From Bob Hamilton…
I thought I’d given up on this lark some ten years or so ago. Increasingly achy knees had steered me towards cycling over running long distances. On the bike, I could still have all day adventures of the kind I once enjoyed on the fells. It satisfied the buzz I craved. Apart from a couple of non-competitive trots around the Langdale Fell Race, taking pictures along the way, I restricted myself to the odd short local race, run more for a sense of nostalgia and the craic than anything else. But then, at the beginning of lockdown, eldest son Forrest started to acquire a real taste for running and having his own long adventures.
Playing a more strategic game than I was ever prepared to do, he’s got into the science of it all. My traditional regime was one of just slapping on the tatty trainers and going off for as long a run each day as I could get away with, as dictated by work and family commitments. Forrest has applied himself to schedules and proper conditioning and diet, strength and speed training, while also paying close attention to proper rest and recovery. Rest was for wimps in my day. I was forever picking up niggles and at least one serious injury a year!
As I’ve got older it’s become obvious that I can’t abuse my body as much as I once did. I’m lucky enough that not too many things have fallen off, but I can’t take it for granted that they won’t in the future if I’m not careful. I’m learning from Forrest, which is pretty cool. I’m trying to be less impulsive and more scientific about my own training and racing. It’s a long time since I’ve considered doing a race as brutal as this one. Forrest needed to get a ‘Long A’ under his belt as qualification to enter a few of the classic Lakeland races next year. I was happy to go along for the ride, preparing myself with a weekend in the Lakes and lots of rest.
On the day, I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the racing and how well the legs held up. That said, five days on, they’ve still not come back to life, a sign that I didn’t leave much on the fell – which is how it should be, of course. Dead proud of my boy too. He’s cracked the descending part of racing. If he can crack the climbing part too, he’s destined to have a lot of fun on the fells. He’s going to give it a damn good shot, that’s for sure.
From Alison Weston…
There was a strong Harriers turnout and plenty of excellent performances at the tough Tour of Pendle fell race, one of the original 50 FRA races.
It’s 27km, with six ascents from different directions of Pendle Hill, which totals nearly 1500m of climbing.
The results often take a little while to appear but Forrest Hamilton led home the Harriers in a superb 2:51 for 34th place, with his dad Bob possibly taking the MV65 prize while Kate Archer was third LV40.
(1 2.20.38 Harry Bolton, Keswick AC)
34 2.51.35 Forrest Hamilton
53 3.00.29 Dave Robson
74 3.08.05 Kate Archer 3rd LV40
175 3.29.01 Fay Walsh
194 3.33.42 Bob Hamilton 1st MV65
195 3.33.59 Paul Calderbank
216 3.41.53 Alison Weston 3rd LV55
280 4.00.18 Chantal Busby
308 4.17.14 Adela Reperecki 3rd LV60
325 4.34.00 Rebecca White