DFR Race Results - 2005

Inov-8 Trail Race 2005

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As those of you who have done this race before will know that the whole purpose of the event is to raise funds for Teesdale and Weardale Search and Rescue Team. This body of volunteers provide search and rescue cover not only for the high moors of the dales but for the whole of the county and as such spend as much time in the urban areas around our towns and cities as they do on the fell. The running costs of the Team amount to £15,000 per year and all of this has to be raised by the volunteers themselves and the proceeds from this race go a little way towards helping.

Once again generous support was provided by the events sponsors Inov-8. Their help and support is greatly appreciated.

Normally the race is held in October unfortunately due to access difficulties, the planned course in Teesdale had to be abandoned which meant that the race was delayed until December and returned once again to Hamsterley. This partially explained the fall in race numbers from 170+ the previous year down to 66 runners this year. Unfortunately this also affected the prize list for which the race is noted. Next year normal service will be resumed, the race will return to October, race numbers will exceed 200 and the prize list will return to its generous proportions.

However despite all the problems with the organisation, it did not stop the organisers coming up with another cracking course. Or so we thought. Unfortunately somebody unknown tampered with one of the route direction signs and sent all the runners down the wrong forest road. On the bright side this did not affect the course too much as everyone ended up in the right place anyway. So the race result stands. In fact such praise was heaped on the course that next year we will be staging this race again, not as the Inov-8, but as a race in its own right and on the "modified" course rather than that originally planned.

Back to the race: first home was Matt Whitfield of Bingley who was the winner of last year's race at Tunstall Reservoir. Despite all his hard effort over the course Matt was then promptly ordered to cross the line another three times so that the club's resident photographer, Scott, could get a close-up of him crossing the line !!

First lady home was Christine Preston of Keighley who was also first lady vet. Hopefully she and her husband John thought it was worthwhile travelling all that way for the race. You're both more than welcome back next year.

Well that's enough for this report but keep an eye on the website. After a year's absence the club's race organising team are going to be back with a vengeance in 2006. In collaboration with the Run Off-Road organisation the club will be organising a mixture of fell and trail races for the New Year. Some old courses will be resurrected and some exciting new ones instituted. Dates will be announced soon via this website.

Kev Shevels

Published: 06/12/05

Middleton-in-Teesdale Carnival Trail Race 2005

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This annual race had to make some changes this year. Due to complications with new legal policies, Kev wasn't able to hold the race at the same time as the Carnival, and neither was he able to start the race on the roads as it would have cost more money to have the roads in use closed off.

The race was started at the bottom of Intake Hill behind the village. The runners followed Rams Gill for approximately ¾ of a km, then swung west across Crossthwaite Common following the Pennine Way over the shoulder of Harter Fell, which was the high point of the race at 430m. The route then looped round and ran back down roughly the same way.

Having been dragged(!) into marshalling by my dad, a DFR member, I was standing on the first checkpoint with my mum. The weather was fantastic; although there was a strong wind blowing, the sun was very bright and warm (when it was out, that is). The runners were all on form and were quite happy to pose for my dad's pictures! It was quite a short race and before long, the runners were all coming back down.

I thoroughly enjoyed marshalling, and I should be doing it again soon. It just goes to show, you don't have to just run to help DFR race and have a good time too! As a marshal, we were all linked by walkie-talkies, which I loved, and at the prize-giving, I was presented with the inevitable bottle of lager for helping out, as was everyone. There were lots of laughs and a great day was had by all!

Kathryn Watson (age 14) 08/08/05

Forest Burn Race 2005

Results to follow.

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