Finlay Grant of Dark Peak Fell Runners and Antonia Fan of Ambleside AC claim gold at the British Fell and Hill Championship (short course) in Northern Ireland
GRANITE PEAKS (British championships counter), Mourne Mountains, May 24
The Northern Ireland Mountain Running Association (NIMRA) hosted the 2025 UK Athletics ShortCourse Hill and Fell Running Championships at the Granite Peaks Race on Saturday with 75 runners tackling the 9.6km course with 760 metres of climb.
The race starts in Happy Valley in the Mourne Mountains and follows the Ulster Way before climbing the iconic Slieve Bearnagh (739 metres). The route then descends steeply to Polluphuca (Gap of the Malevolent Fairies) then climbs the peaks of Slieve Meelmore (687m) and Meelbeg (702m) and ends with a super-fast descent back to Happy Valley.
In a close men’s race, Finlay Grant (Dark Peak Fell Runners) took the win in 55:01, with Dan Dry (Shettleston Harriers) just three seconds behind in second place (55:04). Matthew Elkington (Ambleside AC) took the bronze medal (55:09).
Antonia Fan (Ambleside) took gold in the women’s race (1:14:50), with Karen Wilton (Jog Lisburn Running Club, 1:15:12) in second and Rebecca Magee (Newcastle and District AC, 1:15:52) winning bronze.
Finlay Grant also took the under-23 men’s gold medal, with Rebecca Magee (Newcastle & District AC) claiming the women’s U23 gold.
Overall (9.6km/762m): 1 F Grant (Dark Pk) 55:01; 2 D Dry (Shett) 55:04; 3 M Elkington (Amble) 55:09; 4 B Gard-Storry (Amble) 59:12; 5 J Woodley (Dark Pk) 59:34; 6 G Baker (Amble) 60:47; 7 W Gratton (Dark Pk) 60:50; 8 A Crutchley (Newc) 61:16; 9 A Mason (Dark Pk) 61:50; 10 S Leckey (Amble) 62:02
M45: B Tetler (G’dale) 63:54
M50: S Godsman (Calder V) 65:22
M60: P Cornforth (Amble) 73:08
M65: C Donnelly (Cambus) 74:54
M70: B Thomson (Helm H) 94:06
MEN’S TEAM (provisional): 1 Amble 40; 2 Dark Pk 77 ; 3 Calder V 130
Women: 1 A Fan (Amble) 74:50; 2 K Wilton (Jog Lisb, W50) 75:12; 3 R Magee (Newc) 75:52; 4 M McCauley (Portad) 77:28; 5 M Price (Mercia, W50) 77:52; 6 L Osborn (Kesw, W50) 78:08
W55: D Wilson (Drom) 79:34
W60: K Monteverde (BARF) 1:45:10
W65: A Daykin (Clay) 1:48:19
TEAM: P&B 41
ISLE OF JURA, Craighouse Distillery, May 24
Overall (28km/2370m): 1 F Wild (L’ber, M40) 3:07:16; 2 F Wilson (C’thy) 3:22:38; 3 T Simpson (Amble) 3:24:24; 4 L Taylor (HHR) 3:28:38; 5 H Davies (Mercia) 3:32:17; 6 A Thornton (Ochil) 3:32:41
M50: D Ward (Penn) 4:24:53
M60: J Knox (Anst) 5:16:27
TEAM: 1 C’thy 10:40:08; 2 L’ber 10:47:16; 3 HHR 11:00:09
Women: 1 A Whitaker (Amble) 4:10:42; 2 B Halcrow (Amble) 4:17:00; 3 E Johnstone (Penn) 4:18:26; 4 H Wingfield (Dark Pk) 4:2:19
W40: S Richmond (Penn) 5:09:10
W50: J Caddick (Dark Pk) 5:46:47
TEAM: 1 Amble 13:45:33; 2 W’lands CC 14:24:15; 3 Dark Pk 14:38:19
MILLSTONE, Donard, May 22
Overall (4M/1500ft): 1 T Crudgington (Newc) 35:30; 2 A Crutchley (Newc) 37:16; 3 J Mcatee (Mourne) 39:16; 4 L Vallely (Arnagh, M45) 40:55; 5 Michael Patterson 41:23; 6 Paul Rooney (M40) 41:42
M50: R Bell (Annad) 45:07
M55: N O’Gorman (Annad) 46:32
M65: D McGreevy (Newc) 49:59
M70: Peter McGuckin 59:15
U20: C Lewis (Jog Lisb) 45:51
Women: 1 K Wilton (Jog Lisb, W50) 47:21; 2 D Wilson (Drom, W55) 49:10; 3 S O’Kane (Lagan V, W55) 50:05; 4 Sonia Mcintyre (W40) 50:38
W70: M MacKin (Drom) 61:00
U20: Megan Cumming 51:52
