25 races, 1 year, in this amazing sport, look after it.

My previous 3 blog posts have dealt with my "year of classic fell races" up to the end of July. The season to the end of July had been 18 races, 3 wins, 3 AL's (too fast on 2, too slow on 1), got properly lost once, 1 fourth and 1 win in the NE champs. Still to come was perhaps 13 more races.... Lets see how that went

Previous races...

10/3 - Ian Roberts memorial race - strong start, then fell apart at half way because ran a quick 5k the day before, finished 18th http://tinyurl.com/b5yg9ef

16/3 - Middle Fell (from Wasdale) - Cancelled

24/3 - Edale Skyline (EC)- didn't get an entry, cancelled

30/3 Causey Pike - on holiday

6/4 Coledale Horseshoe (DFR) - on holiday

13/4 Silent Valley (BC)- on holiday

14/4 Cheviot Summit Race - shortened course, win http://tinyurl.com/bvs9tkv

21/4 Guisborough Moors (DFR, NE) - winning then got lost. http://tinyurl.com/guisborough

27/4 Yorkshire 3 peaks race - 3:30, 34th place. http://tinyurl.com/yorkshire3

11/5 Fairfield Horseshoe 71st, 1:33:15, http://tinyurl.com/fairfield2013

18/5 Goat Fell 86th, 1:47:48, http://tinyurl.com/goatfell2013

19/5 Settle Hills (Intercounties) 40th, 54:06, http://tinyurl.com/settlehills2013

25/5 Jura, 55th, 4:29:47, http://www.jurafellrace.org.uk/

2/6 Yetholm (BC) DNS

8/6 Ennerdale 36th, 4:55:43, http://tinyurl.com/ennerdale2013

15/6 Buckden Pike (EC), 61st, 36:50, http://tinyurl.com/buckden2013

19/6 Langstrath 8th, 42:14, http://tinyurl.com/Langstrath2013

23/6 Windy Gyle (NE) 4th, 1:04:08, http://tinyurl.com/Windygyle2013

30/6 Cronkley (NE) 1st 1:20.54, http://tinyurl.com/cronkley2013

2/7 Saltwell Harriers (DFR) 1st, 41.58, http://tinyurl.com/saltwell2013

6/7 Chevy Chase 6th, 3:22.39, http://tinyurl.com/chevychase2013

7/7 Skiddaw 36th, 1:33.16 http://www.keswick-ac.org.uk/

9/7 Stoodley Pike - too far to drive, silly idea.

13/7 Wasdale (EC) 102nd, 5:45.05 http://tinyurl.com/wasdale2013

20/7 Snowdon - decided to take part in a video shoot for Hangar 18 rather than race Snowdon. http://www.h18orr.com/pages/media

27/7 Blisco Dash (BC, EC) 73rd, 44.13. http://tinyurl.com/bliscodash2013

I had planned 13 more races, but for many reasons most of them didn't happen. Looking back i'm not dissapointed, I have had an amazing few months, it has just turned out different to how I planned.

First 5 planned races for August I didn't run.

Grisedale Horseshoe is a fantastic route over some of the loveliest bits of lakeland, I made the worst nav error of my life as I was going well over Helvellyn, stopped paying attention, started enjoying the racing and lost about 20 minutes! Trotted home.

Perhaps the most fun I had in a race all year was racing Nic Barber up Roseberry Topping in 8:25 and racing down in 4:32 to take a comfy 2nd place. Brilliant fun except accidentally taking the "shoot". I think this route choice is unjustifiably dangerous and wouldn't take it again, if you didn't manage to grab the tree on the way past there is a good chance you would end up tangled in the barbed wire fence as you fell off a 5 foot drop head first.

14th September was the Lake District Mountain Trial, a really great long orienteering event, which was cancelled because of the bad weather, tough call from the organisers, but the right decision considering the marshals couldn't stand up at the check points. 29th September and 10th November were the last 2 races in the NE champs, which were looking finely poised. Morgan Donnelly turned up at Simonside and easily took the win, but that didn't matter for the NE champs points as he isn't form the area. Phill Sanderson beat me on the track on the run-in and took the 52 points, leaving me with 49 and effectively tied for the lead with Lee Bennett going into the last race. Having been beaten on the quick track I had 6 weeks to turn myself into a quick trail runner before the quick short Clay Bank West race. Some 400m -1km sprint sessions, got my legs going a bit faster and I went to CBW full of confidence. I ended up 2nd at CBW to Peter Bray (DFR) but he wasn't in the running for the champs so I took the gold by 2 points from Lee Bennett. Best sporting moment of my life was when Lee pulled up on my shoulder about 2km into the race, we exchanged glances and both knew exactly what was happening. Brilliant sport. Thanks to Will Horsley for organising.

End of September was the RAB MM, I entered the short solo to see how I coped with the nav on my own. Nav was pretty easy, but I was too tired on the 2nd day after a poor route choice and lost a promising overnight position to finish 10th overall.

I entered Guisborough 3 tops to see how my speed was before Clay Bank West which had become the focus of my season, good race, went the wrong way a bit from the last checkpoint, which probably cost me second place. Good run.

1st December had been in my mind all year as break course record on Hexhamshire Hobble if i'm fit, I hadn't done too much in the 2 weeks leading upto the race and didn't know how I would run. Ricky Lightfoot turned up and smashed the old course record by 3 minutes, I was having a bad run, and decided half way round to take it easy so I could save something for the afternoon. A slow time, perhaps my only really disappointing run of the year. That afternoon I drove to Keswick to support for L5 of a BG winter record attempt by Jim Mann. I will leave it to him to describe the round. http://h18-orr.blogspot.co.uk/ Leg 5 though was frighteningly quick and I was knackered at the end. As the picture shows!

So in total I did, 25 races, 3 wins, 1st in the NE champs, 2 catastrophic bits of navigation (only one of which cost me the win). Shortest race was Roseberry Topping 12:57, longest was Wasdale 5:45:05. Best moments were the party after Jura, the sprint finish to the Cheviot Summit race, winning the NE champs.

Looking back on the list of races I have brilliant memories of ever one of them. Just before I started writing this blog I was browsing the FRA calender 2014 wondering if I was interested in fell running next year, wondering if I had the motivation? Writing this and looking back on 25 amazing races I know the answer. I don't remember the wins any more fondly than the races I finished outside the top 100. I remember the close races and the sprint finishes, but have to think hard to remember which ones I won and which I lost. I remember the nights in a tent and the back of my van feeling nervous about the tough race to come, but I forget the aches, pain and suffering which must have followed. Most of all I look back on the races and remember the views, the people and chatting to legends past and present.

What an amazing sport we have. Look after it.

3/8 Borrowdale - couldn't run (family stuff)

10/8 Turner Landscape (EC) (Best man for stag do, and couldn't convince the others to run!)

24/8 Burnsall Classic or Weasdale Horseshoe (DFR) (away on holiday)

25/8 Grasmere Guides Race (away on holiday)

27/8 Kilnsey Show (away on holiday)

7/9 Grisedale Horseshoe, 2:29, very poor nav, can't find results.

11/9 Roseberry Topping (DFR) 2nd, 12.57, http://tinyurl.com/Roseberry2013

14/9 Peris Horseshoe (BC) entered the LDMT instead, which was cancelled,

21/9 Scafell Pike or Simonside (NE) did Simonside, 4th 49.01, http://tinyurl.com/simonside2013

28-29/9 RAB Mountain Marathon (DFR) did Short Solo, 10th overall 6th day 1, 41st Day 2.

12/10 Langdale Horseshoe (entered a cycling event on same day)

13/10 Pentland Skyline, BG dinner got in the way

20/10 Fell Relays (not sure I will get a team together for this), No team put together

26/10 Meall a'Bhuachaille, changed my mind and did...

27/10 Guisborough 3 tops, 4th, 1:08.42, http://tinyurl.com/Guisborough3tops2013

10/11 Clay Bank West (NE), 2nd, 32.00, http://tinyurl.com/ClayBankWest2013

1/12 Angus Tait Memorial Hexhamshire Hobble (DFR), 7th, 1:12.19 http://tinyurl.com/Hobble2013

1/12 BG leg 5 support for Jim Mann, 18:18, new winter record!

It's been a tough but amazing year.  Me (knackered) after chasing Jim (relaxed) round L5 on his winter record Bob Graham Round of 18:18 

July - 6 races in 4 weeks.

My previous 2 blog posts have dealt with my "year of classic fell races" up to the end of June. A day off gives me the opportunity to write about a July with lots of ups and downs.

Previous races...

10/3 - Ian Roberts memorial race - strong start, then fell apart at half way because ran a quick 5k the day before, finished 18th http://tinyurl.com/b5yg9ef

16/3 - Middle Fell (from Wasdale) - Cancelled

24/3 - Edale Skyline (EC)- didn't get an entry, cancelled

30/3 Causey Pike - on holiday

6/4 Coledale Horseshoe (DFR) - on holiday

13/4 Silent Valley (BC)- on holiday

14/4 Cheviot Summit Race - shortened course, win http://tinyurl.com/bvs9tkv

21/4 Guisborough Moors (DFR, NE) - winning then got lost. http://tinyurl.com/guisborough

27/4 Yorkshire 3 peaks race - 3:30, 34th place. http://tinyurl.com/yorkshire3

11/5 Fairfield Horseshoe 71st, 1:33:15, http://tinyurl.com/fairfield2013

18/5 Goat Fell 86th, 1:47:48, http://tinyurl.com/goatfell2013

19/5 Settle Hills (Intercounties) 40th, 54:06, http://tinyurl.com/settlehills2013

25/5 Jura, 55th, 4:29:47, http://www.jurafellrace.org.uk/

2/6 Yetholm (BC) DNS

8/6 Ennerdale 36th, 4:55:43, http://tinyurl.com/ennerdale2013

15/6 Buckden Pike (EC), 61st, 36:50, http://tinyurl.com/buckden2013

19/6 Langstrath 8th, 42:14, http://tinyurl.com/Langstrath2013

23/6 Windy Gyle (NE) 4th, 1:04:08, http://tinyurl.com/Windygyle2013

The 30th June was Cronkley Fell race, organised by my club, DFR. It featured in the NE champs and I was very keen to do well to keep my hopes of winning the NE chaps alive. Lee Bennet and Jonny Malley were both there, both of who had beaten me at Windy Gyle. I was well rested and confident I could win if things went well. I was drawn at the start line as to weather to go flat out and have a crack at the old course record which stands from 1998 (on a slightly shorter course) or race properly. In the end I decided to race properly, stick with whoever was leading and attack on the way back. All this went to pot when on the first climb I decided to up the tempo a little Jonny and Duncan Archer didn't come with me so I was on my own. Full beans all the way out, nearly 3 minutes lead at half way, realise I was nowhere near the course record and cruise back to take the most enjoyable win I have had. Lee Bennet had a fall and finished 5th making the NE chaps look very close with 2 races left. Thanks to Hangar 18 for the prizes. http://www.h18orr.com/

A couple of days later and it was the Saltwell, another showdown with Jonny and Duncan. I was feeling fit again and went off full pelt from the start line intending to have a look at the CR splits on the way round and see if it was an option. By the top of the hill I had a good lead and was on the CR splits which I had worked out, thought after the first part of the descent I had lost ground to the CR but held my lead over Jonny, so dug in and held on to the brutal uphill finish. In the end a phew seconds slower than last year, probably to be expected a couple of days after Cronkley, but another win. 2 wins in 3 days!

A few days later and I found myself on the start line for the 31km, 1200m Chevy Chase. It was a brutally hot day but the route is considered a NE classic so I was looking forward to it. I raced with the leading bunch till the climb to the top of Cheviot, where I lost a minute. Everyone turned left at the top except Phil Sanderson, who went sort of straight on, which seemed an odd choice considering he had done the race a few times before. Nobody said anything as this seemed to be the convention that Phil had set up when he sat at the back of the pack of clueless front runners and let us all miss various junctions before he took the turn and we all corrected ourselves. I guess that's racing, not the normal way a fell race is run, but that was how it was. Phil eventually finished 25th, I think he injured himself on the way back. Hopefully not something serious. I got back with Simon Johnson and Charles Hutchinson on the descent, briefly led the way then Charles pulled away on the next climb, had a few minutes at the top and I never saw him again. I was in a decent 2nd place and figured with a mostly downhil, second half I could hold on. Not so. I blew up badly, got a bit lost because of some dreadful mapping on the OS map, (fences not shown, farm land not distinguished from open fell) Bruce Crombie called me back - great stuff Bruce, thanks. I lost a few more places and finished 6th. No regrets, I came to win, but didn't have it in me. Perhaps next year? As a side note I have really enjoyed having some battles with Bruce (in his road shoes) this year, Cheviot Hill Race, Windy Gyle and Chevy, 2 flat out sprint finishes and some cooperative suffering at Chevy all run in a great spirit with hand shakes afterwards. He even lent me a quid for the crap map which got me lost.

I had planned to run Skiddaw just for the experience, I felt good waking up after the Chevy so drove over to Keswick. Got to the top in just under an hour, got to the bottom in a little over half an hour. Not much else to say, it was hot.

Wasdale was next, the beast. I was determined I wasn't going to blow up 3 hours in like I had done on Jura and Ennerdale, so I set off at the back. Took a detour to bag a Wainwright I hadn't done (Illgill head) which only cost me 3 minutes, but took an hour to catch up with the guys I had been with. Made the first cut off by 9 minutes (few), made the second cut off by over 20 minutes, safe now! Took a bag full of places on every climb, took it steady else where and felt strong all the way to the final descent. Lovely race, I don't know what all the fuss is about! It was bloody hot though and only 192 people finished out of a start list of nearly 400.

This saturday was the Blisco Dash, my first British Champs race, I wanted to climb well, have a solid descent and see where I finished. It was a roasting hot day, I felt good on the climb, only lost a few places on the descent and gained back a big handfull of places with a short cut just before the road, worth the last minute reccy! Still just outside the points, in 73rd, but the field was very strong and it was too short to play to my strengths. Next year for some points???

Season so far is 18 races, 3 wins, 3 AL's (too fast on 2, too slow on 1), got properly lost once, 1 fourth and 1 win in the NE champs. Still to come is perhaps 13 more races. A few people have asked me how much I am training at the moment, the answer is really not much. 1 or 2 runs a week in between races and one or 2 bike rides, mostly just over an hour for the runs, and not much hill work. I want to avoid injury first and foremost this year and I seem to be getting fitter during the year without much training, so can't see any reason to change!

30/6 Cronkley (NE) 1st 1:20.54, http://tinyurl.com/cronkley2013

2/7 Saltwell Harriers (DFR) 1st, 41.58, http://tinyurl.com/saltwell2013

6/7 Chevy Chase 6th, 3:22.39, http://tinyurl.com/chevychase2013

7/7 Skiddaw 36th, 1:33.16 http://www.keswick-ac.org.uk/

9/7 Stoodley Pike - too far to drive, silly idea.

13/7 Wasdale (EC) 102nd, 5:45.05 http://tinyurl.com/wasdale2013

20/7 Snowdon - decided to take part in a video shoot for Hangar 18 rather than race Snowdon.

27/7 Blisco Dash (BC, EC) 73rd, 44.13. No results yet.

Planned upcoming races

3/8 Borrowdale - can't run (family stuff)

10/8 Turner Landscape (EC)

24/8 Burnsall Classic or Weasdale Horseshoe (DFR)

25/8 Grasmere Guides Race

27/8 Kilnsey Show

7/9 Grisedale Horseshoe

11/9 Roseberry Topping (DFR)

14/9 Peris Horseshoe (BC)

21/9 Scafell Pike or Simonside (NE)

28-29/9 RAB Mountain Marathon (DFR)

12/10 Langdale Horseshoe (entered a cycling event on same day)

13/10 Pentland Skyline

20/10 Fell Relays (not sure I will get a team together for this)

26/10 Meall a'Bhuachaille

10/11 Clay Bank West (NE)

1/12 Angus Tait Memorial Hexhamshire Hobble (DFR)

Leading out at Cronkley Fell

Descending on the way out at Cronkley

Descending on the way back at Cronkley

May and June, Fairfield to Windy Gyle.

A lazy monday night gives me an opportunity to reflect on May and June of my "Year of classic Fell Races". My previous blog post deals with the following races, so I won't mention them again.

10/3 - Ian Roberts memorial race - strong start, then fell apart at half way because ran a quick 5k the day before, finished 18th http://tinyurl.com/b5yg9ef

16/3 - Middle Fell (from Wasdale) - Cancelled

24/3 - Edale Skyline (EC)- didn't get an entry, cancelled

30/3 Causey Pike - on holiday

6/4 Coledale Horseshoe (DFR) - on holiday

13/4 Silent Valley (BC)- on holiday

14/4 Cheviot Summit Race - shortened course, win http://tinyurl.com/bvs9tkv

21/4 Guisborough Moors (DFR, NE) - winning then got lost. http://tinyurl.com/guisborough

27/4 Yorkshire 3 peaks race - 3:30, 34th place. http://tinyurl.com/yorkshire3

Heading into May I had my first Lakeland race of the year, Fairfield Horseshoe. I had a cracking run up the hill, but lost about 20 places on the way down. I don't know if I was taking it easy to avoid injury or if I just don't know how to run down an 800m descent. Either way, I was pleased with my fitness, beat Nic Barber to the top by a couple of minutes and finished 71st in 1:33:15.

The weekend of 18/19th of May was going to be a busy one, Goat Fell on Arran on Saturday and the intercounties in Settle on Sunday. I drove up with Dom on Friday night, had a brilliant race on Goat Fell, took it easy, finished, 86th in 1:47:48. Settle Hills was a race I was taking seriously. I really didn't want to be 4th and last home for the NE team and was really pleased to be 2nd man home out of a team of Nick Swinburn, Lee Bennett, Gary Jones and myself. I finished 40th in 54:06, most pleasingly I took about half a dozen places on the steep descent.

Jura was my first long classic race, I set my heart on a whisky glass for finishing under 4 hours. I was just on schedule of 3 hours at the top of Pap 3 when Rhys Findley Robinson came past me, "stick with me, we can do it" I couldn't do it. Nor could Rhys finishing in 4:00:07. My legs fell off on the descent and I finished in 55th, 4:29:47. What an amazing place and an incredibly difficult race - more training required if I am going to run a good time on that course. The Ceilidh was pretty amazing though. I then drove north to help Spyke out on his 24 hour Munro record attempt, van broke down, towed home.

Had some bad coughing fits up in Glen Shiel when running with Spyke, so went to the doctor and she said I should let my chest get better and not to Yetholm, so I didn't do Yetholm.

Second long race of the season was Ennerdale. I had a much better race than I did on Jura, much easier, but longer, course. Had a rough patch between hours 3 and 4, but recovered well to finish strongly in 36th, 4:55:43

Next of the English Champs was Buckden Pike, it should suit me better, being a bit shorter than Fairfield. I had a steady start, 80th at the top of the steep climb, taking places all the way to finish 61st in 36:50. Pleasingly exactly the same position I achieved last time round this route in 2010 but nearly 9 minutes quicker! Only a minute outside the points - getting closer!

19th of June was one of the races I was looking forward to most all year. I had imagined a beautiful sunny evening running the Langstrath Fell Race in Borrowdale after work, what better way could their be to spend an evening. The weather was hot, the course was rocky, steep and quick, the field was strong. You don't get many evenings like that in your life, enjoy them. 8th, 42:14.

Windy Gyle, NE champs. After the farce of Guisborough Moors this was one I wanted to win. I saw Cameron Taylor turn up and suddenly I really wanted to be second! As it turned out of the first 5 it was only myself and Jonny Malley who knew the way so as everyone else went wrong wherever they could I called them back and we regrouped a couple of times. A cheeky shortcut around Swineside Law was described as deviant by the race organiser. Not a fair criticism in my book as fell racing is either follow the flags or visit the checkpoints in my book, both of which I did. I was tired after 4 training days on the trot leading up to the race and didn't have the finish in my legs, 4th, with Lee Bennett in 2nd behind Jonny and probably all hope of winning the NE champs gone till next year. 1:04:08

Looking forward to a good run a Cronkley next week. If I can get a win it will put my hopes for the NE champs back on track.

11/5 Fairfield Horseshoe 71st, 1:33:15, http://tinyurl.com/fairfield2013

18/5 Goat Fell 86th, 1:47:48, http://tinyurl.com/goatfell2013

19/5 Settle Hills (Intercounties) 40th, 54:06, http://tinyurl.com/settlehills2013

25/5 Jura, 55th, 4:29:47, http://www.jurafellrace.org.uk/

2/6 Yetholm (BC) DNS

8/6 Ennerdale 36th, 4:55:43, http://tinyurl.com/ennerdale2013

15/6 Buckden Pike (EC), 61st, 36:50, http://tinyurl.com/buckden2013

19/6 Langstrath 8th, 42:14, http://tinyurl.com/Langstrath2013

23/6 Windy Gyle (NE) 4th, 1:04:08, http://tinyurl.com/Windygyle2013

30/6 Cronkley (NE)

2/7 Saltwell Harriers (DFR)

6/7 Chevy Chase

7/7 Skiddaw

9/7 Stoodley Pike

13/7 Wasdale (EC)

20/7 Snowdon

27/7 Blisco Dash (BC, EC)

3/8 Borrowdale

10/8 Turner Landscape (EC)

24/8 Burnsall Classic or Weasdale Horseshoe (DFR)

25/8 Grasmere Guides Race

27/8 Kilnsey Show

7/9 Grisedale Horseshoe

11/9 Roseberry Topping (DFR)

14/9 Peris Horseshoe (BC)

21/9 Scafell Pike or Simonside (NE)

28-29/9 RAB Mountain Marathon (DFR)

12/10 Langdale Horseshoe

13/10 Pentland Skyline

20/10 Fell Relays

26/10 Meall a'Bhuachaille

10/11 Clay Bank West (NE)

Finish of Windy Gyle, Jonny Malley, Lee Bennett, Myself, Bruce Crombie - what a race!

Top 5 at Windy Gyle, L2R, Cameron Taylor 5th, Jonny Malley 1st,  Me, Andy Blackett 4th, Bruce Crombie 3rd, Lee Bennett 2nd.

Finish of Settle Hills Race.

Final Climb on Ennerdale

NE Team at Intercounties, Lee Bennett, Nick Swinburn, me (Andy Blackett), Gary Jones.

A year of classic fell races.

My year of classic fell races is under way, so here are a few thoughts about what I hope to achieve and my schedule of races I hope to run, so if anyone wants to join me they can come along.

My plan for the year started with the thought that, having only been fell running for 2 and a half years, most of which time was focussed on the Bob Graham Round I haven't ever run many of the classic fell races, which I have read so much about and everyone talks about, so I drew up the following schedule.

I got a little distracted from the classics by concentrating on NE champs, the DFR club champs, the English Champs and British Champs in that order of priority before the classics, but I have still ended up with a tasty looking plan.

10/3 - Ian Roberts memorial race - strong start, then fell apart at half way because ran a quick 5k the day before, finished 18th http://tinyurl.com/b5yg9ef
16/3 - Middle Fell (from Wasdale) - Cancelled
24/3 - Edale Skyline (EC)- didn't get an entry, cancelled
30/3 Causey Pike - on holiday
6/4 Coledale Horseshoe (DFR) - on holiday
13/4 Silent Valley (BC)- on holiday
14/4 Cheviot Summit Race - shortened course, win http://tinyurl.com/bvs9tkv
21/4 Guisborough Moors (DFR, NE) - winning then got lost. http://tinyurl.com/guisborough
27/4 Yorkshire 3 peaks race - 3:30, 34th place. http://tinyurl.com/yorkshire3

Which brings us up to date - you can see that the start of my season was a rubbish effort with the snow, 5k park runs and my holiday plans conspiring to give me no decent runs till mid april.  Then 3 weeks of storming runs, a great sprint finish with Bruce Crombie to win the shortened Cheviot Summit Race - perhaps becoming the only person to ever win this race without going to the summit of Cheviot.

I was having the run of my life at Guisborough Moors when I missed a turning and ended up loosing 11 minutes to finish outside the top 20, leaving Lee Bennet and Gary Jones to fight it out.  When Lee won he thought he was still in second behind me.  Turns out that generous Will Horsley recognised that I was in good form on this run and invited me to make up the numbers in the 4 man NE team for the inter counties championships at the Settle Hills race in a few weeks despite my poor result!

A fantastic run at Yorkshire 3 peaks, running with Nicholas Barber before he stormed on to finish in 3:25 topped off a great month of results.

Part 2 of my year is planned as follows.

11/5 Fairfield Horseshoe
18/5 Goat Fell
19/5 Settle Hills (Intercounties)
25/5 Jura
2/6 Yetholm (BC)
8/6 Ennerdale
15/6 Buckden Pike (EC)
19/6 Langstrath
23/6 Windy Gyle (NE)
30/6 Cronkley (NE)
2/7 Saltwell Harriers (DFR)
6/7 Chevy Chase
7/7 Skiddaw
9/7 Stoodley Pike
13/7 Wasdale (EC)
20/7 Snowdon
27/7 Blisco Dash (BC, EC)
3/8 Borrowdale
10/8 Turner Landscape (EC)
24/8 Burnsall Classic or Weasdale Horseshoe (DFR)
25/8 Grasmere Guides Race
27/8 Kilnsey Show
7/9 Grisedale Horseshoe
11/9 Roseberry Topping (DFR)
14/9 Peris Horseshoe (BC)
21/9 Scafell Pike or Simonside (NE)
28-29/9 RAB Mountain Marathon (DFR)
12/10 Langdale Horseshoe
13/10 Pentland Skyline
20/10 Fell Relays
26/10 Meall a'Bhuachaille
10/11 Clay Bank West (NE)
1/12 Angus Tait Memorial Hexhamshire Hobble (DFR)

That's a total of 37 races including as many as I can fit in from the Durham Fell Runners (DFR) club champs, English Champs (EC), British Champs (BC) and North East Champs (NE).

I'm sure things will come up which mean I don't do that many, but my main targets are the North East Championships which I hope to not get lost again so I am learning the routes before the remaining races!

Really looking forward to Jura, and all of the lakeland races.  Really proud to be selected for the intercounties in Settle and hoping to still be fit on 1/12 so I can defend my title and win the Hobble for the 3rd year running (perhaps with a CR if the conditions are good!)

If all this sounds a bit ambitious, or even cocky it isn't supposed to read that way.  I am just putting down some ambitions to keep me motivated.

Hopefully see you at some of those races.

Andy