Yetholm Hill Race 2006

I'm quite evangelical about this race. I love it, and not only because the start is within a short bike-ride of Chateau Rodwell. The course is a marvellously runnable roller-coaster on mainly smooth well-trodden tracks, with the first half following the Pennine Way from its northern end at Halterburn head. I've a bit of a chequered history in the race, with my fastest outing of 1:06 in 2003 good enough for 6th place (behind Johnny Brooks' course record of 1:02. A year later I plodded around six minutes slower but managed to win, and last year I ran injured and had a shocker, not even bothering to note my time or position. A few seconds in front of Jill Mykura was all that mattered on the day!

Preparation this year had gone perfectly, with a spin around the Boat Race with Crispin a fortnight ago confirming that I was in reasonable nick. By plaguing all and sundry to come and do the race, I'd managed to persuade a clutch from both of my clubs down, and had the quandary of which vest to wear. The fact that Westies had a full team of Steffen, Blair (freshly scrubbed and shaven and damn-near unrecognisable) and Drew swung it, and Gala Harriers had to do without my services.

I was accompanied on the first climb by Ian Wellock of HBT, who seemed to be running well within himself, and when he effortlessly eased away from me on the first short descent I realised that I was going to have my work cut out to stay with him. I caught him almost immediately on a sharp climb and gradually pulled away on the gorgeous gently rising next couple of miles. The highest point of the course in the summit of the Curr, where I had a 2-minute lead, but this is immediately followed by a long rough descent, where I was convinced he'd come hurtling past. He didn't, but I was concentrating too hard to take stock, and put my head down and ran pretty hard for the very uppy-downy last few miles.

The final descent is a real sod. Neither hugely long not particularly steep, but trodden to deep ruts and baked rock-hard. I picked my way down like a southern poof (no offence Nige) and finished in 1:10:17. Ian trundled in a shade under five minutes later. Steffen was next Westie home, followed by Blair, Drew and Pauline. Afraid I don't know any times, as I was too hot and shagged to focus on the results board, but I do know that Westies won the men's team prize and that I've put my back out, staggering under the weight of the mountain of booze stumped up by the munificent Mr. Hastings, a local estate agent. Lang may his lum reek and his cattle grow plump.

Many thanks to the Westies contingent for making the trip in favour of the distant Scolty.

Posted by Damon Rodwell on Sun 4 Jun 2006 | 2 comments

Category races