Although it was Jan 7th, the temperatures were unfeasibly mild and it looked & felt like Spring. Monmouth is only 30 odd miles from my house but it takes almost an hour to wind your way up the wye Valley, especially if you take your time to drink in the scenery, which I always do - think I annoyed the hell out of some in-a-hurry drivers. Arriving at the Boys School (Race HQ) I was surprised to see quite a crowd - there were over a hundred runners, which is plenty for a winter hill race. Looks like it was included in the Club Champs for Chepstow Harriers and maybe Les Croupiers as well (half the club seemed to be there, lots of familiar faces from Cardiff, nice to see them all after pretty much losing my Cardiff connections last Spring when I changed jobs). I had a good 20 minutes warm up on the dead-end lane on the banks of the Wye, with a climb up a muddy track thrown in - that was enough to confirm that trail shoes were not going to grip enough for fast descending, but with my achilles only just recovered from 18 months of niggles I wasn't about to risk my fell shoes - the feet can't take them at the moment. I would have to work hard on the ups and get overtaken on the downs - nothing new there though, it's what normally happens anyway!
From the start I felt pretty good and managed to hold my own on the first climb despite having started only about 20 places back from the front row. The start is on a narrow, muddy track and there is only room for about four abreast on the ascent. Soon you come out on to a road though, and there I was happy to pick things up and try and move up the field. I think I did manage to overtake a few, before the course headed back off road. It was a mix of trails, mud, grass and silent, rural lanes. Every hundred yards or so there seemed to be a style, a kissing gate or a sharp turn into a field. A really varied course, technical because it's quite complex but without much in the way of steep climb (pretty much all runnable, I'd say, though I walked some narrow bits when the guys in front were walking, as I couldn't pass). Once close to the top of the Kymin, we dived down through a field and some trails until we'd gone most of the way down, only to turn and hike back up a similar route that twisted and turned like a twisty, turny thing (as Steven Fry might say).
It was a great race - with so much of the route on runnable gradients (just), lots of variety, never knowing what was around the next corner etc. Predictably, I got overtaken by half a dozen guys on the way down, by which time I was pretty spent so I couldn't blame the lack of grip. The views on the way down were awesome, and on short sections of lane I was actually able to enjoy them as I didn't have to watch where I was putting my feet. It was reminding me of Pentyrch, and just like that race the run-in to the end was much longer than I thought, and it seemed to take forever to get back to the start. When the results came out and I saw myself just inside the top 20 (a target I'd set myself, in the usual totally arbitrary way) I was thrilled. Really felt like my fitness was coming back and I could actually tackle a hill race properly.
Plenty of guys ahead of me, some over 50, but chuffed from a personal point of view to be getting back to where I want to be. Still some way to go though - I need a few more races under my belt to regain the stamina needed to last on the descent. With a few road races lined up, next fell race looks likely to be the Quantocks in Feb - another one I haven't done before. Driving back through the Wye Valley, it looked even better than on the way out. 2012 feels good. Wonder if I can race consistently right through the year without breaking down in some way? That would be nice :) Position 19th, time 35.27
LES CROUPIERS RUNNING CLUB THE KYMIN WINTER RACE SAT JAN 7TH 2012 RESULTS POSITION RACE NO. NAME AGE CLUB TIME 1 392 SEAN TAYLOR 35 U/A 29.50 2 381 HUW EVANS 39 U/A 29.56 3 371 GARETH GREEN 34 SAN DOM. 30.49 4 376 PAUL MURRIN 38 CHEPSTOW H 31.03 5 348 BEN MOON 32 CARDIFF HARLEQUINS 31.42 6 339 JAMES BLORE 22 CHEPSTOW H. 33.45 7 365 MARK HARVEY 24 CHEPSTOW H 33.58 8 373 STEPHEN CALDWELL 40 CHEPSTOW H 34.04 9 323 JOHN APPLETON 23 LES CROUPIERS 34.25 10 349 RHODRI EVANS 35 PONTY ROADENTS 34.26 11 359 MATTHEW LAWSON 43 CHEPSTOW H 34.27 12 310 PETER SOWERBY 48 BRECON AC 34.34 13 329 MATT HURFORD 39 LES CROUPIERS 34.38 14 380 LAURIE CARTER 54 CHEPSTOW H 34.39 15 347 RICHARD SELF 46 LES CROUPIERS 34.51 16 383 RICHARD JOHNSON 39 ISLWYN 34.58 17 10 MARK SAUNDERS 52 ISLWYN 35.07 18 352 MAX SUFF 49 HEREFORD COURIERS 35.10 19 341 GARGA CHAMBERLAIN 43 SRI CHIMNOY 35.27 20 317 MIKE MURPHY 58 LES CROUPIERS 35.43 21 394 LUKE JAMES 24 MON ROSS 35.57 22 357 ANDY GARDINER 24 SAN DOM 36.00 23 393 MIKE MELHUISH 42 FODAC 36.17 24 7 RICHARD HARVEY 42 MON ROSS 36.42 25 333 ANDY CREBER 53 CHEPSTOW H 36.44 26 303 MARK ENGLISH 43 CHEPSTOW 36.45 27 374 WILF BURKE 59 THORNBURY 36.54 28 311 EDDY BALL 46 SAN DOM 36.58 29 337 JERRY CLEALL-HARDING 59 LES CROUPIERS 37.10 30 332 NIKI MORGAN F 44 CHEPSTOW H 37.14 31 324 MATT HOPKINS 30 LES CROUPIERS 37.15 32 5 CLEM CLEMENT 52 PENARTH & DINAS 37.21 33 384 IAN RUCK 43 WESTBURY 37.23 34 309 JANE HORLER F 40 CHEPSTOW 37.25 35 6 ANDREW STEPHENS 37 MON ROSS 37.34 36 364 GLYN SANSOM 49 SAN DOM 38.07 37 343 NICK DALLIMORE 56 LES CROUPIERS 38.10 38 368 PETER WILLIAMS 53 MDC 38.16 39 378 ALUN JONES 40 LES CROUPIERS 38.22 40 366 LOU SUMMERS F 44 CHEPSTOW H 38.23 41 360 VANESSA LAWSON F 40 CHEPSTOW H 38.24 42 369 TOM RUSSELL 31 MYNYDD DDU 38.28 43 397 JAMES FLETCHER 45 MON ROSS 38.36 44 389 MARTIN SIMMONS 52 BRISTOL 38.49 45 387 GARETH LLOYD 15 U/A 38.53 46 327 CLIVE OSMOND 51 LES CROUPIERS 38.57 47 8 RICHARD COATES 36 U/A 39.12 48 326 CLAIRE BEATTY F 34 LES CROUPIERS 39.14 49 372 ROB TAYLOR 32 CHEPSTOW H 39.27 50 9 ALICE BEDWELL F 51 ISLWYN 39.30 51 307 RICHARD WALL 50 HEREFORD C 39.43 52 340 MARTIN JOYCE 25 FODAC 39.47 53 353 NEIL GRANT 60 CHEPSTOW H 39.56 54 350 GARY GUNNER 62 CROFT AMBREY 40.04 55 2 HOWARD KENT 59 LES CROUPIERS 40.05 56 358 LEO COHEN 37 CHEPSTOW H 40.13 57 331 SIMON HAZELL 42 LES CROUPIERS 40.15 58 385 LIZ KIRWAN F 31 LES CROUPIERS 40.29 59 304 LUKE MALARZ 33 CHEPSTOW H 40.31 60 377 GERRY ASHTON 58 CHEPSTOW H 40.42 61 302 DOMINIC SHIELDS 46 SAN DOM 41.07 62 321 STEPHEN OWEN 54 LES CROUPIERS 42.24 63 334 STEPHEN ALEXANDER 44 LES CROUPIERS 42.33 64 328 MICHAEL DAVIES 61 LES CROUPIERS 42.36 65 308 JOC DODD F 58 CHEPSTOW H 42.55 66 346 MIKE HARRIS 55 WESTBURY 43.00 67 3 STEPHEN HIND 47 U/A 43.19 68 318 JOHN THOMAS 48 CHEPSTOW H 43.23 69 391 SADIE MELHUISH F 14 MYNYDD DDU 43.28 70 335 DAVID WILLIAMS 49 LES CROUPIERS 43.29 71 361 ESTHER BARRETT F 38 CHEPSTOW H 43.33 72 379 JAN MORRIS F 43 CHEPSTOW H 43.34 73 400 PETE NEALE 46 U/A 43.36 74 320 WOUTER POORTINGA 39 LES CROUPIERS 43.50 75 322 ROY SILVER 55 LES CROUPIERS 44.16 76 375 ROB PICKEN 37 U/A 44.23 77 396 MICHAEL BENNETT 50 MON ROSS 44.32 78 11 GABOR KIS 31 U/A 44.36 79 4 DICK FINCH 67 CHEPSTOW H 44.40 80 390 MARK HARVEY 49 CHEPSTOW H 44.43 81 325 GRAEME DONNAN 58 LES CROUPIERS 44.56 82 386 SARA MCBRIDE-STEWART F 42 LES CROUPIERS 44.58 83 342 CAROLINE DALLIMORE F 56 LES CROUPIERS 44.59 84 305 GARETH JONES 64 CHEPSTOW H 45.48 85 330 GARY BODMAN 48 LES CROUPIERS 46.02 86 345 MIKE EVANS 56 CHEPSTOW H 46.37 87 362 ALLAN MCCALL 44 CHEPSTOW H 46.42 88 319 STEPHEN GRIFFITHS 44 U/A 46.45 89 314 GILLIAN MCCURE F 34 LES CROUPIERS 46.52 90 382 STEPHEN QUIN 40 LES CROUPIERS 47.05 91 354 ROB BROWN 65 CHEPSTOW 47.15 92 312 HELEN DUFFIELD F 39 CHEPSTOW H 48.11 93 363 JUDITH AUSTERBERRY F 37 CHEPSTOW H 48.24 94 398 DAVID SALISBURY 44 U/A 49.24 95 344 DENISE EVANS F 47 CHEPSTOW H 49.25 96 355 BARRY EVANS 44 CHEPSTOW H 50.51 97 301 JEFF ASTON 64 LES CROUPIERS 51.11 98 316 GEMMA NURSE F 40 LES CROUPIERS 51.46 99 338 JANE RYMER F 46 CHEPSTOW H 52.02 100 370 DAVE ANDREWS 64 CHEPSTOW H 52.03 101 356 BERNADETTE WILKINSON F 47 SAN DOM 52.10 102 367 ROB SUMMERS 46 CHEPSTOW H 53.01 103 306 JANE BAYLISS 59 CHEPSTOW H 54.08 104 388 LES PUGH 65 MDC 54.21 105 399 DAVE GILBERT 65 MDC 55.41 106 306 AMANDA THOMPSON F 51 LES CROUPIERS 55.47 107 395 SYD WHEELER 74 CHEPSTOW H 55.52 108 313 KEN SIMPKIN 42 U/A 56.21 109 315 CLARE JOHNSON 66 LES CROUPIERS 57.28 110 351 ALICIA MACADIE F 48 U/A 57.55 111 1 ROBIN WATKIN 55 CHEPSOW H 59.02