Tally-Ho! are not a competitive club although they do run two ‘races’ a year: The Championship and The Steeplechase. Today’s race was the former. It’s been at the same venue, the Boars Head in Poynton, and is roughly the same route each year – around 6 miles, for as long as I’ve been a member.
At approximately 2.15pm the 16 rufty-tufty runner set-off up a stiff uphill pull into Lyme Park in cold but bright conditions – good for cross-country running. Although the route is nearly always nearly the same each year, a sawdust trail is still laid – we’re old a and prone to forgetfulness…..and one year the route just may change a bit too much.
I chose to run with Terribly Fast Whitworth, we had things to chat about whilst we tore round the trail and he’s very good company. We take this sort of running (almost) seriously.
McHarry, holding on to 3rd place
Fast Taylor being chased by Eastwood and (I think) Young Ruddock
The running surface is best described as ‘variable’: everything from tarmac (lethal when icy, as this route often is) to boggy and squelchy.
The winner, Stanton the musical, came in at around 43 minutes (I think), the rest of the field were nicely spread out. Terribly Fast Whitworth and I were rather grateful to have the benefit of a reasonable handicap. I’ll say no more.
Nice hot showers are an attraction of this run, we have the use of the local football team’s changing rooms. The other attraction is that it’s the Club’s Christmas dinner, turkey with all the frilly bits, followed by Christmas pudding. Very nice too.
The various prizes are presented after dinner and the Hon Pres has to deliver his Christmas Speech – think of the Queen’s Christmas Speech. Well it’s nothing like that.
Pleasantries dealt with, we all left the venue tired and very full. That’s the runners who were tired and very full, not the venue. Although it might have been. It’s nearly Christmas after all.
Wonderful JJ, what fun!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I did a lot of fell running on my own (no longer after knee ops etc), but I only entered one FRA race. It was only a few miles, straight up and down a hill somewhere in north Lancs, can't remember where now. I think it was the most physical thing I have ever done. I felt compelled, through macho male egotism to drive myself to the point where limbs were like jelly, lungs seemed to have turned themselves inside out, and I was actually puking up, all through the fear of not being last. Out of about fifty starters I think there were probably half a dozen behind me at the end - never again!
ReplyDeleteI've done a couple of FRA races, it's a completely different 'scene' to road racing and quite a lot of fun. The last time I did a Fell Race I broke my R ankle....but I finished!
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