The iconic four-day running event, The Tour, returned over the weekend, with a brand-new winner grabbing the headlines.
Salford Harriers’ Joshua Birmingham produced a dominant display on debut, racing to victory in all four races, while 2025 winner Chloe Elliott retained her crown with another clean sweep of wins.
Birmingham opened the weekend in style, finishing Thursday’s X-Trail 10k over two minutes quicker than any of his competitors with a time of 33:57.
Next to cross the finish line was full Tour runner-up and fellow Salford Harrier Ryan Worland, with Marcus Nicholson just 14 seconds behind in third.
Friday’s Hell on the Fell had a similar result, with Birmingham racing home in 35 minutes and 43 seconds, while Worland’s time of 36:59 was enough for him to record back-to-back second placed finishes.
Elsewhere, East Cheshire Harriers’ Brandon Kenyon-Betts claimed third with a time of 37:42.
Saturday’s Hero Half Marathon saw the lightning quick Birmingham finish in a remarkable 1 hour 11 minutes and 51 seconds, well clear of Jonathan Manning and the aforementioned Nicholson, who took second and third respectively.
The latter’s time of 39:36 wasn’t enough for him to repeat the feat in Sunday’s Dr Ron Hill Hyde 7 though, with Sale Harriers teammate Steven Henderson pipping him to third by a single second.
Finally, two familiar faces made up the first and second spots, with Birmingham rounding off a superb weekend with a time of 36:09, finishing just under two minutes clear of Worland.
In the women’s section, Elliott started the weekend strong, racing to victory in the X-Trail with a time of 40:39, finishing just under a minute ahead of Sale Harriers teammate Erin Terry, with full Tour runner up Carly Gould close behind in third.
The top three remained the same for the Hell on the Fell, with Elliott’s 43 minutes and 18 seconds enough to clinch the win.
Her impressive form continued into the Half Marathon, as she finished over six minutes clear of Gould, while Jenny Fox picked up her first podium of the weekend in third.
Elliott and Gould’s dominance continued into Sunday, with the former crossing the line in 44 minutes and 57 seconds.
Finally, East Cheshire Harriers’ Katie Kay ended the weekend in style with a third-place finish, racing home just ahead of twin sisters Jess and Erin Terry, who could only be separated by three seconds in fourth and fifth.
For a full list of results, visit:
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