Fellsman
A few members of Newport and District Running Club are not content with a few miles around the town or a trot around the fields; they go after a bigger challenge. John Taylor, Noel Hogan and Sandy Mackenzie took on the Fellsman, a race of 62 miles with 11000 feet of climbing which started in Ingleton and finished at Threshfield in the Yorkshire Dales.
Not all the route was on well defined paths, which meant that competitors had to competent in navigation, so only fit and experienced runners were able to take part.
Conditions on the day were quite cold and once up high , there was snow on the summits and a bitter wind which was to play a part later on as the race progressed.
There were 438 starters at 9.00am on the Saturday and due to the conditions and terrain, 144 retired at various checkpoints along the way. At 2.00am on Sunday the organisers decided to abandon the race for all those who had not passed the last roadside checkpoint as the freezing conditions represented a hazard for some of the slower runners.
Only 131 of the original starters finished the event and it was to their credit that John, Noel and Sandy finished 94th equal, crossing the line in 17hrs 48mins.