Race report by Josie:
Saturday’s Fell Race Report
As part of the club’s Lakeland Fell Championship, three Lostockers travelled to Stair in the Newlands Valley of the Lake District to compete. Rob Sharkey took on the Newlands Memorial Fell Race, a popular 11.5‑mile route with 3,609ft of ascent. Tony Marlow and Josie Greenhalgh opted for its big‑sister race, Teenager with Altitude. Although only a few miles longer at 15.3 miles, it features a staggering 7,546ft of ascent and packs in huge climbs and descents for the distance.
The weather on arrival was far from ideal. Rain came and went, and low cloud clung to the summits. This added extra consideration over whether to start in waterproofs and how tricky navigation might be on the tops.
The Teenager race sets off an hour earlier than its shorter sibling and follows a horseshoe route around the Newlands Valley. Starting on a steep hillside, runners face an immediate 1,700ft climb in the first 1.4 miles up to the summit of Causey Pike. Tony showed great strength and enthusiasm on the climbs, while Josie led the way on the big descents, picking out the optimum lines. Between the ups and downs, the pair paced each other well throughout the course.
As Tony and Josie were an hour into their race, Rob Sharkey was setting off on his. The first mile is fast and runnable with a steady incline before an abrupt 1,500ft ascent to the summit of Robinson. At this point, the two races converge at the same checkpoint and continue along the same route over the next four summits before finishing together.
Rob placed himself among an experienced field of seasoned Lakes runners and held his position throughout. He showed particular strength in the second half, picking off several runners, and with a final steep descent off Catbells, he finished in a superb time of 2:23:49.
It would be another hour before the other Lostockers crossed the line in the Teenager race. Tony had an excellent run, just edging ahead of Josie by eight seconds to finish as 2nd V60 in an impressive 4:22:20. Josie followed closely behind as 1st LV50 in 4:22:28, securing a personal best.
