In one of the Yorkshire Dales most picturesque villages more than 100 runners are preparing to scramble up and down a 1.5-mile fell race that’s been taking place for more than a century.
Since it started in 1908, the Burnsall Classic has attracted top class athletes including former world record holder Derek Ibbotson, fell runner John Wild and European Indoor Athletics gold medallist Ricky Wilde.
President of the Burnsall Feast Sports committee Alan Stockdale, 82, is a third-generation farmer who has run the race more than 20 times.
“It’s a fabulous sport. The camaraderie is wonderful. All the greats came to Burnsall and I know some of them quite well,” he says.
“You’d be talking to international champions on the start line and they would say ‘How are you doing Alan? Have a good race. I’ll see you later’ and it’s like sitting in your car next to Lewis Hamilton, it’s just amazing.”
At just 1.5 miles (2.4km), the race to the top of the 1,260ft (386m) Burnsall Fell and back is one of the shortest events on the British Open Fell Running Association circuit, and it’s fast.
The current record, set in 1983 by former RAF Flight Sergeant John Wild, is 12 minutes and 48 seconds.
“The first report in the Craven Herald is 1882, but we think there was some sort of a race going on before that,” says Mr Stockdale.
“There’s nothing in writing about it, so we can’t prove anything one way or the other, but it doesn’t really matter, we’re certainly one of the oldest, no doubt about that.”
Today the Burnsall Feast Sports day includes races for juniors, a duck race, a wheelbarrow race and a pet show, but in 1908 it was quite a lot simpler.
The race started over a drink in the Red Lion pub, says Mr Stockdale, when “two of the blokes said, ‘all right, come on, let’s get out there and have a go.’ And it just sort of developed from there.”
The route has hardly changed in the past 117 years, but some extra safety measures have been put in place as traffic around the village has increased.
“It used to be straight up and straight down,” says Mr Stockdale.
“It was unsatisfactory and dangerous so we made it into a loop on the fell so they weren’t in each other’s way.
“Then recently they came off the fell on to the road just out of the village and there’s more traffic and people just seem so impatient, we had a few near incidents.”
Despite the increase in regulations, it’s still a “relaxed” race, he says. With runners only set a route for the way up the fell and finding their own way back down.
“You round the cairn and then it’s every man for himself and you can come down anywhere you want,” he says.
“It’s literally straight up and straight down and once you’re off the road into the pastures it’s just climbing all the time and then the descent is manic.
“They reckon they do it in about 3.5 to 4 minutes – I’ve done it loads of times myself and when the adrenaline is flowing it doesn’t seem so bad. But when you’re watching somebody else do it, it’s horrendous.”
There are some runners who see the freedom of the course as a tactical advantage, such as local Ted Mason, as Mr Stocksdale explains.
“He was one of the best in the area. He’s won at Burnsall a couple of times and he’s a great tactician.
“He comes in at dusk when nobody can see him and tries to work out these shortcuts and sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. It’s all part of the fun.”
Once the race is over the celebrations take place with a raffle, egg throwing, hymn singing and awards ceremony.
All of which is topped off with a drink back at the Red Lion, says Mr Stocksdale – something Mr Mason has also become a local legend for.
“It was his ambition to run Burnsall. He eventually won it and so he joined the elites,” he says.
“We present a cup for the men and a cup for the women and Ted spent the night in the pub with a cup full of beer and he went to town he was so pleased to win it.
“It’s such a relaxed race, obviously some of the top fell runners in Britain compete in Europe and do well, but yet still have a drink in the bar afterwards.”
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.