Do you think that you know your athletics? Here’s a chance to prove it.

    Your entry must reach me in a sealed envelope by the 14th August, the day before the first event in the athletics. I shall enter, lodging my effort with George Richardson until the close of the Games, to avoid any skulduggery; this isn’t a phone-in.

Peter Cassidy

    Well it was just me, as it happens. Despite a poster in the clubhouse and handouts, I was on my own. I can understand that those who might be predisposed to fell-racing but who work on weekdays would not want to take time off to plunge into the unknown, but even our fell-runners who are pensioners had reasons for not coming. Fair enough, the purpose of this article is to work up a bit of enthusiasm for something similar next year.

Wednesday, 20 June RODNEY'S PILLAR (Powys)

    John Cash and I did this as a one-off in 2006 and as there is a mysterious handicap system in place, which carries over your time from the previous year, we both might have stood to gain. However, John wasn't there and I was a minute slower this time so I didn't benefit from the handicap, which apparently benefits improving runners, not deteriorating ones.

    The race itself is great fun. You start at the bottom of a fairly sheer hill which is topped by the pillar commemorating Admiral Rodney, who had something to do with Nelson but was on a different ship so didn't get to kiss him.

    You set off to skirt the hill, climbing slowly and then cross its shoulder rising more steeply. You climb slowly again round the back of the hill and then steeply to the Pillar. This took me about 24 minutes, by which time the winner was just about at the finish, because to get from the Pillar to the finish is simple to take the shortest route and let gravity and bravado take care of you.

    This year we started in pouring rain and finished in glorious sunshine. At the top I was aware of a glorious view with areas lit up by the sun's ray bursting through gaps in the clouds. I suggested to the organiser that there should be a compulsory five minute stop at the top for all runners for sightseeing purposes.

Friday, 22 June CRAIG Y RHIW (Powys/Shropshire border)

    My welsh relatives tell me the billing of this race implies a rocky hill. So no surprise then to find a hill with rocks scattered around. The race was almost all run in forest, so there were no long views and I was not aware of actually reaching a top, certainly no viewpoint to tempt me to repeat Wednesday's suggestion. Although advertised as having a 1000ft of climbing, I wasn't really aware of that amount and the feel was of a hilly cross-country race. I might have been disappointed had it not been for the genuine friendship of the other runners and a wonderful supper provided by the local squire and his lady in the village hall. Against the rustic backdrop of the scenery from a recent production of Babes in the Wood or Little Red Riding Hood I was awarded second O60s prize of a pair of socks and a can of pain-relief  spray which came in very handy for…….

Saturday, 23 June Chrome Hill (Derbyshire)

This was the real highlight of the tour. A real craggy hill to have a go at.

    Setting off from the road outside the school in the tiny village of Hollinsclough and finishing at the edge of the field in which the annual village fete was taking place, this race had everything. A gradual approach, a turn onto a ridge and then when you reached the rocky bits a scramble along a long ridge before you descend again to the valley and a run in along country lanes. Essex fell-runners unsurprisingly usually do well on the flat road sections, but the tour had taken its toll and I dropped from second O60 to fourth on this section.

    Who cares? This was a race where the just being there was the most important thing. You'll see what I mean if you join me sometime.

And Now With a Bigger Cast……

    The South of England Fell Race Championships were again on the Isle of Wight. Last year's dates were 22 and 23 September and the races were 3 miles, 7.5 miles and 13 miles. It would be nice if someone else from the large LAC contingent wrote this bit, but I forgot to bully them to do so. This is what some of them might have said:

    Michelle: Apart from the social side what I really enjoyed was passing John Hart on the climb out of Ventnor on the medium race. He later admitted that he would have to join Peter's race-walking group to learn my style. I'll definitely be back next year and Scott will come as well.

    John Cash and/or Ted Martin might say: We enjoyed the watching more than the running, but, hey, here we are nearly in our eighth decade and running still. We enjoyed the social bits as well.

Jim: On the last race I forgot to wave and smile for the camera.

Brett: I was really upset about the alarm clock failure.

Kerry and Amanda: Hey, what's happening to us? If you'd asked us about running up big hills two years ago, we'd have thought you crazy. Now we think we are.

Dave: I'm with Kerry and Amanda on that one, mate. I was a bit down in the dumps after Saturday afternoon, but on Sunday I had the job of helping old Jim round and we did well and I was very happy again. I liked the social bit.

(Dave was elected 'King of the Mountains' by the FR sub-committee - for completing all three races as a maiden fell-runner)

(Bullying) Note for 2008: there is a beautiful trophy for the first women's team overall, which went unawarded in 2007.


And for 2008….

Rodney's Pillar 18 June, Chrome Hill 21 June, Moel Siabod 19 July, IoW 20-21 September.

Woodford Green A.C. with Essex Ladies has acquired some photo finish equipment and it was given an airing at the first of the Tuesday graded meetings. Old Captain Barclay – who is of the “Ready, steady, go!” vintage – doesn’t really understand such gadgetry, but there seemed to be something amiss with the starter’s pistol and the electronic wizardry had to be set in motion with a whistle. Still, all the little wheels inside the machine appeared to go round properly and we got our times to the hundredth of a second (no, I’m not saying what mine was – far too slow, that’s all) so science triumphed in the end. The only thing was that the photo finish view is, of course, side-on, so that chest numbers don’t show, unless you’re a funny shape, which is why you are given special adhesive leg numbers, that you usually have to pin on, anyway. Baglady had to pore over the pictures to identify the thirteen walkers. If you’ve ever seen such a photograph, you’ll know how distorted the competitors are (the exposure being continuous); it took quite a while to produce the results!