Today the team provided its usual standby rescue cover provision for the gruelling Winter Hill Fell Race, organised excellently as ever by Horwich RMI Harriers and Athletic Club.
Now in its 27th year (the team has attended every event), the course takes in an 11 mile route with 2700 feet of ascent, centred on Winter Hill, starting and finishing at Rivington Hall Barn.
This year, 36 Call Out List members (including three of our ’reserve’ members) provided cover at each of the nine checkpoints, with ’spot pick up crews’, radio links, start/finish liaison and control and communications (MRT radio network only).
In addition four members of our Support Group, Gillian Gregory, Iain Clarkson, Howard & Teresa Gilliland provided an endless supply of bacon, sausage butties (slightly toasted bread!), soup and hot drinks to the team from our new Catering Trailer since its inaugural outing since its purchase last year.
174 runners entered today with the temperatures at the Lower House car park, (in comparison with the 12 degreeC temperatures enjoyed last year), starting at -4 degreeC, slowly increasing to zero! Four runners failed to complete the exacting course, and we are pleased to announce none of the runners required our medical assistance. (for the record the first runner to complete the course did so in 1 hour 36 minutes after the 10am mass start.)
During the course of the event we were pleased to welcome at our Lower House RVP former team members husband & wife Dave and Trish Dorgan (good luck Dave with your forthcoming knee operation, with the new knee will we expect to see you taking part in this event next year?)
The local Lancashire Constabulary traffic officer also called in to see the team.
With the team vehicles, our control trailer and catering trailer (along with a myriad of team members private vehicles) generated a fair bit of interest from passing members of the public, so much so that we received on the spot cash donations for the work we do of £23.55.
The team is happy to provide standby rescue cover for this event (as with other fell running events on our moors) and to support our local fell running community.
During the concluding part of this event the team was notified of an incident nearby unconnected to this event. See incident 18/2009.
