As you may know, we are both fell runners and members of Glossopdale Harriers. Each September our club organises a race from Glossop up onto the wilds of the Bleaklow plateau, across featureless peat bog moor and back down to civilisation. This year Shelf Moor Fell Race took place on 7 September, starting at 11am.
In the run up to any event there is a whole list of jobs to be done, and in a fell race many of those fall to the responsibility of the Race Organiser. However, being a club organised event, on race day, and indeed the day before, there’s an army of helpers out to lend a helping hand.
Lynne joined in the ‘flagging party’ on Saturday afternoon and into early evening. The higher reaches of the race route were shrouded in low cloud so the job of placing flags at every junction and along the tiny paths to keep racers on the right route took on a real meaningful purpose (even though the forecast for race day was sunshine and no cloud).
This year, with Tim nursing a tender knee from a fall in a race the week prior (see TestedToDestruction for more about his fall) he opted out of hill jobs and took charge of data entry. Runner details to be entered on the spreadsheet at registration, then race times and finish positions afterwards. Plus the all important task of noting the winners in each category ready for the RO to announce their positions in prize giving.
With the runners lined up for the start, and the random kit checks complete, all that was left for Lynne was to join fellow club runner Andy so they could sweep the route. That’s not literal sweeping, fell runners tend to be tidy folk taking litter home. Sweeping here means ‘bringing up the rear’, ensuring no runners are off-course or injured. Exactly 100 raced, the route was swept, flags collected, marshals relieved of their posts, 2 pulled out and the other 98 runners completed the course.
Post race banter is always a good time to catch up with fellow club runners and others from around the region. Congratulations to all the winners, final results are on the club website: Glossopdale Harriers website.