Fell racing has returned to Middleton in Teesdale’s Carnival, after a gap of more than ten years.
Tuesday evening saw 60 runners from the village, across the dale and well-beyond, take on the 4.2 mile challenge of a race up to (and back down from) the local iconic landmark of Kirkcarrion. The main race was prefaced by a junior version – ‘just’ two miles on a route that included a section of the Pennine Way and the old mineral railway line. Rhys Price and Esme Tokeley were first male and female to the finish line.
Event sponsorship by Middleton’s Sports and Social Club means that the Kirkcarrion Hill Race winners Will Carter and Alice Carr will each hold trophies until next year.
The race featured a few fun quirks: a spot prize, donated by Teesdale Holistics, checkpoints where playing cards had to be collected to prove the full route had been run, free entry, books on running for the junior race winners, and Teesdale-themed prizes for the first local runner and the first from further afield in each race.
Two runners were, impressively, tempted into running both races.
Race organisers, the carnival committee and this year’s participants are all anticipating that this will become an annual event, with ‘Tuesday before the first Saturday in August’ 2025, already pencilled in.
A spokesperson said: “The event was made possible thanks to the organisational skills of race director Stuart Jones. Also, thanks go to the race marshalls, the registration team and all event supporters. Thanks also to all the fantastic runners who took part: you brought to life a piece of carnival history.”
Juniors: 1st, Rhys Price; 1st female, Esme Tokeley; 1st local, Monty Carr.
Seniors: 1st, Will Carter, who set a new course record of 30:08. 1st female, Alice Carr (of Blackburn), aged 12, who set a new female record 34:54. They each received a Middleton-in-Teesdale Sports & Social Club Perpetual Salver, a fiver for engraving their name, and a Teesdale Gentian plate.
1st non-local, James Emmerson, (4th overall). The best hand –four playing cards collected on the route up the hill – Robert Kirby (four aces).
