This race fitted the marathon training plan of Week 12 which said for the Sunday long run "27km easy with 8 at marathon pace". I thought a 21km trail race would be a suitable alternative. Other attractive factors were it being a Martin Stone (he of LAMM fame) organised race. Also it had a relatively cheap entry price of £11. The only downside was the distance from Edinburgh, the race being on the edge of the Lake District, but the M74/M6 would help here.
Of course the British summer continued in the same vein of previous weekends and it was soaking. My drive south was a wet aquaplane to the junction at Penrith. Not far past Gretna, Martin sent a text to all runners to say the Lowther Show had been cancelled due to the weather, but the race was still on. The Lowther Show is an annual agricultural event in the grounds of Lowther Castle of which the race was one of the events.
I followed signs and marshall direction to the hard-standing car park where the usual running types were milling about. It was raining lightly with a reasonable breeze. A couple of minutes walk took me to the small white registration marquee where I collected my number and saw Martin doing his stuff. Back to the car to eat my lunch and tog up.
At 12:50 I headed back down to the tent where everyone was gathering in nervous groups. There were some VERY fit looking people there, with an air of experience about them. Hairy tanned legs, worn vests, tatty bumbags everywhere. Hardly any noobs as far as I could tell. Martin appeared with his obligatory megaphone and gave the race briefing. Of note was the 'proximity dibbers' we had all been issued with - no need to stick them in a box, just pass within 3metres of them and your time would be recorded.
The route had two compulsory checkpoints on the high ground which we had to pass. There was also a crossing of the River Lowther which normally is fordable, but today we were told to use the nearby suspension bridge. For safety reasons, Martin wanted us to walk the bridge, and the only way to enforce this was by stopping the clock at either end by getting runners to physically Dib.
At 13:00 he counted us down and we were careering under the archway of the castle onto some sodden grass running helter skelter towards the river where we turned left and joined a tarmac road heading towards the village of Askham. Over the old stone bridge across the River Lowther and then the big climb up to Heughscar Hill.
Although tough, it was a good way to separate out the field quickly and soon enough I was stuck on the heels of one grey haired guy who had a pleasantly relaxed gait. From the summit where we circled the cairn dibber (and it beeped), we headed south east across moorland (but still on paths) towards Butterwick. I managed to overtake the grey-hair as he stopped to grab a water at the 1st station on the minor road but he soon caught me up until he fell over crossing a small burn behind me.
At the suspension bridge I had overtaken two others and decided to use the wee hiatus to have a gel - somewhat tricky with a camera, dibber and gel in my paws. Soon after the bridge, we made the second big climb of the route which was a bit sloppy. I passed a female who was wearing those weird shoes that look like feet and have no grip. She was really struggling in the slippy mud.
Past a lovely limestone pavement with clints and grykes and eventually past the 2nd checkpoint before turning north and the long descent back towards the castle. The fields became a track which became a road and the pace just quickened all the while until I was averaging well below 4min/km pace slapping my feet on the tarmac. The only slowing was at the many cattle grids that had to be crossed.
With about 1km to go, the track turned gently uphill again and I was shocked (but not surprised) to see a finished runner jogging back along the track. He was young I suppose!
I was now officially knackered so struggled to keep the momentum up the hills. I walked the 'steeper' gradients of track, but made sure to run as soon as possible. There were some kind supporters cheering me in as I rounded the castle wall and under the archway. Up to the finish dibber and the tent where Martin welcomed me back, took my dibber and gave me my printout. 37th out of 37 finishers, 5th MV40. "Help yourself to a beer" he said waving me towards a table covered in bottles of 'Fuggles' beer. "Don't mind if I do."
I'd do that race again.
37 / 195 01:46:20 5th MV40.
A wee video :
Strava route:
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