July 2025 – a busy old month!
Saturday 12th July saw one of the hottest days of the year so far, so tough conditions for the 8 mile, 3000ft AM Tebay race, boasting plenty of good running, with some stiff climbs thrown in for good measure! Normally held as a mid-week race, this year it had been shifted to a Saturday, to accommodate the English Champs races for both seniors & juniors. To avoid any congestion, there were separate Mens & Ladies races, so first up was Helen Haigh, in her first English Champs race for a couple of years & it was like she’d never been away, as she stormed round, finishing 16th lady & 2nd FV50 in 1.50.43! Cue the men, setting off 45 minutes after the Ladies, and in a stacked field, Patrick Needham had another great run, coming back 103rd man in 1.48.27. Not too far behind, Adam Sunderland struggled in the heat & at one point was seriously considering dropping out, but after giving himself a good talking-to, pressed on to finish 148th man in 2.05.50! It was then a real battle between Paul Fearns & Nick Helm, with Paul just edging the contest to finish 187th man in 2.34.56, with Nick 188th man in 2.35.13 – so close! Finally, it was the latest addition to the MV50 ranks, as Jon Burdon clocked another qualifying race, finishing 199th man in 2.45.13. After soaking the legs in the finish line paddling pool, there was then a healthy debate as to the actual race distance, which varied from 15.1km to 16.2km, depending on who’s GPS you consulted – some dodgy lines in there for sure!
The following weekend, it was the latest Fun Bus trip, to the Western Lakes for the Eskdale Mixed Relay, hosted by Black Combe Runners. This was a new event, run as a pairs relay, over 4 legs of differing length & climb, with the added attraction of being a Mixed team, comprising 4 men & 4 ladies from 4 different age categories (Open, V40, V50 & V60). You could pair the runners any way you wanted, so it was very interesting to see the different permutations that the various clubs employed. Unfortunately, Katie had to pull out a couple of days before the race and with all our other V40 Ladies either injured or on holiday, we ended up fielding an Open team that wouldn’t be eligible for the prizes (big thanks to Annie Garside for stepping in at the 11th hour)! However, we didn’t let that worry us – it was lovely to be able to race in a part of the Lakes that is much quieter than the usual tourist hot-spots & the general consensus was that it was a cracking event, albeit on tough terrain, with minimal trods & plenty of chest-high bracken! The Holmfirth Raiding Party consisted of Paul Fearns, Jean Shotter, Tim Brook, Patrick Needham, Annie Garside, Helen Haigh, Helena Croft & Adam Sunderland, ably supported by Tom Heap, Mark Wilson, Jim Durrans & yours truly. Everyone got round in one piece, with minimal cursing, although Helena & Adam did stress themselves out a little on their Leg 4 recce, when they couldn’t find the first checkpoint, only to be told that the marshals hadn’t got there yet……! For the record, we were 11th in 6.05.18 & got a special mention at the prizegiving from the organiser, who was very appreciative of the fact that we’d still come to the race despite not having a compliant team – didn’t have the heart to tell her that we’re from Yorkshire & we’d paid, so we were always coming! Hopefully, the event will continue next year, in which case I think a recce weekend is in order, as local knowledge definitely helped, with Black Combe the overall winners, in a great time of 4.59.59! Big thanks once again to Adam & the guys at South Pennine Community Transport for the use of the minibus – much appreciated.
Finally, it was the main event – our very own Holme Moss race on Sunday 27th July, which this year was held in near-perfect running conditions – cool, slightly overcast & with a gentle breeze. Andy has reported elsewhere on the race itself, but from a Holmfirth perspective, we had 14 Harriers amongst the 138 starters & picked up a few prizes, including Ben Jarvis (3rd overall & 2nd MV40 in 3.02.46), Helen Haigh (2nd lady & 1st FV50 in 3.22.48), Annie Garside (4th lady in 3.43.54), Sophie Cromwell (5th lady in 3.57.08), Chris Beadle (3rd MV55 in 3.58.56) & Fran Whitworth (2nd FV55 in 4.36.53). Helen, Annie & Sophie also took home the Ladies Team prize, whilst the Mens Team prize went to Dark Peak (by just one point from Holmfirth). Big thanks to everyone who helped before, during & after the race – we had nearly 50 people involved on the day, so it’s a massive undertaking. Finally, a special mention for Andy Hauser & Jean Shotter, who have organised the race over the last 5 years & are bowing out on a high! These races can’t go ahead without a lot of time & effort from the organisers, so many thanks to them both once again. They’re probably hoping for a quiet 2026, but I’m sure Jon & Ian will be calling on their wisdom at some point!
The juniors had the final 2 English Champs races, Clwydian (North Wales), on Sunday 6th and Tebay on Saturday 12th. Unfortunately, the distances seem to have put people off & it doesn’t look as if anyone made it to either of the races, which is a shame.
In terms of the senior Fell Champs, after 10 races, it’s a case of ‘as you were in June’, with Patrick Needham leading the Mens competition on 182 points, ahead of Adam Sunderland (170 points) & Curtis Firth (149 points), whilst Fran Whitworth is narrowly ahead in the Ladies competition on 149 points, followed closely by Sophie Cromwell (147 points) & Katie Walshaw (140 points).
Next up for the seniors is the Chip Chase on Sunday 3rd August, followed by the Denis Stitt race on Thursday 14th August. Don’t forget if you can’t race at Denis Stitt, then John Ewart will be grateful for some assistance on the night, so please offer your services. Also in August, it’s the final English Champs race at Whittle Pike on Saturday 30th – still plenty of time to enter this one!
As previously trailed, I’ve entered 2 teams for the Hodgson Relay, which is on Saturday 4th October, so I’m just waiting to hear if we’ve been successful. I’ve also entered several teams (Mens, Ladies, MV40, FV40, MV50 & V60) for the British Fell Relays on Saturday 18th October, so now it’s just a case of wait & see to see if we’re lucky in the ballot!
Elsewhere, great to see those out & about, including Annie Garside at Stoodley Pike (where she was 5th lady), Joe Brereton & Mark Henderson at Thurlstone Chase, Bob Dickinson, Tom Heap & Keith Baird at Alderman’s Ascent (where they picked up the team prize), Katie Walshaw & Patrick Needham at Warslow (where Katie was 4th overall & 1st lady, breaking the course record by over 9 minutes & Patrick was 7th), Curtis Firth taking on the George Fisher Tea Round, Mark Henderson at Heptonstall Festival, Joe Brereton at Oakworth Haul, Andy & Finn Short and Phil & Rebecca Martin at the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon, Matt Crompton at Hathersage Gala, Mark Henderson at Big Stone, Annie Garside at Wasdale (where she finished 21st overall & 4th lady on a scorching day in the Lakes, when there were only 40 finishers from 100 starters!), Joe Brereton at Chisworth Carnival, Katie Walshaw at Peak Forest (where she was 5th overall & 1st lady), Mark Henderson at Ingleborough, Tim Brook & Dave Milton at the Lakeland 100, Tim Street, Andy Clarke, Deborah Clarke & John Field at the Lakeland 50 (where Tim was 13th overall, from over 1300 finishers and Debs was taking on the 50 for the first time), Mark Henderson at Lee Mill, Keith Baird at Ambleside Sports Guides Race and Jared Watt, Kevin Yewlett, Janet Foreman, Ken McGuire & Alistair Watt at Trunce 6.
Finally, some local(ish) races to chance your arm at in August:
Trunce 7 (BS): Oxspring, nr. Penistone – Monday 4th
Bradwell (AS): Bradwell Sports Pavilion – Tuesday 5th
Cracken Edge (BM): Hayfield, nr. Glossop – Wednesday 6th
Piethorne (BS): Newhey, nr. Rochdale – Sunday 17th
Trunce 8 (BS): Oxspring – Monday 18th
Crowden (BM): Crowden Campsite – Sunday 31st
See you on a hill sometime!
Cheers,
Phil
