Shadowlands Series – FINAL STANDINGS

Last nights Duergar Run was the final race of the Shadowlands Winter Trail Series that has seen runners battle it out over 6 distinct races in Northumberland.  Starting on 27th December with a blast up Deadwater Fell it then took in a half marathon, 10k sprint and varying distances in between.  Most have been held a night with only the Winter Wipeout taking place during daylight hours which proved to be a spectacular winter trail run under glistening blue skies.  Four of the races had special access to mountain bike trails that are normally off limits to runners and these proved to be a great hit as people had many features to contend with not usually on the agenda.

Going into the final race there was still a lot to be sorted.  Only the likes of Spencer Booth and Emma Leigh had really cemented their leads to the point they could not be caught.  Others such as Rachel Malthouse and Andrew Armin had commanding leads but still needed to get round to seal the deal.  In other categories it was wide open such as the FV50.  It will come as no surprise that those people who committed to the series and put the hard yards in no matter what the weather now find themselves at the high end of the tables.  Let’s see how it all unfolded after the final race.

Female Overall

Six wins out of six for the Malthouse flyer as Rachel streaks away with the series title.  She could not afford to miss a race and drop valuable points because other runners were keeping her honest.  The only time someone got close was when her sister Clair Fairbairn got within a minute at the Lewis Burn Run.

In second place is Emma Leigh who gets rewarded for sheer determination and grit.  Turning up she notched up the miles to take 4th (Deadwater), 5th (Osprey), 8th (Wipeout), 4th (Lewis Burn), 3rd (Lonesome), and 5th (Duergar).

Third place was taken by Eden Isabella Huntley.  With only a ten point lead over fourth place going into the Duergar Run she really needed to be both on her game and avoid any kind of slip ups.  She managed to get round quickly and unscathed to end up with a 31 point gap to fourth place.

FV40

Emma Leigh bossed the FV40 category with 1st, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 1st and 2nd.  Now how is that for consistency?  Yes there were races when faster runners finished ahead but they did not match Emma’s persistence to keep going for the duration.

Helen Clark missed the Winter Wipeout but over five races amassed enough points to be in a position to fend off challenges in the final round.  If you look at her results there has been a steady improvement to go from near the back at the Osprey Run through to 11th out of 38 women at the Duergar.

For Claire Fairbairn it is a case of what could have been.  For the races she has been at the end result has been a FV40 win for her but she has dropped critical points by missing some.  At the Osprey she won by 20 minutes, at Lewis Burn 9 minutes and then 9 minutes again at The Duergar.  Impressive running.

FV50

In this bizarre category no runner turned up to more than two races.  And so Melanie Annable and Helen Heaney share the series title.  This shows how impressive the run from Helen was on the final race as anything less than a category win would not have done.

Second place was taken by Helena Gribben who grabbed the category win at the longer distanced Osprey Run and then second at the Lonesome Pine run.

Third place was split equally between Rachel Russell, Floor Christie-De Jong and Julie Lemin who all managed to finish second at separate races.

FV60

Carol bossed the Winter Wipeout in deep snow and Julie Cornell battled the elements at the Duergar and both ladies now share the series title.  What an amazing effort by these two to battle on in tough conditions and they provide inspiration to us all.

Male Overall

Andrew Armin has proven to be fast and resilient as he battled his way to the series title.  He’s definitely not had it all his own way with the likes of Graham Malthouse beating him at the Osprey, Lewis Burn and Lonesome runs.  Andrew however seemed well suited to the more vertical races when he beat Graham at opening Deadwater Run and then monstered everyone at the Wipeout and the Duergar.  A well deserved series win for this speedster.

The only person who has gotten close overall to Andrew Armin is Andrew Dancer.  Andrew Dancer has been remarkably consistent in finishing third in all of the first five races before finally upgrading to second in the last race.  His form has been massively impressive and his double haul of trophies each week must make his other half delighted.

Third place was the real story of the Duergar Run as Karl Smith needed to finish well ahead of Gavin Francis in the standings to be in with a chance of over taking.  Putting it all on the line Karl managed to do just that by placing a remarkable 5th overall whilst his rival placed a very respectable 11th which meant it was only the bonus of the greater points for top finishes that did it.  Well done Karl.

MV40

Andrew Dancer was smoking hot throughout the series and finished as first place MV40 in every single race.  Imagine how hard that must be.  What he really needs now is a few more trophies to go with all the other ones he’s amassed over this winter!  Well done Andrew.

In second Gavin Francis stuck at it each week to keep the points coming in.  3rd, 4th, 12th, 2nd, 3rd and 4th.  This is all about consistency in the face of any injuries or fatigue.  He could have lost points in the bigger races but look at the improvement from 12th at the large field of the Wipeout compared to 4th at the equally swelled field of the Duergar.  Thoroughly well deserved.

Scott Dewhurst in fourth is truly impressive in that he just refused to give up.  Having completed four races he made the wise choice of getting to the smaller races at Kielder and scoring big before putting himself under the pressure of having to perform well at the Duergar.  He did it and secured that third place.

MV50

Spencer Booth went on a mission and battered the door down on the MV50 category in the Shadowlands Winter Trail Series early.  After finishing fourth in the opening round he then went on to take the win in round two, 8th at the Wipeout, 1st at Lewis Burn before skipping Lonesome Pine in the full knowledge he was uncatchable.  The Simonside Hills were his victory lap.

Jonathan Gaskell would have been a genuine competitor with Spencer had he got to more races.  Having completed the final three races he got some outstanding results to elevate himself to second.  He was a minute behind Spencer at Lewis Burn to grab 2nd, took the win at Lonesome and then 6th place in stacked field at the Duergar.

Stephen Ball did the Wipeout and the Duergar and had to put the work in to fend off the likes of Kieran Conway who slipped 15 points below.

MV60

After having no runners in the MV60 category in the first race it soon came to the attention of Tony Brown that a series was up for grabs.  He came to the Osprey run and took the win then followed this up with a 2nd at the Wipeout, 1st at Lewis Burn and then a 3rd at the Duergar to put the cherry on top.  Excellent work from this strong Tynedale based runner.

Derek Esson took second place by first turning up and grabbing second place at the half marathon distance Osprey run.  He then skipped some races before appearing once more at the Lonsome Pine run where he grabbed top spot.

In third was Stephen Cowell who finished two races who took on both of the bog ones in the Wipeout and the Duergar.  Two races which are sure to push any runner which makes these results even more impressive.

MV70

Martin is the man of the moment by getting up and down Hedgehope in deep snow and freezing conditions.  If this doesn’t inspire people on the possibilities out there then nothing will.  We salute you.

Presentation evening

All the Shadowlands runners are invited to a presentation evening at Pedalling Squares cafe, Old Brassworks, Quality Row Road, Swalwell, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 3AQ on Saturday 21st Feb 2026 beginning at 6pm.

Here runners who placed in the top 3 in each category will get an SDL medal and a chance to chat with other runners and share stories. Adrian Murphy will be your host, he’s the one with the beard who has started most of the races and happens to own the cafe.