Fast and furious Skyrunning at Helvellyn Weekend.
There was a second action packed weekend with Lake District Sky Trails, as the 57km Helvellyn Sky Ultra, 28km Pinnacle Ridge Extreme and 29km St. Sunday Sky Race all took place on Saturday 18th July. Although hotter than some would have liked at the finish in Patterdale, a cool breeze on the tops and dry underfoot conditions left the courses primed for some very fast racing!
Routes like no other in the UK, delivered by the awesome team at Lake District Sky Trails ©Evan Davies
Helvellyn Sky Ultra
First up was the Helvellyn Sky Ultra, which got underway at 6:30am. Women’s winner Becky Hill took the lead from Swirral Edge, and was out on her own for a lot of the race, but buddied up with some of the male competitors to share some miles. She said “It was a very hard race. Definitely a rollercoaster, and way more technical than I’m used to.” Despite the challenges, Hill romped home to take the win in a time of 9:13. She’s currently building up for her first 100K at the Tarawera T102 in New Zealand.
Becky Hill en route to victory in the Helvellyn Sky Ultra ©Tanya Raab
In a closer battle for second and third, Ireland’s Sorcha Kearney pipped Sarah Lewington by just nine seconds to finish in 10:31:25 and 10:31:34, respectively. Kearney also took top honours in the F50 category, while fourth woman, Rachy Sinnamon was top F40 in a time of 10:57. Further back, Rebecca Ferry was the fastest F45 in 13:52.
Beautiful conditions showcased some of the best scenery the Lakes has to offer ©Evan Davies
In the men’s race, Joe Cox ran a strong race to win his debut SkyRace, finishing in seven hours and 11 minutes. Cox started the race in a group of five other runners but before long found himself running alone and didn’t falter before the finish.
Cox, who has a background in ultrarunning, said: “I did triathlon as a junior and then branched into [ultras] about eight or nine years ago. Not so much on the competitive side, it’s just nice to be in the hills and then periodically find something like this to focus on – something entertaining that you like the look of – and when the going gets tough, you’re at least in a nice place!”
Joe Cox climbing strong in the opening miles of the Helvellyn Sky Ultra ©Tanya Raab
Alex Hamlet took second place in a time of 7:34, and wasn’t far back from Cox for much of the race, but avoided being drawn into battle. He said, “My race tactic was kind of survive… I just stayed in position for a lot of the race. I could still see him [Cox] out front for a lot of it, but I was happy enough with how my race was going.”
Another 20 minutes back, Andy Shaw took third in 7:54, while fourth place Daniel George was the first M40 in a time of 7:58. Michael Clewlow won the M45 category in 9:46, and Stephen Winter as the top M50 in 9:47. Darren Allan closed out the age categories, finishing the fastest over 55 in a time of 10:31. Full provisional results from this race are now online HERE.
Pinnacle Ridge Extreme
The 28km Pinnacle Ridge Extreme was up next, with a 7:30am start. The technical route took in 2,700m of climbing, featuring rope sections and Grade 3 scrambles around the Helvellyn Massif. In the men’s race, Ben Rothery scored a decisive win in three hours and 37 minutes, just about breaking Tom Simpson’s course record from last year by one minute. Rothery was well primed for the race, coming off a win at the Lake District 48K earlier in the year.
Ben Rothery en route to victory and a new course record in the Pinnacle Ridge Extreme ©Evan Davies
Always the bridesmaid, Ed Brewer took second for the third year in a row, this time finishing in 3:52. He said: “I could see him [Rothery] at a few points in the race. I think I last saw him towards the top of Helvellyn, the first scrambly section. After halfway he was about five minutes ahead, and I think I lost a lot of time then around Swirral Edge and Striding Edge.” Brewer recently won the Scafell Sky Race and next up will be racing the Snowdon SkyRace and making a strong bid for the overall series win.
Scarpa athlete Ed Brewer claimed second place in this race for the third year running ©Evan Davies
Austria’s Benjamin Pammer closed out the podium in in 4:58, and was also the first M40. Fifth overall, first M45 Colin Brearley finished in 5:15. Irishman Joe O’Learly was the first M50 in 5:27, and the over 55 honours went to David Harrison in 6:20.
In the women’s race, it was a game of Cat and mouse between the top two. South African living in Colorado, Marina Egorov took the win in five hours and 21 minutes. She said, “I haven’t run in the UK before. I’m used to technical, but the fell running was a challenge for me. What I understand as dry for here was boggy for me! But it was super cool, super fun. I loved the technical parts and the ropes, and the safety crew were great.”
Marina Egorov tops out of Pinnacle Ridge before running on to victory ©Evan Davies
Second place, Cat Wain-Hobson, said: “I could see her [Egorov] all the way, she was so strong up the hills. Then I could make a bit of time on her on the technical descents, and I could see her on the flat… but on the last descent she just got to the top and flew it.” Wain-Hobson finished in a time of 5:32, and was also the first F40.
Cat Wain-Hobson gets hands-on climbing Pinnacle Ridge ©Evan Davies
Finishing nine minutes back from her in third was Finland’s Lotta Hinsta. Hinsta had travelled from Finland, via London, with her six-month-old daughter and had the added challenge of sleep deprivation going into the race. She said, “Downhills felt like a video game because I was half asleep, so there’s room for improvement!” A lover of technical running, she’s building up to race Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme later in the season.
First F45, Gosia Kmiec, finished in a time of 8:23, and Naomi Brewer was the first F50 in 8:08. Full provisional results from this race are now online HERE.
A head for heights is certainly needed to take on this extreme skyrunning route! ©Evan Davies
St. Sunday Sky Race
The 29km St. Sunday Sky Race was the final event to get underway, kicking off at 9am. This more runnable SkyRace also served as the first race in this year’s Under 23 Series.
Lucy Milling took the win in the women’s race, and is now top of the Under 23s table. She said, “I knew I wanted to win it today, so I tried to stay focused the whole way round and just enjoy it, which I did. It was a beautiful day for it.” Milling took fourth in last year’s Helvellyn Sky Ultra, and found the experience really helped her going into this race. She said, “Because I did the longer, harder race last year, my mindset going into this was a lot more positive, because I knew it was going to feel shorter.”
Lucy Milling claimed victory as an U23 runner in the St. Sunday Sky Race ©Tanya Raab
Behind her in second was Helen Brown, who finished in 4:25, a strong performance for the first F50. Jen Hadwin was third in 4:47, and the remaining age group wins went to Katie Milburn (F40), Morgane Artacho (F45), and Catherine Linney (F55+).
Steve Shanahan won the men’s race by a small margin, but had held his lead from the start. He said, “Straight into the first climb I was on my own and just had to time trial it! I had splits to Kirkstone. I was going for sub 4 hours, managed that, in 3:58.” Shanahan was happy to turn his luck around, and said: “I’ve had a string of bad luck at Charlie [Sproson]’s events. I DNF’d Helvellyn twice. I was having a really good run at Scafell but ended up dropping out. So, it was nice to bounce back and get a good run on the board.”
Steve Shanahan climbs strong to claim victory in the St. Sunday Sky Race ©Evan Davies
Finishing just two minutes behind Shanahan, but never quit managing to close the gap, George Cooper took second in four hours and 37 seconds. Mick Clifford was third in a time of 4:02. Age category honours went to Grzegorz Niewiadomski (M40), Will Benfold (M45), John Skelton (M50), and Jason McKay (M55+). Full provisional results from this race are now online HERE.
Congratulations to all finishers of these iconic races. Recover well and we will see you next time!
The National Series revisits Eryri, North Wales next month: See you there?
Next up in the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series is SkyRun Eryri® on Saturday 15th August, where three Series races will be taking place:
The brutal 14 Peaks Ultra: 55km & 3,900m+ and the third race of the SkyUltra® Series.
The iconic Snowdon SkyRace: 38km & 3,300m+ taking in Tryfan North Ridge and Crib Goch scrambles!
The relentless Copper SkyTrail: 27km & 2,300m+ and also second race of the U23 Series.
Entries to all races close at midnight on Friday 7th August, so if you want to join and be part of the next stop of this year’s Skyrunner® National Series, be sure to enter HERE today!
In the meantime, be sure to follow Skyrunning UK on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, or why not join the Facebook Group HERE or the Strava Club HERE.
