October, and into storm season!
And unfortunately, it was Storm Amy that did for the Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay, which should have taken place in Patterdale on the 4th October – the first time it has been cancelled due to the weather! We had 2 teams raring to go, but the conditions were atrocious and posed too great a risk to marshals and competitors alike. A great shame, but at least our entries will be carried over to next year.
So, that just left us with the small matter of the UKA Fell & Hill Relays, which this year were being organised by Meirionnydd Running Club in Dinas Mawddwy, Powys on Saturday 18th October. Although there was a ballot for places once again, with a limit of 200 teams, we were very fortunate to have 6 places accepted & were able to field 5 teams on the day. On a cool, dry morning, this meant an early start at Neiley for the 140 mile journey, which skirted round Chester and Wrexham, before hitting the slightly twisty roads and 20mph speed limits of the Welsh countryside! One of the comments on the group chat prior to the event made the observation that the contours for the climbs on Legs 1 & 4 seemed to blend into one thick line and as we disembarked from the minibus and looked upwards, there was a sharp intake of breath as everyone realised what was in store! Once we’d registered, collected our race numbers, dibbers & rather natty commemorative buffs, pitched the tent & club flag, sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to Fran and posed for the team photo, it was time to line up against the best fell runners in the country. And on some incredibly tough courses, the teams did a sterling job, with the Mens Open team of Michael Sanderson, Richard Anderson, Ben Jarvis, Tim Brook, Patrick Needham & Tom Heap 58th overall (from 190 starters) & 35th Open team in 3.59.27. It was then an incredibly close battle between the Ladies Open team of Katie Walshaw, Amy Sanderson, Fran Whitworth, Helen Haigh, Annie Garside & Helen Ilsley, who were 91st overall & 13th Ladies team in 4.22.04 and the V40 Ale Stars of Adam Sunderland, Phil Wilson, Stu Sharp, Phil Hewitt, Mark Wilson & Gavin Baxter, who were 92nd & 22nd MV40 team in 4.22.09 – just 5 seconds between them, after 4 hours of racing! The Cote de Holme Moss Mens V50’s of Nick Helm, Ian Goulding, Logan Anderson, Andy Shortt, Jim Durrans & David Milton were 170th overall in 5.31.45, whilst the Holmfirth Raiding Party V60’s of Janet Foreman, Barbara Hinchliffe, Paul Fearns, Elaine Stewart, Phil Hobbs & Rob Kersey were 183rd overall in 6.02.19. Performances of the day included Katie being 59th overall & 6th lady on Leg 1, whilst Richard & Ben were 44th fastest on Leg 2. For the podium places, Carnethy went one better than last year, clinching the title in an incredibly tight race, with a winning time of 2.57.57, ahead of Ambleside (2.59.39) & Keswick (3.01.59). Calder Valley retained the MV40’s crown, coming back in 3.23.05 (17th overall), whilst the MV50’s top spot went to Helm Hill (44th overall in 3.48.25) and Pennine took the V60 title, finishing 87th overall in 4.20.50. The ladies of Ambleside went one better than their male counterparts & clinched the title in a great time of 3.37.47 (33rd overall), whilst the FV40’s went to Mercia (101st in 4.26.39) and the FV50’s to Dark Peak once again (109th in 4.29.18). As ever, my thanks to everyone who donned the Amber vests – I think it took most of us at least a week for our quads to recover! Also, big thanks to Adam & South Pennine Community Transport for the loan of the minibus. Next year, we’re a little closer to home, with Todmorden Harriers in charge of the organisation, so we might just get a lie-in!
The juniors had the Withins Curly Wurly Rat Runs on Sunday 12th October, but unfortunately it clashed with the first WYXC meeting, so no-one was able to make it over. So instead, Scott Gibbs took a few over the hill to scope out a new event, the Strawberry Lace race, organised by Saddleworth Runners on Sunday 19th October & based at one of our favourite pubs, the Cross Keys in Uppermill! We won’t be able to include the race in the champs this year, as there wasn’t an U17 category, but might suggest it to the organiser for next year. Anyway, on some tough little courses, we had some great results, with Noah Sutton 2nd BU9, Arthur Gibbs 2nd BU13 and Florence Gibbs 2nd GU15, so well done to them all. As there weren’t any junior races at the Alderman’s Ascent this year, I’ve swapped this for the races at The Stoop on Sunday 21st December – pack your Santa hats!
November will see the conclusion of this year’s senior Fell champs with the Beast of Bamford on Saturday 15th November. We currently have 11 pre-entered, including Michael Sanderson & Tim Brook, who need to finish to qualify for the champs! But only Jean for the ladies thus far – come on you Holmfirth gals! As far as the current standings are concerned, Patrick Needham is still leading the way for the men, on 284 points from 10 races (before any whittling down to his best 7 races), ahead of Adam Sunderland (267 points from 10 races), Curtis Firth (149 points from 7 races) and Bob Dickinson (144 points from 7 races). For the ladies, Fran Whitworth, on 223 points (from 8 races) is just ahead of Helen Haigh (186 points from 7 races), with Sophie Cromwell also in the hunt (168 points from 7 races). There’s still time for things to change, particularly as there are also the Lee Mill Relays still to go!
Talking of the Lee Mill Relays, Jean Shotter will be rallying the troops once again, so if you’re interested in running, please let her know. Date is Sunday 30th November & we usually enter a Mens, a Ladies & a Vets team, although we can add to this if there is enough interest.
And looking a little further ahead, the Mytholmroyd race on Sunday 7th December has been chosen as the YVAA Fell Championship race once again, so let’s get plenty over there to maintain our strong presence at the Vets events – entries open early November.
Elsewhere, fewer opportunities for racing in October, as the nights draw in & the relays take over, but good to see a few on the hills & trails, including David Milton at the 80km Round Rotherham Run, Annie Garside & Sophie Clarson at the Lakes In A Day Ultra (50 miles & 4000m ascent), where Annie was 6th lady, Mark Henderson at Withins Skyline, Tim Street (with his brother Jon) and Nick Helm (with Gareth Jones) at the OMM, (which this year was based on the hills around Shap and where Tim & Jon finished 9th overall in the A Score Event), and Tim Brook at the Endurance Life North York Moors 55k Ultra (where he was 5th overall).
On the admin front, the 2026 Ian Roberts Memorial race will be on Sunday 15th March & this time, I’m using SI Entries for pre-entries to see if that generates greater interest (entries open on 1st November). I’ve sent the race details to the FRA for inclusion on the Fellrunner website & Fixtures Calendar.
Finally, some local(ish) races to have a go at in the next few weeks:
Shepherd’s Skyline (BS) – Lumbutts, nr. Todmorden – Saturday 1st November
Soyland Moor (CL) – Cragg Vale, nr. Mytholmroyd – Sunday 2nd November
Harriers v Cyclists (BS) – Bradford & Bingley Sports Club, Bingley – Saturday 8th November
Wadsworth Half Trog (BM) – Old Town, nr. Hebden Bridge – Sunday 9th November
Too Cool For Pule (BS) – Marsden Cricket Club – Saturday 22nd November
Padfield (AS) – Padfield, nr. Glossop – Sunday 23rd November
Black Night Scar (AS) – Hare & Hounds Pub, Todmorden – Tuesday 25th November (night race, headtorches compulsory).
See you on a hill sometime!
Cheers,
Phil
