Wasdale Fell Race

The Wasdale Fell Race (sometimes known as the Wasdale Horseshoe) is an annual Lake District fell race held in July, starting and finishing at Brackenclose in Wasdale. The course is approximately twenty-one miles long with around 9,000 feet of ascent and takes in checkpoints at Whin Rigg, Seatallan, Pillar, Great Gable, Esk Hause shelter, Scafell Pike and Lingmell nose wall. The route between Pillar and Lingmell is very rough, with steep technical ground and boulder fields. Among long fell races, Wasdale has one of the highest ratios of feet of ascent per mile, and it is often considered to be the toughest of the British races.[1]

History

The race, organised by the Cumberland Fell Runners Association, was first held in 1972 when it took place during a heat wave. The descent from Scafell Pike that year was routed via Lingmell Col, Brown Tongue and Lingmell Gill, but from the following year, a new checkpoint at a wall crossing on Lingmell was included to give spectators a better view of the final descent. In 1978, the route across the valley from Whin Rigg to Seatallan was altered, slightly increasing the distance. A ladies’ race called the Burnmoor Chase was run in 1977 in conjunction with the Wasdale Race. This went from Brackenclose up onto Illgill Head, around Burnmoor Tarn and back down. This was also run in 1978 and 1979 but in 1980 there were insufficient entries and the women competed over the full men’s course instead. In 1981, the ladies’ race followed the men’s course to Pillar, from where it descended to the finish.[2] From 1982 onwards, women competed over the same course as the men.[3]

In 2001, the trend of decreasing numbers of runners entering long category A fell races, including Wasdale, was discussed.[4] The following year, Brian Martin and Selwyn Wright developed the Lakeland Classics Trophy series to raise the profile of the long Lakeland fell races, to encourage runners to compete in them and to recognise the achievements of runners who perform well in such events. Subsequent years saw the entry numbers recover.[5]

Although it is held in July, the race has on many occasions been affected by inclement weather. Navigational problems in poor visibility have often caused runners go off course. In 1985 even Billy Bland, the course record holder and winner on several occasions, went the wrong way in the mist after Seatallan, finding himself on the wrong side of Haycock and having to go over Haycock and Scoat Fell to get back on course.[6]

Wasdale has frequently been one of the counting races in the British and English Fell Running Championships.[7]

Results

The men’s course record is 3:25:21, set by Billy Bland in 1982. Bland considers the record to be one of his best performances along with the Borrowdale Fell Race record, and better than his Bob Graham Round record which he had set three weeks before the 1982 Wasdale Race.[8] No other runner has run within five minutes of Bland’s Wasdale record.

The women’s record is 4:12:17, set jointly by Jackie Lee and Janet McIver in 2008.[9]

Billy Bland has the most wins, with nine between 1980 and 1988. Jasmin Paris has won the women’s race five times between 2012 and 2016.

The winners have been as follows.[10]

Year Men Time Women Time
1972 Jeff Norman and Harry Walker 04:25:10
1973 Joss Naylor 03:48:55
1974 Andy Churchill 03:53:12
1975 Joss Naylor 03:41:49
1976 Ian Roberts 03:38:35
1977 Mike Short 03:53:15 Joan Lancaster 01:10:10[Note 1]
1978 Andy Styan 03:39:15 Sue Parkin 00:58:22[Note 1]
1979 Andy Styan 03:30:51 Jean Lochhead 00:54:22[Note 1]
1980 Billy Bland 03:37:51 Pauline Haworth 04:51:20
1981 Billy Bland 03:35:10 Ros Coats 03:16:23[Note 2]
1982 Billy Bland 03:25:21 Sue Parkin 04:45:39
1983 Billy Bland 03:49:50 Bridget Hogge 05:35:45
1984 Billy Bland 03:42:27 Bridget Hogge 05:08:28
1985 Billy Bland 03:55:29 Angela Carson 05:00:31
1986 Billy Bland 03:42:31 Angela Carson 04:36:47
1987 Billy Bland 03:33:07 Nicola Lavery 04:50:23
1988 Billy Bland 03:34:33 Clare Crofts 04:45:20
1989 Colin Donnelly 03:41:33 Ruth Pickvance 04:42:57
1990 Mark Rigby 03:37:08 Helene Diamantides 04:28:35
1991 James Bulman 04:20:18 Sue Ratcliffe 05:14:32
1992 Phil Clark 03:57:18 Wendy Dodds 05:20:51
1993 Jonathan Bland 03:57:31 Sarah Rowell 04:33:51
1994 Gavin Bland 03:53:56 Ruth Pickvance 04:31:12
1995 Jonathan Bland 03:51:15 Emma Moody 05:20:53
1996 Gavin Bland 04:11:55 None
1997 Jonathan Bland 03:48:18 Mari Todd 04:22:10
1998 Jim Davies 03:46:07 Liz Batt 05:39:59
1999 Simon Booth 03:44:50 Wendy Dodds 05:28:19
2000 Andy Trigg 04:13:00 Wendy Dodds 05:29:57
2001 Cancelled due to foot-and-mouth outbreak Cancelled due to foot-and-mouth outbreak
2002 Andrew Schofield 03:59:29 Angela Brand-Barker 05:02:57
2003 Rob Jebb 03:46:48 Jackie Lee 05:19:51
2004 Phil Davies 03:53:55 Nicola Davies 05:08:35
2005 Simon Booth 03:44:56 Sally Newman 04:46:40
2006 Lloyd Taggart 03:48:51 Jackie Lee 04:19:08
2007 Ricky Lightfoot 03:45:20 Helen Garrett 05:05:31
2008 Pete Vale 03:51:07 Jackie Lee and Janet McIver 04:12:17
2009 Rob Jebb 03:46:39 Philippa Jackson 04:38:21
2010 Ben Abdelnoor 04:33:05 Jane Reedy 05:11:56
2011 Ben Abdelnoor 03:46:11 Hazel Robinson 05:11:09
2012 Ricky Lightfoot 03:44:44 Jasmin Paris 04:30:54
2013 Ben Abdelnoor 03:55:19 Jasmin Paris 04:35:28
2014 Simon Harding 04:09:38 Jasmin Paris 04:13:05
2015 Ricky Lightfoot 03:57:04 Jasmin Paris 04:14:33
2016 Neil Talbott 04:11:35 Jasmin Paris 04:50:40
2017 Carl Bell 03:40:53 Anna Lupton 04:41:26

Note 1: Burnmoor Chase route.

Note 2: The women ran a shorter course than the men in 1981.

References

  1. Angela Mudge, World’s Ultimate Running Races (Glasgow, 2011), 275; Steve Chilton, It's a Hill, Get Over It (Dingwall, 2013), 78-80.
  2. Bill Smith, Stud Marks on the Summits (Preston, 1985), 186, 353-58.
  3. Bill Smith, "An Early History of the Lakeland Long As: 1968-85".
  4. Graham Breeze, "Classic Fell Races Part 2: Will “Long A” Races Survive?", The Fellrunner Magazine, Oct 2001, 36-38.
  5. Lakeland Classics Trophy: History.
  6. Steve Chilton, It's a Hill, Get Over It (Dingwall, 2013), 80; CFRA: Wasdale 1993 Results; CFRA: Wasdale 1996 Results; CFRA: Wasdale 2010 Results.
  7. Angela Mudge, World’s Ultimate Running Races (Glasgow, 2011), 275.
  8. Steve Chilton, The Round: In Bob Graham's Footsteps (Dingwall, 2015).
  9. The Fellrunner, Autumn 2008, 159-60.
  10. Cumberland Fellrunners Association; Bill Smith, Stud Marks on the Summits (Preston, 1985), 186, 353-58; Graham Breeze, "Classic Fell Races Part 1: Il Campionissimo", The Fellrunner Magazine, Jun 2001, 8-11.
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