The main prizes will be given on a cumulative basis with a Grand Prix Prize awarded to THE CHAMP who does best over the three races. There will be smaller awards to the winners of each individual event.

TTT 2008

Wharfedale TTTs - Tarmac, Trail and Tussock or Trying, Testing and Terrible Sheep?

Kettlewell, North Yorkshire, 4th / 5th /6th July 2008 - a Novice’s Perspective

I’ve read "Feet in the Clouds" and the first chapter springs to mind...

The weekend weather started promising enough, putting our tents up on the Friday afternoon in glorious sunshine at one of the most beautiful spots in Britain.

We’d planned the Friday evening race tactically, depositing cars at the top of the hill to ensure that after the race, we didn’t have to run back down, could attend prize giving and have time for dinner before the pubs stopped serving food. Due to the 2.5 miles of relentless hill, it was one of those races where you ask yourself why you run. However, the prospect of missing dinner spurred us on.
It was at the top that I discovered that a sheep (we found wool as evidence) had fancied itself (or not as the case may be) in the reflection of my shiny red car. The guilty beast had proceeded to head butt a surprisingly impressive regular pattern of dents all the way down the side. Philosophically, I decided that the moral of the story is to either to leave the car at home or leave it unwashed.

The next day, weather-wise, did not start promising. It poured! And it was the biggy - 12.5 miles of trail, tussock and bogs. I started with some trepidation as it was the first time that I’d tackled something this big. It all started swimmingly (literally), until we ascended into the mist. Needless to say a momentary lapse of concentration and we were hopelessly lost. After what seemed to be an eternity, we found a reference point, adjusted the compass and made our way to the summit of Great Whernside. There we were very glad to find the extremely wet and huddling form of the marshal (thank you!) who forthwith pointed us in the right direction to the next set of marshals further along the ridge. These were the lovely Cambridge Harriers - from Kent of course (it was never explained). From there, after collecting other randomly lost runners, we made it down to a marshal shaped yellow tent. A hand appeared to collect our tags, along with an offer of a swig from a hip flask, and we were on our way. From then on, things improved and a motley crew navigated its way down to the finish in, I might add, eventual glorious sunshine. There I was glad to hear that even the winner, Ian Holmes, had admitted to getting at least a little bit lost.

Later that night, in one of the best pubs in Britain, we asked ourselves, would we do it again. The answer was a resounding yes, although the hero marshals might well be thinking differently after waiting so long for us in such testing conditions.

Day 3, weather-wise true to form, did not start promisingly. However this was the short one; a sharp uphill and a sprint down, and it was all over. The big tent protected us from the crowning downpour that accompanied the good humoured prize giving.

After finishing all three races and my first ‘AM’ race, I now feel I can call myself a proper fell runner. Despite coming last in the Grand Prix (to qualify you need to complete all three races), I still managed to bag the 2nd F35-45 prize.
So unless you’re female and in the F35-45 age category (only kidding), I hope to see you all next year at a fantastic running weekend... And if anyone spots a sheep with red tipped horns, roaming around Kettlewell... it’s next years dinner!

Lisa Spencer