Race report by Josie;
Whilst on holiday in the Langdale, I took the opportunity to do The Hartsop Hop Fell Race. A challenging 12-mile (19.5 km) race through some of the wildest and most spectacular terrain in the Lake District. Organised by Clayton-le-Moors Harriers, the race was first run last year and has quickly become a firm favourite of mine. Starting from the sheep pens above Hartsop, the route packs in around 4,500 feet (1,370 m) of ascent, with steep climbs, technical descents and plenty of route-finding to keep runners on their toes.
The weather was perfect for the race, with clear skies and warm temperatures. 119 runners set off uphill towards Hayeswater & the field were quickly divided on route choice. I stuck to my navigation plan from last year, which had worked well for me, and set off steadily. As the race progressed, I settled into a comfortable pace and gradually started to catch and pass other runners, finishing strongly.
I was really happy with my race, finishing 5th lady overall and 2nd LV50 in a time of 2:48:09 — taking three minutes off my time from the previous year.
