This evening for the second year running, we provided standby rescue cover for the Radcliffe Athletics Club organised Bull Hill Fell Race.
Early available team members initially met at both our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ and our GMFRS Bolton North Community Fire Station garage, at 18.00hrs to depart for the race registration at the Waggon and Horses Public House, Hawkshaw, and the head of Hawkshaw Lane, Hawkshaw race RVP/ start and finish location.
The race commenced at 19.30hrs with a field of 232x runners and one sweep, all in excellent dry conditions, clear blue skies and warm temperatures.
The race route took in a course to Lark Hill, on to the head of Red Brook, and onwards to Bull Hill summit, thence to Alden Ratchers, Beetle Hill, Pilgrims Cross, Holcombe Head Farm area and back to Hawkshaw Lane.
All runners were safely accounted for by 21.00hrs, with thankfully no calls upon our services.
Twenty Bolton MRT operational members attended tonight, with all four of our Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances present, and the teams presence co-ordinated from our Incident Control Vehicle by Mark Scott and Garry.
Our Deputy Team Leader Chris Greenhalgh, alongside trainee team member Rasti Schweizer being present in a liaison role at the event registration at the Waggon and Horses Public House (Chris and Rasti said someone had to do it!)
Other team members from the twenty present, were at various locations around the race route including Bull Hill summit – which saw that ‘young daughter’ and her ‘elderly grandfather’ duo of Diane Blakeley and our venerable President Bob Hutchinson gracing the summit, and Nigel “how many checkpoints can I get to this evening” Booth!
The team is pleased to be associated with Radcliffe Athletics Club for this event and hopes the weather for 2016s event will be as kind as tonight’s!
During the race it was great to meet up again with two former Bolton MRT Call Out list members, both taking part as runners, Dave Garner who now lives in the Todmorden area, and Dave Kehoe who lives in the north Bolton area.
Both met up with our Team Leader Garry to chat over past and current times, Dave Kehoe before the race and Dave Garner after the race.
Garry also met up tonight with Dave Bateson, who was the organiser of the long running Belmont Village Winter Hill Fell Race, which no longer occurs due to landowner restrictions, Dave being a fantastic friend and supporter of the Bolton MRT.
Tonight’s standby rescue cover is the thirteenth event we have covered so far this year, with our next provision of such being on Saturday 15th August for the Darwen Gala Fell Race, and then next on Monday evening 31st August 2015 for the Blackburn Harriers Fell Race event on Darwen Moor and Cartridge Hill.
