Double Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee finished on the podium at the iconic Three Peaks Race in the Yorkshire Dales on Saturday.
Billed as the ‘marathon with mountains’ it’s one of several challenges Brownlee is taking on in his first year since retiring from triathlon.
This was the 70th edition of the event, which is a little under marathon distance at 24.2 miles, though that’s more than made up by the elevation gain of nearly 1,600 metres as the runners conquer the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.
And it was Brownlee, racing in his Bingley AC vest, who was top to the first of those as he reached the summit of Pen-y-ghent in little more than half an hour.
He’d said of the race beforehand: “[This is] a proper classic. Tough course, big hills, and a special atmosphere. Can’t wait to get stuck in.”
And he was more than living up to his word as he continued to lead the way at the next checkpoint which came at the famous Ribblehead Viaduct.
The battle for the win
By now though he was part of a select five-man group which had pulled clear of the rest.
The five also featured two-time Three Peaks winner Brennan Townshend, GB runner Chris Holdsworth, French raider Clovis Chaverot, who landed the Ultra Trail du Beaujolais Vert in December, and the current English Fell Champion in Ben Rothery.
Brownlee opened up a narrow lead by the top of Whernside, 30 seconds in front of Rothery.
Rothery descent claims the win
But Rothery, representing the Ilkley Harriers club in Yorkshire, is renowned for his brilliant descending and he used that to stunning effect as he left his rivals trailing.
At the top of the final peak of Ingleborough he had opened up a gap of three minutes and 20 seconds from Chaverot and Brownlee and – barring mishaps – that wasn’t going to be closed on the downhill section back to the start / finish at Horton-in-Ribblesdale.
Indeed Rothery’s advantage ballooned – he stopped the clock in exactly three hours, with Chaverot (3:07:32) just holding off Brownlee (3:08:00) for second.
