Grasmere Gallop

On Saturday 3rd June I ran the Grasmere Gallop in the Lake District. I decided I needed a wee break on my own and then thought I could maybe combine that with running a race. I had a look and saw that I could run 3 17km trail race less than a three hour drive from home but the closing date for entries was that very day. Lucky! I signed up and on the Friday before I headed to the Lake District.

I stayed overnight in Windermere, the race was in Grasmere which was only a 20 minute drive away. I had no expectations what so ever but what transpired was possibly my most favourite race ever and certainly without any doubt the most beautiful and picturesque.

The day was warm. Very warm. I was seriously considering running in only my vest but the last time I did that (over a similar distance) I suffered sever chaffing on my arms so on balance I decided being too hot was the lesser of two evils. I arrived and parked in a beautiful green field surrounded by beautiful hills under a blue sky and with the smell of freshly cut grass in the air. The air was still, and on my drive in I saw an early morning, still lake, sunshine reflecting off the surface with a lone kayaker taking advantage of the peace and solitude of the early morning. Fair to say I was in a good mood when I arrived at the race start. There was a country fair feel about the place and I received a very friendly and smiley welcome from a lovely lady who gave me my race number. The only slight downer was that l was offered an XL t-shirt. Really?! I know I don’t look like a gazelle type runner, but seriously? I took a medium. It fits fine.

Pre-race caffeine hit

I like to arrive early to races (and everything really) because it’s more relaxing. After collecting my race number and registering, I had an hour to kill. I grabbed a coffee and had a wee lie down on the grass to soak up the sun. I people Watched and chillaxed. There were several different races on that all started at the same time. The 17km trail race, the 10km trail race, the 5km fun-run, the 10km Nordic Walk, and then a bit later the main event, the Under-55 Teddy Dash. I had never heard of Nordic Walking before the weekend but there were a lot of Nordic Walkers there in club kit from places near and far. I need to read about it and find out what it’s all about.

With 15 minutes to go to the start of the race we were asked to make our way to the muster point where we would . get the safety briefing and guided towards the start. We were serenaded by Iain the piper (whose day job is a National Trust Ranger who fixes the trails and paths) on our way to the start in Grasmere village (beautiful). We got underway to a cheer from most of the runners. The start was cramped as runners from all the race distances made their way through the narrow roads. I ducked and weaved and sprinted until l saw clear road in front of me. It was still busy, but I could at least run now. I was thinking ahead of time that if I averaged 5min/km then I could finish in about 1hr 25mins. Later on when I completed an 8min/km I realised it wouldn’t be that kind of race!

Every single step of this race was a joy and was stunningly beautiful. The scenery was like an idealised fantasy of how England looks. The Lake District is famous for (among other things) the stories of Beatrix Potter and the scenery I saw during the race looked straight out of one of her books. We started on a pretty little road running by quaint cottages and the most enormous rhododendron l have ever seen and in every shade of pink and purple. The course headed into woodland trail and things got tricky under foot. We ran by a cave beside a pond and I really would like to go back to investigate that another day. A day when lam not running by it as fast as I can.

The race took us through windy country roads, forest trail, grassy hills, shimmering streams, pebble beaches, and chocolate-box lakes. The flora and fauna was wonderful. Giant foxgloves. Lambs, dragon fly, rabbits, geese, ducks. To do it justice I would have had to hire a poet to write this blog entry. From an actual racing perspective the course was challenging. At the first point where‘the 10km and 1km runners split from the 5km runners, the 5km runners headed downhill as the 10km and 17km ran uphill. This was to be the first of many hills. The second time we split (when the 17km went one way and 10km another) the field really thinned out. Where I was running with about 15 others, suddenly it was me and 2 others. At about 8km we reached a hill that lasted about 2km. It was murder. It was steep and winding and it went on, and on, and on. I tried to run it but I noticed I was the only one doing so and so I decided to conserve my energy and start walking. It was too long to walk the whole way so I walk/ran to the top. Another runner chatted to me at his point.

”Was it the first time I had ran the race? Him too. He had heard about the ’half-way hill’ and this must be it.”

The halfway hill

Nice chat and when I reached the top (after 8min/km pacing) I actually said "Wow” out loud. The blue skies, the rolling hills, the view of the lakes. The sun on my back. Wow. The highlight of the way down and back was the little pond with the geese. Dragon flies hovered and dove past me. it was breath-taking. There was another shorter but steady uphill before we took a sharp turn into woodland and seemed to re-join some of the other races, I guess the 10km runners and Nordic Walkers. I was slowed down as I struggled to get by slower runners on the narrow paths, but as we reached a pebble beach I made a burst for it and made my way up the field. Nearly at the end now there was one more short, sharp climb before the home straight and the sight ofthe cottages and giant rhododendron again. I finished in 1:30:39. Results are in and I was placed 37th out of 172 finishers. I appreciated the free cakes and juice at the end.

Grasmere Village

A lot of races dubiously claim to be the most scenic (I’m looking at you Glenlivet 10km) but this one really is stunning. The only comparable race l have ran is The Beast in Dorset. I think in future I’ll only run summer trail races.

The Route

NB. This is what Nordic Walking is. Interesting. Idon’t think it’s a thing in Edinburgh.

N.N.B. What do sheep think about life outside their field? Do they think about it at all? Do they think their field is the universe? Do they gaze out into the world beyond the wall like we do as we gaze at the stars? Do sheep gaze out into the stars?

N.N.N.B. I need to find a way to make my mind wander more constructively during races.