High school runners on top again

Reporter: Catherine Smyth
Date online: 22 July 2010

A HIGH school had not just one Tor Mile winner but two.
Haslingden High School runner Alex Rawcliffe celebrated after he sped ahead of the field to comfortably win the Tor Mile race for his age group, for the second year running.
His success was matched by Isabella Lewis, 12, who also won her second Tor Mile race in the under 14 age group. The pair joined hundreds of runners taking part in the historic race to the top of Helmshore’s Musbury Tor and back. 

For Isabella she was following in her father’s training shoes, her dad Rossendale Harriers’ runner David Lewis holds the record for the Tor Mile. Alex, 14, said: “There were about 15 runners in the 14-15 age group and it was pretty hard going.
“The ground was very hard because we have had so little rain. When I came back down I was 30 seconds ahead of the nearest runner.” 

Alex is a member of Rossendale Harriers and plays football for Haslingden Juniors.
As he passed the finish line, Alex was greeted by fellow harrier Steve Duxbury and his parents Anne-Marie and Graham. 

Confident Alex said: “I thought I was going to win because when I was running down the hill I could see the large group was quite a distance behind me.”
Alex was glad his race was over early as the next runners had to tackle the Tor in thunder, lightning and heavy rain.  Thunder was just starting as Isabella descended the hill, but she managed to escape the rain and was clearly ahead of the field.