Heptonstall Fell Racer

Heptonstall Fell Race took place on Sunday 18th March, courtesy I believe of local club Heptonstall Hurriers. Overall it was a very well organised race and a credit to those involved. This year it features in the Saddleworth Runners Championships as a long race. Which is primarily why I ran and my first experience of the race and route.


The race starts and finishes in the picturesque village of Heptonstall near Hebden Bridge with fifteen miles or so of running and over three thousand feet ascent and descent between. The route is through the upper Calder Valley on a mixture of terrain - tracks, trails, a couple of short road sections, farmed fields, pasture, open moorland and wooded valleys.   

Making an early start to race day I was encouraged on looking out of the window to see blue skies bringing with it the promise of a day of good weather. My back was a bit dodgy and the thought had crossed my mind to not run if the night had brought rain. An obvious and unimaginative excuse I know. To put this race into context, and explain why I had considered the need for an excuse for a no show, the race distance was to be the most I had ran. Adding in the ascent it represented a challenge. Nearest I had got to that distance was Wilmslow Half, a flat road run. It also offered an early training and practice run for Helvelyn Triathlon in September, the run leg of which involves the ascent and descent of the mighty three thousand foot peak, one of my favourite mountains in The Lakes.


After a bowl of porridge I started what turned into a frantic and last minute search for a whistle and compass. I still take seriously the threat of disqualification for not meeting the kit requirement stipulating being in possession of full waterproof cover, hat, gloves, map, compass and whistle at the start line. Now there's a thought. I am yet to start a race on the start line. I am usually stood somewhere near the back chatting, and fiddling with my iPhone to start the map my run App to record my route and race stats. My first mistake was the last minute packing having not bothered to have got everything in order on the Saturday night. My second soon followed having set off. I discovered driving through Milnrow, too late to come back home, that I had forgotten my fell shoes. I stopped and had a dig around in the boot. Fortunately and with great relief I found something fairly suitable. My Salomon trail shoes. The only other other shoes were a pair of black leather Loakes which were were not very suitable.

Arriving on the outskirts of Heptonstall, I was guided to the field car park at the top of the village. There were a lot of marshals already employed in earnest. Their hard work should never be taken for granted. Having parked up I wandered down to registration which was in the White Lion pub opposite the church. (Mental note to self: pub to return to for the sampling of ale. An idea for the next Railway Children beer trip - and a future blog). Here I was issued with my race number and an orienteering card for the two un-martialled check points. A bit of advertising for Up & Running.

Once registered I headed back to the car to get changed and kitted up. I was running with a recent purchase. A RaidLight bumbag which I got online from Race Kit. Worth a look for specialist 'race kit' of the brands I haven't yet found in the shops. With two bottles I was unlikely to suffer from a lack of fluid. A problem from which I had suffered in a couple of longer club races last season. In it were of course my waterproof full body cover and other items as per the kit requirement. 

Bounced about a bit, the bag that is, to begin with but settled down as the fluids were drunk.

Sporting my Saddleworth Runners vest I sloshed, an obvious consequence of carrying so much fluid, my way to the start line. By which as I mentioned earlier I mean near to it, taking what I thought was my natural position in the bunch gathering outside the pub beneath the overhead banner.

The race was started, uniquely in fell racing I wonder, by a man of the cloth. The vicar of nearby St Thomas's Church, I believe it was, standing atop a high wall sent us away with a prayer for our safe return before sounding the klaxon. Nice touch and and an experience in itself. I believe that some of the money generated from the event was to be generously donated to church funds. I didn't get chance to take a look, will have to venture back soon, but there appears to be the ruins of an old church or abbey in the village.


I made a steady start. My goal was to go the distance without bonking and having to walk (except for the steepest ascents). Leaving the village the race headed East steeply descending into and through a wooded area. Here I caught the smell of wild garlic for the first time of the coming Spring. There were a few bottle necks as we worked through the wooded area and on through several farmers fields. Then it was out onto the open moorland along a narrow worn path on a steady ascent to the trig at Standing Stone Hill. The field now stretched out ahead and behind of me and I appeared to have wound up near the back. That was fine by me. There were great views in all directions. The South Pennines is a fantastic area to venture into. The going was hard but the scenery was glorious. 


From Standing Stone Hill the route descended a boggy path to cross the road at Blake Dean. There were a few road cyclists out. A route to try during the summer. The terrain of the next section was open pasture up to the crossing of the Pennine Way. Seeing a runner ahead of me go thigh deep into brown water I took to a wall to make progress. From here it was back onto moorland climbing to Greave Height. All the while I was trading positions with a few runners including Charlie Barlow, a fellow Saddleworth runner, gaining on the ascent but losing ground on the descent. 


Descending from Greave Height the route briefly took to the Pennine Way again then crossed between Walshaw Dean Middle and Lower reservoirs on a short road section. Then it was back to ascending now on a track up to Wadsworth Moor and a photo opportunity. I couldn't resist smiling for the camera.

Climbing away from Walshaw Dean Middle Res. towards Wadsworth Moor.

I was still feeling strong heading away from the reservoir up to where the route reached what I think was the high point on Wadsworth Moor. After which it descended steeply past a farm at Walshaw and into the wooded valley marked on the map as Hebden Dale. Here an anti clockwise loop was completed. There was a steep and fiendishly slippery track into the valley. A few slips but no falls. The beck in the bottom of the valley was followed where a small group of us thought we'd lost the route. Much reading of maps and consultation followed but having ran a little further down the track the clearing was reached where the route turned steeply up the side of the valley near Hardcastle Crags. Climbing to Turn Hill I used the clicker to mark my passing of checkpoint four.


Having returned to the farm at Walshaw completing the loop it was up again to Shackleton Knoll and the second of the checkpoints where a clicker was to be used. The one at Turn Hill had been on a length of string. The one at Shackleton Hill was however fixed to the post a little over knee height. It required a rather undignified squat with a leg either side of the post to make it reach my card which was tied to my belt. I began to suffer from here on in to the finish. I was fine on the ascent but the descending was tough going because of a tendon twinge on the outside of my right knee. I tried to ignore the pain. The run into the finish was along another valley leading into New Bridge. This was a pleasant mix of terrain beginning with fields and finishing through a wooded area. 


Towards the end of the race I was mentally willing the thing to end. Nothing new in that. I overtook about half a dozen runners at this late stage in the race. Finishing strong was certainly a positive sign. Then came the staircase out of Hebden Wood. What evil sort dreamt that up? It just about finished me off. Once on the grassed slopes of the village perimeter I received encouraging indications that the finish was close. I pressed on and near sprinted through the finishing line funnel. The thing was done.

Posing at the finish.

As the photograph shows, I had energy enough to smile but soon felt sick. I couldn't even stomach the lovely looking flapjack being offered out. Maybe I overdid it on the fluids. 


I was pleased to have finished and content with the result. 168 runners completed the race. A few more I should imagine started but did not complete. I finished in a personally respectable time of 3:10:26 in position 141. The results have since been posted on the website. 


I think it's time to try a serious long race in The Lakes this Summer - maybe Borrowdale.

Some of the Saddleworth runners at the finish line.

From left to right - Jill Davies, Richard Sample, Sheila Waite, Ray Green, Howard Chambers, James Sheard, and Charlie Barlow. Well done to everyone.