BOFRA News
18 August 2007 - Reeth Show
In light of the recent foot and mouth outbreaks across the country, a meeting was called by the show committee for Reeth Show, to determine whether the show should go ahead and in what form. The committees decision was that he show should go ahead as planned on Wednesday 29th August.
18 August 2007 - Cray race report
The White Lion Race, which is run from the little Hamlet of Cray, is a wonderful setting for this weekend's BOFRA race. Unfortunately the heavy rain showers will have deterred some runners but for the ones that supported us, the rain held off. The race has some tough climbs in every age group and the senior race goes up to Buckden Pike. The descent is quite tussocky with boggy sections before hitting the final sharp descent to the finish line.
The senior race saw the return of Ted Mason at our events after an ankle injury. Having won this race last year it was no surprise to see him cross the finish line first, with o'40 Mark Horrocks 26 seconds adrift in second place followed by Mike Fanning. First u'23 Sam Watson finished in fourth with Colin Moses in fifth place. First o'50 Jack Holt finished in sixth followed by a rejuvenated Andy Holden (no honestly Andy, it's not a swear word). The Ladies' saw Wharfedale's Judy Howells take first place, with nearly one and a half minutes between her and Tamara Hird in second place. Lynn Whittaker and Tracey Uren returned in third and fourth.
Johnny Bradshaw recorded a fine win in the u'17s with Matt Cardus and Tom Cunningham in second and third, Lois Grinstead took the u'17s girls prize.
Marc Scott won the u'14 race, closely followed by Will Marshall. Keiran Thompson took a well earned third place with Scott Baistow and Jacob Uren filling the next two places. First girl was a keen supporter of our races- Melanie Morphet.
Ben Johnstone has been competing in the sharp end of the u'12s, so it was nice to see him record a win on a tough course with James Hall just 4 seconds behind. Third place went to Oliver Whyte with Declan Bulmer and Tim Bailey in fourth and fifth.
The under 9's saw Ellamae Gibson win comfortably from the first boy home Daniel Cardus. One second behind him was Charlie Hamer, with Adam Gibson and Logan Hargreaves-Madhas in fourth and fifth.
Thanks again to Brian, Jane and Pauline who once again did a great job at the start/finish line, and to our guys who flagged the route – not forgetting our supporters cheering us home. The day went well!
Barry Scholes
6 August 2007 - Farleton Knott race report
Farleton Knott fell races must be one of the best events on our calendar for spectators. From where
we park in the field you look up on to one of the most awesome descents the seniors and u/17's do
in the Championship - it's not the longest but seeing the runners coming down the scree throwing up
dust is a spectacle to behold! Conditions for the race were ideal underfoot but it is quite a suntrap
climbing up the fell so it can be hard work on a course which climbs twice to the summit.
The senior race attracted 46 runners and winner Nick Sharp had a 20 second gap on 1st v'40 Mark Croasdale. Mark won the race last year so it was no surprise to see him pressing for 1st place on a course he seems to excel on. 3rd and 4th places went to two of our top players in the championship; Alistair Dunn and Tom Addison, with Jeff Chadwick in 5th. First lady home was Helen Isley whose 12th place had most of the senior's behind her - Karen Forster took 2nd with Kate Rogan 3rd.
The u17's saw James Mountain carry on his winning form, holding off Tom Sessford by a fine
margin of 3 seconds. The chasing pack were led by Jonny Bradshaw, whose magnificent sprint in across the
field earned him third place, with Jos Addison and Matt Fretwell 4th and 5th. Girls winner Emma Flanagan had
a comfortable gap between her and the rest of the girls with Jenny Addison, Amy Fretwell and Sarah Wilson following.
Under 14 Rory Addison has seen his fair share of seconds, so seeing him win at this race proves he has plenty of guts and determination which paid off. Dale Sutton was only 6 seconds adrift in second place. Melanie Hyder had a heck of a run closely following in third and obviously first girl. Keiran Thompson finished fourth with Emma Spencer, Jacob Uren and Scott Baistow in the next three placings in a very competitive race.
The under 12's had 19 runners competing and winner James Hall brought them home with Ben Johnstone and Phil Done in hot pursuit. 5 seconds parted the next four runners; Declan Bulmer, Joe Stapleton, Thomas Taylor and Marcus Preedy. The girls saw Megan Stuart have another fine win, with Sarah Hodgson and Melanie Morphet in second and third.
The under 9's have some very exciting prospects running. The first two runners have had quite a season; Oliver Spencer won the race by a good margin but second place Ellamae Gibson is a class act in her own right. The next three runners are no slouches, Jacob Croasdale, Robbie Johnstone and Daniel Cardus filled 3rd 4th and 5th places. Well done to all our runners who competed!
On a more serious note, could I appeal to our runners not to approach our ladies when they are on the line taking times and numbers. We all like to know where we come and our times, but this job is difficult enough without distractions and volunteers are not rushing forward to do it. Results are usually available within a few hours on the website. Also I would like to appeal for more marshalls to be at key points in our races. We have plenty of people who are up on the fells and when we get it wrong some of these are keen to point it out, but our races do not flag, marshall or organise themselves. The people who do these jobs are unpaid volunteers and we do not have a future without them. A bit of help is needed, not a load of criticism unless it's constructive.
I would like to thank everyone who rolls up their sleeves and helps at our events, you are the stars runners come and go but our helpers are here for the long haul. Thank you!
Barry Scholes
5 August 2007 - Yorkshire Championships
The 12th Yorkshire Junior Fell Championships brought some sunshine into what otherwise was a very wet dismal day at the annual Hellifield Gala now in it's 38th year. After the parade down the main street with the pipe band leading the procession all the attractions had to be transferred into the main marquis, with even all the children's novelty races having to be cancelled as the field got more slippery as the afternoon wore on - and the rain kept coming. Full credit to the Gala committee, who never wained of enthusiasm to keep the day going.
19 year old World and European triathlon Champion, Alistair Brownlee won his 7th Yorkshire title, having previously won 2 at U14, U16 and U18 level, so unsurprisingly he took the course record set by Steve Oldfield in 2002, slicing nearly one and a half minutes off, that despite the heavy rain, this lad is just unstoppable! In fact earlier that morning he was even seen on the BBC competing at the Salford World Cup Triathlon. The first four athletes home all bettered the previous record, and Karl Gray in fifth equalled it, as Steve Oldfield himself now 50 finished 6th in 25.50. Yorkshire silver medallist last year Jonathan Hare took the U18 championship trophy, finishing only 8 seconds behind Alistair, while in 4th Rob Shaw took the U18 silver, with Skipton's Luke Maude in bronze.
In the ladies fresh from winning the Mount Snowdon international for a record 3rd time, scary Mary Wilkinson took Lisa Lacon's ladies record down to 27.31, from 29.14. Mary also did the honours of starting all the other junior races off, and even signed the juniors numbers as a memento. Skipton's county hockey player Claire Lilley finished 2nd but won the U18 championship trophy, now taking Skipton AC tally to 14 Yorkshire fells titles.
Congratulations to James Hall and Emma Wlikinson the U12 champions, Ben Marriott and Rosie Hellawell the U14 champions and Tom Sessford and Holly Craig the U16 champions, also special congratulations to Jack Hardacre and Issy Wharton the U10 winners, future Yorkshire champions in the making. Some age groups were a little shy of runners and with holidays in flow maybe some gains were made, but remember you have to be there to win. These Yorkshire championships are forever indebted to Hilary and Norman F. Berry of Burton Safe Company who generously sponsor the championships, and enable it to be undoubtedly THE BEST!
Dave ∧ Eileen Woodhead
4 August 2007 - Foot & Mouth outbreak
At the time of writing, the Chief Veterinary Officer has stated that that there are no restrictions on public access to the countryside. BOFRA and the FRA are monitoring the situation and further updates will be provided as information comes available.
Updates and information concerning further developments and guidelines may be found on the following websites:
A factsheet containing information about this disease is attached here.
4 August 2007 - Website changes
The Website is currently undergoing changes to improve the directory structure for files and photographs. This work should not effect visitors to
the site, however some previously visited pages may not load correctly due to their content having been filed elsewhere.
(Each time a webpage is visited, your computer stores a copy of the page in your temporary internet files, allowing the page to open more quickly
in the future. As the data has been moved, your computer will recall the page, but the embedded information will no longer be available).
Should you have any difficulty in viewing page content, firstly refresh the page you are viewing and the referring page
(containing the link you used) using the refresh 
button - usually at the top of your browser.
If this fails, clearing your temporary internet files to clear old files will solve the problem.
30 June 2007 - BOFRA Championship positions
The championship positions have been updated to include Cracoe and can be found here.
The table format has been updated to show finishing positions of BOFRA members for each race completed, rather than the number of points achieved. The best 8 results continue to be shown in the right hand section of the table.
As a reminder, Championship points are allocated as follows: 1st=60 point, 2nd=57 points, 3rd=55 points, reducing by one point for each place thereafter. Further details can be found in the Championship Rules section.
29 July 2007 - Cracoe Race Report
Cracoe is a great venue for one of our Championship races. It's got everything; plenty of parking
(free), great for spectators and a nice handy pub for our presentation. The village nestles beneath a
spectacular fell, with the obelisk and Rylstone Cross prominent on the fell top. Our race takes the
seniors around the obelisk. The races all start with several fields to climb gradually to the fell wall,
where you cross some open moorland with some drainage trenches to jump across. The final climb
of the race is quite sharp up round the obelisk. Coming back is like the Grand National jumping the
trenches at a rapid pace - it's certainly exhilarating. For a change this season the sun shone for us on
race day, considering there's quite a lot of racing on at this time of year we attracted some healthy
numbers.
The senior field had 48 runners and with some of the big players in the championship with other commitments, it was time for the other athletes to shine. Chris Smales took full advantage of this and won comfortably. He was also first over 40. 20 seconds adrift in second was Andrew Grenfell ahead of third place Colin Moses. Sam Watson did well to hold fourth place with a 2 second gap over first over 45 Adrian Pickles in 5th. Mark McGoldrick, Colin Urmston and Iain Gibbons took the next placings ahead of Andrew Preedy who had Jack Holt (first over 50) breathing down his neck in tenth spot. Dawn Richards has improved greatly in her races and got herself a well earned first with Julia Murfin second and u23 Sam Morphet taking 3rd place.
'Under 17' James Mountain once again held off the competition over the same course as the seniors. I cannot work out whether he does just enough to win because he looks so comfortable crossing the line - his time would have put him in 3rd place in the seniors. Alex Till was hot on his heels just 2 seconds adrift, with Tom Sessford and Jonny Bradshaw in 3rd and 4th. Matt Fretwell, Jos Addison and Jack Thompson put in a great effort to take the next three places. Emma Flanagan had quite a wide margin over the rest of the u17 girls with Amy Fretwell in second followed by Emma Thompson and Lois Grinstead.
The under 14's saw Sam Till keep his winning form with Rory Addison and Ryan Croasdale in second
and third. Next Sam Westcroft managed to hold off first girl Melanie Hyder by a narrow margin.
Emma Spencer claimed second prize with Lauren Munro-Bennet, Melanie Morphet and Faith
Biddle 3rd, 4th and 5th girls.
In the under 12's James Hall recorded his first BOFRA win, having been consistently in the top three. Ben Johnstone and Phil Done put in great performances to take second and third places with Joe Stapleton, Declan Bulmer and Harry Sessford in close contention. In the under 12 girls Charlotte Cox held off Rebecca Flanagan with Chelsey Holder and Martha Pickles taking 3rd and 4th.
In the under 9's, most of these run for little reward on the day but they give it their all. I'm sure some of them will make a great impression when they move up to the u12's. Oliver Spencer once again won the race but not far ahead of first girl Ellamae Gibson. Tom Murfin was second boy back and third overall, with Jacob Croasdale, Robbie Johnstone and Daniel Cardus 3rd, 4th and 5th boys. Nathan Chadwick came next with James Stapleton 2 seconds behind. Emily Cox was second girl, with Erica Nichols and Emma Thompson following.
Thanks to everyone who competed, supported us, helped on the day and to the landowners whose fields we used - without these people there would be no championship. See you at Farleton Knott hopefully.
Barry Scholes
29 July 2007 - Photo competition update
We have had quite few responses to the photo competition (see below) and despite years of leaping down mountains, the grey cells
seem to still be working, because some of you can recall an awful lot of information about the events. I am so impressed that I have
delved into my wine cellar to add to - or create - the prize. So keep the answers coming in.
Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.
If you have enjoyed looking at the photos, and would like to see more, then go to the Days gone by section. If you have any others that you want to display, send them in and we will give them a cyber home.
26 July 2007 - Ambleside Sports Race Report
Ambleside Sports is one of our premier events and this year we included it as a Championship
Race. Luckily we prepared the courses the day before, except for the u17's which we did on the day,
which meant some of our runners armed with scythes cutting back the bracken, we turned it into a
'fell runners highway'. The routes all come out of the Sports Arena, starting off with a gradual ascent that gets
steeper climbing through the bracken up to various turnround points. All the
races have a brilliant downhill finish back into the Arena. On the day it absolutely threw it down -
nice Lakeland weather. Unfortunately it rained consistently through the junior races but the saving
grace was that it stopped when the seniors ran - some of us have enough creaking joints, so someone
up there is looking out for us.
Onto the senior fell race, 48 runners signed up for the race but one did a 'Houdini' before the start. Last years winner Danny Hope must have thought he was in with a chance for a double but this year we were graced with a fell running technician in the form of Rob Jebb in probably his first BOFRA event of the year; and hopefully not his last. He did an amazing time in the soggy conditions of 14.32 with Danny half a minute adrift in second place, closely followed by first u'23 Tom Addison who is certainly making his mark this year at our events. Talking about 'marks' Tom Addison's cousin Mark took 4th spot followed by Chris Heys in 5th. Alistair Dunn who earlier in the day ran the Rydal Round did really well to secure 6th place. 7th place went to the first o'40 Chris Small, Steve Carr had another strong run for first o'50 (13th overall). First o'45 Adrian Pickles closely followed in 14th place.
Sharon Taylor, who's Rob Jebb's partner secured the ladies race well ahead of second lady Julia Laverick. The next three placing were all our own members with Dawn Richards, Lynn Whittaker and Sam Morphet all running well.
In the u'17 Guides Race you would have to be some athlete to take this away from our BOFRA
Championship runners. Once again this proved to be a close race with only 8 seconds parting the
first 3 runners, as James Mountain once again held off the opposition - this lad's got some guts when it
comes to competing. The boys behind him are really turning on the the heat, Alex Till was fast in
pursuit with Tom Sessford a close third. Tom Doyle, Jos Addison and Jack Thompson battled out
the next three placings. In the u'17 girls Emma Flanagan had a great win with Emma Thompson
and Francesca Gregory in 2nd and 3rd. Considering the horrendous conditions on the day we were
extremely lucky to have 19 athletes running this event. Well done all of you.
The winner of the u14's event has a fine pedigree and I don't mean he runs on all fours, his family
are well known on the fell running circuit, Ellis Bland put in a classy run to come back well in
front of the rest of the field. Only 1 second parted the next runners Sam Till and Rory Addison both
had quite a battle approaching the line. Mark Scott, Sam Westcott and Ryan Croasdale gave it their
all for the next placings with Dale Sutton in 7th. First girl and 8th overall was Melanie Hyder, she's
really in a class of her own at the moment with most of the field behind her. Second girl also
running well was Lauren Munro Bennett with Emily Fox and Kim Little in third and fourth, this
was a classy field of 25 runners.
In the u'12s James Knox is in control as he seems to be getting faster and faster. He had over half a
minute on second placed James Hall who was closely followed by Liam Burthem, Joe Stapleton
and Phil Done with Evan Bland in sixth. Megan Stuart beat quite a good field of girls with Tania
Wilson and Lauren Appleyard in second and third. It's a tough little race at Ambleside and taking
into consideration the wet conditions it was nice to see 32 under 12's running this event. Well done
all of you!
This year's event was well organised and we had loads of helpers who made the day go smoothly. I for one cannot thank you enough, it really makes you proud to be a BOFRA member.
Barry Scholes
23 July 2007 - Website gets 5000 hits
The BOFRA website has been live since 15th May 2007 and in such a short space of time, we have now exceeded 5000 hits, with visitors
from as far afield as France, Spain, Holland and the USA.
This is far beyond initial expectations and visits to the site are increasing. Developing and updating the website can be quite time consuming but the positive comments and phenomenal number of hits make it all worthwhile, so thanks for looking.
There are a number ideas for the future, including: Competitions, junior pages, BOFRA history, runner profiles, training information, injury prevention / treatment and lots more. But what do you want to see on the site? If we are to develop the site for the members, we need your ideas, whether you are under 9 or over 90. If you are an overseas visitor, what brings you back to the site? If you are a junior, what would you find more exciting than race info and results?
However, this is the deal....If you want me to slave away into the early hours, you have got to let me know what you want - don't assume someone else has done so, or that your idea is not feasible. Some things may be too time consuming or beyond my expertise, but if you don't suggest it, it won't happen.
So let me know what you think, by phone, email, letter, text, or just grab me (or any of the committee members) at the races.
Tim Done
23 July 2007 - Photo Competition no.1
Barry has been rummaging about in his drawers and found a couple of photos that show how fell running should be done.
One is a perfect example of fell running etiquette and the other shows some synchronised junior wall hurdling.
But where were the photos taken, and when?....and can you name any of the runners?
Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.
The competition is to identify the race, year and runners (bonus points for the photographer). If you think you have the answers, pass them on to Tim or Barry (who will continue to rummage about in his drawers for a suitable prize). Details on the contacts page Closing date Sat 4 August 2007
22 July 2007 - Hawkswick Dash Report
Hawkswick is a nice little venue for this championship race which is aptly named the Hawkswick
Dash as it's short, steep and fast. A quick start on the road takes you to a rocky farm track before
climbing the fell up through the bracken, where you meet a diagonal track which takes you up the
fell. Here the u9's, u12's and u14's have different turning points. The u17's turn up a short steep
climb up the fell and return the same way whereas the seniors climb to the pinnacle on the summit
and run across the fell top before launching themselves down a steep climb. All of the races finish in a
friendly farmers field where we have free parking; which is quite a bonus in this bit of paradise
in the Yorkshire Dales.
In the senior race Skiptons Lee Athersmith won his first senior BOFRA event with a very respectable time of 11:08, well clear of Ilkley's Graham Pearce, with Andrew Grenfell in third. Iain Gibbons and Sam Watson had the same time to get fourth and fifth. Jack Holt came home in sixth and was first vet, overall not bad for an over fifty. Past BOFRA member, Mark Salkeld on his seasonal debut ran eighth and first o'45 with another o'45 Adrian Pickles in ninth and the first o'40 Dean Thompson in tenth spot. In the senior Ladies Jean Powell took first place closely followed by Dawn Richards and Lynn Whittaker, Sam Morphet who is recovering from an appendix operation ran in in fourth place.
The u17's once again proved to be a well supported event with 17 runners lining up. All the big
players in the championship were here. It was an exciting race to watch, 3 seconds parted the first
three with James Mountain just holding off the fast finishing Tom Sessford, and Alex Till. They
put a reasonable gap between the next runners led by Jack Thompson with Johnny Bradshaw and Jos
Addison in tow. In the u17's girls it was a Rossendale one-two led by Emma Flanagan and Francesca Gregory.
In the u14's Sam Till once again put in a classy run holding off Marc Scott and Rory Addison. Melanie Hyder ran a brilliant fourth overall and first girl. Fifth and sixth place were filled by Dale Sutton and Keiran Thompson, closely followed by second girl Emma Spencer. Third and fourth girls places were taken by Rebecca Swindells and Mel Morphet.
James Knox seems to be running away with the under 12 title but the chasing pack are getting closer. With all credit to him, he keeps winning and four seconds put him in first spot followed by James Hall in second and Ben Till third. The fourth and fifth spots were filled by Ben Johnstone and Phil Done. Helm Hill runner Lorna Jo Nunwick once again ran into first place in the girls with Rebecca Flanagan in second. Nineteen under 12 runners competed.
The u'9 races are not in a championship category but putting on races encourages them to compete
and hopefully enjoy their racing in preparation for the u12's. I am sure some of them will feature in
some very exciting races when they move up. All of them will make competitive athletes if they
stick with it. Oliver Spencer led the u9's home by a wide margin with Tom Murfin in second.
Ellamae Gibson once again put in a sparkling performance to finish third and first girl. Daniel
Cardus and Robbie Johnstone took the next two placings. Second and third girls were Katie
Mosedale and Emma Thompson.
Once again I would like to thank everyone who helped in any form and a big thank you to the landowners for the use of the field. I had a good day – hope all our runners and supporters enjoyed it - unless you fell in the river you should have stayed dry.
Barry Scholes
18 July 2007 - Junior Yorkshire Fell Championships
The 12th FRA Junior Yorkshire Fell Championships will be held on Saturday 4th August 2007 at the Hellifield Gala Races. Race schedule as follows:
- under 10's (non-championship) race at 2.15pm
- under 12's race at 2.30pm
- under 14's and under 16's race at 2.45pm, and
- under 18's and under 20's race at 3.15pm
Championship medals will be awarded to the first 3 male and female runners in each age group (under 12's and above). Click here for further details.
Further information can be obtained from Yorkshire contact: Dave Woodhead on 01535 669100, or Hellifield Race Organiser: Stephen Moor on 01729 850399, email stephen@moor8704.fsnet.co.uk
14 July 2007 - Alva Games Report
Our trip across the Border to the Alva Games usually starts on a Friday at the Witches Craig
Caravan and Camp site. With the bad weather we've been experiencing lately, it was no surprise that
on Friday night it absolutely poured it down. And for some of our BOFRA members, Saturday was an
early start when they woke up in the night to find themselves and their equipment floating about in
water - not a good start for the weekend.
Fortunately it brightened up for the games, when our runners had the daunting task of climbing the Torry which towers over Alva. The races start and finish in the ring and all age groups have some severe climbs and descents. It's not for the faint hearted but every runner's cheered in like a champion when they come into the arena to cross the finish line.
In the seniors, Helm Hill Runners took the top honours in the men's race. Tom Addison put in a
gutsy climb to turn at the summit in first place but with last year's winner Alistair Dunn in hot pursuit, he
was overtaken on the descent, for Alistair to claim his second win here. Chris Doyle took third place
making it a club top three. Jack Holt finished fourth and first vet 50 with Iain Gibbons a close fifth.
Martin Laine from Fife took sixth and first over 45 vet Paul Tuson finished in seventh. Dean
Thompson claimed eighth place and was first over 40. Ninth place went to Lionel Sands but the descent of
the day must have gone to Carl Bradshaw who overhauled seven runners on the descent to claim a
top ten place. The first ladies prize went to local runner Judith Turner and another Scot Susan
Lynsey was second. Our Ladies took the next three places with Dawn Richards in third, followed
by Sam Morphet and Tracy Uren.
The under 17 races have been really exciting this year and this one was no exception; two seconds parted first and second with James Mountain holding off Alex Till. Tom Sessford came into the arena in fifth place but sprinted past the fourth and fifth finishers Tom Doyle and Scott Green to get third place, obviously he was saving this for the spectators. Our young Ladies took the under 17 girls prizes with Emma Thompson and Sarah Wilson first and second.
Rory Addison put in a classy performance and put quite a gap between him and second place Sam
Till in the under 14's, with Scottish runner Alex Coubrough in third spot. Keiran Thompson and Jacob
Uren ran well to claim the next placings. Considering Emily Throup woke up in the early hours in
the middle of a lake, she did a brilliant job in winning the girls' race with Faith Biddle and Mel
Morphet second and third girls.
In the under 12's, James Knox is on top form with another sparkling performance, he crossed the line with over half a minute between him and Ben Till. James Hall finished third with Phil Done and Declan Bulmer in the next two placings. Lorna Jo Nunwick ran a credible sixth overall and first girl, with Georgina Spencer and local girl Shauni Dewar in second and third.
Congratulations and well done to all our runners who mopped up the prizes in every age group...or should I rephrase that?!
A special thank you to our friend Craig Dunbar and the Alva Games Committee for making us more than welcome. Once again our ladies on the line and our helpers with entries made everything move smoothly - Thank you.
Barry Scholes
10 July 2007 - Access to results
I am informed that some of you are having difficulty in accessing the results and championship positions.
To view the Excel file, you can download
MS Excel viewer, which will allow
you to view the files.
The provisional championship positions can now be viewed on line, or downloaded as an Excel
or PDF 
file. Hopefully this will allow you all to view the information in some form. PDF versions
of the results will be added when time allows.
9 July 2007 - Kirkby Gala Results
Kirkby Gala is an excellent day out and always has a warm welcome for our runners, so it was nice to see plenty of us supporting
the event. Considering the wet weather recently we copped for a nice day, with plenty of sunshine if a bit breezy.
All the races except for the under 9's go out on to the road and climb for half a mile before hitting the fell. From here there are a couple of climbs up fields and heathland with varying turnarounds depending on age. Once at the hill summit where the under 17s turn, the seniors carry on past this point to take in some rough moorland, before getting to their turnaround point. This takes them on a loop back to the route they came out on to the first summit and then back down the road section into the Gala field.
In the senior race local runner and a previous BOFRA champ was John Atkinson, winning fairly comfortably, with Mark Horrocks and Alistair Dunn in pursuit. After them there was quite a gap - probably down to quite a few of the following runners going off route. Unfortunately this happens occasionally at events but it's still upsetting on the day. Lee Proctor and Damien Scholes found the right route with one second parting them in fourth and fifth place. The vets top placings were; over 40 John Atkinson, over 45 Kenny Forster who finished sixth overall and over 50 Ian Robinson in thirteenth place overall. 42 runners competed.
In the ladies' race 5 seconds parted Juliet Horrocks and Kate Rogan for first and second placings. Third spot was filled by Lynn Whittaker, with Tracy Uren in fourth.
Once again the under 17's turned out in force. The competition here is keen and the runners would look top class in any running event. James Mountain popped in another great performance, but a newcomer to this age group Tom Sessford is putting the pressure on finishing 4 seconds behind him. Jos Addison took third place with fourth and fifth places filled with Tom Doyle and Johnny Bradshaw. Emma Flanagan had a clear win from Emma Thompson, with Amy Fretwell and Sarah Wilson third and fourth.
Sam Till held off Rory Addison in a close finish in the under 14's with Will Marshall, Ryan Croasdale and Sam Westcroft in the next three places. Rebecca Swindells once again put in a fine run to win the under 14's girls with Emily Throup and Melanie Morphet in the following places.
We have some brilliant runners in the under 12's and they put on some fantastic running displays. James Knox led them home with Ben Johnstone, Ben Till and Sam Stockdale in hot pursuit. The first girl; Lorna Jo Nunwick was followed home in order by Nicole Narey, Rebecca Flanagan and Martha Pickles.
It was full steam ahead for the under 9's who did two laps of the Gala field. Ellamae Gibson was like a little locomotive pulling the
rest of the under 9's round, with Daniel Cardus and Lucy Horrocks second and third overall, David Griffiths and Nathan Chadwick
were second and third boys, and Suzannah Forster was third girl.
Lastly I would like to thank the Kirkby Gala Committee for a great day and for everyone who helped with organisation. Bonnie Scotland at the weekend!
Barry Scholes
6 July 2007 - Updated Photo Gallery
The photo gallery has had an overhaul, thanks to Paul at Speedyweb.
The photo gallery now includes multiple thumbnail pages to speed up loading and allow you to view the pictures more easily.
Navigation is straightforward, with the up arrow returning your to the referring page.
Photo viewing is the same as previously, however new software has allowed quicker conversion of photos for display on the web
and clearer images with smaller file sizes.
Photos from previous races will be added as time allows. If you want to add any photos to the site, please contact Tim Done.
1 July 2007 - BOFRA Members triumph at the English Junior Uphill Championships
Thirty Four BOFRA members turned out to compete in the English Junior Uphill Championships on Ilkley Moor today in an excellent
event organised by Ilkley Harriers. There was success in each age group with 9 of our members receiving championship and
non-championship medals.
In the under 18's category, Helm Hill's Tom Addison continued his winning ways to take the Gold medal (and polka dot T-shirt) and become English Uphill champion. James Mountain of Skipton AC put in a strong performance to take 3rd position and Bronze medal.
Alex Till put in an equally splendid performance taking the Under 16's title, tee-shirt and Gold medal. The under 16's and under 18's race ran together and Alex finished 5th overall (two of these being seniors). Tom Sessford from Keighley and Craven fended off a strong challenge from Wharfedale's Johnny Bradshaw, taking 3rd place and Bronze medal by three seconds. Jos Addison of Helm Hill followed close behind to take 5th place, with Settle Harrier Matthew Fretwell in 12th. Emma Flanagan of Rossendale was only 30 seconds away from a Bronze medal, finishing in 5th place.
Strongest BOFRA representation was in the under 14 and under 12 race, with 16 members competing for the National titles.
In the under 14's race, Mel Hyder of Helm Hill put in particularly strong finish to take first place and Gold medal. Ilkley Harrier
Ellie Taylor ran well in front of her home crowd to take 6th place. Marc Scott of Richmond and Zetland finished well narrowly
missing out on a medal against a strong field. Dallam's Sam Till and Rory Addison of Helm Hill finished less than a minute behind
in 6th and 8th places respectively.
James Knox has been having a storming BOFRA season and hopes were high for him to take the under 12's title, however he missed out on the Gold medal by thirty seconds following an outstanding performance from Tamworths Kristian Edwards. James Hall of Bingley Harriers missed out of the medals by 45 seconds to take fourth place. Dallam's Ben Till returned to the race scene finishing well, in 6th place followed by Ben Johnstone of Wharfedale Harriers in 8th place.
Nine BOFRA members made up the 47 strong field for the under 10's and under 8's race. Keighley & Craven's Phil Done led from the start to take the under 10's title and gold medal. Hot on his heels for the whole race was Oliver Spencer of Pendle who put in a great performance to finish just a second behind in second place. Thomas Kerr finished in fourth place, just one second behind the bronze medal winner, followed by Marcus Preedy of Rossendale in 6th.
Running with the under 10's is a tall order for the under 8's, but this didn't faze Tom Murfin who was first under 8 home (and eighth
overall) to claim the Gold medal. Wharfedale's Lucy Horrocks missed out on the Gold, but was a deserved second place, taking the
silver medal. Zara Preedy finished in 6th place. In the boys race, Robbie Johnstone and Logan Hargreaves-Madhas, completed the
field of BOFRA members, finishing in 10th and 11th places respectively.
All of the winning competitors received a Ron Hill running vest and shorts and the remaining competitors took their share of the many prizes on offer. Despite the rain threatening the awards ceremony, the vast majority remained until the very end. The day was very well organised by Ilkley Harriers and provided a stage for many fine performances. Full details, photos and reports can be found on the Junior Ilkley Harriers Website
27th June 2007 - Beamsley Beacon Race report
It was nice to see that the turnout for this race increased to 58, up from the 35 who took part last year. And this was on an evening when many Ilkley runners, who otherwise may have turned up, were occupied elsewhere. Hopefully, the number will increase again next as this is quite an interesting race. It is a run from Addingham to Beamsley Beacon by a flagged route and the return is by any route of your choice. This means that those who do their homework before the race can gain an advantage on the return, whereas those who fail to prepare, should be prepared to fail. On the night, it was interesting to see some runners return the way that the had ascended. This is slightly longer than the quickest route, but it is safer than taking an unfamiliar route on which you might get lost. Others took a gamble and some lost a serious amount of time by doing so.As for the race itself, Mark Horrocks was leading at the top, followed by Owen Beilby and Gary Devine. Possibly Mark helped Owen by showing him the quickest way back, but they must have opened up a good gap between themselves and Gary, who then struggled with the route back. Otherwise, Gary would no doubt have been in contention at the finish.The final result was a reversal of last week, with Owen coming out on top this time. Gary Bailey and James Senior were close together for 3rd and 4th places, in front of Andy Black, another Wharfedale runner who is getting back to form.
Special mention should be made of Thomas Sessford of Keighley & Craven who came home in 6th place. He is an under 17 and on this performance is certainly showing a lot of promise for the future. Everyone thought that Marcus Rae had a good run, finishing in 7th place, although he himself felt a little disappointed with his performance. Wharfedale harrier Sam Watson also put in a good performance to finish in the top ten. It is easy to forget that Sam is still an under 21 and that there is a lot more potential in him yet.
Catherine Wolfenden a new member of Wharfedale Harriers put in a strong performance to return as first lady.
Although it was wet under foot in places and very windy at the top, it was good conditions for the race and thanks must good to David Hird for organising it.
Full results can be found here.
27th June 2007 - Helm Hill Race report
What a contrast between our last race at Kettlewell and this weekend's race at Helm. Kettlewell is mostly on open ground
whereas Helm is on track, mainly through fern, bracken and woods, so a good start is required. It's also the training ground of the
Helm Hill Runners who are keen competitors in our races. The race has a fast uphill start then a gradual descent down to the
bottom of the fell. Here the hard work starts with some steep up and down sections up and down the Helm three times;
conditions are usually very humid going through the fern and gorse. Finally there's the long haul from the Helm summit on the fell
wall back to the start line.
The senior race had a line up of 49 runners and it was no surprise that two Helm Hill Runners took the first two placings. In his first season as a senior Tom Addison claimed his first BOFRA win, in a hard fought race from Alistair Dunn and first 'vet 40' Mark Horrocks. Andrew Grenfell, Tim Austin and Jeff Chadwick claimed the next 3 places. First 'vet 45' Adrian Pickles finished seventh with another fine performance by 'vet 50' Jack Holt in eighth.
Bingley's Natalie White set a time of 26:10 in the Ladies race, which will take some beating in the future. Her ninth place in a
class senior field must have been the performance of the day. Second and third Ladies were Rebecca Gledhill and Helen Glover;
first Lady vet was Lynn Whittaker.
The under 17's races are exciting events and you would not like to name the championship winner. Two seconds parted the first two runners with James Mountain narrowly winning from Scott Thwaites, who were closely pursued by Tom Sessford, Johnny Bradshaw and Joe Kelly. Last year's under 17's champion Jack Thompson followed in sixth; which tells its own story…the competition's red hot. Only two girls ran with Rosie Stuart and Sarah Wilson first and second.
In the under 14's 24 runners competed. Sam Till had a comfortable win from Ryan Croasdale with Rory Addison closely following in third. First girl was Melanie Hyder, who is flying at the moment and ran a brilliant sixth place. Emma Spencer and Rebecca Swindells took second and third girls prizes.
The under 12's attracts some classy performers and the boys winner James Knox put in a flyer to win comfortably from second place Danny Walsh. James Hall and Phil Done filled third and fourth positions. Megan Stuart was first girl with a credible eighth place overall. Lorna-Jo Nunwick and Nicole Narey finished second and third girls. Competition in the girls is keen with 13 runners turning up on the day out of a field of 30.
Oliver Spencer ran a great race in the under 9's, well clear of the rest of the field. I for one cannot wait for this lad to go up to the under 12's. Next position was another exciting prospect, Ellamae Gibson, with one second parting Ciara Coyle and Lucy Horrocks. Daniel Cardus and Sam Horrocks followed next to collect second and third boys.
On a personal note, I've seen Tom Addison run from a junior, he's an exceptional athlete and a down to earth sort. It's nice to see someone come through the age groups and put in a great performance - the boy did good!
I would like to thank the Station Inn for a friendly welcome for our runners after the race, and a big thank you to our ground crew i.e. timekeepers, flaggers, marshals, statisticians, etc.
Full results can be found here.
Barry Scholes
24th June 2007 - Helm Hill Results & Appeal for club information
The Helm Hill Race Results are now available here. Barry's race report and some photos will be added shortly.
We have been asked by a number of clubs to add club affiliation to the results section. However as the BOFRA races are not club events, this information has not been recorded in the past. Limited information has been gathered over the past couple of weeks, but we need your help to complete the list.
If you could provide details of the club that you represent or details of any other BOFRA members / runners in previous races, I would be grateful if you could forward the information to me by Phone / email:
Club details of some runners have been added to the Helm Hill Results. If any of these are incorrect, again please let me know.
Tim Done
22 June 2007 - Updates
It has been a busy week with the web and things are slowly getting updated. The first batch of Kettlewell Photos have been added here. The Helm Hill race page is now available here, and this will be added to in due course.
The results for the Weets Fell Race are now availble here.
17th June 2007 - Kettlewell Race report
Conditions for Sundays fell race at Kettlewell were better than expected, considering the amount of rain we'd had the previous week.
All races except for the U/9's started outside the Bluebell Inn, with a short dash before you hit the river crossing, which was pretty
fast flowing. A guard of honour formed by some senior runners made sure the U/12's and U/14's got across safely.
Once across the river, the courses take the riverside path up to the fell gate. From here the runners negotiate some sharp climbs up the hillside to their various turnaround points. Coming back is fast and furious with some scary descents on sections of grass, limestone and scree, then back through the river and a short dash to the line.
The Senior event saw a quality field of 69 runners line up. Ian Holmes has had a fair amount of wins here, so it came as no surprise when he led the seniors home by a wide margin with Lee Athersmith and Mark Horrocks taking 2nd and 3rd. To get the over 40's prize you would have had to.beat the winner. First over 45 was Pete Wilkin in 8th place and Jack Holt took 1st over 50.
In the Ladies race, Helen Glover won by a wide margin, with Lynn Whittaker, Tracey Uren and Naomi Biddle taking the next 3 places.
The U/17's race saw 23 runners line up and Alex Till turned the heat on with a convincing win over a class field. James Mountain followed 42 seconds adrift with last years U/14 champ Tom Sessford closely following in 3rd. The next 2 places were filled by Jack Thompson and Jonny Bradshaw. Emma Thompson was the 1st girl home with Amy Fretwell 2nd and Lois Grinstead 3rd.
The U/14's race was a closely run thing with Rory Addison winning with Ryan Croasdale 8 seconds behind in 2nd. Mark Scott and Jacob Uren took the next placings. Melanie Hyder had a fantastic race coming 6th overall and 1st girl home. Emma Spencer ran a credible 2nd with Rosie Helliwell in 3rd place.
The U/12's had a convincing winner in Sam Stockdale with the next four places only separated by 5 seconds; Oliver Whyte, Ben Johnstone, James Hall and Marcus Preedy giving it their best. In the girls' race, Lorna Jo Nunwick put in another fine performance to win, with Charlotte Cox and Nicole Narey 2nd and 3rd placings.
21 runners ran the U/9's which was the only race not run through the river, much to the disappointment of some of the runners. Oliver Spencer won this by a close margin- 2 seconds to be precise, from Thomas Kerr. Ellamae Gibson put in another fine run in 3rd place overall and 1st girl. Joel Wynne was 4th then Jacob Croasdale 5th. 2nd girl and 6th overall was Eleanor Solomon and 3rd girl was Lucy Horrocks.
The day went really well, thanks to all our helpers and supporters. We have a lot of people who are hands on and if you think you can help us in any way please come forward; you might find you enjoy it.
Full results can be found here.
Barry Scholes
11 June 2007 - BOFRA Championship positions
It's early in the season, but you can now start to track your progression through the BOFRA championships using the
2007 championship table. The table records the number of points you
have scored in each race and shows how you are progressing towards completing the required 8 races out of 15.
Qualifying results are recorded in order, (best result first) and where more than 8 qualifying races have been completed, the best
8 results will be shown. The 2007 championship table can be found in the results section and on the navigation pane.
Note: All results are provisional at this stage.
8 June 2007 - Coniston Gullies Photos
Coniston Gullies photos now added here. Please forward any photos you want to share to the
8th June 2007 - Coniston Race report
Coniston Gullies is a brilliant fell race for the fearless fell runner. It may be short in distance, but it has a lung buster of a climb and
a tremendous descent which is a sheer drop taking in a scree section. It's a classic up and down race, not for the faint hearted.
In the senior race Alistair Dunn is a man on a mission; he totally annihilated the rest of the field finishing nearly 2 minutes up on second placed Tim Austin. Super vet Steve Carr finished 3rd, with another super vet Jack Holt in 4th. 1st u23 male and 5th place went to Sam Watson, with Ian Gibbons in 6th. 7th place and first v40 went to Colin Urmston with 1st v45 Gary Bastow closely following. In the Ladies' race, Karen Forster took 1st place with Kate Rogan in 2nd.
In the u17 race 13 seconds separated the first three boys with James Mountain coming home in 1st place. Jack Thompson last years champion finished in 2nd, after Matt Fretwell had a tumble coming to the finish line which dropped him into 3rd place. In the u17 girls Sarah Wilson came home in 1st in front of Lois Grinstead.
In the u14 boys Scott Baistow took complete control of the race having a comfortable win, with Jacob Uren and Keiran Thompson in 2nd and 3rd. In the girls race, Rebecca Swindells had a minute gap between herself and Lauren Munro Bennet, with Melanie Morphet in 3rd place.
The u12's saw Sam Stockdale collect 1st place with Phil Done in 2nd place followed closely by 1st girl Lorna Jo Nunwick in 3rd place. 3rd boy Jake Lowther was in close pursuit and Rebecca Forster finished 2nd girl.
In the u9's, Ellame Gibson showed the boys the way home winning the race with Daniel Cardus 2nd, Nathan Chadwick 3rd, Adam Gibson 4th, Alexander Chadwick 5th, and 2nd girl Suzannah Forster in 6th place.
Considering there were quite a lot of other races on at the weekend we had a good turn out and some tremendous racing for the spectators. Thank you all for supporting us and a special thank you to everyone who helped us on the day. Full results can be found here.
Barry Scholes
27 May 2007 - Sedbergh Photos
The BOFRA photo album is now up and running, thanks to Paul Wood of Ilkley Harriers and Speedyweb. The gallery has been started with photos of Sedbergh Gala Fell race, which are now available on the Sedbergh Gala photos page. If you have any photos from Sedbergh that you would like to share, please contact the
A link has been added to the navigation pane to access the photo gallery as further races are added.
21st May 2007 - Sedbergh Race report
Wet and windy conditions did not deter the runners at Sedbergh Gala, with an excellent turnout in every age group. In the senior
race 65 runners lined up. Last years champ Alastair Dunn got off to a fine start with a 31 second gap between himself, and second
place Tom Addison, 3rd spot was V.40 Mark Horrocks closely followed by Simon Bland. First V.50 was Billy Proctor in 7th place.
Helen Glover got off to a fine start with a comfortable win with most of the senior field behind her, Emma Stuart ran 2nd, with Juliet Horrocks 3rd.
27 keen runners lined up for the u'17s, Alex Till only got the better of Jack Thompson with 3 seconds separating them, 3rd was James Mountain with last years U.14 champion, Tom Sessford in 4th. Rosie Stuart was 1st girl with Emma Flanagan and Emma Thompson 2nd and 3rd. This age group is hotly contested. Everything earned here will be hard fought for.
It was a double for the Till family with Sam Till winning the u'14s from Rory Addison and Ryan Croasdale, close in 4th place was 1st girl home Melanie Hyder, Rebecca Swindells and Ellie Taylor finished 2nd and 3rd. Great things are expected in this age group. 19 runners competed on the day.
The u'12s was a strong field of 31 runners James Knox put in a 1st class performance to win this with James Hall and Ben Johnstone in 2nd and 3rd place. The girls race was won by Megan Stuart with Lorna Jo Nunwick 2nd and Rebecca Flanagan in 3rd.
BOFRA would like to thank you all for the excellent support at our first 2007 race, and a special thank you to our ladies at the start line, without these there would be no point turning up. Full results can be found here.
16th May 2007 - BOFRA Website launch
Welcome to the new BOFRA website, which contains details of the 2007 championship season, together with membership information, fixtures and results. The website will be developed over the course of the season, so come back to find more information about BOFRA, photos and results.
The 2007 BOFRA season starts with the usual "gentle jog" up Winder, at Sedbergh Gala on Saturday 19th May, so good luck to members, old and new. Best wishes for an enjoyable and successful season.
11th February 2007
The AGM was held earlier today and the Committee is virtually unchanged. However, Tom Sedgwick retired as President and Kevin Rogan was voted in as his replacement. Scott Baistow is Junior Representative along with Lois Grinstead and everyone else has retained the same official position.