Tom and I joined Saltwell a year ago now, and we love the friendly community that pushes you in so many diverse ways. Due to childcare, we take it all in turns. So, it was Tom’s turn for the Christmas party and I got to go to the Hexham Hobble. I chose this race as it was one of the nearer runs geographically, so not an entire day out. Also, 10.5 miles was a nice far-but-not-too-far distance for my first event.
I have always loved being in the countryside, and Tom and I have often set ourselves running challenges on our holidays, so going to the fell race didn’t daunt me in that way. Wide open spaces, a challenge within my physical ability, and plenty of tea and cake to finish—what’s not to love?!
Getting Ready
I did, however, feel slightly out of my depth with the kit list—I haven’t ever carried kit with me on a run, and wasn’t quite sure how to go about this. This is where being in a club is great—there are lots of friendly and experienced folk on hand to advise and even lend kit to help you make the day. My children loved a little practice with our samba whistle the night before too.
The Race
Lift sharing is another great help with the fell race—it is less scary turning up on your own, better for the environment and generally more fun (many thanks to Lynsey here). I probably felt the freshest in the van as I didn’t party the night before, and was very impressed with those choosing a race to cure their hangovers.
Apparently the Hobble is “5 star”, because you go into a school hall to change, register, and there are toilets. No camping out in a field. It is also marshalled the whole way round, so I didn’t need to worry about navigating. In other fell races apparently it can be good to recce before the day, just to make sure you are happy with the route. However, as I was quite in the middle of the pack, I also had lots of people around me throughout the race if any help was needed.
We were treated to bagpipes to send us off which felt very special. Having never done this sort of race before I started towards the back of the pack, and again it felt very friendly and encouraging as we set off. As the race started with a steep climb, everyone soon got into their own pace.
I decided to push myself on the run and go as fast as I could (all photos are therefore courtesy of everyone else). I tried to avoid the puddles at first, and then embraced that mud was the way forward. The most challenging terrain for me was going downhill on narrow heather tracks where I had to concentrate hard on every step. However, there were a lot of easier tracks, and some road, to provide a relief from this throughout.
Reflections
My overall reflection is that I really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a new challenge or a different way of running. It is much softer on your feet than the roads, and there is a lovely inclusive camaraderie from start to finish. Every ability is welcome, and the more that you go to, the more points you will score within the Saltwell Fell Series.
Lydia Boase
