Roseberry Topping Fell Race took place on Wednesday evening just after a downpour which made the conditions slippery for this madcap dash up Roseberry Topping and back. It is one of the shortest fell races at 1.3 miles but is not for the faint hearted. Strength and fitness are needed for the 650 feet of ascent in the first half then nerves of steel for the dash back down over rocky steps and uneven terrain. 101 runners finished with times ranging from 11 minutes to 31 minutes. First back for PRC was Nicola Thorpe in 21 minutes 34 seconds, 3rd F55, closely followed by Lynn Humpleby in 21 minutes 46 seconds, 2nd F45, and Alice Hayter in 21 minutes 56 seconds, 3rd F45.

Bilsdale Show Fell Race took place at the weekend starting in the showground. It was easy to go astray in the tall bracken along sections of the 5.4 mile route over the moors with its 1,230 feet of ascent. James Loftus had an excellent run finishing in 50 minutes 30 seconds placing him16th overall out of 47 runners. Russ Grayson was next in 54 minutes 48 seconds, 2nd M50. Then came Paul Smith in 57 minutes 46 seconds, 1st M65, Lynn Humpleby in 63 minutes 36 seconds, 2nd F45, Lucy Saggers in 63 minutes 47 seconds, 2nd F50, Nicola Thorpe in 63 minutes 56 seconds, 1st F55 and Serena Partridge in 74 minutes 45 seconds, 3rd F50.

Hardmoors Roseberry races also took place at the weekend, with runners once again tackling the heights of Roseberry Topping. It was a lovely bright, breezy day so they had to do a fair bit of tourist dodging too! The 10k option was nearly 9 miles with 1,650 feet of climb. Darren Smith’s brilliant time of 1 hour 11 minutes placed him 2nd overall out of 75 runners. Despite a painful tumble, Carol Wilson crossed the line in 1 hour 59 minutes placing her 3rd F60. Clare Mawrey finished in 2 hours 24 minutes and Graham Robinson’s time of 2 hours 42 minutes placed him 2nd M70.
128 runners tackled the Half marathon option,15 miles with 3,300 feet of climb. Ruth Kaftirani had a great run finishing in 3 hours 9 minutes. Chris Adams finished in 3 hours 38 minutes, 3 minutes behind son George who clocked 3 hours 35 minutes .

Richard Robinson ran the Middlesbrough 10k. This annual road race attracted over 1,700 runners. Richard’s speedy time of 43 minutes 28 seconds placed him 205th.