Brough Law Fell Race 9 March 2025 - Round 2 Poly Fell Champs

 

This looks too easy for Helen L although it may just be relief that the kit won't require 3 washes after today's race.

We were back in Northumberland for Round 2. The fog on Tyneside was thicker than Vaughan's famous ham and pea soup so much so that some had difficulty finding their way out of Monkseaton . Not a good omen  for navigating  the Cheviots .

David Lambert on his way out after clearing Brough Law and getting a clear lead in the Champs.

However 5 miles from venue the fog cleared . It was going to be a gin clear  day on the hills . So that's 2 out of 2 so far  with warm / bright conditions . It is no coincidence that harbinger of awful weather , Jon Heaney has missed both races. Let's hope he stays away a bit longer for  winter sunshine in Magaluf or somewhere else beginning with 'M' while the series continues .  

Pre race astrology  this time came in from Rachel Inman ( with  Rachel's Helpful Hints). After  consulting the tea leaves residue in her Dennis the Menace Mug she reached the conclusion that they spelt the letter D  for dry underfoot . D could just as easily have been Drizzle or Dull or Dirty but never mind .  But to be fair (even though it's hard in her case)  , the course wasn't entirely waterlogged this time though she was stretching it to say there were 'some wet spots'. There were quite a lot of those merging into bogs  including  the wetland area for frog mating which was again sectioned off by organisers to avoid size 10 s ruining their fun. Frogs don't live in  dry places .

Jack Taylor Burns is first to reach Checkpoint Vaughan on his way to a top 10 finish overall and clearly photbombing Vaughan's attempt to get a shot of a Polaris all terrain vehicle .

Another fine turn out was orchestrated by Helen H. I think maybe a record for B Law - as we had 8 runners . Newcomers this time were Rose Moira , Paul Bain and our current  xc co captain Jack Taylor Burns .

In addition we had 2 Poly cameramen ! Dave Johnson manned the top of Brough Law despite suffering vertigo and a nose bleed from having gone above sea level for the first time in a decade . The Cheviots are a dangerous place with adders and some tetchy livestock but DJ managed to come off worst in a tussle with a gorse bush (vegan and organic)  that he'd been upended in. Vaughan meantime had taken a scenic walk around the course armed with a heavy 50 litre ruck sack (which we'd incorrectly assumed  contained team refreshments instead of his pasty and sticky bun wrapped up in an edition of  Fly Fishing Weekly ) plus  his Box Brownie rubbing up against his backside as he limped his way round. 

Additionally we got some black and white photos from Martin Ellis - check :https://martinjaellis.com  . Martin attends quite a few shows where he exhibits his work and sells among other things calendars (useful to mark up all the Fell Champs Races plus Jack's xc schedule ).

Helen R looks moderately surprised to see a friendly face behind the camera

and probably even more surprised that the cameraman  managed to keep his trademark  shadow out of the shot.

The course had not changed much , or so we thought  . Jane Briggs optimistically assured us there were only 2 main hills - I counted 5 . The first hill hits  as you come out the blocks where there were only 2 options to the summit until Helen H found a 3rd one coursing a sheep trod and dragging a selection of Helens (and others ) with her. Expectations were high that this could end in a dead end on a different  hill and in another county. Surprisingly it didn't . The debates continues over whether the route was a gain or loss - which must mean it was not too bad.

There's no disguising Helen H - not even with sunglasses (standard kit these days for our fell race champs). On her way to 5th female racer.

From the summit of Brough Law - lined with ferocious anti DJ broom bushes - the Cheviots opened right up. I don't think I've ever been able to see the entirety of the ridges and hills . As you steadily went round  , you could watch the race leaders (or maybe in my case mid runners ) out in the distance a mile or so ahead on the skyline. 

For our team , it was Jack and Helen H who took up the cudgels of leading out our squads out and back . Hodgsons Hero , Rich Hanley - MIA for a couple of years was tailing Jack with relative newcomer Dave Lambert. This time it was a trio of Helens who held top 3 for the ladies but not in alphabetical order . Rose kept us  in eye sight . 

We had all reached Vaughan's shifting control  at roughly half way as the ex Club Capt skirted round Iron Age fort at Wether Hill. 

In the old days when he was selector in chief for those sought after relays spots ( 1st leg was the gold star ) ladies in particular would make an effort to get noticed with a touch of make up , a coquettish flick back of hair and some energetic warm up routines . But it's changed times and no effort is spared now  . The modern way to get noticed by selectors is  more intellectually based  approach such as exhibiting knowledge of trans Pacific flights out of Toronto to get Huw Parry's attention or admitting you enjoyed some 'gig' given by a  an  inexecrable musically challenged boy band with bad body odour  from the late 70s for Roger Mosedale's . Anyway enough of tarmac trotting and back to real racing.

Tandem running with Helen L and Paul Bain (confronting a new reality that Priory Hills lampposts needs a gradient and distance extension to be of any use here). 

Back to the running and  the marshal at Wether Hill   reckoned that it was necessary to skirt round his yellow bag placed inside the Iron Age fort   . Previous editions had seen us bearing away before the summit  onto a quad bike track for Cochrane Pike and not bothering the settlement .  An extra 3 metres of climb and 50 m of distance on the slog !  This couldn't happen on a park run though it would be tempting to see the reaction if it was tried. Abuse, mental trauma   and tears isn't the fell run way so we just sucked it up and got on with it.

Cochrane Pike, the next 'summit'  , which in the past was never marshalled with the result that a good few runners ( or a few good runners)  ran on towards Chesters and a sizeable detour - had a regular previous winner in John Butters standing guard. John was probably selected because he'd never detoured on any of his wins. Or maybe he  won because anyone in front had gone the wrong way ? I need to ask.

I lost sight of Paul Bain as he dipped on the run north  into the major re entrant on the route  and only picked up sight again as he took an orienteering line towards Ewe Hill  before the final descent. 

Rose Moira on her 1st fell race - carefully avoiding the extensive mud road that Rachel Inman claimed didn't exist

It is a fast run into the finish and they insist that you dip feet in a final wet stream before crossing. But that's probably just there to give your shoes a wash. They think of everything on a fell race.

With gratitude to Jane Briggs (NFR) and her group of assistants  They had 89 runners and raised about £ 450 for mountain rescue.

Also thanks to the farmer - without whose support  the event would not happen . In this case Ross Wilson . From time to time you can buy his excellent beef and lamb at Turnbull's butchers in Alnwick .

Saltwell Harriers managed an even bigger turnout than NSP . There were many NFR runners and several from Glen's Cheviot Trail Runners.  

The overall winner was Chris Larkin ( NFR ) in a time of 35.23 . The youthful Karen Robertson (NFR )  was female winner in 47 .15 . Jane offered a selection of Easter eggs to 'first timers' but Paul B refused to throw his hat into the ring on account of some anti chocolate campaign . More investigation needed there.

Results here :https://www.broughlaw.co.uk/2025-results?fbclid=IwY2xjawJBGYdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbaBHgsWbKBD9CkFZjVmfEcAKy8cDjvTfeTqKucApvKOdPCVFO9z0U8w-A_aem_qRs7k2cee6NKrDk9WLVK8g

Rich Hanley heads for home having dropped a couple of the ramblers on the run in.

While it may have been necessary for maps , compasses , GPS and Muck's Starlink to clear Tynemouth this morning - the visuals in the Cheviots made this all redundant . No one took a wrong turn . No one got lost although there was concerns whether DJ would find his way down.

Meantime Helen L faces more serious competition from an NFR runner.

Things have shifted around a bit in  the men's rankings after Michael Kane's catastrophic slump. 

It's been suggested that  Vaughan's no 1 supporter efforts deserve a few points to get him off the bottom. He did 'do the course' even if he started 30 mins before the rest of us. Maybe he deserves a token point ? But we reckon that would create an unfortunate precedent in the world of sport if permitted taking the obvious examples of Man Utd getting points for turning up an hour into the game  . So unfortunately Vaughan must leave pointless against the greater evil of awarding teams that make no effort for just being there .

Let's hope Jack isn't saving himself for laps 2 and 3.

The ladies stays much the same except for an extra Helen in the league . In fact top 3 are all Helens . It's like Sheffield United , Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield Harriers  all in the top 3 of the Perfume League . ( Hope I got the order right there Richard H ?).

Tables below: 

Championship Table after round 1 Ladies 

1. HH                                             100 points

2. Helen Lilley                               97    ..

3. Helen Ruth                                 49

4. Rachel Inman                             48    ..

5. Joanne Adamson                        47    ..

6. Rose King                                  47  ..

7. Rachel Heathcote                       46   ..

---------------------------------------------------

R  Sarah Johnson                              0   ..

Men's Championship

1.  David Lambert                            97 points

2.  BY                                               95    ..

3.  Michael Kane                             50    ..

3.  Jack Taylor Burns                       50   ..

5.  Richard Hanley                           49    ..

6.  Paul Bain                                      47  ..

---------------------------------------------------

R  Captain V Hemy                          0 points

R = Relegation zone.

Next race is Coledale Horseshoe in the Lakes. Pre entry required for this ; but the cost won't break the bank.

High Cup Nick Fell Race 22 Feb 2025 - Round 1 Poly fell champs 2025

Victory tastes good. Michael Kane takes his first ever win in the Poly fell champs - finishing in about 1 hr 35m. There's still a long way to go in the champs series until we know whether or not Mike will make the Oscars evening 

The new 2025 season  began again at HCN with  a Spring day  down in Dufton for race 1 of the Poly Champs. Timed perfectly as a  day earlier or later it would not have been Spring. 

A decent turn out of 8 runners comprising 3 newbies ( Jo Adamson  , David Lambert and Rachel Heathcote ), a few yoyo in / out  runners and Team Helen as the hard boiled regulars.  

Helen once again was our first female back in around 1 h 39 mins to open her account with a smile while topping out at around 680m asl. Tracked by a Northern Fellrunner.

Pre race advice from organiser Morgan Donnelly sounded  encouraging .It was the driest he'd ever known in the Nic Valley. A few of us took this at face value. But  hadn't read the small print (where Morgan had  added recent rain had not soaked in and referred to a homeward bound hill being 'interesting' - interesting being one  of the trickiest words in the English language  ) . Alternatively anyone with a  geography O level would have known that Cumbria is England's wettest county .  For some who treated   Geography  as a recovery lesson after double physics and a chance to do some  map colouring -it didn't register either. ( Hopefully Arthur Tiger Pringle won't see this - he detests hills anyway but likes Geography )  . 

Even when it is dry in Cumbria , it is still a good idea to carry a  life jacket  as back up. Dryness is relative . A boozer that tells you he's on day 2 of dry January remains a boozer because he's drunk himself daft on each of the preceding 365 days . Cumbria is still wet when dry.

So it was 'interesting ' to find   that :

a. the 3 mile trek up Nic Valley was not dry (at least not in the east of Pennine  definition  of the word ) ;

b. most of it was either laced with sticky deepish black mud or slicked tracks   that Capt V would call super skitey  .  

c. the few areas - maybe around 20 % - that weren't  mud ,  were under water.  

d. It was interesting. 

There aren't enough words to cover varieties of mud. Sarah Johnson's chirpy  xc bulletins about mud are a world away from  Nic Valley mud . She'd need to get a new re calibrated mudometer to get Nic Valley on the scale .While, Northumberland xc mud is unlikely to  register with Morgan  as anything but a bit of dew  .  Maybe someone needs to work on a colour code system as with those annoying storms the BBC keep threatening us with  - but with colour ranges from fawn to black to give a better risk assessment. But even then I guess what the BBC call a life threatening storm is regarded by locals in the western isles as a light breeze so may not help after all.

It remains to be seen if HCN will prove to be the main mud fest in the 2025 champs. Certainly in the past , the now defunct Kielder Borderer race (credited by NFR as the world's worst fell race ) could have run HCN close on that score.

Those that unwisely did not  fit mudclaws  found they had entered  a free style  skating competition up the Nic valley. If they were lucky they stayed upright. Rachel H may also have some comments to make on all this.

Mike and David  led our attack from the gun  as they reached the Nick first. Followed then by Team Helen while I was spooked  with the  miracle short cut Rachel Inman  had taken to parachute in front of me somewhere . Joanne and Rachel H bobbed around as best possible oblivious as to what the course would throw at them .

Still the conditions in the valley temperature wise were pleasant . That was to change after the scramble to the summit up a block and boulder rise taking out most of the 1500 foot or so of ascent and  requiring all 4 limbs  to get to the top. Nearing the ridge there was a shot of turbulence sucking air out of the lungs and then cold really hit. Quite a few went for cagoules facing the issue then of getting arms into jacket arm holes and mainly failing. 

It is a glide home over the next 5 miles to Dufton using quite a bit of the Pennine Way  but we were throttled by a head / cross   wind over the first mile and a half back before we got shelter. 

A sharp right  brings you across real xc territory reaching the valley bottom with yet another large stream to cross and a welcome from a boisterous  choir of half a dozen local youngsters cheering us on and relishing the idea  that there is an adult sport combining their favourite lifestyle features water , mud , dirty legs and ruined clothes . The only sport to come close is the Club Capt's duck races ( no animals injured in the sport etc) .

Mike accelerated away from David on the way home and covered the ground around a minute quicker . He may have raced on  fast out of confusion than anything else  . The race field was flooded with 30 runners from Northern Fell Runners Club a relatively new club based in  , northern fells. Their shirts were remarkably similar to our own red shirts creating a debate as to how they'd hit on these colours. For sure sport teams like to be associated with success which is why most teams have either blue or red shirts  . It makes it all the more surprising that  Tyne Bridge most recently overlooked the chance of red and blue stripes  and opted to get  black n white shirts cleared (a largely unsuccessful combination of sports colours )  .  Mike saw red ahead with  a flood of potential other Poly runners he hadn't picked up at the start threatening his first ever win in the champs after decades of trying  . As he picked one off another appeared like in a shooting range . Finally as he crossed the line he realised he'd been chasing shadows as he collected his  first 50 points haul in the champs  . David ran in shortly after.

Meanwhile Helen H was the  first Helen  back  and first of the non geography O level specialists. The rest of us shared Mike's confusion applauding every  Northern Fellrunners  as they came into view across the village green in the hope it was the rest of the team - only to be largely disappointed .

All spruced up and ready to go - the full team . Only Rachel and I opting for the double buff look ; pioneered by Mark Smith and Dave Johnson. Unfortunately we don't have a post race / pre washing machine  photo to compare the carnage. 

Then to the post race soups which were a confusing choice of vegetarian and vegan . I'd assumed they were both the same . Apparently not  and it seems  that  the vegans had decided to victimise another ingredient (this time vegetable)  - with possibly  brocolli being the  lead contender.  This was topped off with  a roll (of bread as some had done enough rolling on the course )  and a cake selection - only later out done by Jo's chocolate, date and nuts combination described as healthy - recipe awaited. 

Worth stating the event was well supported by other neighbouring clubs Northumberland FR , Gateshead and Tyne Bridge  . Special mention goes though  to Trevor Wakenshaw - now plying his trade with Blyth RC. Trevor was one of the founding fathers of the fell section before moving on. There is a general misconception that role fell to  Dave Johnson - but he is too old to be the father and is regarded as the founding  grand father . Still DJ's efforts deserve recognition at some point with perhaps a bronze life size  statue ( Greek athletic pose being the most dignified  )  sited  at the clubhouse door . Failing that a blue plaque. We'll get some influencers on to the trustees for that.

So after round 1 , the tables are as below . Last year's shock winner in the men's - the ex Club Capt is already in the relegation zone . He was the unfancied  Leicester City no hope  winner of 2024 fell champs .   Leicester  a few years back   escaped   the attention of the Big Boys and won the Premiership  Football League title  acquiring a fame that had eluded the city   in the previous 1000 years where they had only achieved 3 notable  things :   burying an English king in a car park , the invention of non elasticated socks and (most importantly)  the birth place of S & G Group coach , Graham Hall - representing the 'G' injury prone side of SnG.  It won't escape Capt V that Leicester City  got relegated the season after winning . He needs to watch out.

 In the ladies  Helen H picks up where she left off in 2024 ( and 3 ?) as our best consistent fell runner over the last few years and again pursued by Helen L our 2nd most consistent runner etc etc  . Can she/they  be stopped ? Meantime , mud chick , Sarah J  must seriously  consider a reschedule of  her foot spa days so they don't clash with the championship dates or also face the drop.

Championship Table after round 1 Ladies 

1. HH                                             50 points

2. Helen Lilley                               49    ..

3. Rachel Inman                             48    ..

4. Joanne Adamson                        47    ..

5. Rachel Heathcote                        46   ..

---------------------------------------------------

R  Sarah Johnson                              0   ..

Men's Championship

1. Michael Kane                             50 points

2. David Lambert                           49    ..

3.  BY                                             48    ..

---------------------------------------------------

R  Captain V Hemy                          0 points

R = Relegation zone.

Hannah Russell of Helm Hill Runners took victory in the Female Category with a finish-line time of 1 hour, 12min and 28 seconds.

In the Men's race Hugh Chatfield of Tring won in 1 hour, 2minutes and 56 seconds.

A big thank you goes to Morgan Donnelly and his squadrons of marshals and helpers on the course as well as the Dufton Village Hall. High Cup Nick is a truly spectacular feature - and is the only place in England that looks like Greenland . So with hope that Special K doesn't flog it to the Donald J - then we'll all be back there next year and better prepared .

Thanks to Fellside Photography for the photos.

Full race results should appear here soon as well as any more photos I can retrieve.

Next race will be at Brough Law .

Running up that Hill . The song  acquired renewed fame for Kent Warbler , Kate Bush recently . Meantime the pop intelligentsia  published volumes of  academic  interpretations about the deep  meaning of the song's words  in relation to a perceived psycho analysis of Kate's personal life. But maybe  it was just a song about running up a hill after all. All 450 or so runners can identify with that . 

Wooler Vertical - New Year's Day 2025

Pre race - former Club Capt , Vaughan Hemy pulls on his legendary red shirt which must have many stories to tell.  Many of which he'd probably prefer to forget.

Despite taking an early blow to the head.....

....no damage is done.

Eyes down and bearing the Orkney cross.

Hopefully those Xmas pink luminescent socks will help mountain rescue if V gets lost on the descent home.

Indecent descent at decent haste as photographer saves blushes.

Home and dry and relaxing at the Wooler centre  . Now to plan  the first  bacon roll  of New Year  -picked up at Ingram cafe en route home through a snow bound valley. But it is always worth it.

And with a big thank you to the photographer , Clorroe Cam , for excellent pictures taken from a very exposed location near the summit in conditions which must have made professional photography difficult. Things are always  much clearer in black and white 

  Report Today's race as Glen McWilliams with impeccable timing waited for the sun to take cover , the temperature to get down to 1 degree and rain to drum off the windows before dropping the start flag on this race. (Glen promptly ran for cover ....inside the Wooler Centre - making it clear that the finish line was indoors .  And probably the only fell race with an indoor finish).

 Departing into a  battery of rain for the next 4 miles driven in on the North wind ,with  water sluicing down the farm tracks and a sticky skitey jog up and over the hill  . The joys of a January race. With all these advantages, Alex Brown of Morpeth managed to break the course record by 2 mins (and like everyone else)   he probably  did not break sweat .Ellie Fellows winning the ladies race. .  It was a cagoule day for almost all runners  . One exception being  previous Chey winner , Bruce Crombie , who opted for a Glasgow Rangers football shirt to provide enough weather resistance .  Bruce (now of Cheviot Trail Runners )was 5th overall   . Last year he had V on his tail as Vaughan probably short sightedly  mistook Bruce's AFC shirt for one of our own and 'had to chase him down. This time he was spared the distraction.

The other 40 of us (including V and I)  eventually splashed our way back to enjoy the soup from Sharon McWilliams ( vegan option) , bread (non sourdough) and chocolate mints . Apart from that not much happened today except to say I took up a needle and thread to make after race repairs to my race shorts' elastic that failed with potentially serious consequences on the descent . No one admitted to finishing with dry underwear today. I wait to see whether the same repairs can be done on V's misfiring knee.

Other notables today were ex Poly runners Michelle Thompson running in Team Kenya colours for J & H AC and Dave Gilmore ( NEVAC) as well as a smattering of NFR runners . 

With huge thanks to Glen and the team for putting this event on - on a day when many events got cancelled for 'inclement weather ' .  Also to the marshals who had to stand out while we all chugged past. Graham Hare of Northern Fell runners  (one of the marshals ) also somehow got a video at his post.

Check out their websites as they now have a big video library of all kinds of Cheviot based races.  : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn_tqF1BgFE