The inaugural Mount Karrin fell race attracted a strong field of 75 runners on Sunday, eager to tackle a tough new course that covers areas of countryside rarely visited.

Starting and finishing at Sulby Claddagh, the 16-kilometre route starts sedately as it meanders alongside the Sulby River before runners tackle the near-vertical easterly face of Mount Karrin.

Route choice is then wide open as the course descends through Tholt y Will plantation and up the other side towards Block Eary tholtan.

After a navigationally challenging traverse over to Creg Bedn, the final few kilometres utilise the well-established tracks through Narradale before the descent through Ohio and return to the Claddagh.

In-form Orran Smith (male vet-40) predictably set the early pace but was closely tracked by Nick Colburn who was making a return to the fells after a period of racing on two wheels.

Smith soon asserted his dominance as he quickly extended his lead on the precipitous climb to the 333-metre summit that lends this race its name. The chasing pack comprised Joey Bond, Ste Downward, Sam Looker and Tom Cringle but it was the latter who gradually pulled clear and ultimately into second as Colburn faded in the mid-part of the race.

By the final checkpoint at Narradale, Smith had built a near 10-minute lead while Cringle maintained a three-minute cushion from Bond. The same order was maintained at the finish line by similar margins with Looker only nine seconds off a podium place.

The MFR quintet of Downward, Colburn, Tom Williams, Matt Callister and Gary Kelly followed in close company having ran together for the majority of the race.

Smith’s winning time of under an hour-and-a-half mark was hugely impressive given the distance and severity of the climbs.

Nikki Arthur and Alice Forster could barely be separated at the final Millennium Way checkpoint but it was Arthur who managed to find eight seconds through Ohio to record her third consecutive race win, moving her one ahead of Forster for the season.

Hannah Moore, a recent debutant at the Manx Mountain Marathon, showed no lasting ill effects from that considerable effort to take an excellent third.

Fell regular Caroline Caren had a solid run to finish the pick of the female vet-40 class, while Baldhoon veteran Steve Partington came out top in the male vet-50 class.

Nicola Bowker took the equivalent honours in the female category. Course architect Shaun Hubbard, a recent addition to the vet-60 class, took the win along with fellow Laxey resident Jane Rose, rounding off a successful day for the east coast contingent.

Robert Webb, the sole representative in the vet-70 class, had a great run to finish just outside the top half of the field in 40th overall place - a superb effort from the seasoned campaigner.

Thanks to the many marshals who were required to ensure this race went ahead, course mastermind Shaun Hubbard, race organiser Steve Taggart, plus the officials and timekeepers.

Thanks also to DEFA for land access and the use of Sulby Claddagh, and to landowners for their kind cooperation in granting passage over their land.

l The next league event is the Bradda Fell Race on Sunday, May 29 at 10am. Entries will be online only - details will be published in due course.

Mount Karrin fell race, Callin Wild League, Sunday: 1, Orran Smith 1hr 27min 12sec; 2, Tom Cringle 1:36.05; 3, Joseph Bond 1:38.51; 4, Sam Looker 1:39.00; 5, Ste Downward 1:39.44; 6, Nick Colburn 1:40.23; 7 ,Tom Williams 1:41.16; 8, Matt Callister 1:41.32; 9, Gary Kelly 1:41.50; 10, Nikki Arthur 1:42.04; 11, Alice Forster 1:42.12; 12, Graeme Hatcher 1:43.25; 13, Charlie Whipp 1:44.42; 14, Neil Brogan 1:48.24; 15, Steve Parry 1:51.05; 16, Chris Wade 1:52.29; 17, Chris Hancox 1:52.43; 18, Hannah Moore 1:52.50; 19, Ali Stennett 1:54.03; 20, Mark Harvey 1:54.05; 21, Domenico Galante 2:02.31; 22, Martin Young 2:02.39; 23, Mark Eastham 2:02.47; 24, Steve Partington 2:02.51; 25, Shaun Hubbard 2:04.00; 26, Dominic McGreevy 2:06.06; 27, David Peach 2:06.21; 28, Alan Macnair 2:06.31; 29, Jock Waddington 2:06.40; 30, Michael Hayler 2:06.49; 31, Rebecca Harding 2:08.01; 32, Robert Crichton 2:08.35; 33, Mark Corrin 2:08.42; 34, Adam Killip 2:09.05; 35, Julian Corlett 2:12.05; 36, Chris Cale 2:15.14; 37, Tom Hughes 2:15.22; 38, Steve Callaghan 2:15.34; 39, Caroline Caren 2:16.52; 40, Robert Webb 2:17.20; 41, Paul Perkins 2:18.11; 42, David Rielly 2:19.20; 43, Voirrey Cashin 2:22.49; 44, Ally Stennett 2:22.53; 45, Gary Sherry 2:22.57; 46=, Sara Hinds and Maria Hull 2:23.05; 48, David Hodgson 2:23.19; 49, Lewis Veale 2:24.17; 50, Gary Christian 2:24.34; 51=, Carol Brogan and Sarah Cringle 2:34.28; 53, Ian Callister 2:34.30; 54, Paul Rodgers 2:34.44; 55=, Michael Garrett and Kathy Garrett 2:35.10; 57=, Geoff Quayle and Eugene Martin 2:35.22; 59, Jo Hawkins 2:35.56; 60, Dave Collister 2:36.00; 61, Chris Hodgson 2:37.04; 62, Nicola Bowker 2:37.12; 63, John Hills 2:40.29; 64=, Rebecca Kelly and Rosie Ormsby 2:42.24; 66, Hazel Dawson 2:43.12; 67=, Charlie Elliott and Jane Rose 2:45.45; 69=, Stephen Willmott, Michael Ulyatt and Michael Crook 3:01.30; 72, Ashley Sandyford-Sykes 3:20.20; 73=, Alison Corlett and Christine O’Shea 3:24.53; 75, Janette Gledhill 3:24.58.