Time to run with the big girls. I decided this year as I am not running back at my Ultra distance mileage just yet that on the way back I would do some of the England Athletics races and trial events that I had looked at in the past and then backed out. I have nothing to prove, nothing to lose and I love running off road so wanted to give it a whirl.
I knew that there wouldn't be a huge entry for the event and it looked like about 20 females had signed up for the race. I had one aim - not to be last!
This was a short race for me only about 5 miles with a fair amount of climbing on forest roads and a bit of single track. My running buddy and best pal Katey had also signed up for the event and I knew we would be fairly similar time wise.
The journey up there was a bit of a nightmare - terrible traffic and road closures probably meant that the entry was even less than it stated online - more chance of me coming last was my thought.
Lots of the top names in the running circuit were there and it was as always great to have the opportunity to run against some of the top names in the country (and as I am writing this a few weeks after the event safe to say the best in the world - Annie Conway! Superstar).
The race started at 4pm and it was a boiling hot day. The race set off fast - very fast and I was at the back of the group right from the start.
The leaders shot off into the distance and there was a group of about 5 of us pulling up the rear. Katey and I battled together for the first 3.5 miles encouraging each other as we went. I found this race incredibly hard. the first mile felt like it went on forever. the hills wern't massive compared to races like the Three Peaks etc but they were runnable and this made them tough. I started to feel a bit better after the highest point of the race at the summit of seat how - where last year I had summited running pushing Juliet in he jogging buggy! I kept telling myself that running without the buggy was easier but it didn't feel it.
The last mile and a half of easy descending on the forest tracks I really enjoyed and felt ok....I wasn't quite last....but I knew there were not many people behind me.
Results are here -
| 1 | 58 | Rebecca Hilland | Team Bath AC | F | Y | 37:00 |
| 2 | 54 | Heidi Dent | Howgill Harriers | F | Y | 37:57 |
| 3 | 59 | Sarah Tunstall | Kendal AAC | F | Y | 38:42 |
| 4 | 50 | Annie Conway | Ambleside AC | F | Y | 38:51 |
| 5 | 61 | Julie Briscoe | Wakefield District Harriers & AC | F40 | Y | 39:33 |
| 6 | 69 | Scout Adkin | Moorfoot Runners | FU23 | Y | 39:46 |
| 7 | 62 | Lou Roberts | Ambleside AC | F40 | Y | 39:55 |
| 8 | 51 | Danielle Hodgkinson | Birchfield Harriers | F | Y | 41:03 |
| 9 | 66 | Louise Mercer | Edinburgh University Hare & Hounds | FU23 | N | 41:16 |
| 10 | 65 | Georgia Malir | Leeds City AC | FU23 | Y | 41:17 |
| 11 | 52 | Emma Holt | Morpeth Harriers & AC | F | Y | 43:00 |
| 12 | 60 | Victoria Mousley | Blackburn Harriers & AC | F | Y | 43:58 |
| 13 | 56 | Katey Foster | Preston Harriers | F | Y | 44:40 |
| 14 | 68 | Sarah Hodgson | Lancaster & Morecambe AC | FU23 | Y | 45:39 |
| 15 | 64 | Clara Evans | Pontypridd (Roadents) AC | FU23 | N | 48:07 |
