Scots Runners Favourites for Three Peaks Race
News Release / 25.04.2012
Runners from as far away as Australia will be in the Yorkshire Dales on Saturday (April 28th) for the Three Peaks Race, but it the Scots who are the favourites to win the historic event, which is being held for the 58th time.
The “Marathon with Mountains”, which has Salomon as its principle sponsor, starts at Horton-in Ribblesdale, near Settle, and takes competitors over a 23-mile course with 5,270 feet of ascent, including the summits of Penyghent, Whernside and Ingleborough – Yorkshire’s Three Peaks.
The 1,000 entrants include Andy Peace, of Bingley Harriers, who set the race record of 2hrs 46mins 3sec in 1996. He won the event in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2004. Bingley’s dominance was continued by Rob Jebb, the winner in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009, who finished second in the Fell Runners Association English Championships in 2011.
But the Scots have been a force to be reckoned with since the Three Peaks was run as a heat of the World Long Distance Mountain Challenge in 2008. The winner that year was Jethro Lennox, from Shettleston Harriers in Glasgow, with his teammate Thomas Owens 37 seconds behind.
In 2011 Owens was the winner after Lennox fell on the descent from Ingleborough. Owens’ time of 2hrs 53mins 34secs was the fastest for four years, but seven minutes slower than Andy Peace’s 15-year-old record for the current course.
Great Britain international mountain runner Anna Lupton, of Radcliffe Athletic Club, who was the ladies’ winner of the Three Peaks in 2009 and 2010, heads a strong women’s field.
It includes Wendy Dodds, of Clayton Harriers, the joint ladies’ winner in 1983, who has completed 28 Three Peaks Races. Dodds, who is 61, is the oldest woman taking part. Last year she was beaten by only four of the 18 over-60 male finishers.
As always, the Three Peaks has attracted a maximum number of entrants. They include Carol Cunningham, a resident of Melbourne, Australia, who is running for East Hull Harriers; Maria Latvakangas from Finland, who ran in the Three Peaks last year; Liam Mifsud from Malta, who is returning for the third time; Simon Chabriere from Grenoble in France and Brian Mullins from Ireland.
Many competitors return year after year to pit themselves against the Three Peaks. Dave Scott, of Clayton Harriers, has completed 44 races since 1965, and Bill Wade of Holmfirth Harriers, has completed 41. The 2012 event is Wade’s 46th start. Mike Hetherton, of Pickering Athletics Club, has completed 34, Andy Hauser, of Holmfirth Harriers, 31, and Allan Greenwood, of Calder Valley, and David Findel-Hawkins, of Milton Keynes, 22.
Jean-Marc Lawton, who is travelling all the way from Stornoway to compete, has finished 20 Three Peaks. He is in the process of writing a history of the race, which had six competitors when it was first run from the Hill Inn at Chapel-le-Dale in 1954. The 2001 event was cancelled because of foot and mouth disease and in 1981 the race was postponed to October because snow prevented competitors reaching Horton.
The oldest male entry is Bryan Pycroft, of the Fell Runners Association, who is 73, while Sam Fisher, of Howgill Harriers, is the youngest at 19. Youngest lady is Emma Dodd, of Wharfedale Harriers, who is 22.
The race starts in Horton-in-Ribblesdale at 10am on Saturday with fast runners expected to take around 26 minutes to reach the summit of Penyghent (2,277ft). They should be at Ribblehead by 11.20am. Anyone who does not reach Ribblehead by 12.10pm will be eliminated.
The record time from the start to Whernside summit (2,415ft) is 1hr 38mins. Anyone who does not reach the Chapel-le-Dale Valley Checkpoint by 13.30pm will be eliminated. Spectators on Ingleborough summit (2,372ft) can expect to see competitors from around 12.20pm with the winner returning to Horton by 12.50pm
Extra parking has been provided for Three Peaks spectators at the end of Philpin Lane near the Hill Inn. However, spectators should note that the Fellsman Hike starts in Ingleton at 9am on Saturday. Its competitors may be on Ingleborough, at the Hill Inn ill Inn checkpoint and climbing Whernside as Three Peaks runners travel in the opposite direction.
Information is at: http://www.threepeaksrace.org.uk/index.html
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