Three Cabins Champagne Challenge

Three Cabins Champagne Challenge on Sat 27th Apr 2013

A bottle of champagne was indeed awarded for the revival of The Champagne Challenge as Neil Northrop achieved a race victory and thus succeeded in winning all three DPFR races in the same week. It is a fine achievement, but it could easily have been different as Pete had led for much of the way, before squandering his lead in the woods on the way back due to navigational error.
As for the 60 mins record, it was comfortably off this time round. The conditions could have been worse, but it would be wrong to say that we had an easy ride, encountering four distinct phases in the weather - drizzle, followed by isolated bouts of hail, then snow showers, and finally sunshine. The route was magnificent, with the descent down Alport Dale and Lady Clough Moor giving some enormous High Peak vistas.
Water was up in the notorious tunnel under the Snake, making it a precipitous crossing free of any adhesion on the rock. There were even reports that not all competitors passed through, including the race organiser, but these rumours should not be allowed to besmirch such a magnificent race so I will pay them no heed.
The 11 [or possibly 13?; ed.] that turned out were familiar DPFR faces, until the arrival of Will, a complete unknown, who pulled into Birchen Clough carpark with 30 seconds to spare and a severe shortage of both kit and route knowledge but no lack of enthusiasm. Loathe as we were to turn away such commitment to the sport, he was rounded up whilst wandering Over Wood Moss (by Jim Orrell who was performing a competitive back sweep). Both finished together, not before Dave Bollington, an earlier finisher, set off in a reverse direction to look for his car keys which had been strewn on an indeterminate moorland position. Amazingly, he found them, and was soon in the Ladybower where Jim entertained and enlightened us with what he argued was the best piece of survival kit known to any fell runner - an oversized safety pin.
Simon B