The 3rd Haltwhistle Challenge (21st May, ~26 miles, 10 feet of ascent) was part of the Haltwhistle Walking Festival but makes special attempts to attract runners. There were 29 runners this year including a sprinkling of NFR's and other familiar faces from the local fell running scene. I was attracted to it because it is fairly local and has an early start. It is not a fell race by any stretch of the imagination with very little climb over the course and significant sections of tarmac but in remote and pleasant scenery the whole time including a couple of decent sections of Hadrian's Wall. Well organised and well marked but navigation still required for a few tricky sections. Weather on the day was very kind despite a fairly stiff breeze. Conditions on the ground were good too with only a few minor boggy patches to cope with. One frustrating point was the flagrant disregard of kit requirement by a small number of runners and the complete indifference of marshals - I would not be happy to be beaten by someone who had not played by the rules and I am surprised that the organisers let them run without so much as a map or whistle. Results and photos on event website (Haltwhistle Challenge website).

Will Horsley