Race report by Josie:
Duddon Valley Fell Race
On Saturday, Tony & I headed up to Seathwaite in the Lake District for the first instalment of the Lakes Classic Series, The Long Duddon. The route is 18miles and 6,500ft ascent over the high fells and covers some treacherous terrain including rocky scrambles and deep bogs. The race itself is a massive horseshoe around the head of the Duddon Valley where runners tackle 6 major climbs, with one of the most feared climbs ironically called Little Stand!
We started in a field with a mad dash to the gate where the path leading out narrowed and gradually went steeper until we hit the fell. It was really hot in the valley so we were grateful for a breeze as we climbed to higher ground.
A mile into the race and Tony started to pull away but stayed in my sight all the way round. I’d close the gap on the descents but Tony was much stronger on the climbs.
Tony had a great sprint finish with a runner (that had relied on his navigation for half the race) and beat him over the line by 1 second in 4:44:07. I followed 4places behind in 4:45:54 as 3rd L40/L50.
It was a fantastic route and amazing but tough day on the fells! 📷Individual pics :Stephen Wilson
