The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Lifestyle: Three Peaks Race
As if running up one mountain isn’t foolhardy enough, these hardened men in shorts do three, displaying amazing endurance, as well as weary legs and wasted expressions.
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Overview
This tribute to grit, determination and masochism by Yorkshire Television features one of their own young journalists, Roger Greenwood, embarking upon Britain’s most famous fell race in 1976. We follow Greenwood as he starts out with just two months preparation, and then joins 364 others over the 23 mile course, with beautiful shots of the runners struggling up of the three peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough and over the Yorkshire moors.
Roger Greenwood, who finished in 4 hrs 10 mins, went on to have a successful career in TV broadcasting, and remains a television producer. The winner, John Calvert won the next year as well, while his rival Harry Walker went on to win the race on three occasions. The record time is held by Jeff Norman, in 2 hrs, 29 mins, 53 secs in 1974, although the course has been made longer and harder in the meantime. The women's record of 3 hrs, 14 mins and 43 secs is held by Anna Pichrtová in 2008 – women only started competing in 1979. In 2015 Dave Scott completed his 48th race aged nearly 74. Although the best known fell race in Britain, the Three Peaks, dating back to 1954, is not as challenging as the Big 3 24-hour Rounds.
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