Parbold Hill Race

Race: Parbold Hill Race, Lancashire (6.75m)
Time/Position: 46.33 (17th from 464 [4th V40])
This famous race was celebrating its 45th birthday this year, making it three months older than me. It tends to clash with the Wrexham half marathon, which is some explanation for the fact that I have never done it before. It is a real cracker: which hovers some way between a fell race and a trail race in tone. A frantic start, dashing round a field, leads to a long road section through Bispham village, then off road on a fell-race style climb to a quarry, surprisingly steep. From here some fields lead eventually to the road at Parbold and a longer climb on the main road (A5209) to the top of the hill. I fell headlong on one of the muddier sections, but a soft landing meant no harm was done. I gained three places on the climb and pushed on a bit for the superb running along fields and tracks at the top of the very broad 'ridge' which leads to some kind of summit. I slid under a stile with a mile to go, painfully scraping the skin from my shins. Hobbling a bit, my ankle still fragile, I slowed for the leap over the hay bale then the plunge into the stream just before the finish: and lost the places I'd gained.