DARK PEAK NEWS - Dark Peak Fell Runners

Dark Peak News October 2007 page 19Ventnor Isle of Wight Series, Sat 22 - Sun 23 Sept.“Ahh, now there’s someone in famous colours” came the call from one of the lads ofLoughton AC. “Yeah and it’s the first time I’ve raced in ‘em,” I replied.Small groups of runners in colourful vests were standing around the entrance to theWinter Gardens, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, having just struggled up and hurtled down thehill on the St Boniface Fell Race, (AS 3m/775ft). It was my first fell race and I waspleased with my time at a shade over 24 minutes. But this was only the start of theweekend’s running. Later we would set off on the Ventnor Horseshoe, (BM 7m/1500),and on the following morning the Wroxall Round, (CL 13/1500).The series was the idea of Eddie Leal, one of the FRA founder members, and has takenplace for the past 10 years. It draws a field of around 100 for each of the races and thisyear 14 women and 66 men completed the entire series. The standard is good and thetimes on each of the runs are very respectable. Most of the clubs were from the south,but there was representation from Glossopdale Harriers, Dewsbury Road Runners,Clayton -Le-Moors and Holme Pierrepoint. Organisation for the event is in the hands ofthe Ventnor Fell Run Association, aided by Ryde Harriers.I was staying in Ventnor, at a BnB, with my training partner Ian Paintin who iscurrently unattached. We had a nice en-suite room with sea view. The trouble is Pax,(his nickname), does a great line in “Jazz” snoring, (you can’t doze off to its’ rhythm). Ihad slept poorly prior to day one and in the time between races I couldn’t doze to recover.My breathing was all wrong and I faced the second race with some nervousness.Back at the Winter Gardens we were soon off on the Ventnor Horseshoe, taking amore circuitous route up onto the Downs, then undulating near Wroxall before a flatsection on the old railway then a brutal climb onto Shanklin Down only to hurtle downSt Boniface again. By the 3pm start the sun was shining and it was warm.I felt OK going up. I fell in behind lines of other runners, walking, jogging and thenfinally breaking out into a run. But I couldn’t find a pace or rhythm and I began tostruggle. It’s at time like these that you fall back on your training, physical and mental.Mine had gone well through the summer and I told myself that all would be fine, justkeep at it. I was just having a bad day. At last the route found the old railway track andI was joined by other runners including Frank Makin of Holme Pierrepoint who was tobeat the M70 record in all three races. He introduced himself with a “Hello Dark Peak”and once again my morale was lifted by wearing the vest. The group of vets M40-70and a few of the girls made our way up the steps onto the Down and headed back toVentnor. We became strung out and I found myself in a little world of my own withrunners about 15 seconds ahead and behind.Back in Ventnor I came home in a disappointing 1:20:07, about 10 minutes downon what I expected. Up front, Dean Lacy of Cambridge Harriers had taken the recordagain, with 52:48, to go with his 17:02 in race one. Pax jogged home in 1:27:16 whichhe was pleased with, and we made our way back to our lodgings. I was shattered and notlooking forward to the next race.