A varied weekend

       6.45 am on Saturday and I was scraping ice off the car windows but 3 1/2 hours (190 miles) driving later and I was registering for the annual Cake Race in Kiln Green. By now it was a beautiful day with blue skies and bright sunshine and very little wind (in contrast to the gale of last year). Perfect for fell racing, though this is really more like a trail race, much of it being run on sections of the Standedge Trail, Pennine Way and Kirklees Way. The first mile + is a relentless, moderate uphill along a stony track before heading out across Rocher Moss and Black Moss between Black Moss and Swellands reservoirs on stone slabs across undulating terrain before the drop down Blakely Clough with the rough steps to the stream and the steep rocks out of it. The field was already spreading out after the first mile or so but I still had three or four people in my sights to chase down/hang onto and several in hot pursuit to keep me moving.

     Then it's the narrow path snaking back up to the weir below the waterfalls on Wessenden Moor. This year a rope had been strung across the weir to be used as a handrail for any who felt wary of the crossing. The water was fairly slow moving and the weir is probably 5' wide (not really a weir at all!) but it was still reassuring to have the rope handrail even if only used in a vague way. From here you descend gently to the dam across Wessenden Reservoir where I overtook one man. Then the long run along Butterly Reservoir on a wide path. Two more men picked off and the leading woman (Gaynor Keene, as it turned out) in my sights - but over 100 yards ahead. By now we're six miles in and the worst is to come: a long flight of stone steps down the side of the dam. You try to work up some sort of rhythm only for the last 30 or so steps to suddenly be much narrower and you have to suddenly change your stride pattern. Along the bottom of the dam and then the climb up the opposite flight of steps - 167 of them! Enough to turn the knees to jelly. However, I managed to keep running to the top and in so doing pick off another man and close within a few yards of Gaynor. There's short section of rough, tussocky terrain as you circumvent a golf course. I finally managed to pass Gaynor and another man (named Oliver I discovered later), but they weren't for giving in easily. Rejoining the Stanedge Trail there's another mile or so of climbing. Somewhere before the summit both Gaynor and Oliver came back past. I don't know whether I should have responded better but before I knew it Gaynor was pulling away and eventually finished 29 seconds clear. Oliver seemed to find the uneven, slightly rocky/stony track even harder to cope with than me and I eventually managed to pass him again. But I'd made my move too soon. As we rounded another bend with 1/2 mile to go he came past again. He didn't gain much ground but I just couldn't get anything more out of my legs and he finished 9 seconds clear. All in all a very enjoyable run and a real race to the end. Shame I didn't quite get my first win but in the past Gaynor has always been over a minute clear, so good to get closer. 37th of 152, 2nd lady, 1st lady vet.

"Somebody's getting married! Somebody's getting married! Somebody's getting somebody's getting somebody's getting somebody somebody somebody somebody...!
Somebody get some flowers!
Somebody get a ring!
Somebody get a chapel and a choir to sing!
Somebody get an organ to play!
Cause somebody's getting married today! "

      From Kiln Green it was on to Bolton and the real reason for my trip north. On Sunday my brother got married. A few hiccoughs but on the whole everything went smoothly and it was a happy and memorable occasion - probably one of the rare occasions when my brother and nephews all looked smart for several hours at the same time. And I would like to bet it's the only church wedding where the bride walked down the aisle to.... "Somebody's getting married!" from the film "The muppets take Manhatten". The expressions on the faces of most of the guests were priceless! The rest of the service was very conventional. The sun failed to shine but at least it stayed dry.