The last of the Kong Adventure Summer Series of fell races took place on Saturday 20th.  This series has been a great addition to the fell running calendar with great, short, local races and all thanks to Kong organisers for that.  This was the maddest of the series yet not helped by an appallingly wet forecast.  Numbers were down as a result but nearly all runners really enjoyed trying a new route with plenty of route choice.

The runners set off from Threlkeld quarry in a brief fine weather window with a choice of routes up on to Clough Head by which time they were engulfed in heavy rain, strong wind and very little visibility.  The route then followed the muddy plod to great Dodd where the fun really began.  The next check point was Mariel Bridge on the old Matterdale road.  Whichever way you went it was rough, tussocky and boggy, requiring full concentration.  Then any line you could find up onto White Pike.  A swift descent back to the quarry rounded the race off.

Keswick AC had an excellent day with Steven Halsall (2nd), Carl Bell (3rd) and Dave Prosser (11th) in the men’s race. The ladies, Shirley Murray, Zoe Hebblethwaite, Lynn Hulme and Lesley Malarkey took the first four places in their race.

An enormous thank you to all the marshals especially those on Clough Head and Great Dodd who waited for a long time in gale force winds, driving rain and hailstones.