining peak.
In the spirit of irony more than optimism, I’d booked Saturday evening in for Harriers Three Peaks Victory / McKeown birthday drinks, and I was more than a little flummoxed that we had actually won the race and I was having to share my pub table with a big blingy trophy. Not sure if I’ve developed some kind of fantastic race-determining powers but if anyone wants me to bless their running shoes, bring them round.
(Also, if the Inov-8 team would like to further stack their hand for next year, my services are available – for a nominal fee, of course.)
8th Ruaridh Mon-Williams 03:06:19 (1st MU25)
9th Tom Adams (Inov-8) 03:08:54
17th Michael Odell 03:27:00
32nd Simon Bell 03:39:30
37th Jeff Green 03:43:12 (1st MV50)
81st Dave Robson 03:59:50
82nd Daniel McKeown 04:01:37
208th Dick Waddington 04:37:45
248th Peter Roll 04:46:50
313th Alison Weston 05:01:43
354th Sacha Jones 05:15:40
379th Danny Thompson 05:27:54
[Retired] Becky White 03:35:10 (at Hill Inn checkpoint)