Trunce 1

Last year in my new infatuation with fell running, I managed to run Trunce 9 – the last of the 2010 series. In it I stoped through all of the river crossings and had a downhill sprint finish which I won. Afterwards, my team mate informed me that there’s extra points for the series if I beat m yPB so what I should’ve done was go slow that in my 2011 series I remarkably come up with a series of points-winning PDs. Tactically correct but really, not my style. Saving myself? What’s that?

Trunce 1 was, to say the least, busy. 2 long queues of those already registered and new runners stretched 1/3 way across the 10 ha field. I feigned a warm up with my legs still sore from the Newbury Duathlon and ran around the field. I tempered my clothing to the weather conditions – ¾ lengths and teeshirt and joined the near-back of the start field. I had a relaxed start what with the aching legs and as a result, queued for 2-3 minutes at the first gate. At the river crossings I decided my worn out legs didn’t need to be wet so I picked my way across the slippery stepping stones. I eventually found my running legs and started to pass those around me. At the deepest river crossing I again opted for the stepping stones only to pass a man wade-walking through the river, the water lapping above his knees. As onlookers shouted to him to cross further upstream. He caught me up, shivering away from the bank, his adrenaline connected and powering up the hill to warm-up after his drenching.

For the first time ever in a fell race, I managed to start overtaking people on the flat parts of the course which gave me a huge boost. To be fair, this might be because I started so far back. I passed a lot of people up the climb to the last km and when you’ve slogged past folks, hyperventilating, you really have to follow it up. Along the flat road a man passed me so I draughted him, running just off his right shoulder out of the wind. He was breathing quite heavily so I thought I’d be able to stick with him. Twice he relaxed a little and slowed down before attempting a break to attack. Twice I stayed with him. We turned onto the downhill and my draughting advantage was goneas we turned out of the wind and he was just going too slow so I stretched out my long legs and ran past him and 3 other people.

Then we hit the flat sprint out to the finish. I’d gone off too early and two of the guys including the one I’d drafted passed me into the finishing funnel. Not so bad though – 43:03 for a first fell race of the season compares with 42:42 despite the queue for the gate. Next time I’ll be starting a bit nearer the front.

23rd Female