Eskdale Elevation

[Travs]

Just been trying to plan a few races for next year and came across this new race, and have to say it looks fantastic...

I pretty much did a training run over this route in the summer, albeit in the opposite direction, and thought at the time how it would make a superb race over some pretty remote terrain...

Not sure if this is an old race that is being resurrected, or completely new, but I wish the organisers every success and i'll certainly be there on the 2nd April...

Note: link to the race is on the 2016 race calendar...

[GeoffB]

Just been trying to plan a few races for next year and came across this new race, and have to say it looks fantastic...

I pretty much did a training run over this route in the summer, albeit in the opposite direction, and thought at the time how it would make a superb race over some pretty remote terrain...

Not sure if this is an old race that is being resurrected, or completely new, but I wish the organisers every success and i'll certainly be there on the 2nd April...

Note: link to the race is on the 2016 race calendar...

It's a brand new route. Dave Jones has been saying for ages that Eskdale needed its own race, so this is the result. Lots of options for route choice (or getting lost if you prefer!!)

Hopefully plenty will turn up on the day.

[Derby Tup]

Details

[anthonykay]

Not the first race in Eskdale: the Muncaster "Luck" Fell Race was run every year from 1977 to 2000, although the route was notable for its lack of elevation. However, the new Eskdale Elevation Race does appear to remedy a more serious omission: am I right in thinking that this will be the first time a fell race visits the second-highest peak in England?

[Graeme78]

No, Great Lakes visits it as well.

[Fozzy42]

Sounds interesting, might give it a go.

[Travs]

Appears this went well.

Really wanted to support this new race, however commitments next weekend meant I sadly couldn't make it.

It's a great course with plenty of options, and I gather the mist was down which would have made it very tough. Hopefully the race goes from strength to strength and I'll be there next year.

[GeoffB]

Appears this went well.

Really wanted to support this new race, however commitments next weekend meant I sadly couldn't make it.

It's a great course with plenty of options, and I gather the mist was down which would have made it very tough. Hopefully the race goes from strength to strength and I'll be there next year.

There was a bit of a disappointing turnout of only 43 runners, but the weather was pretty awful.

Unfortunately Dark Peak's Joe Blackett took a nasty fall just below Whin Rigg and had to be stretchered off by WMR. Special mention to Pennine's Rick Houghton and Stefan Bramwell who effectively sacrificed their races by helping out, looking after Joe etc. Hopefully he's ok. We had radio contact between all check-points and race control, so MR response was very fast - obviously a big thank you to them too.

The race was won by Rhys Findlay-Robinson.

[GeoffB]

Here is Dave Jones's race report and results.

[MorganW]

My first fell race since my nasty shoulder injury.

Bruising weather and a testing course. A tiny field which (after the run out) gave a real sense of, on the one hand, isolation, and, on the other, camaraderie if you were lucky enough to catch or be caught up.

I ran round with my dear wife as a pair. I predicted the route back from Scafell would be tricky (never having been that way before) and I was proved right; complicated with no defined ridge to follow.

A great test of navigation in poor weather so happy to have made it in one piece.

The marshals deserve great praise, especially the guys on Scafell, where it was cold enough that I couldn't feel any of my fingers. Good job the bearing off was pretty much due South.