BACKGROUND
This year was the third time Belper Harriers have entered teams into the only major UK fell relay event. It’s always mid October, always a rotating venue each year (rumoured next year to be Wharfedale), always teams of 6 with a short solo leg, long paired leg, long paired navigation leg ending in a medium solo leg and always great hard running and importantly great team spirit!
This year was no exception. Our first major obstacle was Storm Babet which was submerging Belper as we tried to escape in our cars Friday lunchtime with the A6 closed both south and north. Also scuppered was Rachel Duckworth who’s pre booked train from Bristol to Penrith just was not happening. Last minute texting, calling and leaning on friends nearly got us a full squad but in the end we settled with turning the ladies into a mixed team and asking Andy Young or Wyke to run a second time for our leg 4.
Team 1 Mixed : Rachel, Jo/Esther, Dan/Jan & Sarah
Team 2 Male Senior : Bruce, Wyke/Andy, Chris/Simon & Rob
Team 3 Vet : Rich, Ant/Paul, Alan/Mark, …
We were all booked into Buttermere hostel which was a truly wonderful location with us all enjoying star lit skies with no light pollution on the walks to and from the pubs. It really was a world away from Keswick in terms of it’s solitude and tranquility. We all arrived at varying times in full cars (we’d planned optimal lift sharing to maximise banter and minimise fuel impact) ranging from afternoon to 10pm.
RACE DAY
On the Saturday morning the race started at 11am so we headed over Newlands to the event centre in Braithwaite, met Jan who was as smiley as ever and promptly setup team HQ which was our pop up tent & team flag. Weather on the day was forecast to be very settled and so it turned out which is a good job as it would have devolved into a full on quagmire had it rained. Mens Captain Marcel was also along – he’s a very keen fell runner and multi competer at the fell relays so there was no way he was missing this despite only just having had knee surgery two weeks prior.
Leg 1 : Solo Short
Leg 2 : Paired, Long
Leg 3 : Paired, Nav, offpath
Leg 4 : Solo, Medium
There was so much excitement amongst us it was brilliant. Many of us were new to either the club, the event or in some cases BOTH! Warm welcomes to Bruce, Chris, Rob, Andy Young, Simon, Mark.
The event this year had a record turnout (refreshing to see when events seem to struggle) with 250 teams so 1500 runners.
This event is also unlike many relay races as it comprises easier legs mixed in with harder legs, so runners of all skills and abilities can compete in the same team – ACE.
LASTING MEMORIES
As the day progressed what really hit home is how much commitment everybody gave – many of us could barely talk and had to sit down on crossing the line into the download marquee!
All in all, the day passed extremely successfully for all of us. No Team 3 did not manage to field a full team so DNF’d but did that detract from it? Of course not! In fact it was only a few days later where I actually realised we didn’t complete – irrelevant when you’ve all had the best weekend away with running buddies! Of course, the day was topped off with a quick freshen up then all of us piling down to tour the local pubs (well both of them) with fantastic food, banter and memories we’ll always remember.
Here’s a few more photo’s many of which have mostly been purchased from the official photographer agranddayoutphotography, followed by a link to Wykeham’s write up of the event.
In the realm of British Fell and Hill Relay Championships, where the unforgiving terrain meets the indomitable spirit of runners, I had the honour of representing Belper Harriers. This annual athletic pilgrimage, a pinnacle of fell running, is a prestigious event that draws runners from across the nation. It stands as a testament to the prowess and achievements of those who have carved their names in the annals of fell running history. Our team was comprised of individuals who shared an unrelenting passion for the challenges presented by the British Fell and Hill Relay Championships held at Braithwaite, in the Lake District. Together, we were a force to be reckoned with, each member bringing their unique strengths to the collective effort. Leg one kicked off with Bruce Lacey, setting the tone for our team’s performance. His unwavering determination and focused approach paved the way for our journey.
Wykeham’s full writeup here
AND FINALLY…
…. and finally, a big shout out to Andy Paisley who due to personal circumstances couldn’t actually get to the event despite rounding and rousing all the troops – next year Andy for sure.