Commondale Clart, a very aptly named race!
This race starts and ends on tarmac, very steep for about quarter of a mile at either end.
The uphill is at the start, with the pull up Sandhill Bank being the main climb of the race, the rest being made up of a gentler gradient and undulating moor. The route heads off anticlockwise over High Moor in the general direction of Guisborough. Initially this is over the Quakers Causeway, a fairly good path with some flags, but some deceptively deep puddles and boggy bits. The route turns off this path onto a good trod before picking up a line of standing stones and the return leg. The down hill from CP 5 was fast n fun, before rejoining the road for belt down hill to the bridge.
At the sharp end, Phil Sanderson and Cameron Taylor (Esk) fought it out for first, with Cameron coming in first. Charlie Stead was third in, with Paul Butler (loftus) a close 4th. The top four runners were all in under the previous course record. Gaz Jones was 5th. Lawrence Johnson and Myself were fighting it for the fourth counter spot, with Lawrence pulling ahead after CP 3 and me being able to do nowt but hang on. We did pull ahead of a chap from loftus who Lawrence knew was a V50. This was grand as it turned out as Lawrence took his age cat!
We finished in 16th and 17th places.
Chris Sanderson finished next followed by Chris Eggett, Dave Johnson, Neil Gammack, Trevor Wakenshaw, and Dave Beaumont.
The ladies were represented well by Marie Helene and Marie, both had good races.
Marie taking her vet cat.
Glaisdale Rigg is on the 11th of March , a cracking race as well, 8.5 miles with a great variety of terrain

Results to follow on the Esk Valley Site.

Photos by Dave Kirk

Phil Green