CVFR enjoy a weekend gala Hall

Calder Valley Fell Runners – 27 June 2022  

Kinder Trog

This is one of those races that you think you should enter because it’s one of the Club Championship counters but come the weekend – warm weather, lots of gentler gala fell races taking place elsewhere – and only the fit, brave or foolhardy take on Kinder Trog. Nine CVFR runners entered this 15.5 mile race with 2,952 ft of ascent (25km / 900m) and nine finished. The route circles the picturesque village of Hayfield in the High Peak and takes runners on a gruelling series of steep climbs – including Lantern Pike, Kinder Downfall and Kinder Low as it edges Kinder Scout – and tough, often rocky descents. The weather was favourable for a long, hard race after the heatwave of the previous week. In the race organiser’s words ‘good conditions for this long race today. Dry underfoot and not too hot though the strong wind was not always helpful’. And up on the higher ground, the wind was strong.

A bit of wind and a few peaks and troughs was not going to deter some of Calder Valley’s finest with Ed Hyland and Mark Burton coming in first and second overall and having a proper battle for the spoils with just 25 seconds separating them as they raced to the finish line at Hayfield’s Scout Hut in 2:04:10 and 2:04:35 respectively. Twenty-five seconds over a twenty-five km race is as close as it gets – the spoils went to Ed who notched up another perfect 100 in the club championships.

Further down the field, Louise Williamson (3:01:29) was 6th woman overall, first Calder Valley woman home and 2nd in the FV50 category. In the words of Charlotte Wetton (3:48:14), the only other Calder Valley woman who braved the race, ‘I am broken – it was hard!’. Mike Wardle took the MV60 honours in the club championships with a sterling run of 3:21:39 and 95th place overall.

1 Ed Hyland M 2.04.10
2 Mark Burton MV40 2:04:35
19 Dan Marsden MV40 2:25:00
39 Kieran O’Prey M 2:38:08
46 Mark Wharton MV50 2:41:17
72 Toby Sydes MV50 2:55:09
81 Louise Williamson FV50 3:01:29
95 Michael Wardle MV60 03:21:49
106 Charlotte Wetton F 3:48:14

Eldwick & Gilstead Gala Fell Race – 4.8km/168m

A victorious Will

What better way to spend a warm summer’s afternoon than a traditional local gala – barbeques, ice-creams, stalls and games galore and to top it off, a lungbusting dash to Hope Hill trig point. In amongst the Eldwick and Gilstead Gala is the delight of the Gala Fell Race, a 4.8km run with 168m ascent. The route starts off fast on tarmac before taking a well-worn footpath to the summit of Baildon Moor before plunging back down the hillside and rounded off with an uphill finish.

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