Sam Wadsworth was our only representative in this race and he reported on it as follows:
In a bid to find a race this weekend, I ventured to Skelmersdale for the Ashurst Beacon Fell Race. It's an out and back race which starts at the top of the main hill, drops down into a valley, climbs up the other side before looping back and finishing with a long climb (just where you need it the least). The race starts on a steep road descent and Southport's Ben Johnson, looking like a Lancashire version of Tom Adams, set off at a blistering pace making it seem like the result was a foregone conclusion. Halfway down the hill, the race switches onto tracks and other than some very muddy fields remained on these throughout. Fearing that I'd failed to leave enough in the tank for the climb at the end, I was worried about loosing positions towards the end as I could hear someone chasing me most of the way round. Luckily I managed to hold off the runner, who also struggled with the final climb and finished in 6th. Ben Johnson took first place, through on speaking to him afterwards, his win was not quite as comfortable or assured as it may have initially appeared, having lost the lead part of the way round.
The race was very well organised and marshalled with the results printed off before some people had managed to get served at the bar, (the bar service was a little slow tho). Really stiff legs caused by the steep road decent makes it difficult to recommend an ideal shoe but Mudclaws are definitely not the way forward should anyone chose to do this race next year.