7th October A commotion up at Curbar.


Surely a mix of common sense and science says that having been running more regularly, for longer distances and at a pace that means I can 'just hang on' to the other runners in the group for the past few months, come race day I would be able to put in a better performance. Think again.

Today was the Curbar Commotion, a 10 mile fell race, run our the back of Cliff College and up onto Curbar Edge. It's a race I have done 4 times in the past, despite vowing never to do it again everytime I have run it. Today I was back for more, on what was supposed to be a gloriously sunny day but one that turned out to be more hot and humid.

With some 284 runners in the field it was a relief to discover that by the time we reached the first style, after a short sharp hill climb, there was still a good 20-30 or so people behind me. That didn't last long and by some 35 mins later when we emerged from yet another climb up onto 'the Edge' itself I was already running on rubber legs with a further 7 miles still to go as the people formely behind me overtook me one by one.

But better safe than steady as I ran past one runner who had obviously taken a tumble for the worst and was being seen to by several other concerned runners who were trying to alert the course marshalls and a rescue team! 

It was at times a hard slog, being at just over 10 miles a Category B fell run, with 1,371 ft of elevation, so not the easiest one to tackle, especially given the rocks, the roots, the gravel, the heather, the mud, the peat bogs and the cow pats. And I haven't even mentioned the killer hill between mile 8 and 9 which provided a real sting in the tail.

And off course I could blame all those things for running a personal worst time for the event but that would just be clutching at straws for excuses. It just wasn't my day.

 

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