2 May 2015 – The Cake Race – 9.9 miles / 1699
As I have a good friend who lives in the next village over and the weather forecast looked reasonable the Speed family made the perilous trip t’other side!
I’ve never run in this part of the country and as were neared the destination we talked about the bleak, rough nature of the surrounding hills. I liked it, very reminiscent of the Dark Peak. Diggle, like many surrounding villages, is nestled in a valley bottom with hills towering up in every direction. The main focus being a church and a pub. Registration was a simple affair, made all the more enjoyable by a glimpse of the trestle tables groaning under the weight of runner-made cake. There was even free entry if you baked! I was mighty pleased to pin on my number – just a number, no text, no sponsors just three digits – as it was my first ‘proper’ race since Burnsall last year.
I told my mate that I’d run the first hill with him and then push on. That helped me pace myself rather than setting off too hard as usual. The course was very varied with a fairly sharp but entirely runnable climb up a rocky path for the first couple of miles. After that it was largely downhill for the middle portion – great! This was a mix of flags, track, road, a feet wet weir crossing and some very steep steps down the side of a dam. All good fun and I overtook a boat load of people. The final section was a grassy & tracky climb to the top of the first hill then a breakneck descent to the finish.
The cake competition had been judged while we were toiling away and the remainder were there for the munching (donations please). I managed a few slices before we retired to a local hostelry for more traditional post-race fare.
All in all a good day and I spotted loads of vests I’d never seen from paces I’d never heard of!
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Adam Speed 62nd 1:23:11. — Full Results Here.
Photo by Woodentops