Hi everyone – hope you’ve been enjoying the sunshine today.
Here’s the latest Fell update for you all, plus some key dates to ink into your diaries for October!
June 2022 – a busy month for those who wanted to get out & about. And in terms of Holmfirth races & our Fell Champs, we had the James Blakely/Harden Moss race on Saturday 18th June, followed by the Kinder Trog on Sunday 26th June.
Great turnout at the James Blakely, with 17 Harriers amongst the 37 starters. After the mini-heatwave, the weather was rather overcast, with a cool breeze up on the Sheepdog Trials field. The race was won by Holmfirth resident Mike Fanning, running in Borrowdale colours, ahead of Clark Hind, with Tim Brook close behind in 4th. First lady (taking it steady apparently) was Helen Haigh (14th overall), with Kath Farquhar 1st FV50 & Debbie Hall 1st FV40. Holmfirth also took the team prize, with Clark, Tim & Curtis Firth scooping the beer & cider!
Slightly more select representation at the Kinder Trog, with Tim Brook having another great race, finishing 6th overall & 3rd V40 in 2.13.15, whilst Adam Sunderland tells me he was just happy to pick up some champs points on another long race, finishing 80th overall in 3.01.27!
On Saturday 2nd July, it was the Thurlstone Chase, over near Penistone & there was a definite Vet feel to the Harriers contingent on a lovely sunny afternoon! Adam Sunderland was the youngest amber vest & in his preferred short distance race mode, performed very well, finishing 13th overall & 1st V50 in 31.21, holding off the challenge of local boy Mark Law, who was close behind – 16th & 2nd V50 in 31.49. We then had a bit of a gap to the super Vets (& me), with Andy Hauser next back, (32nd in 36.16), ahead of Phil Hobbs (33rd in 36.31) & Kevin Yewlett (41st in 38.07). Last but not least, Jean Shotter scooped the FV60 prize, finishing 47th in 41.11. This is a great, friendly little race & they’re hopeful that the Gala will return for next year – bargain at £5!
Then on Sunday 3rd, it was the Junior English Champs races, organised by Helm Hill, on the fells above Sedbergh. Looks like we just had 1 runner up there, but once again, Isabel Richardson has flown the Holmfirth flag with distinction, recording her 1st win in the FU19 series, so many congratulations to her!
Elsewhere in the last few weeks, there have been plenty of you getting out on the hills, with Stu Sharp winning the South West Traverse at the end of May, Katie 2nd lady at Otley Chevin & 1st lady at Kildwick, Martin Page 1st finisher at the Trans Pennine 100 and Tim Brook 1st at the Ladybower Trail Marathon, plus Nick Helm at the Short Duddon, Adam Sunderland at Big Stone, Keith Baird at Brown Wardle (& a Bit Moor) & Darren Holloway Memorial (Short), not forgetting the stampede at the 2 most recent Trunces, including Declan Levay, Tim Street, Michael Sanderson, Keith Baird, Kevin Yewlett, Barbara Hinchliffe, Diane Lee, Richard Whale, Chris Law, Mark Law, Bob Dickinson, Debbie Hall, Dave Milton & Sophie Cromwell.
In terms of the senior Fell Champs, after 8 races, the men are currently being led home by Tim Brook, who has completed 6 races, plus the Calderdale Way Relay, so is on 165 points. Hard on his heels, we have Adam Sunderland, Curtis Firth & Keith Baird, on 126, 107 & 97 points respectively. For the ladies, the championship is still wide open with 7 races remaining – Jean Shotter & Debbie Hall have completed 2 races each, so will need to get a wiggle on to qualify!
July 2022 Senior Fell Championship Standings
Coming up in the remainder of July, we have our own Holme Moss race on Sunday 24th. I know Andy & Jean are well on with the planning & everyone who has volunteered to help will have received an email in the last few days, so please make sure you reply. We still only have a handful of Harriers entered (6 at the last count), so now would be a good time to get your names down. Plus you’ll save yourself a couple of quid by pre-entering! And there’s always a good spread at the end, which is definitely worth the pain.
And you should hopefully have seen John E’s post about the Denis Stitt race, which is on Thursday 11th August, from Cartworth Moor Cricket Club. If you’re not planning on running then please let him know you can help, as he’ll need plenty of marshals etc.
On the admin side, entries for Hodgson Brothers Relay open on Friday 8th July, with the race taking place on Sunday 2nd October. This is one of the premier fell relays & is always over-subscribed, so I’ll be looking to keep our 2 teams in the event. Please let me know as soon as possible that you’re available. We’ll probably go with a Mixed team & an Open team like last year, but it will be governed by availability.
And details have just been posted regarding the FRA Relays, which this year are being hosted by Carnethy Hill Running Club on Saturday 15th October at Broughton in the Scottish Borders. Entries open at the beginning of August & it would be nice to be able to enter 4 teams again (Mens, Ladies, V40 & V50). It won’t be practical to travel on the day, so we’ll need to go up the night before, as we did the last time the race was in Scotland. Again, I need some commitment to race (injuries permitting) from as many of you as possible so that we can begin to sort out the logistics! Perhaps we could make a weekend of it & stay up on Saturday as well – HH on tour! Here’s the link to the race page:
Elsewhere in the next few weeks, there are a few local-ish races to have a go at, including:
Peak Forest (nr. Buxton) – Saturday 9th
Trunce 6 – Monday 11th
Widdop (nr. Hebden Bridge) – Wednesday 13th
Bamford Carnival – Wednesday 13th
Turnslack (nr. Littleborough) – Saturday 23rd
Trunce 7 – Monday 1st August
And finally, good luck to Martin Page, Dave Milton & Matthew Rose, who will be heading up to the Lakes at the end of July for the Lakeland 100/50 – a grand day out as someone once said!
See you all soon & don’t forget, please let me know ASAP that you’re available for the October relays.
Cheers,
Phil
