9:43am Friday 12th March 2010
SEDBERGH has been the centre of the fell-running world in the past few weeks.
The last two Kendal Winter League races have been in the area and the latest race at Cautley was won by Howgill Harriers’ Sam Fisher, a pupil at Sedbergh School who pipped clubmate Carl Bell to the honours when making his move the river crossing and on the track section leading to finish.
Helm Hills’ Jos Addison had led up the gruelling climb but had to be content with third.
The Sedbergh School’s Three Peaks Race started and finished with 122 runners completing the fast course on good ground.
The race gave an insight into the English Championship course which will be run in June with almost 400 competitors and was won by Morgan Donnelly of Borrowdale Fell Runners.
Donnelly flew around the course and knocked around one minute off the previous record, while Horwich’s defending champion Darren Kay finished second.
Ambleside's Chris Waters and Ben Abdelnoor of Ambleside were third and fourth respectively, while Helm Hill's Jos Addison came sixth, with team mates Niall Till, Sebastian Sillito and Billy Procter finishing eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth respectively.
The first Sedbergh runner home was Mel Hyder who came 31st.
Closer to home for Donnelly was the annual High Cup Nick Fell race from his home village of Dufton, near Appleby.
Slow times were not unexpected because of snow on the course, but even so women’s winner Pippa Maddams from Keswick set a new women’ course record and looksin great shape for a tilt at the British Championships.
Maddams had ten minutes to spare voer Catherine Evans, also of Keswick in second place.
In the men’s race the glory went to Cockermouth’s Chris Steele, who also looks well prepped for the season ahead as he led from start to finish to beat clubmate Nick Fishwith Horwich’s Russ addams third..
Just an hour earlier 37 children competed in four aces around Dufton Ghyll and the competition brought a great atmosphere to the usually quiet village.
Around £800 was raised for the village hall which will be used to update its kitchen.
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