Race date: Saturday, 11 May 2019

Race report by Fran Cummins

6.8 miles 1150 ft climb

This was one of my favourite fell races last year, so was definitely one for this year’s diary. It is a beautiful route, you get a free pint at the end and it offers the most amazing home cooked lunch and cake afterwards….what is there not to love!

After a miserable week of rain, waking up on Saturday morning and seeing the sun shining was a blessing! After a quick pre-race briefing and giving a round of applause for the furthest travelled entrant (America), the race began.

It is a race of 2 hills – the first one a very steep climb from Litton Mill up to the top of the valley. Then the second one – which is the last mile of the race, involving a long steep climb all the way to the finish – perfect opportunity for gurning finish line photos!

What the race organiser failed to mention at the beginning was we were in ultra racing royalty. The American girl (who sprinted off at the start and was up there amongst the fastest men) was Clare Gallagher, the rising ultra runner (who has won Leadville 100 and Courmayeur Champex Chamonix Ultramarathon to name a few) – who was over in Sheffield on a European tour sponsored by Patagonia. I didn’t realise until after I got home and had a quick Google, who she was and how good she is! She was very humble and modest to talk to – although I must have sounded a bit of an idiot as I asked her at the end ‘so do you do a lot of running as you are very fast!?!’

The race had 130 entries and was won by Kenny Malton in 45.12. Winning woman was (no surprise) Clare Gallagher in 48.09.

5 striders made the journey to Cressbrook.