Karrimor International Mountain Marathon

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Finish Line Chat

Rob Howard / 31.10.2004

Among the first teams to finish were the C class winners and this was the most closely contested class of all. The overnight leaders Tobias Read and Vaughan Lindsay held onto their lead, but it was close, very close. They finished just 18 seconds ahead of Chi Trinh and Helen Palmer, gaining a single second over the second day’s course. The third team, Kevin and Duncan Honeysett were a further 20 seconds behind, so the top 3 were less than a minute apart.

During the race positions and fortunes had fluctuated. “We lost 15 minutes at CP5 and were so badly lost we thought of calling it a day!� By CP7 the two chasing pairs had caught up but all of them lost their position and time at some point during the day, but when it came to the final downhill sprint Read and Lindsay were the fastest runners.

For Palmer it was a unique treble as she has now won the mixed class in the A, B and C classes. The GB orienteer said, “I only entered for a laugh with Trinh, who is a friend from college, but we were doing so well at the end of day one, we went for it. I’m not sure I want to do the Elite though!�

In the Short Score it was equally close but eventual winners Daniela Wehrli and Stefan Husler felt that they had had a good day. “We arrived back 17 minutes early,� said Husler, “but I think we took the optimum route. I don’t think we could have got to another checkpoint.� The pair raced last year and won the mixed category, and now have the outright win was well. “I’m one of the organizers of the Swiss Mountain Marathon,� Wehrli said, “and we enjoyed the scenery here in Wales. It has swamps like in Scandinavia!�

In the A class the winners Neil Northrop and Rob Little were comfortable winners in 11.08.45, with a 12 minute margin over the second team, Huw and Gareth Jones. They were not quickest on day 2 but knew they had enough in hand. “We chose a slightly higher route,� said Northrop, “but it meant we could see behind us and no one was in sight for a long way, so we eased off a bit. It was an impressive result for Little in his first ever mountain marathon. As a former English junior fell runner he didn’t find the distance the hardest element, but “camping, getting up in the morning and getting going!�See All Event Posts