Today I took part in the 11km version of the Karrimor Great Trail Challenge in the beautiful Lake District. Set in Keswick the 11km race comprised of a one lap route that took you along gravelly trails, wooden walkways, concrete inclines and of course Latrigg Fell.
Being organised by the same people that organise the Great North Run, I expected a very user friendly event and yet was still surprised by the almost carnival feel experienced by runners and spectators alike.
The elite runners set off first and all came in with pretty impressive times (especially the juniors) however at 10:45 it was time for the average joes taking part in the 11km.
I set out at a comfortable pace, around 9min/mile and found myself running next to a nice fella called Robert for almost the full run. It was pretty comfortable underfoot and never really got too technical, and 11km is not too far (even for me) however it was the 1017' elevation gain that cause the most trouble (gain according to garmin).
As usual, once you reach the top it kind of makes the climb seem worth it and there are some lovely views from the top of Latrigg Fell. Due to a lot of walking breaks my ascent took an unimpressive 14 mins 28 secs and the descent taking 16 mins 53 secs. Now I am assuming the descent takes in more km because I personally felt like I was flying down the hill (but apparently not).
Overall, the Karrimor Great Trail Challenge was a great event ran over a great route, and I will definitely be back next year to crack the hour mark. This year I completed it in 1:13:27, I'm not unhappy with that although If I can get through till next summer injury free I will be expecting to finish sub 1h.
 |
| Coming to the finish line, ahead of Robert ;) |
.jpg) |
| At the start, just slightly behind Robert |
