Separate ladies and mens races were held at 1pm and 2:30pm over the same 6Km course with 486m of climbing. The threatened rain held off, visibility was good, with sun and cloud and quite a strong wind on the hills.
The start is from the small triangular village green, through the car park, round the back of the car park with very restricted width in places to Buckden Beck which has a very slippery limestone bed. Fortunately water levels were low and the crossing jumpable at selected spots. From the beck it is hands and feet scrambling for all but the most elite runners up an extremely steep rutted grassy slope to a gate in the wall. The climbing continues following a wallside up the grassy fellside to pass a Memorial Cross, levels out for a peaty traverse to near the trig point, then a testing descent over rough ground and mine workings to rejoin the up route about half-way down. The next stage, retracing the route to Buckden, separates the cautious descenders (trail runners) from the controlled falling brigade (proper fell runners) It gets steeper as you proceed and on passing through the gate in the wall I could see Buckden Village apparently only a short distance away, but hundreds of feet below. Perhaps I should have packed a parachute, but too late now, here we go! Thighs burning, but still in one piece, I reached the beck, paused to ensure a safe jump, and managed a bit of proper running through the car park to finish in the gala field.
Ladies results – (88 finished)
brilliant performance from Victoria Wilkinson to win in 37m-25s from Helen Fines, Calder Valley 38m-39
other Bingley finishers –
47th Ali Raw 48m-10
48th Ruth Whitehead 48m-42
88th Sally Robinson 68m-11
Mens results (285 finished)
winner Simon Bailey, Mercia FR 31m-07 from Morgan Donnelly, Borrowdale 31m-14
Bingley finishers –
5th Rob Jebb 31m-55
13th Ian Holmes, 1st M45 33m-29
87th Andy Jebb 38m-55
117th Richard Thackray 40m-37
232nd Peter Ellerton 48m-44
246th Harry Atkinson 50m-29
262nd Ian Goodyear 54m-57
The standard of competition was high because Buckden features in the FRA English 2013 championship list.
This features 6 races:
2 short – Buckden & Blisco Dash
2 medium – Fairfield & Turner Landscape
2 long – Wasdale & Edale Skyline.
Report by Peter Ellerton.