Swollen 'sausage fingers', heavy legs and rivers of sweat from the heat together with aching ankles from the hard rutted tracks - like Allendale, the 30th Gisborough Moors race couldn't have been more different from the biting cold wind and hailstones experienced in this race last year.

Not the best running conditions - in fact awful as far as I and quite a few others were concerned. But I did hear Keith Cooper say how much he loved running in this weather and Peter Reed positively thrived in it or so it seems after doing Allendale the day before.

Lots of NFR members turned up at the race: some thrived in the relentless heat, particularly Charlie Stead who won and Karen Robertson who won 1st Lady, but most of the rest of us seemed to flounder a little. NFR also won 1st Ladies team, comprising: Karen Robertson, Steph Scott and Susan Davis.

As usual Pat has furnished us with some great photos. And just as an experiment, I ran this race with another camera in search of a different perspective - I'm unsure at the moment whether I lost several places because of trying to operate a camera at speed or whether runners behind, aware of the camera, were trying extra hard to get in front of me to have their pictures taken!

Dave Forster engages 5th gear across the moors (photo: Rob Stephens)	... whilst Stewart Gardner prepares to drop into 1st gear (photo: Rob Stephens)
No time to stop at the top of the Topping (photo: Rob Stephens)	Karen Robertson, first lady, storms up Little Roseberry (photo: Pat Dunn)
Dexter digs deep ... and reaches for the vodka bottle! (photo: Pat Dunn)	Peter Reed, still with a bit of spring in his step, and Graham Wilkinson whose spring has sprung! (photo: Pat Dunn)

results

Lots more photos: Pat Dunn | Rob Stephens | North York Moors AC

North York Moors AC have also produced a great 70min video of the race for sale - see the site for details.

Rob Stephens