Shadowlands Final Round – Duergar Run RESULTS

Photos: Clorroe Cam

The relentlessly dank weather continued into Saturday night for the 9th edition of the Duergar Run from Rothbury up and around the Simonside Hills.  Registration was set up outside the Newcastle House Hotel and soon enough after opening there were a stream of runners eager to sign on.  This race was the final round of the Shadowlands Winter Trail Series and the vast majority of categories were still up for grabs and there was a lot to play for.

Conditions were slippy underfoot so it was good news that the race began in the car park on solid ground with a jaunt up the road to get bodies warmed up.  Next up was a rough track heading south before this veered off to the left and followed the St Oswalds Way national trail up to Lordenshaws.  This section was grassy and wet which meant shoes were getting their first taste of moisture and runners were avoiding the puddles for as long as possible.  Anyone wanting a quick bite to eat could grab some snacks at Lordenshaws before hitting the rock steps heading up on to Simonside itself.

The run along Simonside is largely on big stone slabs and this allows a confident runner with sure feet to make great progress.  It’s also dotted with deep pooling water and lined with bogs that love to consume stray shoes on offer.  On the far side of Simonside is a steep drop off which everyone did well to navigate.  Any thoughts that the hard section had just been completed were dispelled by the eroded ravine that sliced down through Simonside woods.  With a stream literally running down the middle of it people had to decide on whether to pick their way down from rock to rock or just go route one and plough through to sand, mud and water.

Once popped out the bottom of this bobsleigh run there was a stretch of forest track that led to another rocky and rooty stretch before eventually being spat out on to solid tarmac.  The road back to Lordenshaws gave some solidity after the irregular surfaces of the woods and strategies could be formulated before hooking up with Steve once more in the car park and then reversing the outward route back to Rothbury.  That last declining road would have felt like heaven before popping across the walking bridge and zig-zagging up to the finish line to be scanned and get a mulled wine from Drew and co.

A night of tough conditions but everyone dug deep to get round the course in great spirits.  On to the results:

Open Tracking results can be found here: https://results.opentracking.co.uk/event/duergar26

Female Overall

Rachel Malthouse looked to close out a clean sweep of wins in the series and duly delivered by finishing first female in 1:41 which also registered at 6th including male runners.  Her sister Claire Fairbairn made it a family one-two by sweeping into second.  Nicola Aitken grabbed third.

FV40

Claire Fairbairn’s time of 1:48 took to spot in the FV40 category with regular runner Emma Leigh proving a strong competitor in second.  Helen Clark was 11th female and nabbed 3rd in category.

FV50

A category that has been hard to fill in the series had seven runners last night.  Helen Heaney blazed it home in 1:50 which was enough for 4th woman overall.  Julie Lemin came home second with a fifteen minute gap over Teresa Rogers.

FV60

Massive well done to Julie Cornell who took top FV60.

Male Overall

Andrew Armin took away all doubt in the series standings by blazing to first place with a time of 1:23.  Andrew Dancer moved up from a string of third places to grab second and Jacob Corder followed two minutes behind to take third.

MV40

What a massively impressive field for the MV40 category.  Andrew Dancer took to spot and following twelve minutes behind it was Neil Forrest taking second.  Jim Macfarlane rounded out the podium with third.

MV50

Again, great numbers on the night.  John Phizacklea’s 1:45 was more than enough to take first place.  Stephen Ball in second had thirteen minutes on George McKay in third.

MV60

Top run by Chris Calvert to get round in 2:21.  Followed home by Stephen Cowell and the series leader Tony Brown.