Race Report: The Wrekin Wrecker 20/11/2011
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| John and the invisible man tackle the Wrekin together. |
I am told that the Wrekin is a very distinctive hill which dominates the views of mid Shropshire near the town of Telford. However, on Sunday 20 November, Chris, Mik, and I ran up and over this hill from several directions but, given the mist on that day, are unable to confirm this observation. Nevertheless, my aching legs do indicate that the hill is indeed ‘very distinctive’.
I met with Chris, Mik, Jill and Andre the dog at the Buckatree Hall Hotel, walked ½ mile to the start and set off on what appeared to be a jolly jog through the woods. At about 1 mile, I realised that there were some challenges, the first being the scree slope. This was not therugged scree of the Lake District; it was more soil and rocks on a very steep downhill slope. Mytechnique comprised ‘tree hugging’ – a method by which a sideways slide is periodically arrested by frantic grabbing at well placed trees. Others preferred the ‘bum slide’, a technique which could be improved with the aid of tea trays.
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| Chris emerges through the mist at the top of the Goaty |
The scree slope was fun but at nearly 3 miles things became much more serious. We turned abruptly upwards by a sign proclaiming ‘The Goaty’ and a race marshal who warned me not to look up. The sign was appropriate given that the climb was really only manageable by goats and, even then, goats less fit than those from the Kenyan Olympic goat team might have struggled. It seemed to take forever and I only managed to reach the summit after a few rests (hanging on to trees again).
We finally reached a trig point, went down the other side then looped back to the trig point for a second time. Apparently this is a local beauty spot with majestic views. However, due to the mist, we were not to know; in fact on hearing a marshal shouting directions I had to reply with “where are you?” The truth is that despite the misty conditions, navigation was not an issue due to the excellent marshalling and patches of sawdust laid to mark the track.
Mik and Chris finished long before I did, however, the club member (and dog) who surprised me most was Jill: although a non-competitor, she must have put in an exceptional amount of training to pop-up at so many places along the route.
Back at the hotel we were supplied with free sandwiches, chip butties and coffee; a good end to an excellent day’s fell running.
The entry fee of £7 also included a bottle of water, jelly babies, a buff and a technical vest!
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| The course profile according to John's Garmin |
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| Perceived effort profile according to John's Heartrate! |
For more information visit the website.
John