Untitled - Dark Peak Fell Runners

Summer 2004
Donard-Commedagh Race : 3 April 2004
British Championship(l).
AM.6.8ml, 3300ft.
Donard Cornmedagh - A weekend to remember!
This definitely goes down in my fell running top 10. Why? Well, firstly the race was
brilliant, secondly we got the women's team prize and last but not least it was a great
social event.
As we sat in a traffic jam on the Ml at 5pm Friday evening we began to ask ourselves
why we were going all the way to Ireland for a 6.8 mile fell race. Once checked in at
E Midlands this question was soon answered as we meet up with the rest of the crowd
and the weekend's entertainment commenced!
Various types of accommodation had been arranged from B&B to YHA to green scout
tents at the YMCA (nice one Phil!). Saturday morning the weather was still looking a
bit grim, about 20 minutes before the start the heavens opened and the hills
disappeared. Unbelievably by noon it was sunny again and most people had finished
before the next downpour.
The race starts from sea level and climbs straight up to the top of Slieve Donard 2000ft
in 2km, just the sort of thing I love! Part way up 1 caught Karen, we pushed each other
to the top and ran across the plateau together (one of the few flat bits of running on this
course). The views were stunning and I knew we were well placed, but in the words of
Malcolm Patterson it's a game of two halves and what goes up must come down.
Determined not to waste all the effort I had put into the climb I decided to try to keep
with Karen as long as possible as the first descent is "only" 900ft down to a saddle
followed by another 600ft climb. Amazingly only a couple of men passed me on this
first descent but there was worse to come.
From the top of Commedagh you have to drop right back down to sea level, no path
just wet slippery uneven terrain, the view out to sea was fantastic but for once I tried to
concentrate on running instead of admiring it!
I got almost back to the trees before Tony Keddie came hurtling past me, and entered
the forest thinking I was safe as the route usually follows forest tracks, but that would
have been too simple. The torture continued down narrow muddy paths crossed by
slippery tree roots, I went over on my ankle 4 times in the space of a minute and each
time the pain and language got worse! They finally allowed us the last 200 yards on a
forest track and I was delighted to have made the finish without any women passing
me and in 8 th
place probably one of my best ever results.
It was a fantastic effort from the women's team of Karen, Philippa, Helen T and Hilary
(and Ann who was there but sadly couldn't run because she was ill) to get so many of
us there, and we were rewarded by wining the team prize. As ever there was strong
competition in the men's race and DPFR got an excellent 4 th
with Tim Austin making
the top ten.
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