The Hallam Chase claims to be the oldest continuously-run

fell race Fell running, also sometimes known as hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off-road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. The name arises from the origins of the English sport o ...

in the world and a part of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

's sporting history, being open to South Yorkshire road and fell-running clubs only. The race's origins lie in 1862, when

Hallam F.C. Hallam Football Club is an English football club based in Crosspool, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Founded in 1860, Hallam is the second oldest association football club in the world. Hallam currently play in the Northern Counties East League Pr ...

promoted the start of their football season by organising a ten-mile

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

. The event was won by T. Moore of the rival Sheffield F.C. and generated great attention. Numerous similar events were launched in the region. The following year, a second run from Hallam F.C.'s Sandygate ground was organised. Described as the Great Hallamshire Steeplechase, runners went to

Christ Church, Stannington Christ Church is an Anglicanism, Anglican place of worship situated on Church Street in the Stannington, Sheffield, Stannington area of the City of Sheffield, England. It is a Commissioners' church or “Million Church” as it was built partly w ...

, and back again, J. C. Shaw of Hallam winning on this occasion. During the 19th-century, the event remained highly popular, with a crowd of 20,000 spectators reported in 1883, and there was much betting on the results. Runners spent a significant time preparing for the race, and it was known for some strong runners to enter in disguise, in the hope of deceiving the bookmakers' handicapper. However, bookmakers were also known to employ "nobblers", who would obstruct the leading runners at gates and stiles along the route, to aid the runners on whom they would make a profit. In 1887, organisation of the event was taken over by the Hallamshire Cricket Club, and it was for the first time run under the rules of the

Amateur Athletic Association The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...

. However, crowds fell, and in 1894, it was decided to again permit professional athletes. This change was not considered a success, with only 3,000 spectators attending. By 1900, the event was again being organised by the football club. Over the years, all the other local steeplechases were abandoned, but the Hallam Chase continued, with breaks around

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The course, of about three-and-a-half miles, has long been regarded as extremely challenging due to its steep slopes. In the early 20th-century, it was nicknamed the "Race Across the Alps".

Sebastian Coe Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including 1500 metres gold medal ...

took part in the event as a club runner with the Hallamshire Harriers. He described the course as "bloody horrific. Down the rocks into a ravine, up the rocks on the other side. Down the rocks again and up the rocks scrabbling with hands and feet". The fell race is now always on the Tuesday evening after the second bank holiday in May, starting 20:00 from the Hallamshire Cricket Ground. It is open to male and female runners from South Yorkshire road and fell running clubs, under a handicap system. The handicap is set so the slower runners go off first and the quicker runners last- the idea being that all the runners return together. This may have the effect of discouraging stronger runners from taking part. The course record of 19:42 was set by Trevor Wright in 1968, although given the handicap system Terry Allcock (Hallamshire Harriers) was the winner of that year's race.

References

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External links

Hallam Chase Results 2006-To Date

Cheats, bets and killer hills: The 'brutal' race which keeps on running
1862 establishments in England Sport in Sheffield Fell running competitions