English Schools Fell Running Champs - 2021
/A group of 20 junior athletes, parents and supporters returned from Sedbergh in the Yorkshire Dales over the weekend after a very successful trip to the 2021 English Schools Fell Running Championships. The squad of 11 junior athletes from Northern AC, Manx Harriers and MFR competed as a combined Isle of Man Schools team which seen them go toe to toe against some of the best junior fell runners from 26 schools across England. The field is packed with quality, many of them national or even international level athletes.
After a series of brilliant performances the team excelled themselves and managed to claim the overall bronze medal! Considering the standard of the competition this was an outstanding achievement and it really highlights the standard of our local junior contingent who have benefitted from a full season of local races. Many of the schools who finished behind the Isle of Man Schools team are previous winners of the event and I cannot recall the team claiming a better overall position than they did on Saturday. Full individual and team results via link at bottom of page.
The group began their journey with a smooth crossing on the Ben my Chree over to Heysham, followed by a combination of cars, bicycles and trains to make it to the town of Sedbergh, just on the Western edge of the Yorkshire Dales. They were joined at the Dalesman Pub by former English Fell Running Champion, Lloyd Taggart, who had made the trip up from Wales to support the squad. After a spot of late lunch and a couple of ales we made our way to the accommodation, Howgill’s House just a mile out of town in an idyllic setting. The house was perfect, a 12 bedroom former nursing home that comfortably accommodated the whole group in en suite bedrooms.
With the sun still shining, a few drinks were enjoyed outside whilst the juniors made full use of the excellent facilities which included two hot tubs, table tennis, darts and a pool table. The company who run the house have two further properties in Sedbergh, all excellently appointed and I can’t recommend the house highly enough. The house and Howgill’s Barn are perfect for large groups and they also have apartments for smaller groups. They would make for a great base from which to explore the surrounding area which is great for running, walking or cycling, and much quieter than the Lakes. Check the website for photos and info - https://www.howgillsaccommodation.co.uk/
After a music and TV theme quiz (won by Ally Stennett and her team I recall!) the group retired for the evening in readiness for a busy day of racing.
Breakfast was a casual affair and getting a group of teenagers out of bed and prepared for racing proved refreshingly easy with only a hint of panic over mislaid trainers before we headed over to the grounds of Sedbergh School to setup “base camp” and collect the race numbers.
Thankfully the rain held off during racing with just a few sharp showers during the presentation!
Racing got underway just after 11am with the year 7 race. This is the only race where runners compete in a single year group and our sole representative was event debutant, Harry Stennett of Northern AC. Despite being too young to compete in the local Junior Fell League, Harry looked like a seasoned pro as he made his way through the field to join the leaders on the climb out of the town. Harry maintained his position to enter the finish field in 2nd place, managing to hold off his close rival and get the team off to a brilliant start in taking the silver medal!
a successful weekend for the stennetts with a quiz win, harry’s silver and a team bronze for lukey in the year 10/11 race! Only ali’s football team provided the only disappointment of the trip!
With no athletes contesting the year 8/9 race, there was an opportunity to rest and regroup before racing recommenced with the year 10/11 race. This age group was our biggest squad, all supplied by Northern AC, consisting of Lottie Stennett, Lucas Stennett, Madison McMullan, Dom Dunwell, Samuel Perry and Charlie Teare. With the advantage of most having the Junior Fell League under their belts, hopes were high for this team and indeed it produced a string of excellent runs. Lucas Stennett led the charge, moving his way up to fourth position on the climb up to Winder Fell, tracked by his NAC stablemates. It was Samuel Perry though who ultimately finished highest up the field with Charlie Teare just a second behind in 16th and 17th respectively. Lucas battled on bravely despite suffering at the summit, to claim the final team counter which secured a fantastic team bronze for the lads. Dom Dunwell had a great debut with his effort well deserving of a team medal.
Madison McMullan pulled out a fine run, picking up some valuable overall team points in taking an excellent 7th position. Lottie Stennett deserves huge credit for her performance, she absolutely emptied the tank and had to be guided over the line as she finished in 15th position, a great run considering. After some excellent post race care and an emergency visit to the local Spar for supplies, Lottie recovered well and was soon tucking into a portion of fries!
The final race was the year 12/13’s and the Isle of Man were well represented in what is usually the smallest field. Ryan Corrin of Manx Harriers teamed up with Manx Fell Runner, Harry Kneen, who was another making his debut. The girls were represented by the Northern AC pairing of Catherine Perry and newcomer Mia Dunwell.
Ryan has competed at several previous championships and translated his track and field form brilliantly to take 27th overall in a race where many positions were split by just a few seconds. Harry had a fine debut run to finish just a couple of positions behind Ryan and if they can recruit a third member they should have a good shot at a team prize next year.
Catherine is another who has competed several times previously and along with an excellent debut run from Mia they took 8th and 9th position and in doing so secured the overall team bronze to cap a brilliant day of racing for the team. Lottie and Maddie will move up to the same year 12/13 category as Catherine and Mia next year so if they return again they will also have a very strong team with an excellent chance of a team podium.
Lots of people to credit in making the trip possible. Firstly to all the athletes who represented themselves so well throughout the trip and were a real credit to themselves, parents, clubs and the Isle of Man Schools and should be very proud. Thanks to the parents and supporters for getting them over to Sedbergh and for supporting them so well across all parts of the race routes and throughout the trip as a whole. It was great for the whole group to stay, eat and travel together and the atmosphere throughout was brilliant with a real buzz over the whole weekend. The accommodation seemed to go down really well with everyone so many thanks to Manx Business Solutions, the IOMAA and Manx Fell Runners for their generous sponsorship in making the stay possible (but don’t expect the same standard of accommodation every year!) Thanks also to Dave and Eileen Woodhead (www.woodentops.org.uk) who took a load of photos on the day, some of which are used here. Dave even had the foresight to bring along a Manx flag for us - Isle of Man runners are always warmly welcomed at these championships!
It was great to see all the athletes kitted out in matching hoodies, they were very distinctive and proved quite a conversation piece over the weekend. For them, big thanks go to FIM Capital who generously sponsored them for us.
FULL RESULTS
PHOTOS FROM WOODENTOPS
OTHER PHOTOS (More will be added as they are published/received)
