23 miles and 3000' ascent from Settle Primary School, North Yorkshire, via Fountains Fell
There were around 200 entrants to this event, of which 60 opted for the runners’ start an hour later than the walkers. Given that a fair few of the walkers were to be seen jogging, there was a high overall proportion of "runners". I think that organised winter events (the Rombolds Stride in February is another one) must bring out the club runners.
Whilst I was sorting out my gear at the start, and debating which bits to wear and which to carry, I noticed one of the runners looking at me with a puzzled expression. He couldnt understand why I was trying to pack so many waterproofs into such a small bumbag – but then he had probably not had the unpleasant weather I had experienced the week before on the Wensleydale Wedge. He passed me, about a mile into the event, wearing all his waterproofs, bright red and sweating, and cursing me, most unfairly I thought, for putting the suggestion into his head that he ought to take them. As it happened, the event was not too unpleasant, but I did manage to finish before the rain set in.
It had snowed recently but, fortunately, the leading participants had trampled the snowdrifts at each stile into some sort of solidity, and there was a fluorescent tag tied to each stile which helped us to locate them. The organisers had obviously taken the trouble to go round the route very recently to check it, and one section had been flagged. We were told, though, to ignore the flags as it had been done in zero visibility and was not quite right! (The markers reminded me of one event, near Halifax, where the route description said to follow the "flagged path". I could not understand why I couldnt find any coloured flags, till it was pointed out to me that it meant flagstones!).
The route passed Attermire Scar and Victoria Cave, with some pleasant snowy landscape, but the deep fresh snow started to get a bit arduous on Fountains Fell where the wind got up and the visibility dropped. It is always difficult, at times like this, to decide whether it is better to keep my glasses on, or to take them off. When the snow started freezing on my glasses I decided it was time to try running without them. It was also getting rather difficult to see the way and, were it not for the footprints, navigation would have started to become rather a challenge. Once over Fountains Fell the going improved a bit and fortunately, the rain held off until I was nearly home.