Grasmere 2011: Morgan and Pippa take a 'classic'
Pippa Maddams
On a weekend where one of the world’s greatest long distance race took place in southern France, one of the most historic and shortest races took place in the English Lake District.
Coincidence or not – but: Both races figured the leading exponents of fell and trail running craft. Both races have huge meaning in their fields. And both races produced winners who are some of the best male and female fell and trail runners in recent years.
The Grasmere Senior Guides race is a mere 1.5 miles long, and forms part of what is known as the classic treble, with the Burnsall race (which took place last weekend and Tuesday’s Kilnsey Crag race.
Grasmere is part of fell running folk-lore and the respect it commands from the fraternity can be seen in the start list that it generates every year. A total of 157 (a new record) runners lined-up for the 1.5 mile race (900ft ascent) over Gray Crags this year, and the start list included fell running’s man of the moment Morgan Donnelly and 2010 winner Rob Hope.
Rob Hope
Hope has been out of sorts in 2010, finishing a lowly 48th at Sedbergh last week after ‘jogging round’. The 2010 English fell champion has complained of a lack of power and tiredness in his recent races, so a decent performance at Grasmere may kick-start his return to form. A second place finish on Sunday behind Borrowdale’s Donnelly will have given the Pudsey and Bramley runner some much-needed confidence.
It was Morgan though who continued his rich vein of form over the last two months – which started with his win at Yr Aran in July – winning the Grasmere race for the time, by what was described as the ‘length of the show field’.
By winning the women’s race Pippa Maddams took her third win in as many years, and is also enjoying another dominant year in the women’s fell running scene as she prepares for the Commonwealth Mountain Champs in a few weeks.
Results are a bit scarce at the moment, but we will point you towards them when they become available. Some really nice images by Ian Charters can be found over at his excellent ‘Just us and few friends’ blog – thanks Ian!
