I should have put the lottery on, after jokingly wishing for snow for the moors race on Facebook, we bleeding got it. Seriously the cooler conditions meant more pleasant running than a few weeks before at Blakey. The previous week’s rain had ensured the bogs were indeed boggy; the puddles filled and ready to be plodged in by a load of crazy fellrunners.
Being a in the North East Hillrunning Champs, and NFR Champs ensured we had a cracking turn out on the start line. Dave Parry had to make slight changes to the course, with the finish being on Belmangate instead of in the rugby club grounds (home game). This probably knocked a minute off the time overall. 
The bottle neck at the top of Belmangate, where it becomes a path is the first significant obstacle on the route. This tends to mean a fast start and the rush not to be bottled in. Then the route goes up through the woods and out on the moors proper. One word describes the condition of the woods “clarty”. The moors were in canny nick with the tracks all allowing a fast pace. I tried to follow Rob Pollard's advice and stay within half marathon pace till Lonsdale Farm, well that worked for a while. (The garmin trace later showed my clever planning to be nonsense)
From Lonsdale farm till Cooks was done slightly faster than recomended, the fallen tree across the path at Gribdale another suprise! 
The sleet and snow started falling on the way to Roseberry but not lying thankfully.  After the stiff pull up the tourist path, we then had a flying descent down the east side and over to Little Roseberry for the next hill. Of note was the chap who came straight down the front, much steeper but he took a few places including me. The run over to Highcliffe Nab was certainly entertaining apart from the slimy flagstones of the Cleveland Way. Dave Aspin was videoing next to the big puddle and caught a few mishaps.
From Highcliffe to the finish was a downhill thrash, the aforementioned clarts causing quite a few folk to go base over apex. I did some class sliding but managed to stay on my feet.  Once onto the track to the finish it was simply a case of eyeballs out, a chap from NYM behind caught my peripheral vision and triggered chariots of fire moment that ensured he did not get by.
In the junior race, Robyn Bennett and James Green were representing NFR. They had to run up the same way as the adults through the woods but going straight on to Highcliffe Nab instead of turning out onto the moor (7k). Robyn was first back followed by James. The next junior race in the series is Carlton Bank on Wednesday 2nd of May, (Same evening as the Gordon Smith Relays)
Going back to a previous harp on at the Guisboro Three Tops race a while ago and John Duff has mentioned in his report and Clive Thornton in the Esk Valley blog, kit should be carried as the rule rather than the exception in the winter. NFR seemed all to be carrying however lots were not in bad weather and on a long race, Ii wonder how the quarter to half a kilo of gear effects performance over 12 miles.....

Phil Green

results will be on Esk Valley Fell Club website

photos and videos from Dave Aspin | photos and video from Robyn and Rowan Bennett | photos from Andy Russell