Hills of Hell at Delamere

Rob Howard / 04.11.2009

Hellrunner North at Delamere Forest this year looked like it was going to have some hellish weather with gales and floods forecast, but luckily the weather abated just as the race was set off, and the sun even peeped out for a little while. (The organisers and marshals were not so lucky as they had to set everything up in the worst of the rain!)

The race was full again this year, with around 2000 entries, although only just over 1500 turned up to race the toughest trail event on the calendar - the Hellrunner events are real, no-holds-barred, no bog or hill avoided, running! No doubt some were put off by the weather but they missed a lot of fun ... and mud.

The course was billed as 10-12 miles but is definitely nearer 12 miles and into that are packed as many hills and bogs as the course planners can manage. The route changes a little each year, depending on local conditions and the depth of the water, but the toughest sections are always the 'hills of hell' and the 'bog of doom'.

At Delamere the main bog (there were others) comes right at the end, so it was naturally lined with spectators waiting to see the action! (Check out You Tube for the videos!) True to form the leaders ran straight into the bog at speed and fell flat on their faces in the deep water and deep, black, smelly mud! There were some lost shoes in there during the day, many dunkings and one or two sense of humour failures, although for the most part the atmosphere was one of camaraderie and fun. The watchers had to watch themselves too as the wind was still blowing strongly and bringing down some branches!

The first runner to arrive was eventual winner Jonny Mellor of Liverpool Harriers, who finished in the great time of 1.15.43 an astonishing 7 minutes ahead of second place! The first female over the line was Catherine Dulla in 34th place in 1.36.42 ... and it was a long, long wait for the final finishers who took 4 hours 20 minutes! As with most of the competitors it was getting round that counted, and many were in fancy dress and raising money for charity, particularly the race charity CLIC Sargent.

You can see the full results on www.hellrunner.co.uk and the next race, Hellrunner Down South, takes places on November 15th and is already full ... even though this year they are holding two races, one in the morning and another in the afternoon!