Weasdale Horseshoe 2012 - English Championships

It was a great fell race preceded by and finished with a very tough cross county race.

The Start

Dark Peak's Rob takes the race out of the field

Fellrunners having to RUN to keep up

The Middle

But when the cross country race finished and the fell race started, Mercia's Simon Bailey broke away and started to build a big gap. "Simon Bailey ran away and left us 'cos we we weren't good enough to keep up!" said one of the top five finishers.

The End

The mud bath is ready

Our team sports photographer is in position

Now she's ready

And here come the runners, well just one runner, as we thought, first is Simon Bailey, alone without any pressure.

Winner Simon Bailey  - photo by Lisa Holmes

Morgan Donnelley, Tom Addison and Darren Kay getting ready to fight for second place -  photo by Lisa Holmes.

Results

1 - Simon Bailey Open Mercia 00:55:09
2 - Tom Addison U23 Helm Hill 00:56:03
3 - Morgan Donnelly Open Borrowdale 00:56:08
4 - Darren Kay V40 Pudsey & Bramley 00:56:18
5 - Rob Hope Open Pudsey & Bramley 00:57:01
6 - Lloyd Taggart V40 Dark Peak Fell Runners 00:57:25
7 - Mark Addison Open Helm Hill 00:57:33
8 - Robert Little Open Dark Peak Fell Runners 00:58:26
9 - Rob Baker Open Dark Peak Fell Runners 00:58:45
10 - Rhys Findlay-Robinson Open Dark Peak Fell Runners 00:59:12
11- Chris Birchall Open Leeds City AC 00:59:22
12 - Jason Williams Open Calder Valley 00:59:36
13 - Martin Mikkelsen-Barron Open Borrowdale 00:59:48
14 - Ben Bardsley V40 Borrowdale 00:59:55
15 - Mark Roberts V50 Borrowdale 01:00:16
16 - Shaun Godsman Open Calder Valley 01:00:23
17 - Tim Ellis Open Calder Valley 01:00:27
18 - Karl Gray V40 Calder Valley 01:00:36
19 - Tim Werrett V40 Mercia 01:00:43
20 - Ted Mason Open Wharfedale Harriers 01:00:47

Full Results

Men

Ladies

Video of Men's race by Will Neill 

Photos of the ladies race by Holmfirth Harriers

Borrowdale - Ricky strikes Gold but Birthday Boy takes Silver

Ricky Lightfoot (facing photographer) and Lloyd Taggart (back to photographer) with race record holder Billy Bland  (in cycling kit) and race sponsor Miles Jessop (in check shirt)
 photo by Paul Dobson

1 261 Ricky Lightfoot Ellenborough Athletic Club M 2.49.20
2 397 Lloyd Taggart Dark Peak Fell Runners M40 2.51.11
3 116 Simon Bailey Mercia Fell Runners M 2.52.57
4 46 Ben Abdelnoor Ambleside Athletic Club M 2.54.55
5 111 Carl Bell Howgill Harriers M 2.55.08
6 41 Morgan Donnelly Borrowdale Fell Runners M 2.58.40
7 205 Rob Jebb Bingley Harriers M 2.59.00
8 475 Oliver  Johnson Dark Peak Fell Runners M 3.00.27
9 102 Rhys  Findlay-Robinson Dark Peak Fell Runners M 3.03.15
10 124 Rob Baker Dark Peak Fell Runners M 3.09.48
11 75 Paul Cornforth Borrowdale Fell Runners M45 3.10.23
12 167 Martin Mikkelsen-Barron Borrowdale Fell Runners M 3.10.32
13 99 Kim Collison Eden Runners M 3.11.17
14 276 Karl Gray Calder Valley Fell Runners M40 3.12.54
15 114 Tom Brunt Holmfirth Harriers M 3.13.32
16 26 Tim Ellis Calder Valley Fell Runners M 3.14.35
17 278 Neil Northrop Dark Peak Fell Runners M 3.15.26
18 18 Andrew Fallas Carnethy Hill Running Club M 3.16.34
19 233 Matthew John  Otley Athletic Club M 3.16.41
20 224 Dave Milliken Horwich RMI Harriers M45 3.17.54

link to results

Report on the race by winner Ricky Lightfoot on Mud Sweat and Tears.

Round 4 English Championships - Borrowdale

The boulder strewn route to Scafell Pike pic from  http://www.thelakedistrictmountains.org/

"It's fierce in my dreams, It sees in my guts, 

It fills me with dread,
So consumed, it swims in my eyes by the bed
I pour myself over it, room spinning
And I wake up and I still have to run on Saturday....."

Amy Winehouse must have been thinking about the Borrowdale when she wrote that......But maybe there are a few other runners out there who feel like our little fellrunning journalist tasked with doing the race, just to bring you the news this Saturday?

But those at the top of the tables (and entered in the race) will no doubt be like the Team GB Beach Volleyball pair - Raring to Go!

High Fives down at Horse Guards Parade - pic by Metro

The Race

At 16miles and 6500ft, the record was set in 1982 by local man (and greatest fell runner ever) Billy Bland in 2:34:38. 

It starts off with a feisty run along a farm track with runners jostling for position, as if it matters. 

The first climb arrives (it's just after where Billy will be giving you a "Go on lad!") at Bessy Boot, followed by a flat and runnable stretch across to Esk Hause. 

Next is a boulder strewn steady climb to Scafell Pike, down a scree chute and keeping the momentum going, down the corridor route to Sty Head. 

Then a charge up Great Gable, which clever men will know exactly the best route off, then some fast running over to Honister. 

Feeling the length of the race a bit now, it's just one more climb up Dale Head, to find the best way down to the quarries, on legs that are getting too tired to run down hill strongly now, and last task, find the finish field.

Ben Abdelnoor winner of Borrowdale last year - pic by Andy Holden Borrowdale 2011

This year Borrowdale is a Long Counter in the English Championships which means the caliber of the front runners and therefore the racing, will be better than usual (and Borrowdale always attracts a high standard anyway). Let's have a look at the situation in the English Championships before the race.

English Championships - How they stand after Round 3

1 Ben Abdelnoor Ambleside - 144
2 Lloyd Taggart Dark Peak Fell Runners - 141
3 Graham Pearce Pudsey & Bramley AC - 118
4 Kim Collison Eden Runners - 117
5 Karl Gray Calder Valley Fell Runners - 114
6 Carl Bell Howgill Harriers - 108
7 Tom Addison Helm Hill Runners - 106
8 Morgan Donnelly Borrowdale Fell Runners (no long counter yet) 98
9 Simon Bailey Mercia Fell Runners (no medium counter yet) - 96
10 Ben Bardsley Borrowdale Fell Runners  (no short counter yet)- 91
11 Rob Baker Dark Peak Fell Runners  (no long counter yet) - 90
12= Rob Jebb Bingley Harriers & AC - (no short counter yet) - 89
12= Martin Mikkelsen-Barron Borrowdale Fell Runners - 89
14 Rhys Findlay-Robinson Dark Peak Fell Runners - (no short counter yet) - 81
15 Mark Addison Helm Hill Runners  (no long counter yet)  80
16 Mark Roberts Borrowdale Fell Runners - 76
17 Rob Hope Pudsey & Bramley AC  (no long counter yet)  74
18= Darren Kay Pudsey & Bramley AC . (no long counter yet)  73
18= Tom Brunt Holmfirth Harriers AC - 73
20 Gavin Bland Borrowdale Fell Runners - 72

Ladies standings are here and you can find out all the standings here.

Who's running on Saturday?

Here's the entry list (thanks Livi) and it's great to see Ben Abdelnoor right at the top (being an A). He'll be wanting to defend his win no doubt, remember he won the Great Lakes Race too.

So if you are running, we hope you are feeling fit, fresh and ready to inspire others. If you're like our journalist and feeling a little uncertain about it all, how about a bit of motivational high five-ing or mini hugs at every check point between runners, just like our Team GB Volleyball players.

A mini hug - photo from google images

Or if the possibility of 'high fives' won't get you round, perhaps this picture will.............

 Home of the post race reward - picture from http://www.lakedistrictwalkingexperience.co.uk

The Lake District Walking Experience perhaps puts it into perspective for us -

"The Borrowdale Fell race finishes at the Riverside Bar in the Scafell Hotel, in the bar there is a roll of honour board on the wall alongside a map of the route which leaves you tired just having looked at it!"

See you on Saturday, and for those of you we don't see, we'll let you know the results as soon as we can. Race starts at 11am Saturday morning.