...AND LIFT OFF
HADES HILL
Delusion it was not. This turned out to be my best outing of the year and a bloody long time in the making. Hardly a result to turn heads on the local running scene, but the rare satisfaction of giving a decent account of myself was finally savoured.
In all probability I expected to be the only one there representing my club, but it seems I'd been kept out of the loop as I immediately spot Chris Holdsworth galloping around, Matt Lalor in the loo, Ste Hall, Chris Barnes, then Helen Glover at the start... the army was here to sweep up.
The out and back Hades Hill race is generally the final evening fell race on the calendar and it's eight years since my last run here. For the last five of those years, Andy O'Sullivan's Andems Runners have taken over the organisation. As I will have mentioned before, Andy is a thoroughly top chap and, well, just a little bit eccentric - you couldn't have written the script that evening. With his trademark loudspeaker at full whack, he shepherds everyone along to the bottom of the road to get us all off on time. But then, to Andy's dismay, a bloke in a car rolls up waiting to pass through the swathe of over 150 runners. ''There's a car waitin'. We'll 'av to let him through. Move to t'side everyone, we'll have to let him through...... he's pulling his face.....'' Andy is still on loudspeaker!! It was comedy genius, real life Peter Kay material.
The present organiser then introduces the former Hades Hill race organiser of over thirty years, Derek Clutterbuck, (A proper Lancashire name) to get us started and hands over the loudspeaker telling him, ''Keep it short, we want to get 'em off, then just say go''.
Well Mr Clutterbuck doesn't use the loudspeaker, doesn't keep it that short and then asks, ''Should I say 3-2-1-go, or just go?". ''Just say go!'', stresses Andy. You had to chuckle.
Despite a missing runner at the start, we were finally off and soon enough the lass in question comes bounding down the road in the opposite direction to catch on to the back of the field. Holdsworth's off up the road like a man possessed, Lalor shifts up to high places, Hall and Barnes are always quick out of the traps and I get a biting tightness up my left adductor which is a cause for concern. I keep it fairly steady in the hope the pain fades, still find myself having a decent start. With no more twinges to report as we leave the top of the road for the open moor, directly ahead are Ste Hall, Chris Barnes and Dan Gilbert. Although I'm thinking these lads are going to beat me, I set out to try and see how close I can get. It turned out to be a tasty race for top ten positions. As I tried to keep ground on those just ahead, the very distinctive grunts of Ashley Holt were pressuring me from right behind. Finding myself in the most unusual place of just behind Ste after the first climb, whether or not he was on his full mettle that night, it was encouraging to be up there. With the final climb to the turnaround point in view, I briefly gained a place before losing one again seconds later. I pass the Grenfell lad of Rossendale, when another Rossendale vest of Ashley's surges past the pair of us. But I was set on staying with Ash as long as I could. Soon after levelling up with him with about a mile to go, his red diesel engine produced a bit extra and started to edge away from me. Ash then passes Barnes and he's dragged me in to closer contention with him, so I make the Barnes my final target. A ten second gap to shrink for a top ten spot - I got it down to three or four just before we hit the road near the finish, but I knew Chris would relish hitting the tarmac more than me and he restored his gap over that last quarter mile. So 11th it was, but less than half a minute behind Ste Hall in 7th who led a cluster of V40's that read Gilbert, Holt, Barnes, Sutton.
Holdworth won easily with another course record, Glover took the ladies race in a new record too and completed the sweep. Lalor was an impressive 3rd, then us three oldies made it five Ribble vests in the top eleven. It's been a familiar story at many races over the Summer. Invariably the incarnation of Ribble Valley Harriers is loved or hated, respected or resented, but it looks like the club is here to stay.

Thursday 6th September 2018
HADES HILL   5m/1200ft   Whitworth, Nr Rochdale.
1st Man - Chris Holdsworth (Ribble Valley Harriers) 30:15
1st Lady - Helen Glover (Ribble Valley Harriers) 37:04
My Stats - 35:47   11/152