By Graham Robinson
Over a hundred runners turned up on Sunday the 28th of September to take on the final race of Wirksworth Running Club’s annual series – The Stewart Learmouth Memorial Undulator. Along its 8.5 miles length, it fits in 1500ft of ascent. This includes a mix of everything, from technical descents, gruelling climbs and fast flats – if the legs/lungs allow.
After overnight rain and a misty start, the race was run in bright, sunny conditions.
This year, to help address the usual slipperly wooden bridge bottleneck, runners were presented with a choice of starts. Splitting the competitors really helped avoid congestion, without either option offering any significant advantage.
Even with the event demanding a relatively high volunteer requirement, five club members ran this year to soak up encouragement from the marshals. With climbs battled, descents safely navigated, and the flats over too soon, runners were soon descending the steep fast finale into Stoney Wood.
Congratulations goes to overall winner Luke Beresford (Ripley RC), finishing in under an hour and first woman back, Catherine Williams (Sinfin RC). Also, special thanks goes to the twenty visiting runners from Ely Runners.