FELL running travelled North of the border to Scotland for the Famous Alva Games in Clackmannanshire at the weekend.

The Alva Games Open Hill Race attracted runners from as far as the Netherlands and the United States.

A record 99 seniors and 58 juniors competed in their various races. The senior route leaves the relative security of a flat, mown grass race track, to quickly become a near-vertical course that climbs 1,300 feet up through bracken, gorse, rocks and rough grass to reach the summit of Torry.

The ascent might be a hand over fist crawl but the descent is pure adrenaline as the only real way to go is to slide and bounce down on your backside.

Recent rain had made the grass greasy, making this the fastest and safest form of descent. Alva is unique in the BOFRA race calendar in that runners are visible throughout the whole course.

The first to the summit, and race winner, was Bingley Harriers’ Rob Jebb (19.45). The second man to cross the finish line was Dessie Flanagan of Carnethy (21.26) and third was Helm Hill’s Alastair Dunn (21.33).

The first lady back into the showfield was Ochil Hill Runners’ Sarah Wiseman (25.29). She was followed by Helm Hill’s Sharon Taylor, one second later and the third lady was Lisa Allen (Cairngorm Runners) in 28.39.

The under-17 race takes in all the delights of the gorse and much of the bracken as it winds its way part way up Torry and back again.

This year’s race winner was Blackburn Harriers’ Joshua Boyle (11.24) with the Wharfedale Harriers’ pair of Thomas Nelson (11.34) and Robbie Johnstone (13.14) in second and third places

The first girl was Keighley & Craven’s Alana Willis (20.49) with Wharfedale’s Ellamae Gibson (21.08) in second place.

The under-14 course included the gorse but little bracken before turning and returning for a second dose of prickles.

The first two boys home home were Keighley & Craven brothers Joe and Louis Hudson (9.55 and 10.01). Third place went toWharfedale’s Logan Hargreaves-Madhas (10.20).

The first girl was Helm Hill’s Katie Thurlow (11.16), with Keighley and Craven’s Katie Atkinson (12.35) second and her colleague Emily Jones (13.2, third.

The mixed under-12 and under-nine race was won by Kendal’s Fraser Sproul in a course-record time of 9.37. The second and third boys were the Wharfedale duo of Alexander Thompson (10.00) and Sam Smith (10.33).

Wharfedale's Alice Jones (11.51) and Charlotte Barrett (12.13) took the top two places in the girls race with the Broughton Runners’ competitor Emily Swarbrick (12.51) in third.