My Top 10 Favourite Races

In no particular order, here are my Top 10, 5 currently still being staged, 5 fond in the memory.

1. Kinder Trog - a classic circuit of the fells around Hayfield. Suited me as a stayer as I always reckoned on picking runners off on the way up to Big Stone
2. Round The Ressers - a race with a good cause, love collecting the mugs, always great to race on my own training patch
3. Lantern Pike - my first ever fell race, a great afternoon out, always a tough competitive race against friendly rivals, that little climb near the end!
4. Ennerdale Fell Race - my first and favourite Lakeland Classic, being in the same race alongside many icons of our sport, the views, the good running towards the end, the sight of the finish from atop Crag Fell, going AWOL on my first attempt then returning to get it right
5. South East Lancs XC - historic league over 100 years old, the industries, eyeballs out, so competitive, cheapest races around
6. Werneth Low Half-Marathon - predated race measuring, more like a hilly 14 to 15 miles, Romiley, Marple Bridge, Charlesworth, Broady, Mottram, Hattersley and back over Apple St and the Low, held in the depths of Winter
7. Midco Half - forerunner of the Glossop Half Marathon, High St West closed to traffic, tough course up the Longdendale Valley
8. Tanky's Trog - classic crossing of the Dark Peak moors, ran it in all weathers, always pleased to locate 7 minute crossing, the joy of seeing Edale when emerging from the clag twixt Upper and Nether Tors, Nicky's Trigger looks tougher and already destined to be a classic also
9. Saddleworth 3 Day Event - 7 mile Harrap Dale Hill on Friday evening, 10 mile Ravenstones Brow Fell on Saturday afternoon, 9 mile Scouthead Road Race on Sunday morning, plenty of pints drunk, always a Glossopdale favourite, a warm up for ....
10. Tour of Tameside - Ron Hill's brainchild, 6 stage double marathon, lucky to have the running equivalent of the Tour de France on our own doorstep, so many memories.....

Subs bench and honourable mentions:-

• Glossop Fell Race - only did it once, the day after finishing the Tour!
• Glossop 5 - fast two lapper around Glossop town centre attracting local elite runners
• Bullock Smithy - local 56 mile classic, joined up a lot of dots for me, in my opinion a must do for all Glossopdalers at some point in their running career
• Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon -long days out on the fells with some great characters

       What races would be in your Top Ten?

I have a slight confession. By Tim Budd

I have a slight confession. 

I am not a runner. Never have been. I'm barely even a walker. I hated running at school, and the most I ever did was running around a football pitch, attempting to stop someone scoring. Once my friends worked out how to pass, that became pretty redundant in terms of fun. 

In high school I barely did any real exercise, and in university I didn't run, didn't really climb much - although I considered myself a climber, and I hadn't even heard of fell running. Oh yes, I walked a little bit, and I enjoyed that, but running? I laughed at those who went out for 5 miles, 10 miles and more. Why would you ever want to do that?

Then a friend in the Expedition society entered the London marathon, and twisted his ankle about 5 weeks out, and passed the entry on to, of all people, me. 

I started out running once a week- ignoring distance, mainly because I had nothing to conveniently measure it with, but rather for time. I ran for an hour. I ran for 2 hours. And a week before the marathon, I thought... I wonder if I can actually run for 26 miles? That’s a long way.

So, going against all marathon intelligence (of which I was blissfully unaware at that time), I mapped out 28 miles on an OS map, got a rucksack, some water and bananas and went out and ran it. - Well. I ran 25 miles and walked the last 3, but figured that I'd be ok for the next week. 

I went. I ran it. I got around in 4 and a half hours. To be honest, it was the best sightseeing trip around London that I've ever done. 

However. I still didn't really get it. 

I left to go to Japan, and ran a bit there, enjoying moving faster than walking pace in the outdoors, though I was really much more into climbing. Back in the UK, again, I was more into climbing- and ran a little to lose weight. 

The partial epiphany came when my climbing partner and I started doing adventure racing. We knew we were rubbish at running, so spent as much time on Bikes as possible, and just gave the running part of it cursory lip service. 

As time went by, we realised that running was a bit of a necessity, and so started practising a bit more. 

A couple of times we headed to the peak district and it rained, so (shock horror) we ran instead of climbing, so as not to waste the trip. 

I got a place in the London marathon again, and clocked 3:45, and for 3 years running I entered the only fell race I could get to- Box hill fell race, getting faster each time by about 5 minutes. 

Yet, I still wasn't a runner. 

We moved up north and joined Glossopdale Harriers. I can't remember why I wanted to go fell running. The freedom? The speed? The delight at thrashing downhill as fast as possible? The feeling of elation at getting to the top of a climb for a great view? All of them really.

I’m not fast, certainly when I look at the times a lot of the best runners are posting, and indeed, looking back at the times being posted in the past by some of our club elders, I realise just how far I have yet to go. Those race times and places from a decade ago and more, crikey…. Whenever I think I’m getting OK at this running lark, I have a look back at those results realise just how fast they were. Even now, a podium place, though a possibility if the right race is chosen and enough people fail to turn up, is a bit of a pipe dream. It’s almost like I’m a bit of a rubbish trophy hunter. 

I’d love to win, but just don’t have the legs to carry it off. 

Slowly, but surely, I’ve started getting sucked into getting faster. Practising running. Practising hills. Getting stronger.

Perhaps I’ve begun to think like a runner, but to be honest. I don’t think I’m there yet. 

Tim