Friday-Sunday 27th to 29th September 2024
Originally discussed with some of the Thursday regulars as an experiment to test the appetite for such a venture, interest snowballed with eventually eight girls and twelve boys booked into the Mount Cook Adventure Centre sited bang on the High Peak Trail at Middleton Top in the Peak District. The seeds of the project were sown on a visit to Carsington Water last summer where the seven miles plus a bit trail around the reservoir was noted as terrific terrain for a sturdy fartlek. Only a five mile drive away, Mount Cook provided ideal billeting with four bed, en-suite rooms with full board amazingly priced at just over £100 for two nights. This was higher than their usual rate as, in their words, “endurance runners are good eaters!”
The night before was bedevilled by doubt. Would they like the accommodation? Would they survive the hard programme? Would the boys come in drunk and start fighting with the cub scouts who were also staying there that weekend? As it was all went well although there were two late withdrawals due to covid and plantar with a recurring hip injury doing for a further one who returned to Sheffield after dinner on Saturday.
The weekend started on Friday lunchtime with an easy meander down then back up the Manifold Trail with the warning of not to go too far as there was a hill session later that afternoon. Preceded by a lesson in drills, this was a 2x600m Madison style relay up the (at least 1in10) Middleton incline. To their eternal shame one pair were disqualified for having both partners running at the same time.
It was lasagne and chips for tea washed down with ale at the Rising Sun just up the trail. (“Bring a torch” he said). After the truth drug had been administered to all, a game of “Would I Lie to You” took place. With a running theme we were expected to believe that someone’s shoes had been deliberately sabotaged by an opponent, another bought his girlfriend some Vapourflys in the hope that it would deepen their relationship whilst another claimed to have once beaten a GB International marathon runner at cross country.
Sunrise was an easy run either up or down the not flat trail to earn a full English breakfast. Noon saw the core session of the weekend, the Carsington Water fartlek with three groups sorted by similar ability followed by a picnic. After more drills, tired legs were reactivated later that afternoon by a set of fun if bizarre cycling style races around the cricket pitch. The Pursuit was a two lap head to head race with opponents running in opposite directions so that the distance ahead/behind could be checked at the halfway point. Next was Death to the Tardy, a short handicap based on the Atalanta myth with the girls given a 100m head start. The coup de gras was the Keirin with the lead runner (derny) setting an ever increasing pace with a final mad sprint for the line when the derny stepped off the course. Roast dinner for tea followed by more ale for those who had room for it although some of the boys had hollow legs supplementing their intake with shots then carrying on at the bar at Mount Cook when they got thrown out of the pub.
L-R: Pierre, Gillian, Emily, Caroline, Peter, Sarah-Jane, Annie, Yasmine, Naeem, Rob, Tim, Matt, Brendon, Louis, Chris, Sarah and Sam. Sina is absent as he had gone back to look for his left leg somewhere.
Sunday fry up was eschewed for continental breakfast with the final session of the weekend a “Go As You Please” dog and walker dodging effort along the nearby Cromford Canal according to desire or capability. This was between six miles for some and a thirteen mile burn up for the stars and amazingly everyone showed up.
Prizegiving took place over breakfast. Team Dangermouse won a bag of easy peelers for being generally well behaved and rarely late for sessions with one of their team skipping the Sunday run to cycle home. The Bash Street Kids picked up a bag of onions as they were over an hour late at The Rising Sun on Saturday evening whilst one of their team was daft enough to cycle home after the Sunday run. It is suspected that most managed a well earned nap once back in Sheffield.
Despite the profanities offered during and immediately after sessions, general consensus was that it had been a fun weekend, great preparation for the upcoming cross country season and that this had been an ideal venue although the schedule could do with a few tweaks with a reminder that is wasn’t compulsory to have seconds with every meal. Six sessions in three days for some, mileage ranged from twenty up to a maximum of thirty five.
On the following Tuesday Mount Cook emailed asking for feedback, any photographs that we might be able to share and that they still have spaces available for September 2025 so prompt action will be required if this is to happen again next year.
Death to the Tardy. Would be Atalanta’s with their suitors in hot pursuit.