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Open 12 - Sore Legs and Sunburnt Shoulders

Pyro / 08.07.2010

The Open 12 has been a hugely popular race over the past few years, bridging the gap between the 'sprint' Open 5 series and the 'committed' Open 24, and allowing a number of racers a first taste of night racing. However, this year it was a bit different, no night work required, and split out to two day stages, seven hours on day one, five on day two, with a set camp overnight. Teams would have their overnight gear transported for them, easing the load, but some struggled to keep the weight of their bags under the requisite 15kg a piece, the Open Adventure team being very strict with the scales as they loaded the kit, and a number were sent back to redistribute and offload the excess.

Picking up maps at registration we found a rather pleasant surprise - an overnight camp literally in the back garden of a pub - along with a big variety in route choice and a handful of James's special 'trouser fillers' to keep the day interesting. There had been some speculation pre-event about what the recommendation of goggles on the kit list meant, in an area not exactly known for its bodies of water.

James had given the initial location as Yorkshire Dales, with the registration point being West Burton, near Aysgarth. However, to keep everyone guessing about route the start was to be at a remote point, an hour away by coach. Speculate as much as you like, on twisty, winding Dales roads, an hour in a coach is a very vague amount of distance. As it was, the coaches pulled up and disgorged the 60 racing pairs out onto the fellside near Stennerskeugh, on the back of Wild Boar Fell, with 15 minutes to mark point scores onto the maps and try and suss a viable route on foot for the first part of the day.

From the off, the only option was 'up', climbing onto the fell and following the snake of racers alongside Scandal beck and onto High Dolphinsty. At a few early CPs there was a short queue, a logjam as multiple racers waited to dib in on a single unit, including one under a bridge where Anthony Emmet tried to marshal the crowd into a more logical approach to punching (one from either side of the bridge). An ulterior motive perhaps, as he and team partner Helen Jackson would be pushing for a win, but one that did speed up the process on the whole, so we'll forgive him for shouting.

From the lower slopes the logical route was to climb and access the extra CPs dotted nearer the summit of Wild Boar Fell, but the push to the top was fairly hard, even on fresh legs. The surprisingly clement weather meant numerous competitors stripped off the layers to race in just shorts and race vests in the heavy muggy heat. The breeze on the summit plateau refreshed the body though, and the choices of contouring and descending to the next few CPS put a spring in the step, even if only briefly. The slopes of the Dales are never short on obstructions though, to the chagrin of many.

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