The PowerBar Three Peaks Yacht Race
The Action Hots Up!
Norma Stockford / 22.06.2009
The early drizzle and misty conditions improved and the afternoon was warm and sunny. Perhaps a little too warm for the runners on the top, but great for the marshals on Whitehaven harbour.
Ulula runners Tim Devanney and Val Swingler, who arrived in at 09.20 were overtaken by runners from the third boat in, GFT who left Ennerdale at 15.55.
They arrived back at Whitehaven at 17.12 completing the cycle and run to Scafell in an amazing 6 hours 33 minutes. Runner Chris Sellen’s bruised knee held up despite falling again (this time on the ramp coming off the boat). He and Alan Smalls had overtaken Nunatak at the bottom of Scafell and Ulula on the way down. They told us that conditions were excellent except for the midges.
Ulula were reported to have left Ennerdale at 16.26. None of the boats will be able to get out before about 20.30 tonight, so only the very keen King of the Mountain contenders will be interested in recording a fast time here. Martin Beale from EADs Innovation Works was seen to be examining the Snowdon times of GFT (3.29), Penmaenmawr SC (3.37) and Topsham Toe in the Water’s (3.37) times with a very concerned look on his face!
Ulula runners returned to the harbour at 17.54 and an exhausted Val Swingler, whose “legs had turned to jelly on the last 20 minutes of the cycle ride� was delighted to have held off Nunatak and be the first to the top of both mountains.
Richard Ludlow and John Taylor (complete with bloodied knees and hands after a fall from his bike) from Nunatak returned in third place at 18.12, completing the run in 8 hours and 4 minutes.
A philosophical Martin Beale returned smiling at 18.32 in a time of 7 hours 3 minutes. They thought they had completed the run in two minutes less than their 2008 record of 4 hours 22 and had been just five minutes behind Nunatak at Ennerdale only to discover that one of their bikes had a puncture!
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