Shepherd's Skyline Race Report

Winter officially started last weekend (depending on your sources) when the clocks went back in the UK. A week later and my body is still confused by the timing and the unseasonally mild weather if a charming surprise, though its still damp. Still, I was pleased to only have to wear one layer to race today, even if I then wore a tonne of layers to walk up and down the hill to the start. 

Shepherd's skyline is a bit of an 'on the tin' race: you run the skyline visible from the Shepherd's rest pub. But rather than be an out and back, it does a charming loop of dropping down the front of Stoodley Pike, then throwing in another climb ' for the stout legged'. I am stout, but alas, not of leg (just in all the wrong places). I am also apparently quite disorganised as there had been a plan to train to Todmorden and walk up but we ended up in the car after I was too late home from parkrun to get to the train in time. Oh well, at least we avoided the parking chaos on the road by the pub (its on a bus route and its narrow). Also, we finally got to Baked, the nice bakery in Todmorden, and cherry and rosemary foccacia is a relevation. 

We walked up the hill with Francis who gave us a bit of a low down on conditions. Not as muddy as you might think was the overall statement, but ultimately my shoe choice had been made when we left home so it was mudclaws or barefoot by this point. For once, it was actually a good shoes coice and I can't blame the shoes for my run today! 

Usual busy pub room registration on the day. But it was at least dry enough we could all go back outside after rather than crowd things even further. It was a good attendance by the feel of it: it felt busy. We all hopped across the road to the start line, and were counted in to the funnel. I ended up near the back but to be honest, I felt a bit tired and I'd already done 20000 steps that day so wasn't expecting miracles. 

Photo by Sam Hartley

The first climb was chaotic but more runnable than i had feared. With the race well attended there was a lot of gentle jostling and use of side paths to try get rhythms going. It was rocky in places, and muddy in others, and I picked my way up fairly steadily, not fighting to over take, rather managing my effort a bit. It dipped up and down a tiny bit, but up was very much the direction as we headed for the skyline ridge. 

On the ridge we turned right, and in this first section crossed a few streams with muddy rocks either side. This slowed things down a bit and I was worried I felt tired as we faced a gentle climb. I consigned myself to a bit of a slog for the rest of the race and had a nice chat with a chap from Northowram who has gotten in to fell racing at the age of 65, which is ver admirable. I was glad of the next shorter descent and the views at this point, though the path was pitted, rocky and muddy, so you had to keep your eyes on the floor. I lost and gained places in fairly equal measure here. Stoodley Pike seemed a long way away. 

We hopped through puddles, the odd bog (mercifully not deep), and over large grey slabs and stones. Sometimes the path was obvious and at other times runners scattered more broadly across the 10 meters or so where the path might have been. As got nearer the Pike, we saw walkers who were mostly pleasantly bemused by a few hundred mad runners splashing along the path. The slabs get more prominent as you get towards the pike but I felt I moved fairly well through this bit, keeping pace with a lady who looked a fair bit fitter than me. We may have been on the Pennine Way at this point but I couldn't honestly say. 

Stoodley Pike was eventually reacched, with people cheering from the balcony (I get too creeped out by the dark stairs to go up to this point!), and legs turned to the descent. I was immediately over taken but a chap much older than me. I must say, I didn't think I was making hard work of this descent but I struggled to over take and got over taken a few times. It is steep, and again rocky and loose in places with mud in others, but the mudclaws held, as did my quads. Strava reckons it was my fastest descent but everyone around me was definitely faster. Just before the London 'road' track at the bottom, one guys was pulled up rubbing his quads with cramp which is very understandable given the steepness!  

When I recce'd the Calderdale Way relays in 2022, I remember thinking London Road was the point to put some work in, and today I was just doing that when around the corner appeared a very muddy, a bit distressed, Leeds uni runner with a hole in her knee. Poor thing had taken quite the tumble and was now looking a bit shocked walking back up the course to the marshal. She looked so shocked I decided to offer to walk her back up to the marshal (you can do this without it being creepy when you are a mumsy looking woman of a certain age). She'd done the classic of falling on the non-technical bit; some of my worst injuries have occurred like this. 

Having left her with the marshals, I set off back down the London Road for second time, making very sure to pick my feet up. There was no way I was going to catch any other Chorlton Runners now but I decided to get a jiffy on so that Martin didn't get too worried at the pub. Around the corner I could see the climb back up to the skyline ridge and no one was running it... 

It wasn't as muddy as I had feared but it was steep and a bit laborious on tired legs. It too was typically Pennine in its rockiness and muddiness. I was behind a group for a while, and we did get stuck behind thenfamous Antonio of Otley for a bit but he promptly let us pass. The group were going a bit slow for me as we approached to top and I decided to over take.... I think I caused a bit of offence and they all seemed to make a concerted effort as we pushed on to the edge to re-overtake me when it got a bit more runnable again. Ah well. 

My back was niggling now. I knew I didn't have much longer before it would spasm but I reckoned I could do the last bit in 10 minutes. We were back near the stream crossing and I was chasing down a chap who over took me on the downs and then I over took on the flats (he was quite chatty so it was nice an amicable). I could see the the descent and wondered if my legs would let me go down it fast...

The descent of the now quite churned up path back to the bottom was actually magical. My legs mostly did what i wanted, finding little ridges to run along and not skidding too much on the rocks. My reliable mud claws also bit in to the muddier sections. I soon caught up a person or two, but I find over taking down hill quite hard. The descent went on for nearly a mile I think! It was fantastic but I was a bit scared I would run out of steam or concentration..... or go arse over tit in front of everyone in view of the finish line....

I like to think I made the last 100 meters look good but I suspect most people just saw a chubby woman moving at speed and got well clear..... I was last Chorlton runner back and Martin did remark I was a bit further behind Brian than normal (clearly he was aware something might have happened). I was soon assured the young lady from Leeds was back in the pub with her friends and a marshal handed my first aid kit back which was nice. I had enjoyed the race, even if I hadn't set the world alight. It has amazinf views over Calder Valley even if you don't get much time to enjoy them between picking out paths, but that two adds an element of fun and jeopardy. On a wet day it might have been a slog but the nice weather made it a charming afternoon out.