Pennine Bridleway Relay today, which I put myself in for assuming someone thinner and faster would be available. Unlucky, fatty...
As I'd got leg 1 I was out of bed at 6:30 and had to pick Steve Weston up in Ilkley at 7. Spare room again then. We arrived at Waterfoot about 8, giving me time for a free brew and a bottle of water before a brief warm-up. Steve ran 1:21 at the Monkey last week, so I was expecting a very hard time today, and as I noticed a pace of 6:15 on the watch during the first (road) mile I was seriously worried.
However as we left the road and headed upwards I noticed Steve was initially struggling, then he was absent. I found myself waiting at a few gateways and seeing people pass us, so it was clear Steve was having One of Those Days. We've all had 'em, but on the top of Deerplay Moor we struggled to stay together as Steve was blowing hard.
He picked up a bit towards the bottom of the descent into Holmes Chapel, when we started to pass a few teams. At the top of the climb to the Long Causeway we had gained a few places, and we hit the finish a few minutes quicker than I was fearing in 1:14.
A quick shake of hands then I was back off down the hill, being suitably encouraging to those still climbing to the finish, then a tough climb back up Deerplay before the long, long descent (and interminable bloody gates) back down via Lumb to the Waterfoot, the car and a big pie.
17 miles, time irrelevant (2:34 if you insist, so a pace of 8:50) but good time on my feet and nearly 2,500' of ascent.
Grand day out, now I'm a fell runner...
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