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  Coiners Fell Race
Mytholmroyd, 4th May 2009

Cragg Vale Air, the only way to fly.

Registration

  Advertised Statistics Measured Statistics
Distance 7 Miles

6.8 miles

Total Climbs 1,100 ft 950 ft
 

The races are named after the notorious gang of 18th century, gold coin counterfeiters based nearby in Cragg Vale.  Apparently they milled the edges off genuine gold coins and used the shavings to make new, counterfeit coins.  

The two main points to note on these races are as follows:

(1)  Registration and start is about 10-15 min walk from the car park.  Therefore take your kit to registration, otherwise you will end up making that walk 3 times and be knackered before you start the race (if you don’t miss the start!); and

(2)   In the Seniors' race there is a stile after about 1/3 mile which has long queues.  If you start of steady, like I did, you will find yourself queuing for several minutes waiting to cross the stile, then get stuck behind slower ascenders.

The Seniors race itself was very well organised, with junior races from 10:30 am and the Seniors’ race at 1:30 pm.  The Seniors' route is mostly fast running (after the initial steep climb following the traffic jam stile) and runnable, even up to the top of Stoodley Pike. There are some juicy bogs and a huge, deep puddle by a gate after about 5 miles.  Be careful to pass to the right of the puddle gate, not making the mistake some made of going through the gate.

A canny clubmate took a £5 Aldi tent and this made a great place to store bags during the race (as the start line is so far from car parking).   Prizes were 3 bottles of local beer and everyone got a slate Coiners coaster.

Fell or trail shoes are fine, preferably fell.  I would rate this one as not too difficult due to the highly runnable nature of the course after the initial steep climb.   I thoroughly enjoyed it (except for that stile!!).  Three loos available and results on internet within a day or two.  Only possible improvement would be a burger van or something as its quite a long day if you attend the juniors’ races and there is little more than sheep droppings in the field itself.

 

 

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Copyright John Mayall 2009.