Keswick AC Downhill Championship 2025
Planning a New Event: From Idea to Action
Now this idea had been brewing for quite some time, sitting on the long list of club plans for a few years. The inimitable Jacob Tonkin has been running an uphill champ’s series for the last three or so seasons in a sociable time trial format, and this year I was determined to add a complimentary and yet completely different Keswick AC Downhill Championship event.
With a head-to-head eliminator race format inspired by snowboard and MTB 4-cross and slalom, the plan was to create a fast and furious downhill running event — short-track heats and finals over a largely fixed flagged course that would test speed endurance and technical prowess more acutely than simply who had the requisite fitness and conditioning for the longer, attritional descents more commonly found in fell running and longer mountain running races in the Lake District.
Building the Dream Team
I met up with Kate Marriot and Matty Atkinson at the pub in Braithwaite sometime over winter to pitch the concept and look for inspiration and idea honing.
These two were a natural fit, given their enthusiasm and ability to hard charge steep, rough descents and bring a distinctly fresher-faced approach to proceedings.
This triumvirate of downhill specialism had the complete package of event logistics, artistic creativity, and mathematical analytics for success — everything a Keswick running club event could need to take off.
Choosing the Perfect Location: Threlkeld Knotts
With a template in place and a location suggested, a recce of Threlkeld Knotts in the Lake District took place in late springtime via a cracking jaunt up Fisher Wife’s Rake and down Red Screes.
The west-facing side of Threlkeld Knotts is blessed with a stunning vista of both the Northwestern Fells and the bulk of the Skiddaw and Blencathra south-facing ridges and skyline.
It also offers a mix of fast runnable grass at lower slope angles with some steeper pitches of mixed scree and boulder field — perfect for a downhill mountain running course that challenges but doesn’t overwhelm a mixed-ability competitor field.
Setting the Date and Overcoming Weather Challenges
Finding a window of opportunity in an outrageously stacked era of races and events is no mean feat, and after close attention to key dates and club happenings in the diary we picked out a Friday night in early July for the Keswick AC Downhill Championship debut.
A few days out, and in the midst of an early summer storm deluge phase, things were looking shaky. Sadly, we pulled the plug and postponed on the proposed morning as the weather reached biblical monsoon proportions. Disappointed, we picked ourselves up and looked ahead.
Fast forward to early September — a new date is fixed, and the weather is magical, just how you’d envision a Lake District sunset race.
The First Keswick Downhill Running Championship Race
Race Setup and Pre-Event Energy
Race night arrives, Matty has disappeared to London on a jolly, so just Kate and I start the steep hike up to the course location from St Johns in the Vale Road with arms full of race flags, banners, and other paraphernalia. It’s steep, the kit is heavy, Louise Brown joins us to help, and Corny appears on an E-bike and takes a burden on ahead. The sun is shining and heading toward the western horizon over the Lake District fells.
As ever with these things, you tend to underestimate just how long ahead of your start time you need to get out and set up. Some furious flagging ensues; course set, we head back to the finish line to meet and greet a decent-sized crowd of happy runners and spectators.
The First Round: Grass Lines and Golden Light
The runners head up Threlkeld Knotts to the start line at one of the summit cairns, doing a track-walk recce in reverse. The first round is run over an easier, more direct grass line to accommodate a larger group. Still basking in an orange glow, a quick brief is offered and we’re underway.
I run at the back, taking in the glorious spectacle of a load of good people doing something fun in the cradle of our wondrous Lake District backyard. Probably I whoop and holler a little — why not?
The Second Round: Scree, Boulder Fields and Strategy
Those who get a ticket on to the second round based on finishing position within gender and age class are welcomed to turn and hike up again, only this time we’re heading up the harder course that enters a scree basin feature near the bottom and cuts across a tricky off-camber boulder field directly from the start line.
This is the moment the Keswick AC Downhill Championship truly clicks for me and creates that cross-sport hybridisation — people locked in friendly discussion and banter about very specific line choices and options, all moving together up to the start area in a low-key, hype-free atmosphere that still resides at the core of the fell running ethos and community. Probably I whoop and holler a little internally. I’m certainly enjoying myself.
Crowning the Champions
Sara Hodgson is the first lady over the line in round 2 and, without needing to run again in the final round, is crowned Queen of the Mountain for 2025.
Heading back up for a third bite now are Ben Holmes, Owen Mills, Max Buttinger and Chris Naylor.
And that’s the order they cross the line in after a somewhat more intense charge down the hill in the now dying of the light.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Congrats to Sara and Ben on being victorious and winning a Cyclamen pot plant each, and a heartfelt thanks to everyone who came out to run, cheer, and help establish a new Lake District mountain running event. The Keswick AC Downhill Championship is a concept we feel is valuable and well worth pursuing into the future.
See y’all next year for more downhill running and fell charging!
Dava. Kate. Matt.
Ready to Take on the Fells Yourself?
If reading about the Keswick AC Downhill Championship has got you itching to lace up and hit the trails, why not join us out on the fells? At Scree Mountain Running, we offer guided runs, bespoke coaching, and adventure sessions across the Lake District, tailored to all levels — from those discovering fell running for the first time to seasoned mountain athletes looking to refine their downhill technique.
Get in touch today to book a guided run or coaching session and experience the freedom, flow and challenge of mountain running in one of the most inspiring landscapes in the world.
