“You don’t know what you don’t know”.
The wise words of Nick, my fellow organiser, captured the reason for our nerves as the race day drew nearer. What looming disaster was heading our way, and we didn’t even realise? Nearly forgetting to buy safety pins is a good example of a simple thing that would have completely derailed us on the night.
We were very aware that the Hallam Chase had a particular significance for the city. So many people had been participating, or watching, for many decades. We wanted to make sure we did things correctly and didn’t trip up clumsily on our first time at the helm.
On the race night I got the sense, rightly I think, that this wasn’t our event. We were simply looking after it until, in who knows how many years, we convinced someone else to take it on. Richard Patton, the previous organiser, had talked about the great sense of legacy that the Hallam Chase brought with it. We were very keen to keep traditions going, to bring new things to the race whilst also respecting its history.
As Nick, Richard and I set up for the race and people started to arrive, you couldn’t ignore the fantastic atmosphere. Racers compare handicaps, veterans explain the race to new runners, race stalwarts such as Keith Binney look through the start list, noting familiar runners and openly questioning their start time.
This year, we saw unprecedented, record breaking heat. The temperature had gone above 30 degrees earlier in the day and this was something we hadn’t anticipated. We managed to get water and cups to the finish line and Matt and his team at the Rivelin pub (another Hallam Chase landmark) had valiantly offered to give water out to runners as they passed (on the way up or down). Thankfully, as an evening race, the heat had dropped and we were left with a beautiful evening for spectators, and possibly a slightly too warm one for the runners themselves.
A great thing about a handicapped fell race is that everyone reaches the finish at around the same time. We worked hard to get the results calculated quickly and to give out the trophies while we had all the runners still with us. The lack of predictability is a great aspect of the race, anyone could technically win a trophy. The handicapping, and getting everyone to the finish line at the same time, is a problem I imagine I’ll be working on for as long as we’re organising the race.
Our trophy winners this year were:
- Helen Young, Totley AC, 1st Lady
- Luke Smith, Dronfield RC, 1st Man (Hallam Chase Hill)
- Daniel Ryan, Sheffield RC, Novice (George Mountain)
- Ollie Peacock, CGCC, Youngest runner (David Bones)
- Derek Brailsford, Hallamshire Harriers, 1st to Stannington (Lewin Cup)
- Ellie Crownshaw, Hallamshire Harriers, 1st Harrier
- Alex Hinchcliffe, Hillsborough & Rivelin RC, Chase trophy (Arthur Brailsford)
Alex Hinchcliffe, was the inaugural winner of the Arthur Brailsford trophy. The trophy was kindly donated by Derek Brailsford to celebrate the centenary of his father winning the Hallam Chase in 1926 as an 18 year old. It is awarded to the runner that makes up the most places during the event. Alex Hinchcliffe was also our fastest runner with a race time of 23:31.
After all the runners were back and the trophies were handed out, we could breath a sigh of relief. We think we pulled it off without too many hitches (at least nothing that anyone noticed). With the first one out of the way we can start thinking about what we do for the future. There won’t be as many things that we don’t know we don’t know — fewer hidden tripwires. This means we can start to think about different things we’d like to do. Soon enough it will be the 150th edition of the race, what should we be working towards to celebrate? Bringing back the paint at the halfway line? Convincing a local celebrity to run? Closing Rivelin valley road so someone can go for a course record? Feel free to contact us with suggestions.
We’d like to thank everyone involved with the race that made this possible. Many of our family and friends who offered their time and energy on the night. Previous organisers Richard and Chaanah Patton. The army of marshals that answered the call and kept the race safe and on-track for everyone. Keith Binney, race official and Hallam Chase stalwart. Martin Steer for providing first aid support. Richard Storer and the team at the Hallam Cricket ground for continuing to host the event and provide facilities for us all. Maahil, Mateo, Enzo and George for capturing stunning footage of the race from the air. P.R.E.A.M pizza for trusting that fell runners are hungry enough and providing excellent pizza on the night. Matt and his team at the Rivelin pub for being so open to helping out and offering water to the runners at such short notice.
See you all next year!