Welcome to the Running in Cork blog, home of the Cork running community. This is the largest website in Cork & Munster for news on road races and general running news. Included are a current race calendar, race previews, photos, results as well as some local, national and international news items.
Mountain rescuers near Bolton in England warned runners and walkers to be careful of very deep puddles on the local mountains.
It seems that recently, a runner injured his ankle and was taken to hospital after falling in and sinking up to his neck in a 5ft pool. Another warned they hurt their elbow and wrist and after mistakenly thinking the puddle was about 'two or three inches deep'.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team (BMRT) submerged a 5ft 6ins fence post into the water - and shared the pictures on their Facebook page. They wrote... "Pictured here at dusk is a 6ft 2ins chap holding a 5ft 6ins wooden fence post, which was found lying on the moor nearby. The stone path is solid - and about 3ft wide - but when covered in water it's very difficult to make out the edges of the stone, especially when the sun is low above the horizon. As you'll see from the pictures, the bog very easily consumed almost all of the fence post - with very little resistance from the mud. It's exactly the same on the other side of the path. We can well believe the stories of people sinking up to their chest. Please take care on this path - especially if overtaking whilst running!"
Mountain Running or Trail running is a popular sport in the UK, especially in the North of England. While the equivalent races in Ireland attract very modest numbers, some of the English ones can attract hundreds of runners. John Walshe of Ballycotton has written a short article about the Rivington Pike race, one of the most popular and famous hill races in England.
THE RIVINGTON PIKE RACE – AN EASTER TRADITION
...by John Walshe
One of the most popular and tradition forms of foot racing, particular in the North of England, is that of Fell Running. Known here in Ireland as Mountain or Hill Running, fell racing covers a multitude of distances from those lasting 12 or 13 minutes to day-long and even multi-day competitions. On of the most acclaimed running books of recent years, titled ‘Feet in the Clouds’ by Richard Askwith, was devoted to the sport.
This month of April sees two of the classic events on the fells taking place, the Rivington Pike - always held on Easter Saturday - and The Three Peaks which will be held on April 25th. The latter is held in Yorkshire over a distance of around 23 miles and takes in the three mountains of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent.
On Saturday last, the town of Horwich in Lancashire was once again the venue for the Rivington Pike. Held every Easter Saturday, this is one of the oldest and most historic fell races in the UK. The first recorded event took place in the early 1880s and it has become one of the most prestigious races in the calendar.
Horwich is about six miles from Bolton and is the home of the Macron (formerly Reebok) Stadium where Bolton Wanders now play. This is situated alongside Horwich Parkway Railway Station and a familiar landmark that can be viewed from the many trains that pass through is that of Rivington Pike Tower on the summit of Winter Hill.
This is where the race goes – starting outside the Crown Hotel, it’s basically 3.25 miles up and down, with a total ascent of around 800 feet. Fell running, like its equivalent here in Ireland, is a relatively low-key and cheap activity. Entry fee for the Rivington Pike race was £5, with all entries taken on the day. The total of 257 finishers was well inside the limit of 500, which was probably just as well. As can be seen from the accompanying video from last year, it can be pretty scary to see runners hurtling down the hill trying to avoid those on their way up!
The record for the race is 15:53, established by John Wild back in 1981 with the women’s mark of 19:38 standing to Carol Greenwood since 1987. This year the winner was Rob Hope of Pudsey & Bramley in 17:40, with Matthew Roberts (Calder Vale Fell Runners) second in 17:59 and Peter Matthews (Blackburn Harriers) third in 18:07. First woman was Lindsey Brindle of the promoting Horwich RMI Harriers who finished 21st overall in a time of 21:05.
Although he had only 11 of the 257 finishers behind him, for 76-year-old Ron Hill last Saturday’s race marked the 39th occasion he has taken part in the event. This includes three wins in the 1960s, the most remarkable coming in 1965 when it was part of a hectic Easter treble. The day before Rivington Pike (Good Friday) he had won the Salford 7.5 mile road race in a course record of 35:01, despite having to run in bare feet after forgetting his racing shoes!
Ron Hill descending from the summit
The following day, in cold wind and rain, he was 100 yards behind the leader at the summit of Rivington Park but he used his track and road ability to full effect on the way down to win in a time of 17:08. And the weekend wasn’t finished yet. Two days later, on Easter Monday, he travelled across to Yorkshire where in conditions of high winds and occasional hail, sleet and snow showers, he won the Beverley Marathon in 2:26:33.
Over the next five years, Hill would go on to win the European, Boston and Commonwealth marathon titles (the latter in 2:09:28) and it’s a tribute to his longevity and love of the sport that 50 years after his memorable Easter treble he’s still turning out and contributing to the rich history of running lore that races the likes of Rivington Pike provide.
Addendum... This video clip of the 2014 race gives an idea of what it's like...
There was an interesting article in the Telegraph newspaper last weekend about the sport of Fell Running in the UK. While it is more often called mountain running in Ireland, Fell Running has a much bigger following in the UK with plenty of races. The main difference of course is that the UK has roughly 62 million people as compared to some 4.5 million in Ireland. With a population of that size, there are always going to be more people involved in what might be termed minority sports.
I first came across fell runners in the UK when I was doing some hillwalking around Ben Nevis in Scotland. As the highest mountain in the UK, it is obviously like a magnet for walkers and runners alike and sure enough, I saw several people running up and down the mountain on the main route and they were just training! Out of many times I have been up on Carrountoohil which is Irelands highest mountain, I think I might have seen runners once so they're a rare species here indeed ;o)
So what is Fell Running? Essentially most events start at the base of a mountain...you run up to the top...and you run back down again. It is usually a lot more difficult than your usual type of road race in that you are not only competing against the other runners but in a sense, you are testing yourself against the mountain itself. On the way up, the fact that you are out of breath and with the build up of lactic acid in your legs, it means that your are going to be slow and it's a long slog. However, slow also means you as long as have warmed up properly, you won't get injured. Coming down though is a completely different story as you are often doing your best to stay upright without falling over. It's a lot rougher on the joints and this is the stage where most accidents happen. Obviously not a sport for everyone but it has it's fans!
The body for fell running / mountain running in Ireland is the Irish Mountain Running Association. They have a calendar of events all over the country with several in Munster. Most of the small Munster races might get around 30 entrants with a fairly diverse range of speeds. It's not just for fast or elite runners.The next event in Munster is on the Galtee Mountains on the 19th of February. I will add these races to the Cork and Munster Race Calendar as the year progresses if you are interested in trying one.
