Racing Round Up – Cross Keys Relay, PB in Belfast, Frazzler, Malton, Wetherby …

Please send race reports,  photos & results to :  ykhracereports@gmail.com

—Belfast Half Marathon.

120th Glynn Ellwood 1:21:40
739th Mel Ellwood 1:38:56  ( PB )

—Cross Keys Fell Relay (Saddleworth).

The event was originally a relay of two road and two off-road fell legs.  However at very short notice it became all fell , so those with no fell experience who signed up to do the road legs got an unexpected introduction to the joys of fell racing.
We fielded two teams, one consisted of Ste Robson, Tom Ratcliffe, Tom Sinclair and Will P, the other Ed, Louisa, Beth and Mandy.

Report thanks to Ed.

Our dream team consisted of Beth (1st leg), Louisa (3rd leg), Mandy (4th leg) and myself (2nd leg). We collectively gathered to see the first leg runners Beth and Ste off for the start of the race. I may have giggled to myself knowing that Beth and Ste had to run another 200 metres uphill more than the rest of us .

The course was one lap with a short section of road (up hill) then onto a single lane path with ferns and other green stuff, heart rate already climbing fast but not as steep as this hill. Out onto open moorland which is still up hill, nice and grassy wide paths. Should say, I have been walking all of this and will continue to.

Get to the top and over a rickety stile onto the first runnable section (slightly down hill) of loose stone and rock and it’s glorious but I’m starting to taste iron, that’s a good sign right? Someone ping me a message otherwise

Short bit of road and onto the second hill and back to walking. Pat the man in black vest on the back with a bit of encouragement to get us both up the hill. Back to running again over typical fell stuff with peat and puddles, easy stuff to fall into and have a bath but it’s well trodden (Will P has a nice story here ).

Over a stile and some good running again. Get shouted at because I’ve taken the wrong path up a short sharp hill, I don’t want to lose places so it’s a direct route through the long grass and it’s downhill (literally, not figuratively) from here. Almost runnable but self preservation takes precedent. Get to another stile and slip and lose my leg between the platforms and lose a bit of skin, who needs it anyway!

Hundred metres left and I tag Lousia and off she goes.

Thanks to Ste R, Beth B, Tom R, Louisa S, Will P, Mandy C and Tom S for all taking part and making it easy.

P.s. why is there 300 odd words for not even 3 mile?

2.59 mile (4.16km) and 873 feet! (266m!) of elevation, ouch.

—Marathon Du Malton (10k).

David Darton and Colin Lea took part in the Marathon Du Malton .