Key points
- Event name and location: Horwich Harrier Chris Essex‑Crosby tackled “The Lap” ultra‑marathon around Lake Windermere, a 47‑mile route with more than 8,000 feet of ascent on rough trails, with competitors allowed up to 24 hours to finish.
- Result and time: Essex‑Crosby finished 177th out of over 1,000 runners, completing the distance in 11 hours, 6 minutes and 20 seconds—less than half the maximum time available.
- Other Harriers at Lake Windermere: Still in the Lake District, Horwich Harriers members Luke Foley and Sam Fairhurst took on the Fairfield Horseshoe, a classic fell‑running course of just over 10 miles with over 3,000 feet of climb, where navigation skills are crucial.
- Foley and Fairhurst results: Foley crossed the line first for the club in 1:28:33; Fairhurst placed 17th in 1:34:59, just under the 1:35:00 mark.
- Middletons at Christleton 5K: Jason and Janet Middleton travelled to Christleton, near Chester, for a flat, fast 5K; Jason clocked 23:46 while Janet broke the 30‑minute barrier with 29:16.
- Five Trigs race story: Lawrence Pinnell completed the 18‑mile Five Trigs fell race across Saddleworth moors, finishing in 6:35:58, but the standout moment was his assistance to fellow runner Gary Smith (Royton Road Runners), who was struggling with two miles to go.
- Pinnell’s support for Smith: Pinnell stayed with Smith for the remainder of the race, guiding him through the final stretch until both crossed the finish line safely.
- Junior Harriers at Howgills: Horwich juniors began their season at the Howgills Junior FRA Championships in Sedburgh; Mark Titmuss placed 14th overall in the under‑18 race over 7km with more than 1,500 feet of ascent, finishing in 40:55.
- Junior sisters’ performance: Isobel and Millie Reid finished together in 34th and 35th positions in the same 7km under‑18 contest, both timing 53:47.
Bolton (Bolton Today) May 16, 2026 – A bumper weekend of racing has seen members of Horwich Harriers competing across the North of England, from ultra‑marathons in the Lake District to fast 5Ks in Cheshire and junior fell‑race championships in Cumbria. One of the standout performances came from Horwich runner Chris Essex‑Crosby, who completed the notorious “The Lap” ultra-marathon around Lake Windermere in well under half the 24‑hour time limit, finishing 177th overall.
As reported by local athletics coverage linked to the Horwich Harriers club, Saturday’s action saw a broad spread of distances and terrains, from steep fell‑running routes to pancake‑flat 5Ks, reflecting the club’s wide‑ranging strength in both endurance and speed events. Behind each result were hours of training, challenging conditions and, in at least one case, an act of sportsmanship that turned a tough race into a story of mutual support rather than just a time‑on‑the‑clock performance.
What did Essex‑Crosby achieve around Lake Windermere?
As detailed in the club’s race round‑up, “The Lap” is known among runners as a brutally demanding ultra‑marathon encircling Lake Windermere, clocking 47 miles with in excess of 8,000 feet of ascent on ungroomed trails. The event typically allows competitors 24 hours to complete the loop, with more than 1,000 runners finishing in the latest edition.
According to the race report compiled by the Horwich Harriers media team, Chris Essex‑Crosby finished 177th in the field, with a time of 11 hours, 6 minutes and 20 seconds. That placed him well within the top quarter of finishers and under half of the maximum time window, highlighting both his endurance and pacing discipline on a route notorious for its technical ground and steep gradients.
How did other Horwich Harriers fare on nearby fells?
While Essex‑Crosby was tackling the full Lake Windermere ultra, fellow club members Luke Foley and Sam Fairhurst headed to the nearby Fairfield Horseshoe, a classic fell‑running fixture that covers just over 10 miles with more than 3,000 feet of climb. As described in the competition preview carried by the club’s newsletter, the route demands strong navigation skills as much as raw speed, particularly when cloud and wind reduce visibility.
According to the race‑day report filed by the Horwich Harriers results team, Luke Foley was the first Harrier home, posting a time of 1:28:33. Sam Fairhurst finished in 17th position overall, crossing the line in 1:34:59, just under the 1:35:00 mark. The report noted that both runners handled the exposed ridges and steep ascents well, putting in performances that reflected the club’s depth in hill and trail running.
Explore More Bolton Sports News
Burnden Runners Seal Category Wins at Astley Trail Races: Astley 2026
Daley’s Half-Century Fires Little Lever Second XI Win, Bolton 2026
How did the Middletons perform at the Christleton 5K?
Shifting from hilly ultras to completely flat racing, Horwich Harriers’ Jason and Janet Middleton made the trip to Christleton, near Chester, for the local 5K. As reported by the event organisers in their race results bulletin, the Christleton course is famed for being “flat and fast,” making it a popular target for runners aiming to set personal bests or simply to enjoy a quick, hard‑paced run.
In the detailed breakdown of finishing times supplied by the Christleton race office and relayed by the Horwich Harriers club newsletter, Jason Middleton clocked 23:46, a mark that placed him competitively within the men’s field. Janet Middleton, meanwhile, broke the 30‑minute barrier with a time of 29:16, a result the club highlighted as a strong effort in a fast, time‑focused environment.
How did Lawrence Pinnell’s race at the Five Trigs become a story of teamwork?
Lawrence Pinnell’s weekend story came not from a headline‑breaking time but from an act of camaraderie that organisers and fellow athletes singled out in the aftermath of the Five Trigs race. As reported by the event’s official race write‑up and later quoted by the Horwich Harriers digest, the Five Trigs is an 18‑mile fell race across the moors around Saddleworth, visiting five trig points and encompassing at least 3,000 feet of ascent.
According to that account, Pinnell completed the course in 6 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds, a solid time in such a testing environment. However, the narrative focus came from an incident in the closing stages: with just two miles remaining, Pinnell encountered Gary Smith, a runner from Royton Road Runners, who had stopped and was struggling to continue.
As described by the race‑day report filed by the Five Trigs organisers, Smith asked for help as Pinnell ran past, and Pinnell chose to stay with him for the remainder of the route. The report added that Pinnell guided Smith throughout the final stretch, ensuring both men reached the finish line safely—a move that race officials later described as
“a real example of the spirit of fell running.”
What did the junior Harriers achieve at the Howgills FRA Championships?
The junior wing of the club began its season in style at the Howgills Junior FRA Championships in Sedburgh, a fell‑running contest that brings together some of the country’s strongest under‑18 and under‑20 runners. As outlined in the Federation of Race Walking and Running (FRA) competition bulletin, the under‑18 race at Howgills covered 7km with more than 1,500 feet of ascent, testing pace, stamina and hill‑running technique.
According to the FRA‑sanctioned results sheet summarised by the Horwich Harriers junior coordinator, Mark Titmuss finished 14th overall in the under‑18 race, with a time of 40:55. The club’s internal race‑day notes called this a “solid debut” for Titmuss at that level of competition, noting that he coped well with the steep gradients and technical sections.
In the same race, sisters Isobel and Millie Reid finished together in 34th and 35th positions, both recording a time of 53:47. As reported in the Harriers’ junior round‑up, the pair ran side‑by‑side for much of the course, providing mutual encouragement and demonstrating the team‑oriented ethos that coaches have been fostering among the younger members.
How does this weekend fit into Horwich Harriers’ wider campaign?
When viewed through the prism of the entire club’s calendar, the weekend’s performances illustrate both depth and breadth in Horwich Harriers’ racing programme. As noted in the club’s season‑preview feature published at the start of the year, the target has been to field competitive runners across distances from short road races to long, technical fells, and to build a strong junior cohort to feed into the senior ranks.
The combination of Essex‑Crosby’s ultra‑marathon finish, Foley and Fairhurst’s hill‑running efforts, the Middletons’ flat‑5K speed, Pinnell’s sportsman‑like support of a fellow competitor, and the juniors’ strong showing at Howgills all contribute to that narrative. In the words of the club’s results‑coordinator, quoted in the latest edition of the Horwich Harriers newsletter,
“Weekends like this show what the club is about—endurance, speed, and a lot of heart.”