Jordan has a crack at Crowden
With the race at Teggs Nose now firmly in my rear view mirror alongside another successful run at the Cracken Edge fell race (and kinder mountain rescue fundraiser) I felt it was time to have a stab at a Peak District classic, The Crowden Horseshoe. A well known Peak District hiking route which annually plays host to a challenging 13.5km race with around 520m of ascent taking in the key features of Laddow Rocks and Black Hill along the way. After soaking up the ever friendly fell race atmosphere and enjoying the banter from race organiser and all round legend Des Higgins, the 155 runners set off in good spirits to tackle the fabled Crowden Horseshoe.
After working my way through the initial bottle-neck start I found myself clambering over ferns to get onto less congested ground where it was then time to get in the zone (zone 5 to be precise) and dive feet first into race mode. After the initial slog I found my breath as well as my pace whilst managing to really enjoy myself and actually take in the beautiful Peak District surroundings on offer. Being my first race with a new pair of shoes (Inov8 Mudtalon Speed) I was hoping for some muddy terrain to test them out in and I wasn’t disappointed as the second half of the race was a downhill peat paradise with the occasional bog just to keep things interesting. This exact terrain these shoes were made for.
The outstanding 8mm lugs on inov8’s very own STICKY GRIP technology soles filled me with confidence on every stride and were evenly spaced to shed mud and avoid any clogging whilst on the move. What’s also worth mentioning is the weight of these shoes. Weighing in at 260g’s I felt really nimble and able to move at optimum speed. The 4mm drop on the shoe adds to the overall stability on uneven ground and I would thoroughly recommend these shoes for short to medium races on muddy terrain as well as for any training runs out on the hills.
After loving life gliding through the landscape and navigating the tricky final descent on uneven rock with ferns hiding a sea of potential foot twisters I managed to finish with a sprint to the finish line to claim 27th place with a time of 1 hour 20 minutes and six seconds. Closely followed by fellow Pennine fell runners club member and successful fell and ultra runner Caroline Leigh in 28th place. Another result that I’m absolutely buzzing with! Stay tuned for more of my forays in the world of fell running, including my first race in the Lakes on the 31st of August ‘The Grisedale Horseshoe’.
