Race Date: Saturday 14th June 2025
Familiar to some Steel City as one third of the Three Peaks Fell Race, the AM category 12.2km, 612m ascent Pen-y-Ghent fell race also incorporated the British Mountain Running Championships and Inter-Counties Mountain Race for 2025. The selection procedure for the Inter-Counties included submitting details of results since January 2025 which was a bit of a problem for Abbie Pearse as she had been in SE Asia and then Kenya for much of the time although sixth at the Yorkshire XC Champs in January and 2:46 at the Copenhagen Marathon in May would have helped her cause. However, on learning that she had only been picked as reserve, Abbie “had fire in her belly” determined to prove the selectors wrong.
Rather moist weather greeted the women making for tricky conditions although the sun was shining by the time the field had returned to Horton-In-Ribblesdale.
Then, at 11pm on the Friday evening Abbie got the call up to don a Yorkshire vest so not much time for any nerves then. On Saturday, whilst Sheffield was sweltering as the sun beat down, Horton-In-Ribblesdale laid on a torrential downpour as the women’s race, run separate from the men, started. This had passed by the time the leaders had reached the top but still nice and wet for the descent. Nancy Scott (Surrey) won with 54:35. Abbie ran well to finish sixth and first Yorkshire lass as the home county took the gold medals prevailing by a single point over Cumbria.
Abbie with Pen-y-Ghent in the background.
There was more to come however as a couple of days later Abbie learned that she had been selected to run for England at the Snowdon International Mountain Race on 19th July. After searching the archives on the website, it is believed that this is the first time that Steel City have had someone chosen to run for their country in a senior event. It is a gruelling ten miles from Llanberis to the top of Yr Wyddfa and back with 1085m of climb. Regarded as a major events on the Welsh sporting calendar hopefully it will be televised on SC4 and remember, Snowdon has been a happy hunting ground for Steel City’s women in the past with Caroline Brock and Gillian Allen placing first and then second at the Snowdon Mountain Marathon.
Yorkshire, on home turf, won both the Women’s and Men’s team events. L-R Amilie Lane U23, Molly Browne, Katie Walshaw, Rosalind Mather, Abbie Pearse.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 6 (5) | Abbie Pearse | SF | 59:44 |
Link to full results: Pen-y-Ghent 2025
Postscript: In the men’s race there was drama as a 51 year old suffered a heart attack and collapsed close to the finish. After being treated by paramedics and Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) volunteers at the scene he was airlifted to hospital but was said to be on the mend and “sitting up in bed eating jelly babies” by Sunday evening..
