Tom Brunt scores excellent result for Holmfirth Harriers in Weasdale Horseshoe Fell Race

HOLMFIRTH Harriers’ Helen Berry ensured she retained second place in the English Fell Running Championship with a third place at the Weasdale Horseshoe Fell Race.

With the meeting being the penultimate championship counter, for some it had potential to be the decider of their final standing in the national rankings and Berry was in second place after four races.

The current leader, and reigning champion, Lauren Jeska was absent with the Todmorden runner safe in the knowledge that her points score could not be beaten.

That left Berry and her closest rival England Under 23 and full international Holly Page, to fight it out for second and third in the Championship.

The ladies race was run separately and before the men’s due to the large Championship field and the clear leader through out was Olivia Walwyn-Bush.

England international Walwyn-Bush, from Altrincham, won by over five minutes in a time of one hour four minutes 35 seconds.

Behind her Berry was left to battle it out with Bingley’s Sharon Taylor and Calder Valley’s Page.

On the first ascent to Hooksey it was Berry and Taylor who made a decisive move leaving Page trailing and the pair remained together to the closing stages of the race.

Taylor then made the telling move, and the Bingley athlete was second in 1.09.45, with Berry third home finishing seven seconds further back.

Page came fourth in 1.09.58, leaving Berry still in second place in the championship standings.

Holmfirth Ladies also made an impression with Lucy Needham having an excellent run to finish in 16th in 1.17.22 and helped collect valuable team championship points for the Harriers.

While the women had faced wet conditions on the traditional horseshoe route, an 8.5 mile course over the Howgill hills, by the time the men were off – two hours after the ladies start – the sun was shining.

The men also had a prominent winner in Simon Bailey, of Mercia, who took an early lead and finished almost a minute ahead, a result which has probably clinched him the English Championship.

Holmfirth’s Tom Brunt, who prefers the longer distances, found this shorter race fast, but nevertheless clocked a good time to finish just outside the top 20 in a class field.

Clubmate Bill Stewart, who had made the short journey from his home near Appleby, was rewarded with a good run to finish in 51st place.

Dave Knight finished with a smile on his face in 148th, having now competed in all 12 of Holmfirth’s Championship qualifying races to date.

Holmfirth’s veterans, Andy Hauser and Bill Wade, who are contesting the English V55 and V70 categories this year, both came into this race in fourth place in the standings.

Hauser enjoyed the softer terrain of Weasdale, having not enjoyed the rocky terrain of recent races in the Lake District, and did well to finish fourth V55, 92nd overall.

Wade, looking as fresh as ever, took third in the V70 category in 188th place.

The final English Championship race will be held over a short course in the Kielder Forest in Northumberland on September 29.

At the Sedbergh Hills race Brunt took in his second race of the weekend over the 14 mile route, with 6,000 feet of climb, and finished in a very impressive second place.

Weasdale results (Holmfirth unless otherwise stated): Ladies: 1st Olivia Walwyn-Bush (Altrincham) 1.04.35, 2nd Sharon Taylor (Bingley) 1.09.45, 3rd Helen Berry 1.09.52, 16th Lucy Needham 1:17:22. Men: 1st Simon Bailey (Mercia) 55.09, 21st Tom Brunt 1.00.55, 51st Bill Stewart 1.04.47, 92nd (4th V55) Andy Hauser 1.10.42, 148th Dave Knight 1.23.11, 188th (3rd V70) Bill Wade 1.38.25.