Welcome to the Hallam Chase
Thank you for taking part last night. I am sorry I have been slow publishing the results, but by fatigue has got the better of me so it was a slow start today.
Results can be combined results found here
Men's Results | Ladies Results
Here are some great photos taken my Richard Newby on Den Bank
Photos from the bottom of Den Bank, taken by Margaret Lewis
Well the wether was good and the running under foot solid. John Spencer did a great job with the handicapping with all runners back in just over 7 minutes! Well done to Matt Francis (Totley) for being first back and winning the Men's trophy, with Eleanor Bull (Steel City Striders) taking the Ladies trophy.
Our two sponsors, Taylor Emmet solicitors and the Outside shop in Hathersage provided our prizes. Without their help events like this could not run so both business deserve your support and our gratitude .
The Novice Trophy is for the first unplaced runner who hasn't won a trophy before, and this year goes to a youngster, Conner Smith (Totley).
Our youngest runner was Sam Evans (Totley) at 21 also wins the David Bones trophy. At the other end of the age spectrum was our eldest runner , 78yo Derek Brailsford (Hallamshire), who was the 1st to reach Stannington, so wins the Lewin Cup cup.
The first Hallamshire vest to arrive back was Nicola Squires who claims the trophy for the second year and was also the faster lady on the night.
Our fastest runner overall was Paul Middlemas of Steel City Striders. Thanks must go to the stone support from Steep City Striders and the Hillsborough and Rivelin Running Club whose combined effort helped boost the numbers of runners on the night.
So you can plan your diary, the dates for future Hallam Chase are:
2024: Tuesday May 28th at 7.30pm.
2025: Tuesday May 27th at 7.30pm.
2026: Tuesday May 26th at 7.30pm.
Those with a keen key will notice we are planning to bring the event forward by 30minutes so there is more daylight towards the end of the event, and during tidying up- yes believe it or not- once you have all gone home there is still lots of work to be done. Thanks in particular should go to my wife, Chaanah, Steve Moran from Hallamshire who has helped for many years, John Spencer for handicapping and helping on the night, Richard Storer and the Cricket Club for allowing us to use the site. This event would not work without the army of volunteers, mostly from the Hallamshire Endurance group, or close friends and family. Thank you all.
The results for 2022 can be found below:
The combined 2022 results are here.
Mens Race 2022 results | Ladies Race 2022 Results
For 2022 photos, news articles and the Look North video click here
A little background information:
The oldest continuously run Fell Race in the world with a rich history, going back to 1862. Put on on behalf of Hallamshire Harriers, it has a wealth of Sheffield running heritage. A few years have been missed due the two world wars, Foot and Mouth Disease and more recently COVID so we think it has now been run 148 times (as 2022) - please correct us if this is wrong.
The event is held at 8pm on the Tuesday evening following the second May Bank Holiday every year. As a closed race, it is only open to members of South Yorkshire running clubs. This means the entry list is typically low, with 50-80 runners each year.
The route has changed a little over time and started as a 10mile loop. It has been the current route for many years - a 3.25 mile out and back from The Hallam Cricket Ground to the entrance to Stannington Church. You are either descending or climbing, with almost no flat running. Under foot it is mainly on grass field paths or tracks, with some sections on roads to connect the route.
Here is a map of the route
Here is a close up of the route at the bottom of the valley as it crosses the Rivelin Valley
The run crosses lots of roads, so this, combined with the rough terrain, limits the entrants to adults (18+yo).
To make the challenge more interesting, the event is handicapped with the slowest runner off first at 8pm and the fastest runner off last, some 15-20 minutes later. The idea is that all runners finish together. For many years our handicapper, John Spencer, has honed his talents to try and place runners in the correct start order, based on their recent performance in other recent races such as the Trunce, the South Yorkshire Road League, Park Runs and local fell race times. It is an impossible job to do perfectly, so there is always the odd runners how performs better or worse than expected but this means the winner is almost always new and it could be anyone! The competetion to get your name on a trophy is palpable. Many a potential winner has been pipped to the line, inside the final 100m, as more and more runners re-enter the Cricket Ground together.
The event would not be possible without a mini army of 40+ marshals! We have to thank each and every person who volunteers - many have competed in the race themselves in the past and are old friends - part to the Hallam Chase family