Wilson Run 2021

Full Results

Following the cancellation of last year’s Wilson Run (only the fourth time in its 141 year history the race has been cancelled), we were delighted to be able to host the Wilson Run this year.

Usually run at the end of March, the decision was made earlier this year to complete the Wilson Run towards the end of the Summer term, to allow enough time for pupils to train and qualify ahead of the big day. Being in June, there was always a chance that weather conditions would have been more favourable than those in March. This, however, was not the case, as pupils battled the challenging ten mile route under a cloudless sky and temperatures that reached 24 degrees.

With a small amendment to the course, starting and finishing on Lupton Field, it was Year 12 Fraser Sproul (S) who made his intentions clear from the very beginning, starting strong and putting daylight between him and the rest of the field. He was over 2 minutes clear by the first checkpoint and his lead continued to grow throughout the race. Through the halfway point, Fraser had extended his lead over second placed Sam Sancar (W) to over 6 minutes. Behind Fraser and Sam, other runners were growing into the race and began to reap the benefits of a more cautious start. George Welch (E), Tom Ogden (S) and brothers Oscar (E) and Jonty (S) Stewart all started to make their way through the field and make up positions.

In the girls’ race, it was Natasha Cookson (L) who, like Fraser, led from the front and set the pace for a brilliantly tight and contested race. Alicia Newing (R) remained close to Natasha throughout the entirety of the race, never slipping more than just a couple of minutes behind. The chasing pack behind them, consisting of Gabby Morris (C), Robyn Johnston (C), Emily Barnard (L) and Holly Haywood (R), were only separated by a matter of seconds throughout most of the course. That was until Gabby Morris managed to find another gear and move away, taking herself from fifth to third, as they passed through the penultimate checkpoint.

First through onto Lupton Field, and heading down the new, long finishing straight was Fraser Sproul. Greeted with applause and cheers, Fraser crossed the line to take victory in a time of 01:13:09. Just over 9 minutes behind, Sam Sancar crossed the line in second and it was George Welch, who ran a brilliantly tactical race to come home in third. Tom Ogden maintained his position throughout the race to finish in fourth, whilst Oscar got the better of his brother, Jonty, as they claimed fifth and sixth place respectively.

It was a similar story in the girls’ race, as Natasha Cookson led from start to finish and crossed the line in a winning time of 01:37:42. Alicia Newing finished strongly to come home in second, with Gabby Morris rewarded for her well-judged pacing with a third place. The race for fourth, fifth and sixth was a battle right to the very end, as Robyn Johnson found something extra to move herself from sixth up to fourth in the latter stages of the race. Emily Barnard managed to pass Holly Haywood as the two of them came in to finish fifth and sixth respectively.

As the stream of runners started to come down the finishing straight, the emotion was clear for all to see. Completing the Wilson Run is a long-standing Sedberghian tradition, which holds the upmost value to all of our pupils, both past and present. The spirit of Sedbergh is personified through the entire day; commitment, determination, camaraderie and friendship.