Great Urban Fell

Great Urban Fell on Sat 29th Jan 2000

'The People's Race' was resuscitated in response to a mixture of nostalgia and fin-de-siècle fervour. Driving wind, vicious squalls, flying slates and chimney pots, rogue wheelie-bins: these were some of the additional hazards that combined with the familiar rigours of the classic 10m tour via Shirecliffe Hill. Wincobank Hill. Wardsend Cemetery and the Bole Hills. An elect field of 22 runners and one bold cyclist (John Pearson) responded to the call to celebrate this first (and probably last) running of the event in the new millennium. Jim Fulton and Alan Yates got detached in the first 200 yards by taking an early detour down Conduit Road to salute the Harmer family in the process of filling a removal van with their possessions for transhipment to Loxley. Detached throughout was 'dark horse' Will McLewin. who put in a very creditable sweeper's lh 48m, after arriving 20 minutes late for the start. His highly qualified support team (Helen), though, seems to have made lonely visits to hitherto uncharted regions of the urban nether world in her efforts to link up with her charge. Over Tina's renowned chip butties and fine ale in the Noah's Ark, the post-race debriefing discussion covered an entertaining array of other deviations, discrepancies and private duels. Bob Berzins did well to hold off a strong challenge from the STC crack squad, and he took the laurels after having neatly worselled an extremely adhesive Dave Tait in the Longfield Road area. Vegetarian Bob and Dave, who was sort of disqualified, turned down first and second refusal, respectively, on the handsome garland of pork sausages (with commemorative medallion) kindly donated by Master Butcher Ron Hayman of School Road. The sausages were eventually claimed, with good cause, by McLewin: the medallion will be appropriately mounted as a permanent millennial memento for champion Berzins. Antarctic Fossils (specially donated in a previous aeon by Ben Hodges) were awarded to Jim Fulton, for valour, and to John Pearson (first cyclist, first landlord, first sponsor, etc.). The results, to be savoured in tranquillity by competitors and cognoscenti alike, are as follows:

Alan Yates