Guisborough Three Tops

Sunday, October 28, 2012

AM / 9M / 1800'

Aaron Gourley and Barbara Dick

Aaron Gourley …

In many years to come, in the home for knackered runners I’ll be sat in my wheelchair, knees shot to pieces, regaling tales of former glories …

“Bloody tough were them races organised by Esk Valley Fell Club.”

“Great races they were, though. Guisborough 3 Tops was a particularly special race.”

Mike at the trig point.
photo courtesy and © David Aspin

“Six of us were there that day. 28th October 2012 it was. Jan, Shaun, Mike, Phil, Barbara and me. The usual suspects, you know.”

“A beautifully scenic run it was. Through woodland of pines and larches with extensive patches of broadleaves which were an explosion of autumnal colour.”

“October’s a fantastic month for trail running; you should give it a go.”

“Off you went up a steep climb that brought you out onto the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors at Highcliff Nab with its views north over Teesside and Co. Durham and the coast overlooking the North Sea. Fantastic it was. Not many races give you views like that!”

“But we were heading west following the Cleveland Way which led to the real jewel in the crown of this race; Roseberry Topping. My favourite place, you know.”

“Bloody tough going up. Stands at 1,049ft! No time to hang around enjoying the panorama though, this was a race and I’d spotted Shaun heading back in the opposite direction.”

“Faster than me by a long way, he was. How am I this close to him today? Either I’m running very well or he’s chilling out, I thought?” [Small matter of Saturday’s cross-country, perhaps?? And/or you were running very well … Ed.]

“Coming down, well depending on your bottle, and choice of footwear, it was either on your feet or on your backside.”

“Screams of fear tinged with joy could be heard here.”

The civilised way to get round a fell race ...
photo courtesy and © David Aspin

“Next stop, Hanging Stone. Bloody tough getting there, it was.”

“Did I mention the mud? Energy sapping, shoe stealing mud all the way, but that’s to be expected in those parts.”

“3 miles to go and one more check point at Gisborough Moor trig point then a bloody good downhill run back to the finish.”

“Tired me out getting to that trig point it did. Shaun left me for dead up there.”

“Did I mention the mud? Esk Valley were good at organising races that involved mud.”

“Thought I’d turn a corner that stepped back to the First World War. That steep downhill was more reminiscent of the Somme than Teesside!”

“Great fun though, and once you crossed the finish line there was a nice little stream to wash the mud off yourself.”

“Aye, those were the days. Marvellous!”

… and Barbara Dick:

Fell Running: A Beginners’ Perspective

After an ignominious start to my fell running career (coming last in the Roseberry Topping race), Jan’s breezy invitation to the Guisborough Three Tops on Sunday presented an irresistible challenge. Buoyed by her infectious enthusiasm, I signed up, and during Track training last Wednesday I could still hear her beguiling fellow runners to take part: “It’s great fun” (true); “It won’t be that muddy” (FALSE!!); “It makes you stronger, physically and mentally” (we’ll see).

Meeting at Guisborough rugby club, a civilised venue with real toilets, we began the race with a steady climb to the fells. Everyone looked intimidatingly fit, with many a sinewy leg and finely-turned calf on display. Jan and Phil pointed out the ultra runner Sharon Gayter at the starting line, but who could have predicted it, turns out she had nothing to fear from me.

For those transitioning from cross-country to fell running, the difference is marked (unlike most of the course, hmph) during the first half hour, which was a slog upwards through the forest on mud trails and gravel roads to get to the tops. At this point, I noticed one other person walking the hill behind me. This was Sue from Quakers, who proved to be an excellent companion for the rest of the race, although she shares with me a faulty navigational gene (no doubt from a common ancestor who had to be guided all the way from the Rift Valley to the north-east by faster, fitter cavemen).

It all began to go wrong (we think) when we reached the tree line and started for the Cleveland Way, nearly missing the first checkpoint on the cliff in the opposite direction (the only one we managed to find people at during the entire race). We then headed off along the Cleveland Way, a path of broad paving slabs set in bog beside a stone wall separating the farmland from the heather, and eventually found our way back to some other runners, including a speedy Mike B, who was belting along in the opposite direction, having already conquered the first Top. We found our way up Roseberry on the stone path and literally skidded on our backsides down the mud trail on the other side, crunching through bracken before turning back into the forest towards the fabled Hanging Stone …

We still have no idea where it is, but no matter. After heading off in the wrong direction again and retracing our steps (walking grimly up a long hill we had just gleefully run down) we made our way back to the top of the tree line and onto the Cleveland Way, WHICH WAS A STREAM. Half an hour of squelching later, though past the official finishing time of 2 hours, we decided to push on for the last checkpoint, a small cairn standing amid a sea of heather on the north side of the moor. The sleet had begun by this stage, but we were still warm enough to carry on, and were rewarded by a close-up view of a grouse sitting on a wall. It looked just like the one in the Famous whisky ads, but it didn’t do the walk. Tearing back down through the forest, as the last runners we found the mud trail clartier than ever as we made a final dash back to the rugby club for a very welcome cup of strong tea. We finished in a shameful 2 hours and 45 minutes (and that may be generous). The other Striders all finished in very respectable times!

The moral of the story is that fell running is a big step up from normal cross-country. Sue’s Garmin showed we had run 10 miles, not 8, owing to our terrible navigation skills. [Well, we all did nine miles, so you weren’t too far out! Ed.] We were lucky that there were enough mountain bikers, walkers and other runners on the tops that day to keep us going in the right direction, and glad that we had observed the rules for full body cover (unlike the experienced fell runners who happily did the whole thing in vests and shorts!).

Personally, I felt that the course could have benefited from more evenly spaced marking – quite often we would see several fluttering bits of tape within metres of each other, and then go several miles without seeing any. To be fair though, this is made abundantly clear on the website, which states that the course is Partially Marked, Local Knowledge is advantageous and Navigational Skills Required – obviously the norm for the sport.

The only solution, apart from prior familiarity with the course, seems to be to run faster up the hills and keep up with the pack! On this race, both Sue and I felt that we were cross-country runners pretending to be fell runners, but it was still an enjoyable experience, the cold, overcast weather was perfect for a 2 – 3 hour run, and it is always exhilarating to be up on the moors (“Heathcliff!” “Cathy!”). Strongly recommended, with the above caveats.

Results

Pos Name Club Cat Pos Time
1 Cameron Taylor Esk Valley Fell Club MJ 1 1:05:45
28 Kay Neesam New Marske Harriers FV45 1 1:18:36
45 Mike Bennett MV55 2 1:23:56
75 Shaun Roberts MV55 7 1:34:11
79 Aaron Gourlay M 20 1:34:56
116 Phil Owen MV45 18 1:48:44
117 Jan Young FV60 1 1:49:55
137 Barbara Dick FV40 9 2:45:00

138 finishers.

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