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Wasdale Fell Race

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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

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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] There has also been a junior fell race held on the same day at Wasdale initially over a course up to Burnmoor Tarn and back (Burnmoor Chase) and later a short dash up to Lingmell Nose and down (one and a half miles with 1,000 feet of ascent).

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 to 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

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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 seven times between 2012 and 2021.

The winners have been as follows.[10]

Year Men Time Women Time
1972 Jeff Norman and Harry Walker 4:25:10
1973 Joss Naylor 3:48:55
1974 Andy Churchill 3:53:12
1975 Joss Naylor 3:41:49
1976 Ian Roberts 3:38:35
1977 Mike Short 3:53:15 Joan Lancaster 1:10:10[Note 1]
1978 Andy Styan 3:39:15 Sue Parkin 0:58:22[Note 1]
1979 Andy Styan 3:30:51 Jean Lochhead 0:54:22[Note 1]
1980 Billy Bland 3:37:51 Pauline Haworth 4:51:20
1981 Billy Bland 3:35:10 Ros Coats 3:16:23[Note 2]
1982 Billy Bland 3:25:21 Sue Parkin 4:45:39
1983 Billy Bland 3:49:50 Bridget Hogge 5:35:45
1984 Billy Bland 3:42:27 Bridget Hogge 5:08:28
1985 Billy Bland 3:55:29 Angela Carson 5:00:31
1986 Billy Bland 3:42:31 Angela Carson 4:36:47
1987 Billy Bland 3:33:07 Nicola Lavery 4:50:23
1988 Billy Bland 3:34:33 Clare Crofts 4:45:20
1989 Colin Donnelly 3:41:33 Ruth Pickvance 4:42:57
1990 Mark Rigby 3:37:08 Helene Diamantides 4:28:35
1991 James Bulman 4:20:18 Sue Ratcliffe 5:14:32
1992 Phil Clark 3:57:18 Wendy Dodds 5:20:51
1993 Jonathan Bland 3:57:31 Sarah Rowell 4:33:51
1994 Gavin Bland 3:53:56 Ruth Pickvance 4:31:12
1995 Jonathan Bland 3:51:15 Emma Moody 5:20:53
1996 Gavin Bland 4:11:55 None
1997 Jonathan Bland 3:48:18 Mari Todd 4:22:10
1998 Jim Davies 3:46:07 Liz Batt 5:39:59
1999 Simon Booth 3:44:50 Wendy Dodds 5:28:19
2000 Andy Trigg 4:13:00 Wendy Dodds 5:29:57
2001 Cancelled due to foot-and-mouth outbreak
2002 Andrew Schofield 3:59:29 Angela Brand-Barker 5:02:57
2003 Rob Jebb 3:46:48 Jackie Lee 5:19:51
2004 Phil Davies 3:53:55 Nicola Davies 5:08:35
2005 Simon Booth 3:44:56 Sally Newman 4:46:40
2006 Lloyd Taggart 3:48:51 Jackie Lee 4:19:08
2007 Ricky Lightfoot 3:45:20 Helen Garrett 5:05:31
2008 Pete Vale 3:51:07 Jackie Lee and Janet McIver 4:12:17
2009 Rob Jebb 3:46:39 Philippa Jackson 4:38:21
2010 Ben Abdelnoor 4:33:05 Jane Reedy 5:11:56
2011 Ben Abdelnoor 3:46:11 Hazel Robinson 5:11:09
2012 Ricky Lightfoot 3:44:44 Jasmin Paris 4:30:54
2013 Ben Abdelnoor 3:55:19 Jasmin Paris 4:35:28
2014 Simon Harding 4:09:38 Jasmin Paris 4:13:05
2015 Ricky Lightfoot 3:57:04 Jasmin Paris 4:14:33
2016 Neil Talbott 4:11:35 Jasmin Paris 4:50:40
2017 Carl Bell 3:40:53 Anna Lupton 4:41:26
2018 Rhys Findlay-Robinson 3:59:55 Jasmin Paris 4:29:48
2019 Rob Jebb 3:56:10 Sharon Taylor 4:42:26
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Ricky Lightfoot 4:05:44 Jasmin Paris 4:35:34
2022 Philip Rutter 3:56:38 Victoria Thompson 4:57:39
2023 Finlay Wild 3:46:33 Victoria Thompson 5:01:22
2024 Finlay Wild 3:37:42 Nichola Jackson 4:29:23

Note 1: Burnmoor Chase route.

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

References

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  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.