Women race Cresta Run event for first time in 103 years

Cresta Run is one of the world’s most popular skiing events. It is held every year on the banks of the River Elbe. The event has been banned since the 1970s due to health and safety concerns. It has now been allowed to resume after a 10-year ban.

Alcott was riding the Cresta to highlight the first women’s race since 1921. It was an experience that left her “holding her breath’ and ‘buzzing’ She said: ‘If you get a buzz out of fear, if you are still pushing your boundaries’ The last women to win before the ban was a Mrs Baguley, who in 1921 finished in 64. 9 seconds. She won in a time of 57.

76 seconds at a top speed of 71. 35mph. The Cresta was built in 1884 and in 1887, the SMTC was founded by British military officers. Women were banned from the course in 1929 over fears of breast cancer.

The ban was lifted in December and women can now ride the full course. Only 13 women - including four Britons - have qualified to ride from the head of the run. The full course is so extreme that riders must qualify to ride it posting consistently fast times. Her passion for the Cresta Run comes from her father, the late Lieutenant-Colonel Digby Willoughby.

Five people have died on the run, the most recent death in 2017. It usually takes multiple seasons to make it to the top of the mountain. Kinny Evans’ 18-year-old daughter, Isabella, competed as they became the second mother and daughter to take part in a Grand National. Club secretary Martin Greenland said: “Bringing the ladies back in is the greatest thing that has happened to the club in modern times.

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