(not the) Lake District Mountain Trial 2017.
The weather was pretty filthy, but I was like a pig in shit. A great course planned, with plenty of RC around the meat of the 4 main Lakeland Classics - Start on Buttermere, onto Wasdale, Borrowdale, Ennerdale and back to Buttermere.
A few small errors, (getting a bit caught in terrain, going a bit off-line) and always slight worried I'd picked the wrong route-choice, but was moving well and feeling strong - so much so I took on a 600m climb straight up from Lingmell Beck, over the Corridor route to the Col between Great End and Ill Crag (well I'm bored of slogging up from Styhead to Esk Hause and this looked like a good idea). Then at CP5, just as we were to turn for home (into the wind, around Gable and up Kirk Fell...) was told the race was cancelled. Bugger.
At the barn (once they'd sorted out a rogue control) they put up the times to CP5 for the classic course. I had a 10minute lead over Duncan, who was a couple of minutes ahead of Tim Morgan (
http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2017/LDMTA/sta...)
I'm not saying I'd have definitely won, but I was feeling good, picking good lines and if you look at my long race results over the last few years I nearly always pace well and pick up places. Of course it could have all gone wrong on the climbers' trod around Gable!
Oh well, my lowly name won't sully a trophy with greats like Naylor, Bland, Birkinshaw and Findlay-Robinson on it just yet (though given I could only really win in foul weather I fear the next time I am in this position the same outcome). I can see what we were brought in (mainly marshal safety, but Fell Runners/orienteers can be known to not possess/use SMJ and get into trouble), but it's the sodding Mountain Trial, not a picnic!
Calling a win under the Duckworth-Lewis method. Will just have to go and win the OMM now...