Duo strike gold in Keswick on Saturday, Adrian Stott reports, ahead of the European Off-Road Running Championships in Slovenia.

Ben Rothery (Ilkley) and Scarlet Dale (Ambleside) battled changeable weather conditions to take the titles at the British Mid-Distance Trail Championships at Keswick on Saturday.

The event was incorporated into the Run Through Lake District Trail event.

Due to the conditions, the original 53km course was changed to the bad weather route of 48km, avoiding Scafell summit, which had seen overnight snowfall.

With the event also incorporating a Home Countries International and acting as a trial for the upcoming European Off-Road Running Championships in Slovenia in June, a strong field was on the start line.

The fast initial low-level, 15km stretch from Keswick to Seathwaite saw a strong group of men setting a good early pace. Rothery, along with his England team-mates, Grant Cunliffe and Bertie Houghton, were prominent, together with Luke Grenfall-Shaw, Sasha Chepelin, Andy Symonds and Andrew Heyes.

After running the more technical sections, over to Wasdale and on to Honister, the  group had been reduced to four. At the Honister Checkpoint, approximately 35km, reached in around 2 hours and 45 minutes, Chepelin and Rothery had a slight lead over Hougton, with Grenfall-Shaw a few seconds behind.

In a close finish, Rothery was to hold off Houghton to take the win in 3:56:41, with Houghton just 12 seconds back in 3:56:53. Chepelin held on for third in 3:58:26 and Grenfall-Shaw fourth in 4:01:22.

In the women’s race, Ambleside’s Scarlet Dale committed from the start and had opened a clear lead by the first checkpoint at Seathwaite. Eve Pannone was holding second with Emily Cowper-Coles and Kirsty Oldham not far behind. By the Honister Checkpoint, Dale had a commanding lead, arriving just under 3 hours into the race and now holding a 10-minute lead over Pannone. Cowper-Coles and Oldham were to arrive together a further five minutes later, with Scotland’s Catriona Graves also in contention.

Dale did not let up, reaching the finish in 4:27:31 over eight minutes ahead of Pannone, who claimed the silver medal in 4:36:08. Cowper-Coles was to prove the stronger in the dual for the bronze medal, finishing in 4:44:50 to Oldham’s 4:45:16 with Graves finishing strongly in 4:46:45 for fifth.

A GB and NI team of up to four men and four women will be selected for the trail event at European Off-Road Running Championships in Slovenia in June.

Leading finishers at Keswick along with any others, not at the trial, who have expressed an interest, will be in contention when teams are selected in the next week.

In the Home Countries team competition, decided on the cumulative times of each nation’s first three runners. England were comfortable winners over Scotland, with Wales and Northern Ireland also finishing teams.

England also won the women’s team competition from Scotland.

Overall (48km): 1 B Rothery (Ilkley) 3:56:45; 2 B Houghton (K Fuga) 3:56:53; 3 A Chepelin (C’thy) 3:58:26; 4 L Grenfell-Shaw (Brooks TR) 4:01:22; 5 A Symonds (Scott R, M40) 4:08:58; 6 George Foster (M40) 4:11:29

M45: G Irvine (Moth) 4:48:01

M50: B Gibson (Dund H) 5:03:19

M55: D Cox (Morz) 6:46:53

M60: D Baglee (Eden) 6:49:12

Women: 1 S Dale (Amble) 4:27:31; 2 E Pannone (Amble) 4:36:08; 3 E Cowper-Coles (Dark Pk) 4:44:50; 4 K Oldham (Dund H) 4:45:16

W35: B Pascall (Kesw) 4:57:28

W40: N Arthur (Manx F) 5:16:35

W45: Catherine Brien 6:49:47

W55: J Smith (Ilkley) 7:15:05

READ MORE: Weekend results round-up

Overall (23km): 1 J Rowe (R’through) 1:49:13; 2 J Bowles (G&G) 1:56:18; 3 Aaron Jarvis 2:04:21; 4 Paul Thompson (M40) 2:07:24; 5 Mitchel Allen 2:09:06; 6 Maciej Kowalski (M45) 2:10:52

M50: P Kerecsenyi (Chorlton) 2:40:07

M55: J Swann (Norham) 2:54:38

M60: Neil Tilley 3:06:51

M70: B Thompson (Helm H) 3:23:40

U20: Carson Nasir 2:22:21

Women: 1 C Ebe (Kailas MC) 2:12:31; 2 E Pitcher (Kesw) 2:21:10; 3 Kat Brownlee (W40) 2:24:22; 4 Naomi K Wright (W35) 2:27:22

W45: Angela Ashcroft 2:54:21

W60: S Staniek (Amble) 2:57:31

W65: J Kemp (N’wich) 3:37:26