In spite of cracking a couple of ribs a few weeks ago in a
too-giddy-canine-related tripping incident, Steve C shrugged off the pain and
has been back in the thick of things this past couple of weekends. First up was
the Montane Trail 13 in Grizedale where
the ever-changing Lake District weather briefly
smiled and allowed competitors some reasonable (for the season) conditions. In
spite a very health-interrupted program this past couple of years, and the
ribs, Steve was pleased to manage a time within a minute of his efforts in the
same event a year ago.
Last weekend saw Steve and a vegan friend (Britta) take on
the Anglezarke Amble, a 24 mile LDWA event run across the West Pennine Moors which
takes in the well known landmark of Rivington Pike.
The bottom line is: it’s up on the tops and always bleak.
The event was proving typically tough but, as if the cold
and exposure wasn’t enough, matters took an unexpected turn when a fellow
competitor suffered a heart attack and collapsed in front of our intrepid duo.
The unfortunate chap wasn’t breathing and had no pulse so Steve and Britta
immediately sprang into action and administered CPR until medics / the mountain
rescue helicopter arrived about 20 minutes later.
The man survived but the enforced stop left Steve and Britta
nose-diving towards hypothermia. Undeterred, they carried on complete with
completely numb extremities, including such fundamentals as feet and – against
all odds – successfully made the finish.
Heroic stuff!
