My Triathlon Journey

I came back to Settle, in Yorkshire, for my second time at English Schools Fell Running Champs, finishing 2nd last year and seeing what I could do this time.

I was in the same age-group as last year with the same course too. This year’s weather was pretty wet, especially towards the end, so was a bit more of a challenge in certain aspects but I managed to put out a strong race.

Race

I’ll go straight to the race and how things went and kind of panned out. The start was fine and I got away to the front, and actually ended up going in a two-person group at the front, from about 200m in which lasted basically the whole race, with last year’s winner. The gap extended gradually to the rest and after the more cross-country x fell fields, where the stream crossing and boulder climb were, I managed to stay with the front and not let him get away as the pace pushed on.

The fell (and quarry climb)

After the rolling fields we went into a downhill into the climb up the fell. I felt a lot better up the fell than last year and we were still together at the top by the rocky climb round the quarry, which lead to the cairn turn-around point, at the top. On the way back down, through the same rocky descent we came up, the rain had made the rocks really wet and with people behind coming up, it meant following and finding a good line quickly, so a gap didn’t stretch.

Down the Fell

Shortly after the rocky descent, it flattened out for a couple hundred metres, before a small grass climb into the steep downhill to the finish at the bottom, where it was narrow and mainly singletrack in places. I attacked just before the small hill and fully committed on the descent with around a minute and a half or less to go. I managed to hold the lead and came across the finish first, with a 10 second lead after 23 minutes and 18 seconds of close racing and I set a new course record too! It was a great race with an attack well-executed to get my first English Schools title and run a lot quicker than last year despite wetter conditions.

I move up a category next year, so if it’s here again a bit of a longer course, and a older category. But now cross country season is beginning to start, with the county xc relays having already happened. My team finished 1st so it’s a good opener to the season of rain and mud ahead.

📷 – woodentops.org