Jez fells 'em for third win...
Jez Bragg
Jez Bragg has made the Fellsman his own in the last few years, following the likes of Fellsman legend Mark Hartell and Sarah Rowell as a multiple winner of the 60-plus mile race which takes in some of the Yorkshire Dales’ toughest peaks…
This year the event happened to clash with the 3 Peaks race, meaning that stud marks would be found on Ingleborough and Whernside from two classic races on the same day! However, there were to be no traffic issues as the runners ascended Ingleborough at 9am, some three hours before the 3Peakers got there.
Jez on his way to a third Fellsman win
For Bragg is was to be his third win at the race, and his time of 11 hours 2 mins (almost an hour down on his record-breaking 2011 win) underlined how trciky the conditions were this year, with high winds, rain and boggy underfoot conditions to negotiate, with one competitor stating “Of the 18 Fellsmans I’ve now completed, that has to be by far the coldest.”
Speaking to the Grough Jez said:
“I found it a lot, lot harder. I think that was because of the wind. It felt as if you were having to put an extra 25 per cent in.”
He continued:
“I was delighted to secure my third win at the Fellsman in the 50th birthday year, particularly given the hugely challenging conditions of this year’s event.
“We did battle with a stiff northerly wind pretty much all day which meant a big effort was required to maintain even a modest pace, and that was the case most of the way round. It was also a notably strong field with plenty of competition for the top ten places, and the gaps between runners much tighter than usual.
“However as always, it was a great day out on the hills, pushing our hill skills to the limit, and requiring plenty of mental and physical fortitude to keep going. The result provides me with plenty of confidence for the busy racing season including TNF100 Australia, Western States 100 and The North Face® Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc“.
The race was eventually stopped at 2am due to the adverse weather conditions and all the remaining runners were taken to the finish by bus.
There are some great images now up on SportSunday with full results to follow…
A happy Jez Bragg after the 2012 Fellsman
