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John Hunt with his race face on at Three Peaks.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Duddon Juniors<\/u><\/p>\n
Jon Coe writes\u2026<\/p>\n
Dark Peak\u2019s junior racers were in the Duddon valley on Sunday 21st<\/sup> April \u2013 with the racing being the hillside above the Newfield Inn \u2013 the slopes of Caw, White Maiden and in between.<\/p>\n As in previous years, the weather was once again kind for this first race of the series\u00a0 \u2013 a dry day with pleasantly cool running temps.<\/p>\n Underfoot conditions however were\u00a0 certainly not dry \u2013 not surprising considering the months of rain. The usually boggy starting slope in particular being more marsh-like than last year. Not to mention the initial slippery stream crossing which always seems to catch a few out. This race has been somewhat of a nemesis for some of our junior runners, so it was great that all the brown vests got round unscathed, most smiling, and with no face-plants into the marsh or other boggy sections. To say that this is not our local turf, all of our juniors looked pretty sure-footed on what was \u2018proper\u2019 Lakeland fell terrain.<\/p>\n The setting of the races is great, with the hillside facing across the valley to Harter Fell and the full Scafell range.<\/p>\n We had seven runners, spread across three of the races. All did the same initial hill, then headed left on loops of progressively increasing length and height according to age.<\/p>\n U13s ran a 2.9 km course, and the U15s ran 5 km with a bit of extra height gain.<\/p>\n The U17 race went all the way to the summit of Caw. From the summit they were straight back down the technical hillside \u2013 pretty much the same as the final descent of the classic long Duddon Valley race.<\/p>\n We didn\u2019t have any junior in the U19 race, but that age ran with adults on the great Duddon Dash course to White Maiden and Caw, a tough AS – Austin represented for Dark Peak dads.<\/p>\n Also must mention Keith, once again there to help out the junior race scene in the field and on the fell.<\/p>\n This was the first of the FRA junior championships, which are open runners aged 6 or above. The remaining races are Sedbergh (12\/05), Shutingsloe (19\/05), Rossendale (09\/06), Weaver Hills (15\/06) and Clwydian Hills (07\/07).<\/p>\n Shutingsloe and Weaver hills are both fairly local \u2013 western and southern Peak.<\/p>\n Juniors who complete 6 races get a free hoody, and there\u2019s a T-shirt for 4 races.<\/p>\n DPFR results here<\/a> and the full set can be found at here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Ralph Coe in full flight at Duddon.<\/p>\n Past races<\/u><\/p>\n Hartcliff Hill \u2013 A couple of weeks ago now but a win for Philip Montgomery with Ralph Simpson 3rd<\/sup> and 1st<\/sup> M40 and Austin Frost 4th<\/sup> and 1st<\/sup> M50. Results<\/a><\/p>\n Three Peaks \u2013 Rupert Allison 19th<\/sup>, Alice Gamble 2nd<\/sup> WU25, Jane Crowson 2nd<\/sup> WV60 and John Hunt 3rd<\/sup> M50. Results<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Kettleshulme \u2013 Results\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Ralph-1-300x200.jpg\")
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