SportsShoes Blog

Earlier today me and 379 other fell running loonies ran the famous Auld Lang Syne Race from Penistone Hill near Haworth.

This race has grown in popularity over the years due mainly to the tremendous enthusiasm of the organisers Dave and Eileen Woodhead (AKA the Woodentops). Dave could rightly be described as one of fell running’s more colourful characters and he and Eileen do a fantastic job of laying on superb events throughout the year and encouraging young and old to pull on their fell shoes all in the name of fun.

This year, due to the event attracting over 500 runners last year, entry was restricted to ‘just’ 400 but what a field it was. In addition to Santa, a sheep, a group of nuns and a skeleton (more about that later) the start line also contained Alistair Brownlee (world Triathlon champion), his brother Jonny (European Triathlon Champion), Ian Holmes (all round Fell Running legend), Andi Jones, Simon Bailey etc. etc. etc.

As my pal Steve Firth said in the pub afterwards, what other sport sees world champions running against folk in fancy dress - Fantastic!!

The course is a little brute - only around 4 miles in total but with snow and ice still lying thick on the tops it was a very tough race.

To sign off my fell running year, I decided not to take the event too seriosuly and dug out my skeleton suit along with my sons rather fetching skull pirate mask. This little get up went down a storm and even earned me a prize although the problem was that nobody recognised me. There were loads of folk I knew on the course both competing and spectating but instead of them seeing Andy trotting along I was just some faceless nutter in a skeleton outfit!!

To say I only had very restricted tunnel vision (the mask was made for an 8 year old) and I was rebreathing carbon dioxide with every strained breath, I think I did OK. What’s really funny when you’re in costume is watching folk react when you overtake them - it’s a funny thing but nobody likes to get beaten by somone in fancy dress and there’s a notciable acceleration or a special effort to repass you whenever you make a move (I should know I’ve never got over being passed by Captain Hook in the last couple of miles of the London Marathon - there was I in full marathon gear dying on my feet when Mr Hook came flying past with his raven curls blowing in the breeze, waving his sword around playing to crowd - Mentally scarred!!)

Anyway, that’s another year of fell running consigned to the hsitory books - my high point I think was 3rd in the Haworth Hobble and my low point dragging my sorry ass round the 22 mile Wasdale race after blowing in the first 2 miles.

I wonder what next year will bring - the West Highland Way in June is my main focus so lots of long steady miles need to be dripped into the old legs.

Right, time to get ready for a NYE party where I can quaff my Daleside Old Legover beer - curtesy of Dave Woodhead and the 2009 Auld Lang Syne race.

Happy New Year everyone  - see you next year!!

Click here to view the Inov-8 330 Mudclaw

Anyone whose read my earlier posts will know that I’m an Inov-8 convert.

I’ve been using their trail shoes for a number of years and recently tried and liked their lightest race shoe the 212 X-Talon.

As the trails have recently become a tad on the slippy side I needed to find something with a little more grip than my Adidas Kanadia trail shoes. The X-Talon’s have fantastic grip but they offer very little support so whilst they’re great for racing they’re not that good for churning out the miles in training.

I’ve never been a big fan of Inov-8’s fell shoe styling (212 excepted) but recent changes to their colourways and some subtle changes to the uppers have, in my opinion, improved the range considerably. We all know that what a fell shoe looks like shouldn’t matter a hoot but we also all know that it does and how things look can have a big effect, even if it is all in the mind.

When looking for a grippy trail shoe the 330 caught my eye and whilst I know it’s designed to be a fell racer the upper does look more like a trail shoe.

The shoes do feel slightly larger than the same sized 212 but I guess that’s to be expected as the 212 is supposed to be a tight fitting stripped down racer.

Following the obligatory walk around the house for a day, my first run in the 330s was a 90 minute trot around Baildon Moor and the first thing you notice is the massive amounts of traction that the heavily studded sole supplies. The shoes really inspire confidence in muddy conditions and certainly live up to their name.

The shoes are extremely comfy and although nice and low as a good off-road shoe should be, they offer descent cushioning from the midsole and also a noticable amount of welcome ‘bounce’ from the studs on hard surfaces.

The heel is very low, a feature of Inov-8 shoes which I still don’t fully understand, and initially I could feel a little movement when climbing steep ground. This has all but disappeared now the shoes have been wet and dried a few times and started to mould to my feet but I would prefer a higher heel to make sure the movement is not there in the first place.

The other issue is the shoe’s ability to handle wet rock - put simply, they don’t! Once you know this it is possible to use them very effectively but the first few times you try them on a wet, hard, cambered surface the results can be very un-nerving. What I know about shoe design / manufacture you could write on the back of a small stamp but I would like to have seen two lines of studs running along the length of the sole unit that were made from super soft sticky rubber.

If you have a reasonably efficient style and keep light on your feet these shoes can be used for just about anything from hard packed trails to the high fells but I think they will really come into their own on long distance fell races where comfort, support and grip are needed.

I’ve now done around 15 hours in the shoes and overall I like them very much and would gladly recommend them. If  you try before you buy to make sure you get the right size and be aware of their dislike of wet rock, you’ll not go far wrong.

Click here to view the Inov-8 330 Mudclaw

Sorry forgot to mention this little race that I sneaked in November.

It’s run every year by Bingley Harriers and it follows a very unusual format in that cyclists race against runners over the same course at the same time. You would think that one or the other would have a distinct advantage but due to the widley varying incline and ground conditions this race can be won by either (and often is!!)

It is also quite unusual as it attracts some of the countries top names from both the fell running and cyclo-cross communities along with some very steady weekend warriors, again on both two legs and two wheels - a real mixed bag.

The race starts near to the Leeds Liverpool canal between Bingley and Shipley and runs / rides to the top of Hope hill before looping around the hill and descending back via the same route - in all around 6 miles of field, track, rocky crag and exposed moorland.

Last year Alistair Brownlee (who has just been crowned World Triathlon Champion) showed up to take on Rob Jebb on his cross-bike and came off second best - that gives you some idea of just how quick Rob is on a bike - rumour has it that he passed Alistair going up to the summit with his bike on his back!!.

This year Rob was on his bike again but Simon Bailey (English and British fell champion) turned up and made use of the very wet weather to take the win.

Just for fun I did it on my bike again (cross-bike this year) and whilst I enjoyed it I found it very hard work.

Following my puncture riddled disaster at the 3 Peaks earlier this year I changed my tyres to Schwalbe Landcruisers and they made short work of the rocks, bumps and lumps found on Hope hill - I hope they’ll be just as good next year at the peaks.

Since the Harriers v Cyclists I’ve been getting some nice solid training in with a few good 2 hour + runs at the weekend during which I’ve been training my mind to ‘going long’ in preparation for the West Highland Way race next year.

Tomorrow it’s the Calderdale Way relay race where I’m running leg 1 for Bingley’s V40 (old duffers) team with my ‘old’ pal Steve Fry. Steve’s full of cold right now so I should have a relatively easy time although I’m not looking forward to the 6am alarm call.