2024 St. Sunday Mountain Race Report
Starting hard on the heels of the Helvellyn Sky Ultra, the shorter and less technical St. Sunday Mountain Race (SSMR), back for its second year, kicked-off at 10am on Saturday. A total of 85 runners set off from Patterdale, a diverse field with a mixture of first-time Skyrunners, young athletes and elites looking for a super-fast finish. The SSMR is a 29km ‘feeder’ SkyRace, linking mountain trails over St. Sunday Crag and weaving through the Eastern Fells. It is really a runnable course and also the second race in the Skyrunning UK’s new U23 Series. Revisit the race route on our Strava account HERE.
In the women’s race, all eyes were on Polish athlete and 2019 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series champion Kasia Osipowicz, who is returning to form after sustaining a hip injury whilst climbing last autumn. Osipowicz led from start to finish, running her own race, unaware of Russian athlete, Elena Medevedeva on the chase. Osipowicz had a strong finish, coming in 1st V40 and 13th overall in 04:39.
“I went really hard on uphills and was really reserved on downhills, as this was a training race for me” said Osipowicz. “My nutrition and hydration were spot-on, and the hot conditions were really an advantage, as I race best in extremes of temperature.” Osipowicz is now focused on the Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme 25km next month.
Unbeknown to Osipowicz, Medevedeva was only around 2 minutes behind her, closing her down towards the finish – but Medevedeva never actually laid eyes on her quarry due to the low visibility. Medevedeva, switched down from the longer HSU and ran alone for much of the course, pacing her race evenly.
“I really enjoyed the whole thing” she said “and I have no regrets about changing course, as I’m still quite new to this and trying to get more into skyrunning.”
Elena Medevedeva in control and in pursuit © Tanya Raab
The third podium finish was also claimed by a relative newcomer to the scene. US runner Abigail Blackford, who hails from Massachusetts, has focused mostly on Spartan Trail races back home but delivered a rapid performance in the Lakeland fells on Saturday, in what was only her second SkyRace. Blackford was second to the top of St. Sunday Crag before the other two leading ladies broke away. Nevertheless, she was pleased to have crossed the line in under 5hrs.
“My favourite races are always those in the mountains… This was a fun race and really pretty, especially as I’ve never been here before!” said Blackford at the finish.
First FV45 Adele Clarke also delivered a superb top 10 finish in 05:15.
Full provisional results can now be found online HERE.
Women’s podium in the SSMR 2024, Osipowicz, Medevedeva & Blackford in 1st, 2nd & 3rd © Callum Robinson
In the men’s race, the U23s stole the show, taking both first and second place overall! Fastest over the line was Irish spark Luke Weldon from Wicklow. Weldon recently represented Ireland at the Youth Skyrunning World Champs in Montenegro (finishing 17th in Youth C cat) but Weldon’s race at SSMR was no easy ride! Instead, third place finisher, Tom Bell led the field from early on, leaving Weldon and Salomon U23 athlete Caleb Nonhebel to battle it out in his wake.
“Caleb and I actually worked together the whole way, pushing each other on. That really helped me pull through hard moments. The course was really runnable and the pace relentless” said Weldon, who raced the previous weekend and was aware of some fatigue from the outset.
The U23s challenged each other hard throughout the course, resulting in a fast and furious tussle for the top spot.
“At around 25km I heard that the first runner was only a minute ahead of me, so I kept on pushing. It was a gruelling finish as I reeled him in! I overtook Tom but still had to shake Caleb, so on the final push I really bombed it down and hit the tarmac in a bit of a state, but somehow I managed to hold it together” explained Weldon.
Like Weldon, Nonhebel also raced the previous weekend and found the warm start hard, setting off with heavy legs. Nonhebel is from the Isle of Mull in Scotland and his next race will be the Salomon Buttermere Skyline in September. At just 18 years old and with the SSMR only his 7th race, it’s clear we can expect more great performances from this young man!
“It’s really cool to see U23s winning races. I’m looking forward to racing the Seven Sisters Skyline 30km in September, the final race in the U23 Series” Nonhebel enthused at the finish.
U23 Nonhebel leaving everything out there on the course © Tanya Raab
Another new talent emerged this weekend in the form of ex-pro mountain bike racer Tom Bell, who took third place overall. Bell has been turning biking fitness to his advantage on two feet in recent months and this was his first ever SkyRace. Bell had a great day and led the field for much of the course, but after the Thesthswaite Mouth CP the young guns, who had been nipping at his heels, started to pull ahead.
“My strategy was to climb hard and build a buffer for the downhills… I struggle most on the technical descents but I haven’t been running for long and I’m descending better and better every time”. Watch this space for more top results from Bell in races to come!
Age cat winners in the men’s race were Richard Smith, first MV40 in 4th position overall, Edward Box first MV45 in 10th and Jonathan Cox first MV50 in 31st male.
Full provisional results can now be found online HERE.
Men’s podium in the SSMR 2024: Weldon, Nonhebel & Bell in 1st, 2nd & 3rd © Callum Robinson
What Next?
The top 20 M/F overall finishers will now receive points towards their ranking in the 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series and U23 Series (INFO). Series ranking charts will be added to the Skyrunning UK website imminently.
Find out your current ranking in the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series later this month.
Next up in the 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland are the Seven Sisters Skyline races on 21st September in Donegal, Ireland:
Seven Sisters Skyline 55km & 4,000m+ — third race in the new SkyUltra® Series (INFO).
Seven Sisters Skyline 30km & 2,1000m+ (Ireland’s first sub-ultra SkyRace!) — part of the U23 Series and first race of the inaugural Irish Skyrunning Championships (INFO) alongside the 35km Mourne Skyline in October.
Entries are still open, so it’s not too late to be part of the Skyrunner® National Series! For full details see the event website HERE.
In the meantime, be sure to follow Skyrunning UK on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE. And why not join the Facebook Group HERE or the Strava Club HERE.
See you in the Lake District again next year? © Tanya Raab
Stay tuned for our in-depth reports from the weekend’s Pinnacle Ridge Extreme race arriving tomorrow too!
