|
Saturday saw six Striders getting some serious hill training under their belt when they took part in this year's Coniston 14 - a lap around the infamous lake where Donald Campbell lost control during a water-speed record attempt just over 40 years ago. Although our Striders didn't break any records, they all set PB's for a 14-mile race (because most hadn't done a 14-miler before), and at least one was on the ragged edge of control during the downhill stretches!
Billed as 'undulating/hilly' and re-assured by Mike when he said 'I can't remember any hills', most of us were expecting a pleasant race around the lakeshore. How wrong we were! Fortunately, Friday evening's excursion from the guesthouse to Torver in search of sustenance gave a glimpse to the challenge ahead. It was just a glimpse though because our only torch was low on batteries, and it's really dark where there aren't any streetlights. Fortunately, Alistair was prepared for this. 'Chelle would have been fine if we were stuck in an eighteen foot snowdrift because she'd brought the biggest, downiest (and really heavy) coat to wear. Brookesy had the maps, Helen had the drugs (highest pharmaceutical grade codeine, of course) and Mike had the shades. We were obviously a well-organised team. They say that you can take the boy out of the north but you can't take the north out of the boy - after acting as translator (knowing where to put t'apostrophes in t'sentences) Brookesy was happy to find that not only was the black pudding very black, but it was battered and deep-fried too. Saturday dawned with sunshine - a rare but welcome event in the Lake District. (You don't get lakes without the rain to fill them). It was so warm that the Spa Striders vests were worn. Brookesy had to radically alter his pre-race fuelling strategy of fried bread and black pudding because it was too early and everyone else was having a 'Continental' breakfast. However, this set-back was soon remedied by a chunk of sticky ginger cake twenty minutes before the start. From the village of Coniston, the race heads through Torver, gaining seventy metres in height. That doesn't sound like a lot, but somehow it seemed to consist of climbing steeply for twenty before descending steeply down nineteen, seventy times. Tractors and caravans aren't used to being held up, but a tsunami of a thousand runners brought the roads to a stop. The summit by the Land Rover garage made the ascent worthwhile. Those brave enough to unleash the potential of gravity had a fantastic time scaring the more timid runners downhill. Brookesy found that five minute-miling is physically possible, and shot past 'Chelle and Helen at mile four. However, things flattened out at mile six, and they breezed past him just after the first water station at mile six. Mike and Paul were well out in front by this time, although holding back just a little bit to ensure that they tanned evenly under the noon sun. Heading north past Nibthwaite on the east shore of Lake Coniston presented views of great beauty. Fortunately, even more hills helped to slow us down so that we could really take them in. Mile twelve saw another big uphill push in the race, followed by a gravity-assisted boost before heading back into Coniston village and the finish line. Striders results: 32nd Mike Ellis 1:27:25 34th Paul Robertson 1:27:49 (and 2nd MV45) 403rd Helen Audrain 1:49:20 408th Michelle Clements 1:49:24 535th Richard Brookes 1:53:57 633rd Alistair McIvor 1:57:50 After this, it was time to shower and explore the Lakes. So we joined all the other tourists and went to Windermere for the afternoon. We returned to Coniston for a few drinks and an evening meal, thinking that a taxi would be able to take us back to Torver. We came to the conclusion that there is a market for a taxi in Coniston! The date for the 2008 Coniston 14 Road Race is set for Saturday 5th April.
See you there! http://www.coniston14.co.uk/ |
Race 
