Tuesday 10 July 2012

Dockray and Dodds

A real bonus race, a mid week AM in the Lakes. A nice, almost horseshoe sort of route on an evening that really required some navigation. A 7pm start with cloud hanging over the Dodds so I ran with a map and thumb compass in hand. A good job too. I wasn't at all worried about pressing on and was, for once, ignoring my position. Despite going confidently alone to the top I hadn't quite marked up my map properly and so had a slight detour in the clag. I won't detail all the route but will say that the only time I followed someone, an Eden runner who seemed very certain, we went quickly wrong. I abandoned that group and made my own way. I took my own lines with no local knowledge, nearly missed the last checkpoint and had to double back a bit. Something I'm pretty sure a large number of the field didn't do but never mind! Did lead a small group from the last CP to the finish, one of who paid me back by sprinting in before me! Never mind! Came in mid field and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will have a lasting memory of a lovely sweeping descent out of the clag and several runners going in different directions and others zig zagging! I'll also remember the sight of Paul, who drove there and back, arriving in last having got seriously lost for over an hour! Great race but the after midnight return home might put me off.

4 comments:

  1. On behalf of the eden runner I apologize ;-)

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  2. No problem Stu. It was Steve Bennett I think. We had a good laugh about it afterwards and he did finish before me!

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  3. haha brilliant!!

    thats my big running mate and I often rib him bout his navigational snout!!

    I am goon enjoy ribbing him about this - priceless :-))

    I have added you to my bloglist if thats ok?

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