I was jealous of all those who had taken part in the Devil’s Burdens on Saturday, so I had a look on the web and found this race ‘only’ 3 hours away in the Lake District. My chances of getting to go increased when I found it had several junior races, which meant I could sell it as ‘a day out for the whole family’.
The race is part of the ‘Kendal Winter League’ organised by Helm Hill Runners, a series of weekly races in that part of lakes. I was interested to see if it would be any different to hill races in Scotland.
The main difference is just the sheer number of juniors taking part – at least 100 over the three races. Euan quickly realised this wouldn’t be a case of handing out a bottle of Greenmantle Ale to every junior participant!
The races were all well organised. There was a mad dash at the start, leading to a steep climb, followed by a very boggy loop, before the slippery descent back to the start – probably 4-5 miles. The mist was very low, and for much of the race I had no idea where I was, and how far there was to go. I’m not sure where I finished, but I think it was nearer the back the front.
All in, it was a great little race, and if we’ve any quiet weekends in the next 2 months, we might go down there again if there’s nothing closer to hand.
http://www.helmhill.co.uk/index.php/whitestones (results here eventually I think)
Paul Burns