The Goyt Valley 5 is a 5 mile Fell race, with about a third of the course on road, and two thirds on tough off road terrain around the scenic Errwood Reservoir in the Peak District. The reservoir has the honour of providing my home town with water! It is held each year as a fund raiser for Buxton Mountain rescue. Quick results below...
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Time Position
34.16 20 out of 60
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After having to drastically cut my running back due to my back injury it was good to get going again and compete in a race. 5 miles wouldn't be the most challenging race distance wise, but as I've already learnt, its the terrain and conditions that are the biggest factor. There was a few other Stockport Harriers there as well as many Wilmslow Running Club members. I decided my aim was to let as few of the Wilmslow runners as possible finish ahead of me for a bit of local rivalry.
The race started at Errwood Reservoir Sailing club and went across the dam and down a road running next to it. I was feeling very strong at this stage and had a good placing. I was a reasonable distance ahead of Brian (a Stockport Harrier) who I'd recently finished ahead of in the Bramhall Park 5K which was an milestone result for me as I wouldn't have had a chance a year ago.
As I hit the off road section the old flash backs of Shepherds Skyline came back as the difficulty increased. The first part was in a forrest and the ground was very uneven with some short steep climbs and some boggy patches. As I descended into a small valley I slipped and somehow managed to surf down the final section before using the momentum to throw me upright at the bottom. It looked like an excellent recovery, but was completely on instinct and I have no idea if I could pull it off again. The climb out of the valley though was a killer, and at the top there was no relief as we hit the open moor with boggy uneven exposed ground.
The moor section was really tough with my stride length constantly having to change and my rhythm being constantly disrupted. I began to tire quickly and slow and a couple of people overtook me, and then my marker of Brian overtook me! He looked fairly fresh and it was obvious that even with 2 miles to go I'd never catch him. It just goes to show how different these Fell races are and how you need to specifically train for them.
I clung on to my position as hard as I could but a couple more people overtook me, but when a Wilmslow RC chap overtook me I though "It ends now". I knew I had no chance of overtaking him on the rough off road section, but I knew the approach to the finish line was on a downhill road, home turf for me. I kept the Wilmslow running chap just in sight and as I hit the downhill road I hit the turbo and managed to catch him up and overtook him on the last bend before the line. To be honest I felt a little bit of a cheat overtaking someone that close to the line, as he had deserved to finish ahead, and if it wasn't for a downhill road I would never have caught him up, but I consoled myself with the fact that you can only race the course put in front of you.
Overall this was a tough race but very enjoyable. I'd like to thank Wilmslow Running club for organising it and Buxton Mountain Rescue for manning the course and watching over us whilst we ran around the area.
Cheers
Andy
