Todmorden Harriers had a full weekend with races featuring in both the club’s fell and road championships taking place.
First up, on Saturday, was the Fiendsdale fell race with a 7.5 mile route that took in 2,500 feet of ascent and descent. Sunny skies greeted the race which was restricted to a select field of 100 entrants.
Danny Hope of Pudsey and Bramley was in a class of his own, setting a new course record of 1:03:57, on his way to a win by almost 6 minutes. First Todmorden Harrier to finish was Alistair Rhodes-Dawson with a solid performance to take 8th place. Dave Collins continued his rich vein of form with another vet50 win, and 13th place overall.
The ladies were not to be outdone with Lauren Jeska and Kath Brierley finishing 5th and 6th ladies, after a close nip and tuck battle throughout the race with just 3 seconds between them at the line. Jane Leonard won the vet50 category and together the trio took the ladies team prize.
Todmorden Results: 8 Alistair Rhodes - Dawson 1:13:07; 13 Dave Collins 1:17:34; 40 Roger Howarth 1:25:22; 50 James Riley 1:27:43; 53 Lauren Jeska 1:27:56; 54 Kath Brierley 1:27:59; 68 Jane Leonard 1:33:40; 84 Richard Leonard 1:39:27; 89 Peter Marshall 1:43:32.
On Sunday, the second round of the club’s road championship persuaded 26 Harriers to make the short trip to Burnley for Blessed Trinity Sports College’s well organised 10k race.
After a fast start past Turf Moor the 222 strong field climbed gradually past Townley Park, before turning back along Todmorden Road. A sharp climb up Mount Lane at the mid-way point punished those who had started too quickly and a further climb up Red Lees Road followed before a fast final 2 miles returned runners back to the finish. James Reed won the race in 33:16, a minute and a half ahead of the next runner.
With just over a minute separating the first 5 Harriers to finish, the men’s road championship is already shaping up to be extremely competitive this year. First to finish was Scott Lapish with a strong run in 20th, holding off Joe Stansfield to the end. Next Harrier over the line was David Baldaro, followed by Duncan Ritchie.
The ladies road championship is also looking to develop into an exciting battle, with Lucy Hobbs recording an outstanding performance to finish 3rd lady. Kerry Edwards also had an excellent day finishing 5th, and Bev Wright completed another winning performance for the ladies team.
Prizes also went to Moyra Parfitt, 1st ladies vet60 and Derek Clutterbuck, 1st vet75 on a day when several Harriers recorded personal best times for the distance, despite the hilly nature of the course.
Todmorden Results: 20 Scott Lapish 39:07; 23 Joe Stansfield 39:16; 28 David Baldaro 39:44; 30 Duncan Ritchie 40:12; 32 Richard Butterwick 40:25; 42 Dan Taylor 41:41; 57 Lucy Hobbs 43:28; 58 Keith Parkinson 43:32; 70 Kerry Edwards 44:31; 71 Darren Tweed 44:31; 81 Paul Brannigan 45:17; 110 Beverley Wright 47:34; 124 Elise Milnes 48:53; 128 Peter Ehrhardt 49:10; 138 Paula Haworth 50:09; 155 Moyra Parfitt 51:37; 161 Helen Hodgkinson 52:48; 177 Julie Wyant 54:12; 184 David Henthorne 55:27; 186 Mandy Goth 55:43; 187 Barry Chapman 55:46; 188 Rachel Henthorne 55:50; 198 Myra Wells 58:08; 203 Rachel Allen 59:03; 204 Derek Clutterbuck 59:04; 205 Graham Milnes 59:38.
Thursday 26 March 2009
Thursday 19 March 2009
Windmill's Whizz | Haworth Hobble | High Peak 40
Dave Collins recorded an historic win at the Windmill’s Whizz fell race at Ogden Water on Saturday. It was no surprise that Todmorden Harriers supplied the winner of this 7 mile circuit of Ovenden Moor, with Chris Smale having triumphed in two of the last three years, but Collins was an unexpected winner after a sizeable number of the front runners had taken a wrong turning as a result of a directional sign that had been interfered with.
Proving that fell running requires sharp mental skills in addition to speed and strength, Collins who had won the Vet50 prize the year before, sportingly had tried to call runners back after they had gone astray from the route. He then progressed on his way and crossed the line to enthusiastic cheers as he realised he had won the race outright this year.
Meanwhile on the moors above Haworth, Hebden and Todmorden, many Harriers were tackling the 33 mile Haworth Hobble. The race that started and finished in Haworth, can be entered either as a pair or solo, and attracted a quality field of over 250 entrants as it formed the latest ‘short’ round in the 2009 UK Ultra Running Championship Series. Jon Wright continued his excellent current form over the longer distances with 4th place in a time of 4 hours and 30 minutes, just 15 minutes behind winner Jez Bragg.
Sue Roberts and Elise Milnes, who knocked one and a half hours off her previous attempt, finished as the first female pair and Chris Preston finished as 6th solo lady, 1 second behind Calder Valley’s Clare Kenny.
The previous weekend had seen four Todmorden Ladies take on the High Peak Marathon, a 42 mile loop around the Derwent watershed in the Peak District. With a start from Edale just before midnight, much of the boggy route is covered through darkness. Battling against wind, rain and drizzle, competitors also found that the approach of daylight did little to improve visibility with much of the higher ground shrouded in clag.
The team, competing as Tod Totty, made up of Mandy Goth, Kath Brierley, Rachel Skinner and Emma Osenton completed the epic event in a time of 14 hours and 39 minutes.
Another team featuring Harriers’ Jon Wright and Rhys Watkins recorded the 13th best time, but after losing one member early on were not eligible for the overall ranking.
Proving that fell running requires sharp mental skills in addition to speed and strength, Collins who had won the Vet50 prize the year before, sportingly had tried to call runners back after they had gone astray from the route. He then progressed on his way and crossed the line to enthusiastic cheers as he realised he had won the race outright this year.
Meanwhile on the moors above Haworth, Hebden and Todmorden, many Harriers were tackling the 33 mile Haworth Hobble. The race that started and finished in Haworth, can be entered either as a pair or solo, and attracted a quality field of over 250 entrants as it formed the latest ‘short’ round in the 2009 UK Ultra Running Championship Series. Jon Wright continued his excellent current form over the longer distances with 4th place in a time of 4 hours and 30 minutes, just 15 minutes behind winner Jez Bragg.
Sue Roberts and Elise Milnes, who knocked one and a half hours off her previous attempt, finished as the first female pair and Chris Preston finished as 6th solo lady, 1 second behind Calder Valley’s Clare Kenny.
The previous weekend had seen four Todmorden Ladies take on the High Peak Marathon, a 42 mile loop around the Derwent watershed in the Peak District. With a start from Edale just before midnight, much of the boggy route is covered through darkness. Battling against wind, rain and drizzle, competitors also found that the approach of daylight did little to improve visibility with much of the higher ground shrouded in clag.
The team, competing as Tod Totty, made up of Mandy Goth, Kath Brierley, Rachel Skinner and Emma Osenton completed the epic event in a time of 14 hours and 39 minutes.
Another team featuring Harriers’ Jon Wright and Rhys Watkins recorded the 13th best time, but after losing one member early on were not eligible for the overall ranking.
Thursday 12 March 2009
12 mar 09
The opening race of the English Fell Running Championships on Saturday saw three Todmorden Harriers finish in the first forty, as they looked to build on previous years’ achievements.
Despite several absences due to illness and injury the club still provided 30 of the 400 entrants who lined up for the Half Tour of Pendle. After a fast dash from the start at Barley, the nine mile race quickly climbed up to, and over, the summit of Pendle Hill to the first checkpoint. With the forecast rain holding off until most had finished, visibility was good, allowing for spectacular views for those that had time to glance at them. A long steady descent followed with alternative routes being taken down to the second checkpoint at the Nick o’ Pendle. The course then turned and headed towards Churn Reservoir, where a sharp climb took runners onto Spence Moor.
The highlight of the day was the precipitous descent down to Ogden Clough, which gave the downhill specialists an opportunity to gain several places. With numerous spectators looking on, runners hurled themselves down the seemingly near vertical grassy slope, with many slipping and sliding their way down to the stream crossing at the bottom. The final small climb of the day ensued, before the run in to the finish across boggy fields.
Most of the elite contenders for this year’s overall crown were in attendance, with a close battle resulting in the first seven runners finishing within two minutes of each other. Bingley’s veteran Ian Holmes eventually triumphed ahead of Pudsey and Bramley’s John Heneghan and Rob Hope.
First Harrier to finish was Jon Wright in 28th place, with Sean Willis and Chris Smale coming in together about 30 seconds behind. In the veteran categories Sean placed 10th V40 and Chris 2nd in the V45. First V50 Todmorden finisher was Dave Collins.
First Todmorden lady was Lauren Jeska in 25th, followed by Clare Duffield in 28th. Lucy Hobbs continued her progress finishing in 38th to propel the ladies team into 5th place.
Full Todmorden Results: 28 Jon Wright 1:09:57; 36 Sean Willis 1:10:25; 37 Chris Smale 1:10:27; 93 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 1:17:17; 105 Andrew Horsfall 1:18:19; 119 Dave Collins 1:19:09; 146 Nick Barber 1:22:12; 147 Scott Lapish 1:22:17; 157 Martin Roberts 1:23:20; 187 Ben Crowther 1:25:47; 214 Joe Stansfield 1:28:23; 219 Simon Galloway 1:28:47; 221 Phil Hodgson 1:29:00; 224 Lauren Jeska 1:29:26; 230 Claire Duffield 1:30:00; 250 Richard Gilbert 1:32:14; 254 James Riley 1:32:25; 256 Lucy Hobbs 1:32:31; 266 Jeremy Godden 1:33:06; 270 Phil Cook 1:33:34; 285 Christine Preston 1:36:02; 297 Melanie Blackhurst 1:37:16; 307 Richard O'Sullivan 1:38:45; 314 Richard Butterwick 1:39:05; 316 Kevin Coughlan 1:39:13; 340 Peter Marshall 1:43:16; 361 Dan Taylor 1:49:13; 365 Sue Roberts 1:50:32; 366 Peter Ehrhardt 1:51:02; 382 Derek Clutterbuck 2:11:58.
Despite several absences due to illness and injury the club still provided 30 of the 400 entrants who lined up for the Half Tour of Pendle. After a fast dash from the start at Barley, the nine mile race quickly climbed up to, and over, the summit of Pendle Hill to the first checkpoint. With the forecast rain holding off until most had finished, visibility was good, allowing for spectacular views for those that had time to glance at them. A long steady descent followed with alternative routes being taken down to the second checkpoint at the Nick o’ Pendle. The course then turned and headed towards Churn Reservoir, where a sharp climb took runners onto Spence Moor.
The highlight of the day was the precipitous descent down to Ogden Clough, which gave the downhill specialists an opportunity to gain several places. With numerous spectators looking on, runners hurled themselves down the seemingly near vertical grassy slope, with many slipping and sliding their way down to the stream crossing at the bottom. The final small climb of the day ensued, before the run in to the finish across boggy fields.
Most of the elite contenders for this year’s overall crown were in attendance, with a close battle resulting in the first seven runners finishing within two minutes of each other. Bingley’s veteran Ian Holmes eventually triumphed ahead of Pudsey and Bramley’s John Heneghan and Rob Hope.
First Harrier to finish was Jon Wright in 28th place, with Sean Willis and Chris Smale coming in together about 30 seconds behind. In the veteran categories Sean placed 10th V40 and Chris 2nd in the V45. First V50 Todmorden finisher was Dave Collins.
First Todmorden lady was Lauren Jeska in 25th, followed by Clare Duffield in 28th. Lucy Hobbs continued her progress finishing in 38th to propel the ladies team into 5th place.
Full Todmorden Results: 28 Jon Wright 1:09:57; 36 Sean Willis 1:10:25; 37 Chris Smale 1:10:27; 93 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 1:17:17; 105 Andrew Horsfall 1:18:19; 119 Dave Collins 1:19:09; 146 Nick Barber 1:22:12; 147 Scott Lapish 1:22:17; 157 Martin Roberts 1:23:20; 187 Ben Crowther 1:25:47; 214 Joe Stansfield 1:28:23; 219 Simon Galloway 1:28:47; 221 Phil Hodgson 1:29:00; 224 Lauren Jeska 1:29:26; 230 Claire Duffield 1:30:00; 250 Richard Gilbert 1:32:14; 254 James Riley 1:32:25; 256 Lucy Hobbs 1:32:31; 266 Jeremy Godden 1:33:06; 270 Phil Cook 1:33:34; 285 Christine Preston 1:36:02; 297 Melanie Blackhurst 1:37:16; 307 Richard O'Sullivan 1:38:45; 314 Richard Butterwick 1:39:05; 316 Kevin Coughlan 1:39:13; 340 Peter Marshall 1:43:16; 361 Dan Taylor 1:49:13; 365 Sue Roberts 1:50:32; 366 Peter Ehrhardt 1:51:02; 382 Derek Clutterbuck 2:11:58.
Thursday 5 March 2009
Noon Stone Fell Race
The Noon Stone Fell Race attracted a large field of 251 hardy runners to Todmorden on Saturday. Whilst the morning mist had lifted considerably by the start at 12 noon, grey and cloudy skies remained throughout in perhaps the kindest weather experienced for several years. However, with the 9 mile race incorporating a total of 2,300 feet of ascent and a sizeable unmarked navigational section, it was still a serious undertaking.
Starting from Mankinholes, the race quickly rose up the first steep climb of the day to Coldwell Hill, before plunging back down to London Road losing much of the 600 feet height just gained. The route then immediately climbed back up past Stoodley Pike and then down again to Withens Clough. The third and longest gradient of the day took the strung out field across pathless open moorland and bog to the highest point of the race at the Little Holder Stones. After very briefly following the Pennine Way from Warland Reservoir runners were soon back onto rough ground as they descended over Langfield Edge. The final short climb of the day then took them back up to Coldwell Hill and a steep testing decent returned them to the finish at Mankinholes.
The early pace was set by Calder Valley’s Shaun Godsman and Alex Whittem, as they opened up a small lead on the first climb with Sheffield University’s Callum Gilhooley and Todmorden Harriers’ Sean Willis leading the chasers.
Whittem initially took up the lead on the muddy descent to London Road as Willis was dropped from the leading group. As the race progressed further a two way battle ensued between Godsman and Gilhooley, with the Sheffield student looking favourite as he opened up a small gap in the latter stages. However the local man’s experience showed in the run in as he went one better than last year, crossing the line in 1:11:15, to take the win by 7 seconds, with Whittem ultimately finishing a further minute behind in 3rd place.
First Harrier home was Willis in 6th closely followed by Chris Smale in 7th, taking 1st and 2nd in the Vet40 category respectively. The men’s team prize went to Calder Valley Fell Runners edging out Todmorden.
Zanthe Wray of Sheffield University quickly established herself as first lady and a strong run all the way round ensured that she comfortably remained so to the finish, with a 4 minute advantage over her nearest rival Heather Dawe of Ilkley. First Todmorden lady was Kath Brierley in 6th overall and 2nd Vet40. Along with Emma Osenton and Helen Hodgkinson, Todmorden comfortably won the ladies team prize.
After the extensive prize giving, a Todmorden Harriers spokesman thanked the land owners for their help putting the race on, the landlord and staff of the Top Brink Inn for their excellent hospitality throughout the day, and the many volunteer marshals and other helpers.
Starting from Mankinholes, the race quickly rose up the first steep climb of the day to Coldwell Hill, before plunging back down to London Road losing much of the 600 feet height just gained. The route then immediately climbed back up past Stoodley Pike and then down again to Withens Clough. The third and longest gradient of the day took the strung out field across pathless open moorland and bog to the highest point of the race at the Little Holder Stones. After very briefly following the Pennine Way from Warland Reservoir runners were soon back onto rough ground as they descended over Langfield Edge. The final short climb of the day then took them back up to Coldwell Hill and a steep testing decent returned them to the finish at Mankinholes.
The early pace was set by Calder Valley’s Shaun Godsman and Alex Whittem, as they opened up a small lead on the first climb with Sheffield University’s Callum Gilhooley and Todmorden Harriers’ Sean Willis leading the chasers.
Whittem initially took up the lead on the muddy descent to London Road as Willis was dropped from the leading group. As the race progressed further a two way battle ensued between Godsman and Gilhooley, with the Sheffield student looking favourite as he opened up a small gap in the latter stages. However the local man’s experience showed in the run in as he went one better than last year, crossing the line in 1:11:15, to take the win by 7 seconds, with Whittem ultimately finishing a further minute behind in 3rd place.
First Harrier home was Willis in 6th closely followed by Chris Smale in 7th, taking 1st and 2nd in the Vet40 category respectively. The men’s team prize went to Calder Valley Fell Runners edging out Todmorden.
Zanthe Wray of Sheffield University quickly established herself as first lady and a strong run all the way round ensured that she comfortably remained so to the finish, with a 4 minute advantage over her nearest rival Heather Dawe of Ilkley. First Todmorden lady was Kath Brierley in 6th overall and 2nd Vet40. Along with Emma Osenton and Helen Hodgkinson, Todmorden comfortably won the ladies team prize.
After the extensive prize giving, a Todmorden Harriers spokesman thanked the land owners for their help putting the race on, the landlord and staff of the Top Brink Inn for their excellent hospitality throughout the day, and the many volunteer marshals and other helpers.
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