Relay running

Looking good so far!

The FRA Relays - this is the annual coming together of fell runners where nearly 200 teams of six runners from Wales, England and Scotland (and occasionally Ireland) compete with the best. This year Denbigh Harriers put together a mixed team and a men's team and this is me on the first leg starting off for the mixed team up the road towards the Welsh mountain Moel Eilio (nearly 2200 feet of climbing!) On my left in the blue is sister Mary - whereas I've been coming to the relays since 2000, and just missed two events, this was Mary's first running for Glossopdale Dahlings. My preferred option is to get the first leg over and done with and then I can relax and watch the rest of day's events unfold secure in the knowledge that I've got things of to a brilliant start! And after my modest placing after the first leg our team spotted round and went home - very surprised to find out later on that we'd finished in 3rd place in the mixed category!

Here's the map of the course - Moel Eilio is actually only around 1600 feet high but the extra climbing comes from a nasty sting in the tail which took many competitors unawares. You'll spot this from the profile of the route in the box at the bottom. So those runners who had nothing left in the tank were in trouble!