Busy weekend for Britain’s best mountain runners as they compete in World Trials and Inter-Counties Championships

Uphill Trial for World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, Keswick, May 5

Sara Willhoit produced an impressive performance as first woman home in the uphill trial race for the GB&NI team for the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubai in June, Anne Buckley reports.

Second was Phillipa Williams, who took bronze in the up-and-downhill World Championships in 2019, with Katie Avery taking third. Avery was part of the silver medal GB&NI team at the 2022 uphill World Championships in Thailand. Another member of that team, Ruth Jones, took fourth, just holding off Kirsty Dickson.

Joe Steward looked strong in winning the men’s race from Chris Richards. There was a battle for third and fourth between two Scots, Andy Douglas and Jacob Adkin, with 2019 European champion Adkin getting the better of Douglas on the steep final section to the top of Skiddaw.

The race was run from Dodd Wood, north of Keswick, and took the runners over Ullock Pike and Carl Side to the top of Skiddaw.

Overall (6.4km/905m): 1 J Steward (Salf/ENG) 38:12; 2 C Richards (Helm, H/ENG) 38:37; 3 J Adkin (Kesw/SCO) 39:14; 4 A Douglas (I’clyde, SCO) 39:24; 5 S Batchelor (Salom/SCO) 39:38; 6 T Spencer (Bux/ENG) 40:05; 7 G Dale (Amble/ENG) 40:31; 8 R Gollan (Shett/SCO) 40:43; 9 O Subuh-Symons (Amble/ENG) 40:46; 10 F Grant (Dark Pk/ENG) 41:09

M40: P Faulkner (C’thy/ENG) 44:09

M70: M Moorhouse (Mat/ENG) 63:57

Women: 1 S Willhoit (Mercia/ENG) 45:20; 2 P Williams (Dark Pk/ENG) 45:51; 3 K Avery (Shild/ENG) 47:12; 4 R Jones (Salf/ENG) 47:44; 5 K Dickson (C’thy/SCO) 47:58; 6 H Page (C’thy/SCO) 49:09; 7 C Lambert (M’bro/ENG) 49:48; 8 E Weir (TH&H/ENG) 51:32; 10 K Lord (Amble/ENG) 54:29

BRITISH INTER-COUNTIES MOUNTAIN RACE, Sedbergh, May 7

Andy Douglas comfortable won the men’s Inter-Counties title from Chris Richards with Joe Steward third the day after winning the Trials.

Richards had been second in the Trials.

The day before Phillipa Williams had finished second to Sarah Willhoit in the Trials but here Willhoit finished fourth and Williams won by 48 seconds.

Williams had finished fifth in the Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships in March.

Overall (14km/760m):
1 A Douglas (SCO-N) 56:00
2 C Richards (Cumbr) 56:32
3 J Steward (Gtr Man) 57:26

4 J Adkin (SCO-E) 57:32
5 F Grant (Derbs) 57:50
6 R Gollan (SCO-N) 58:17
7 J Crowe (SCO-E) 58:22
8 T Lamont (Cumb) 58:24
9 B Rothery (Yorks) 58:29
10 G Cunliffe (Lancs) 58:41
11 G Dale (Cumbr) 60:05
12 F Lydon (Leic&Rut) 60:12
13 K Cooper (SCO-W) 60:16
14 C Holdsworth (Lancs) 60:39
15 E Corden (Gtr Manc) 60:51
16 J Dunn (SCO-E) 61:24
17 J Espie (SCO-N) 61:28
18 J Cummings (Yorks) 61:31
19 H Pulham (SCO-W) 61:50
20 G Roberts (WAL-N) 62:34

TEAM: 1 Cumbr 21; 2 SCO-N 24; 3 SCO-E 27; 4 Lancs 49; 5 Yorks 51; 6 Gtr Manc 63; 7 SCO-W 65; 8 WAL-N 80; 9 NIR 90; 10 Leic&Rut 95

Women:
1 P Williams (Yorks) 64:57
2 A Goodall (SCO-E) 65:45
3 C Lambert (Yorks) 67:55
4 S Willhoit (Shrops) 68:15
5 J Emmerson (Warws) 68:51
6 S McCormack (Cumbr) 69:11
7 M Tibbot (Gtr Manc) 69:49
8 R Jones (Lancs) 70:05
9 B Penty (Yorks Res) 70:12
10 K Dickson (SCO-E) 70:15
11 A Fan (Cumbr) 71:17
12 N Lang (SCO-E) 71:24
13 R Mather (Yorks) 71:29
14 C MacDonald (NE Cts) 72:28
15 H Smith (Yorks) 72:36
16 C Taylor (Cumbr) 73:23
17 E Cowper-Coles 74:09
18 J Henderson (WAL-N) 74:20
19 A Gosling (NIR) 75:40
20 S Wood 76:03

TEAM: 1 Yorks 16; 2 SCO-E 22; 3 Cumbr 31; 4 SCO-W 64; 5 NE Cts 74; 6 Warws 75; 7 Shrops 77; 8 NIR 81; 9 Lancs 81; 10 WAL-E 8

BINNIAN TO THE TOP, Annalong, May 4

Overall (1.7M/1740ft): 1 Z Hanna (Newc) 22:59; 2 T Crudgington (Newc, U20) 24:42; 3 J Mcatee (Mourne); 4 A Crutchley 26:56; 5 E McMullan (Newc, U20) 27:18; 6 J McKee (Mourne) 27:54; 7 P Rooney (M40) 27:56; 8 R Aiken (Drom, M40) 28:05

M45: M Harte (Newry) 29:44

M55: S Hoey (Jog Lisb) 31:02

M65: D McGreevy (Newc) 34:09

M70: P McGuckin 39:22

U16: L O’Doherty (Mis Uls) 29:11

Women: 1 M Hell (N Belf) 31:12; 2 C Abraham 32:13; 3 E Dickson (Newry) 32:32; 4 K Graham (Lagan, U20) 33:20; 5 D Wilson (Drom, W50) 3:25

W55: S O’Kane (Lagan) 33:35

W60: P Shields (Murl) 38:53

W65: M Mackin (Drom) 39:50

WHANGIE WHIZZ, Carbeth, May 3

Overall (4M/800ft):
1 A Campbell 24:44
2 J Espie (Dees R) 25:06
3 A Thornton (Ochil) 26:20
4 G Stewart (W’lands CC) 26:32
5 I MacCorquodale (Cambus, M40) 27:23
6 I Pender (Shett) 27:49

M50: J Connahgan (Shett) 28:42

M60: M Anderson (W’lands CC) 31:54

Women:
1 E Downs (W’lands CC) 30:06
2 E Mooney (Ochil, W40) 34:49
3 H Barwick (W’lands CC) 36:16
4 N Dawson (W’lands CC, W40) 36:20

W50: F Kelsall (Ochil) 41:27

W60: K McGreevy 46:29

COINERS’ FELL RACE, Mytholmroyd, May 1

Overall (11.3km/335m):
1 B Coop (Bury) 47:03
2 S Hall (Calder V) 48:09
3 R James (Royt R) 48:12
4 J Raho (Holc, M40) 51:50
5 J Hood (Skip, M40) 52:19
6 A Wright (Ross) 52:53

M50: D Middlemas (Vall) 53:38

M60: G Chadderton (Horw) 63:17

M70: K Robinson (Wharf) 79:00

Women:
1 K Walshaw (Holm) 53:12
2 L Whitaker (Harr) 56:30
3 A Hassell (Wharf) 59:17
4 J Brown (Roch) 61:37

W40: J Buckley (Bing) 62:22

W50: S Bevan 64:29

W60: K Forster (Spec) 74:20

W70: A Baldwin (Stain) 82:25

LORDS SEAT, Whinlatter, Cumbria, May 3

Overall (5M/1400ft):
1 M Lamb (Kesw) 32:33
2 R Axe (W) 32:33
3 T Watt (Amble) 32:42
4 M Atkinson (Kesw) 33:44
5 J McAtear 35:11
6 C Aigeo (N Fells) 35:14

M40: S Netherway (Kesw) 35:15

M50: D Birch 36:32

M60: T Bolton (N Fells) 42:46

M70: C Webb (C’land F) 48:10

U17: G Campbell (Howg) 42:30

Women:
1 Axe 32:33
2 H Wootten (Kesw) 37:04
3 A Kelland (Eden) 40:27
4 J Richardson (N Fells) 43:16

W50: K Bridge (Eden) 45:01

W60: L Thompson 47:36

RAINOW, Cheshire, May 3

Overall (5M/750ft):
1 S Harding (Macc) 33:00
2 A Jackson 33:27
3 A Bunyan (Macc) 33:38
4 E Clowes (Newc TC) 33:57
5 T Barry (Penn) 34:29
6 B Hickes (Macc) 34:41
7 T Arthur (Chorlton) 34:29
8 M Burley (Macc) 34:57

M50: S Bramwell (G’dale) 36:09

M60: R Murphy (G’dale) 42:51

Women:
1 F Sharpley (Macc) 38:36
2 N Bowen 40:16
3 H Thompson (Poyn) 41:37
4 E Cameron (Macc) 41:48
5 S Curtis (Penn, W50) 42:05

W60: AM Jones (Macc) 49:21

M70: M Huyton (Macc) 53:33