The duo won gold in Keswick on Saturday, Adrian Stott reports, ahead of the European Off-Road Championships in Slovenia.
Ben Rothery (Ilkley) and Scarlett Dale (Ambleside) battled changeable weather conditions to win titles at the British Middle Distance Trail Championships in Keswick on Saturday.
The event has been incorporated into the Run Through Lake District Trail event.
Due to the conditions, the original 53km route was changed to a bad weather route of 48km, avoiding Scafell Peak, which had been snowed overnight.
The event, which also included the Home Countries International and acted as a trial run for June’s European Off-Road Championships in Slovenia, saw a strong field on the start line.
A fast initial low-level, 15km stretch from Keswick to Sythwaite saw a strong group of men setting a good early pace. Rothery, along with his England teammates Grant Cunliffe and Bertie Houghton, featured alongside Luke Grenfall-Shaw, Sasha Chaplin, Andy Symonds and Andrew Hayes.
After riding the more technical sections, to Wasdale and on to Honister, it the group was reduced to four. At the Honister crossing, approximately 35 km, which was reached in about 2 hours 45 minutes, Chaplin and Rothery held a slight lead over Hughton, with Grenfall-Shaw a few seconds behind.
In a close finish Rothery had to hold off Houghton to take the win in 3:56:41 with Houghton just 12 seconds back in 3:56:53. Chaplin finished third in 3:58:26 and Grenfall-Shaw fourth in 4:01:22.
In women‘s race, Ambleside‘Scarlet Dale executed from the start and opened up a clear lead at the first checkpoint at Sitthwaite. Yves Pannone was second with Emily Cowper-Coles and Kirsty Oldham. By the Honister checkpoint, Dale had a commanding lead, arriving just under 3 hours into the race and now leading Pannone by 10 minutes. Cowper-Coles and Oldham were to come together five minutes later with Scotland‘Catriona Graves is also struggling.
Dale was undeterred, crossing the finish line in 4:27:31, more than eight minutes ahead of Pannone, who took silver in 4:36:08. Cowper-Cowles had to prove stronger in the dual for the bronze medal, finishing in 4:44:50 to beat Oldham.‘s 4:45:16 and Graves finished strong in fifth in 4:46:45.
A GB & NA team of up to four men and four women will be selected for the trail event at the European Off-Road Championships in Slovenia in June.
Keswick’s leaders, as well as others not on trial who have expressed an interest, will be challenged when teams are selected next week.
Full results here.
In the home country team competition, the cumulative times of each nation were determined‘the first three runners. England beat Scotland comfortably, while Wales and Northern Ireland also completed the teams.
England beat the women too‘team competition from Scotland.
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