Sunny Sedbergh on the Open5

News Release / 15.03.2010

There was sun, sun and more sun for all the racers who took part in the recent Open 5 Adventure Race in the hills and valleys surrounding the small village of Sedbergh, in the Yorkshire Dales.

Over 250 participants showed up to participate in this event in the early hours of Sunday morning. It was not long before they were scattered into the surrounding fell’s hunting for the controls and gathering as many points as they could along the way.

Registration for the race was in Sedbergh village at Settlebeck High School. Racers were delighted to find a cafe in the School run by the local parents, teachers and friends association. Pre race the competitors found time to have a bacon butty or two and during the race they were fuelled by the thoughts of the plethora of cakes at the finish. Our thanks must go to the team who ran the cafe, sacrificing their own Sunday morning lie in.

Local Race Planner David Hetherington was delighted that the sun was shining for the racers after many weekends hard work planning the event and putting all the controls out over the two days before the race. David commented “The event went really well with lots of positive feedback from everyone we spoke to. We couldn't have wished for better weather on the day”.

Conditions really could not have been better with firm trails, crisp for the Mountain Bike sections, and easy navigation conditions with no mist and only a gentle breeze on the fell tops. It is the first event in a while where snow or rain has not slowed down the competitors! Director of Open Adventure James Thurlow commented – As ever the Dales has that ability to showcase what an amazing area it is to run and cycle in!

There was fierce competition throughout the event, especially amongst the top racers. The highest score possible was a total of 600 points several teams came within minutes of clearing the entire course! The lead teams overall were separated by only 5 points.

<b>Race Results</b>

Female Pairs - Winners - Clare Kenny/ Barbara Lonsdale 495 points
Male Pairs - Winners - Kim Collison / Neil Hamblin 580 points
Female Sole - Winners - Heather Burrows 495 points Male Sole - Winners- Andy Conn 585 points Mixed Pairs -Winners - Anthony Emmet/Helen Jackson 555 points