Cogman and Gravy

This was the second running of the extended version of this race. The intention is to change the course every year. Back Tor will always be a checkpoint but other checkpoints will change. This year\'s course avoided the rough moorland north of the main path, which had brought us into armed conflict with gamekeepers and landowners last year. The two checkpoints in addition to Back Tor were ruined cabins in Cogman and Gravy Clough, a pair of delightful unfrequented tributaries of the Abbey Brook. What idyllic spots to send a happy band of runners to on a balmy May evening!! It wasn\'t quite like that !! Drizzle at the start of the race became thick mist on Derwent edge and deteriorated into a cold, wet, windy evening in the gathering gloom ; good \'exposure\' conditions.

It was amazing to see so many starters on such an evening. 41 of us disappeared into the mist and were soon straggled out along the path to the edge. Where everyone went at the crossroads was only revealed after the race. There was a pleasing parting of the ways, the choice being between a clockwise or anticlockwise circuit. It wasn\'t


necessary to go to Back Tor first, but I think 1 was the only one who didn\'t . 1 cut the corner to Lost Lad and did Back Tor trig on the way back.(1 did touch the trig¬ honest!) The clockwise and anticlockwise groups met in Abbey Brook or Gravy Clough and exchanged pleasantries. It adds a little mental gymnastics to a race when you meet someone going the other way and try to work out whether you are ahead of them or not.

The race was won by Mark Hayman who burned off Andy Poirette on the final path. I\'m glad they didn\'t finish together because there weren\'t enough jars of jam for extra winners. Andy Harmer won the vets prize ( a tube of anti ageing tablets.) Once again there was no one to give the women\'s trophy to ! The competitor I was happiest to see finish was Jim Orrell, who rolled down the track just as it started to get dark. He deserved his jar of jam. He was out longest and obviously must have had more fun than everybody else.

Everybody seemed to enjoy their evening\'s sport. I was particularly pleased to find out that the Cogman and Gravy ruins were 2 new cabins for Key Borman to tick off in his I-SPY book of Peak District ruins. Thanks to Bob and Frank who provided encouragement at the checkpoints, and to Jack the lad for timekeeping. I’ll aim to plan another different course next year, but maybe there should be a bad weather alternative as a standby. Conditions were pretty horrible , and there were moments when I kept asking myself ..... What if........?

Howard Swindells

37 starters