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Ian Gale’s debut win
in the final round of the Walker Brothers Winter Hill League was enough to
secure overall victory in the three race series which concluded over the
testing 3 mile course at Glen Maye on Saturday in perfect weather conditions.
A field of 38 runners
headed by Ian Gale bombed down the Glen Rushen Mines road along the initial ¾
mile gradual descent before clambering up into the plantation for the first
of the two tough climbs. It was ‘hands
on knees’ through the trees before the leaders Ian Gale, ‘Ozzie’ Osbourne and
Simon Skillicorn emerged from the plantation into the sunshine and out along
the track before the second lung buster up to the top. Ian was soon forced to
concede the lead to Ozzie on the final climb with Simon Skillicorn hanging on
to the pace just behind. Resisting the temptation to take a breather on the
track between climbs was the chasing pack including Doc Young, Juan Kinley,
Phil Mackie, Dave Corrin, Phil Cain, Mike Quine and leading lady Cal
Partington.
There was controversy
to follow as the course flags for the race route muddled with the enduro bikes
direction signs which were also in evidence around the plantation. This
resulted in a number of the chasing group leading each other off course
following a wrong turn. Having to force
their way back through the field (quite literally), the lower order runners
were soon reeled back in. In the battle to regain lost time and race positions,
the final slog back up the Glen Rushen Mines Road to the finish resembled the
closing stages of a well handicapped race and made for some exciting finishing.
Meanwhile at the front
of the race a ‘grandstand finish’ saw Ian Gale demonstrate superior finishing
speed on the tarmac to overhaul Ozzie just 100m from the line and finishing
with just 7 seconds to spare. Another solid performance from the improving Simon Skillicorn completed a predictable top
3 result. Phil Mackie’s terrific run despite a calf strain on the descent
through the trees earned him a well deserved 5th place behind Doc Young and
clear of triathlete Juan Kinley in 7th.Peter Cooper also showed
signs of returning to full fitness following his long spell of injury over the
summer with a strong finish over the final road section for 9th
place just a second behind Keith Lowe. John Crellin ran just 9 days after
surgery and admits he will be hoping his surgeon doesn't spot his name in the
results.
Despite having to
regain the lead from Rose Hooton after going walkabout in the plantation, 1st
lady Cal Partington recovered brilliantly to regain 6th place
overall. Christine Barwell continues to improve with a 3rd place
finish in the ladies race and it was great to see emerging enthusiasm and
competition over the hills from newcomers Michelle Kewley, Shirley Fowley and the experienced Ann Cain.
Of course there was
much more at stake on Saturday than the race itself as 25 competitors completed
a full set of 3 finishes to qualify for the final league positions. Ozzie knew
he would have to lose sight of Ian Gale in his rear view mirror to stand any
chance of overhauling a 32 second deficit after the first two rounds. As it
happened the 1-2-3 of Ian, Ozzie and Simon in the final league positions mirrored their
relative positions in every race. Phil Mackie and David Young had to sweat it
out for 4th and 5th with the Doc getting the nod by just 1 second in the
revised aggregate results. 6th place Phil Cain had only 2 seconds to spare over
Mike Quine after both going astray in the plantation descent on Saturday.
Cal Partington
dominated the ladies competition with convincing wins in each of the three
round. Rose Hooton normally prefers a longer run out over the fells, but her
experience and great ability and confidence on descending ensured her a second
place ahead of the emerging talent of Christine Barwell who completed her first
Winter Hill League. It was also good to see another newcomer Shirley Fowley
tackle the full league for the first time and compete well ahead of 5th
placed Ann Cain.
In the Junior league
Andrew Newton took the honours. The outstanding youngster mixed it well with
the seniors with a brilliant top 10
finish in round 1 followed by victory in
the Junior Fell Running Championships in Peel. Unfortunately Andrew twisted his
ankle playing football a few days before round 3 and his determination to
complete the league earned him much praise. Lee Butterworth also looked confident competing amongst the
seniors and took second place over the only U17 competitor Josh Masterson who
also impressed on his debut on the hills.
Overall it was a great
series of well organised races, all blessed with fine weather. I'm sure all
competitors would like to thank Richie and the team at the MMMO especially
Tony, Doug, Margaret, Walter and Steve and of course the event sponsors Walker
Brothers Ltd.
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