The Wrong Trod

Northern Cross Country Championships | Meltham 10k

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers sent a men’s team to the Northern Cross Country Championships in Pontefract, finishing in a respectable 19th place to round off a successful return to cross country running this season, after a break of several years.
The 8 mile course attracted a highly competitive field of over 600 senior men from with Stockport’s Steve Vernon eventually recording a narrow win.

Todmorden Results: 132 Jonathan Wright 46:24; 145 John Lloyd 46:57; 163 Nick Barber 47:32; 216 Dwane Dixon 48:53; 229 Robin Tuddenham 49:08; 426 Darren Graham 54:32.

Videos of all Northern Cross Country Races by Bethany Murray on Athleticos...

The club’s Road Championship got underway on Sunday in icy conditions at the hilly Meltham 10k, with both of last year’s club champions leading the way.

The reigning men’s road champion Robin Tuddenham shrugged off the previous day’s efforts to lead the club in with fifth place overall, followed by Paul Brannigan in 38th position.

Darren Graham also showed good recovery to edge out Darren Tweed for 46th and 47th places respectively.

The first Todmorden lady to finish was last year’s ladies trophy holder Sarah Glyde in 97th place, and third v35 lady.

Richard Blakely was next over the line in 169th position, taking the men’s v65 prize.

Mel Robertson had an excellent run to complete the distance as first v50 lady half a minute ahead of Elise Milnes who was second v50 lady.

Todmorden Results: 5 Robin Tuddenham 36.59; 38 Paul Brannigan 41.53; 46 Darren Graham 42.21; 47 Darren Tweed 42.29; 61 Clive Greatorex 43.31; 96 Simon Galloway 46.42; 97 Sarah Glyde 46.50; 169 Richard Blakeley 50.53; 176 Melanie Robertson 51.24; 178 Elise Milnes 51.54; 189 David Wilson 52.27; 198 Helen Hodgkinson 52.45; 226 Nigel Hanson 54.41; 245 Helen Wilson 56.18; 276 Graham Milnes 61.20.

Meltham 10k photos by FlamingPhotography...

Stanbury Splash Fell Race | Brass Monkey Half Marathon | The Hebden

2012-01-22T19:00:00.000Z

Twenty nine Todmorden Harriers took part in the first race of the club's 2012 Fell Championship on Sunday.

The 7 mile race from Penistone Hill Country Park near Haworth attracted nearly 400 runners despite cold and breezy conditions.

The course features three stream crossings and several climbs adding up to 1200 feet of ascent.

Dwane Dixon led the way for the Harriers in 14th place in 50:21, with John Lloyd a minute behind in 21st position.

Marcel Ellison was next over the line holding off a challenge from Paul Brannigan.

Hatty Nylan was the first Todmorden lady in 1:07:27, just ahead of Mel Blackhurst.

Todmorden Results: 14 Dwane Dixon 50:21; 21 John Lloyd 51:37; 59 Marcel Ellison 57:26; 62 Paul Brannigan 57:54; 95 Darren Tweed 1:00:44; 126 Simon Galloway 1:03:18; 137 Kevin Booth 1:04:18; 143 Darren Graham 1:04:38; 177 Joe Daniels 1:07:26; 178 Hatty Nylan 1:07:27; 179 Andy Glyde 1:07:34; 184 Mel Blackhurst 1:07:55; 190 Richard Leonard 1:08:44; 206 Derek Donohue 1:09:56; 228 Chris Preston 1:11:30; 262 Jane Leonard 1:14:29; 266 Elise Milnes 1:15:06; 279 Helen Hodgkinson 1:16:20; 282 Richard Blakeley 1:16:27; 287 Ray Poulter 1:17:07; 288 John Preston 1:17:08; 290 Helen Wilson 1:17:15; 291 John Medcalfe 1:17:19; 295 Sue Roberts 1:17:35; 315 David Leslie 1:20:27; 321 Graham Milnes 1:22:06; 325 David Wilson 1:22:39; 328 Peter Ehrhardt 1:23:04; 331 Mandy Goth 1:23:49.

Stanbury Splash 2012 results...

Photo by Joolz

Also on Sunday, Robin Tuddenham finished 38th of the 1700 runners at the Brass Monkey Half Marathon in York completing the 13.1 miles in 1:18:50.

Several Harriers had warmed up on Saturday with The Hebden, a 22 mile route from St Michaels Church Hall in Mytholmroyd via valleys around Hebden Bridge passing through Hardcastle Crags, Colden Clough, and Cragg Vale.

Paul Hobbs was the first Todmorden man in 3 hours 43 minutes, closely followed by Darren Graham and Ozzy Kershaw.

Bev Holmes was the first Todmorden lady in 4 hours 25 minutes.

Todmorden Results: 19 Paul Hobbs 03:43; 24 Darren Graham 03:45; 28 Ozzy Kershaw 03:48; 42 Phil Hodgson 04:05; 64 Bev Holmes 04:25; 144 Julie Wyant 05:42; 145 Elise Milnes 05:42; 170 Chris Drinkwater 07:05.

Tackling the shorter 14.5 mile route, Clive Greatorex was second to finish in 2 hours and 42 minutes with Chris Preston 7th in 3 hours 10 minutes and Sue Roberts 21st in 3 hours 32 minutes.

Todmorden Harriers' Mini Moorland Marathon 2012

2012-01-17T14:52:00.000Z

Crisp blue skies made for perfect conditions for Todmorden Harriers’ Mini Moorland Marathon on Sunday, attracting 64 competitors to the 3 hour orienteering score event.

This year the base was the Roebuck Inn, Portsmouth, and there were twenty three controls placed around the hillsides of the Cliviger Valley area.

Competitors were given a map showing their location only at the start and quickly had to plan an efficient route to visit as many as possible in their allotted time, with severe penalties for those who returned late.

Calder Valley Fell Runner James Logue defended his title with remarkable speed and navigational skill, visiting 18 out of the 23 checkpoints in just over 3 hours to score 251 points, well ahead of his nearest rival and club mate Phil Scarf on 195 points, with Rob Rawlinson third on 175 points.

Jackie Scarf was the highest scoring solo lady, and fourth overall with 160 points. In fifth place, also scoring 160 points, were the first trio of Ben Crowther, Dwane Dixon and Paul Weinreich.

First pair were Barbara Lonsdale and Sarah Rowell also scoring 160 for sixth place overall, with Jeff Walker and Rachel Skinner the first Todmorden pair on 145 points.

The first Todmorden solo runner was Kevin Booth on 145 points with Mandy Goth scoring 135 to be the first Todmorden lady.

Despite having over 150 years of experience between them, Todmorden’s Derek Clutterbuck and Preston Harriers George Arnold saw most of their points eroded away by a late return and they took home the coveted golden pigeon award.

The prize giving ceremony was held in the Roebuck Inn, and many thanks went to Phil Hodgson and his team of helpers for the organisation of the event.

Full Results...

Ovenden Moor Fell Race | Hit the Trail

2012-01-10T09:55:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers returned to Ogden Reservoir for the second consecutive weekend, this time for the 8 mile Ovenden Moor Fell Race which attracted a record entry of almost 200 runners.

Sean Carey upped his distance, after recently joining the senior ranks, and was the first Harrier to finish in 13th place, just past the hour mark.

Andrew Bibby was the next Todmorden runner across the line in 70th place, followed by Phil Hodgson in 99th position.

Chris Preston was the first Todmorden lady, followed by Sue Roberts and Jane Leonard.

Todmorden results: 13 Sean Carey 1-02-36; 70 Andrew Bibby 1-14-10; 99 Phil Hodgson 1-19-05; 121 Christine Preston 1-22-26; 138 Richard Leonard 1-25-23; 157 Chris Drinkwater 1-28-49; 170 Sue Roberts 1-31-09; 173 Jane Leonard 1-33-20.

David Henthorne was the only Harrier to make the trip to South Manchester for the Hit the Trail 5 mile race. The popular race followed a varied route through Reddish Vale, with David finishing in 126th in a time of 42:41.

Auld Lang Syne Fell Race | Giant's Tooth | Joe Salt New Year Awakener | Nine Standards

2012-01-04T07:41:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers enjoyed a muddy and wet end to the year at the Auld Lang Syne Fell Race at Haworth, where the 400 runners were treated to a dominant performance by Olympic triathlon medal prospects Alistair and Jonathon Brownlee.

The pair quickly opened up a lead from the start at Penistone Quarry and were two minutes ahead of their nearest challengers by the finish, with Alistair taking the win over his brother by a few seconds in 40.28.

The first Todmorden Harrier was Simon Galloway in 147th, completing the 6 mile course in 59:29 with Darren Graham next in 178th place.

Sue Roberts finished in 320th followed by Julie Wyant in 355th, and Peter Ehrhardt in 358th position.

Clive Greatorex and Phil Cook proved four legs are not necessarily better than two, as they completed the course in a reindeer outfit, pulling a sleigh.

Clive was back in solo action the following day, on faster form at the Giant’s Tooth Fell Race on New Year’s Day, finishing the 3 mile loop above Ogden Water in 22:52 for 42nd place.

Maria Prescott was the sole Harrier at Cowm Reservoir, for the Joe Salt New Year Awakener, completing the 4.2 mile trail route in 32:29 to finish 7th lady.

A trio of Todmorden runners travelled to Kirby Stephen for the Nine Standards Fell Race, with Lauren Jeska finishing joint ladies winner with Keswick’s Pippa Maddams just past the hour mark.

Chris Preston finished in 81st position in 1:20:54, with John Preston completing the 8 mile course in 1:27:02 for 95th place.

Hot Toddy Road Race

2011-12-27T14:00:00.000Z

Ian Grime raced to victory in mild conditions at the Hot Toddy Road Race stopping the clock at 29:54, finishing just ahead of Altringham’s Nick Leigh in 30:00.

Almost 300 runners took to the course that started in Todmorden town centre, travelled up Rochdale Road, turning at Walsden Post Office for the infamous long climb up to the Shepherd’s Rest Inn.

A sharp descent via Woodhouse Road then took the runners back along Halifax Road to the finish.

Salford Harriers won the team prize with David Lockett in third, Mark Russell in fourth and Michael Grace in tenth.

Calder Valley’s Alex Whittem was fifth, just ahead of team mate Max Wharton who took the under 18 prize.

John Lloyd was the first Todmorden finisher in seventh position.

Lauren Jeska was the next Todmorden runner, winning the ladies race in 34:36, ahead of Halifax’s Sarah Cumber and Stainland Lions’ Margaret Beever.

It was a close battle between the three clubs for the ladies team prize, with the win narrowly going to Stainland, with Amanda Zito and Aileen Baldwin their other counters.

Todmorden’s Maria Prescott took the second v45 ladies prize, with Chris Drinkwater matching that in the men’s’ v60 category.

From further afield, the ladies U18 category was won by Alizee Bodet, who had travelled from France.

Todmorden Results: 7 John Lloyd 31.40; 28 Lauren Jeska 34.36; 29 Paul Hobbs 34.50; 37 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 35.28; 49 Marcel Ellison 36.53; 68 Joe Daniels 38.11; 97 Guy Whitmore 40.40; 98 Maria Prescott 40.43; 117 Hatty Nylan 42.36; 122 Chris Drinkwater 42.57; 127 Kevin Coughlan 43.17; 182 Helen Wilson 46.25; 184 Melanie Robertson 46.42; 201 Melanie Whitmore 47.55; 232 Andrea Marshall 49.32; 234 David Leslie 49.47; 247 Reg Czudek 51.13; 267 Myra Wells 54.35; 268 Elizabeth Lloyd 54.43; 282 Kathy Bridger 58.24.

Full Hot Toddy 2011 results...

Keith's Hot Toddy Photos...

Todmorden Harriers - Jingle Bats 2011

2011-12-23T10:03:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers annual christmas fell run sees 66 santas (well 64 santas, an elf and a morris dancer) head for the hills...

More on the Torrier Blog

And the video...

The Stoop Fell Race

2011-12-20T09:07:00.001Z

Todmorden Harriers experienced blue skies and sunshine, and a bitingly cold wind, at Penistone Country Park for The Stoop Fell Race near Haworth.

The 5 mile race followed an out and back course to the Stoop Stone and John Lloyd was the first Harrier back in 13th place in 33:41.

Simon Galloway was the next Todmorden man to finish just over the 40 minute mark with a quartet of Harriers, including newcomer Joe Daniels, following behind.

Gemma Kendall was the first Todmorden lady in 42:15, with Chris Preston just a minute behind.

Todmorden Results: 13 John Lloyd 33:41; 82 Simon Galloway 40:01; 89 Dave Collins 40:43; 90 Joe Daniels 40:48; 92 Clive Greatorex 40:58; 109 Andrew Bibby 41:43; 120 Gemma Kendall 42:15; 140 Chris Preston 43:26; 156 Paul Caruthers 44:46; 169 Kath Brierley 45:39; 210 Emma Osenton 46:32; 211 Elise Milnes 48:39; 223 Sue Roberts 49:38, 225 Graham Milnes 50:17.

The annual Hot Toddy 5.8mile road race takes place on Tuesday 27th December at 11am. Entries are welcome on the day and registration takes place from 10am at Todmorden Working Men’s Social Club on Halifax Road.

The route starts in Todmorden town centre, travelling up Rochdale Road and then turning at Walsden Post Office for a long steady climb up to the Shepherd’s Rest Inn. A descent via Woodhouse Road will then take the runners back along Halifax Road to the finish.

Alternatively, there is a mile-long fun run at 10:30am (£1 entry on the day only) which follows an off-road route close to Todmorden town centre.

Full details are on the club’s website http://www.todharriers.co.uk/index.htm

Todmorden Harriers - Champions Video!

2011-12-08T15:30:00.001Z

Todmorden Harriers Annual Presentation Awards

2011-12-06T10:27:00.001Z

Todmorden Harriers celebrated their running achievements during 2011 at their annual presentation evening held at Todmorden Cricket Club, on Saturday.

Photos by Keith Parkinson

The year had been the club’s most successful with the Ladies team and Lauren Jeska’s individual gold medal winning performances in the English Fell Championships. The ladies team had also won bronze medals in the British Fell Championships.

Prior to the review of the year and awards, Phil Hodgson proposed a toast for former Todmorden Harrier Alan Ainsworth who had passed away in 2011.

Club Chairman Mandy Goth then presented the awards to the winners of the club competitions.

Jon Wright was awarded the men’s Fell Champion Trophy, with Sarah May winning the ladies Fell Champion Trophy.

Dwaine Dixon and Elise Milnes were the first winners of the club’s new Trail Championship.

Robin Tuddenham was crowned club Road Champion, with Sarah Glyde winning the ladies Road Trophy for the first time.

The Grand Prix Champion, awarded for performance on road and fell, also went to Robin Tuddenham.

John Lloyd was crowned Club Champion, a trophy that reflects all round ability on the road and fells across a range of short, medium and long distances.

On a less athletic front, John was also awarded the ‘Toilet Seat’ trophy which is awarded to the Harrier who has the most running related mishaps during the year.

Sean Carey was awarded the ‘Most Improved Runner of the Year’ award to reflect the effort and progress he has made this year, with several senior race wins under his belt.

Club Secretary Derek Donohue then stepped in to make the final award of the evening, that of ‘Clubman of the Year’. After a vote on the evening it was presented to ladies team captain Kath Brierley to reflect the successes of the ladies team.

David Staff Memorial Fell Race

2011-11-28T15:23:00.001Z

Todmorden Harriers were in attendance at the David Staff Memorial Fell Race in Darwen at the weekend. The 5 mile race climbed out of Sunnyhurst Woods, then up and around Darwen Tower, before a descent back to the woodland finish.

The ground was muddy underfoot after heavy overnight rain, and together with strong winds meant for slower than usual going for the 177 runners except for race winner Ben Fish of Blackburn Harriers who was over two minutes clear by the finish.

Marcel Ellison was the first Harrier to finish in 41st position, followed by Simon Galloway in 74th place.

Kath Brierley posted a time of 47:35 to finish seventh lady and just twelve seconds behind first v50, Anne Ferguson of Burnden Road Runners.

Keith Parkinson was the next to finish, closely followed by Lucy Hobbs, 12th lady, and Chris Drinkwater.

Elise Milnes finished in 52:05, three minutes ahead of Graham Milnes.

Todmorden Results: 41 Marcel Ellison 42:13; 74 Simon Galloway 45:19; 91 Kath Brierley 47:35; 108 Keith Parkinson 49:39; 112 Lucy Hobbs 50:04; 123 Chris Drinkwater 50:58; 134 Elise Milnes 52:05; 149 Graham Milnes 55:15.

Pictures from Pete Thompson...

Preston 10 | Tour of Pendle Fell Race

2011-11-21T14:18:00.001Z

Sarah Glyde clinched the ladies crown in the final race of Todmorden Harriers club road championship in dramatic fashion, at the Preston 10, despite a strong challenge from Mel Blackhurst who came close to snatching the title away.

Nick Barber had been the first Harrier to cross the line in 57:16 for 10th place, just ahead of men’s road championship runner-up John Lloyd in 14th place. Men’s champion Robin Tuddenham already held a commanding lead in that competition and chose not to race.

Mel Blackhurst put in a sterling effort, finishing 1st v45, but despite pulling out a lead of over 3 minutes on Sarah it was not enough to overhaul her in the final standings.

Mel Robertson and Nigel Hanson enjoyed a battle of their own, with Mel finishing just 8 seconds ahead on the day, followed shortly afterwards by Elise Milnes.

Todmorden results: 10 Nick Barber 57:16; 14 John Lloyd 57:59; 164 Melanie Blackhurst 1:12:51; 211 Sarah Glyde 1:16:31; 263 Melanie Robertson 1:21:21; 268 Nigel Hanson 1:21:29; 332 Elise Milnes 1:28:40.

Preston 10 photos from Steve Bateson...

Results from the Tour of Pendle and Sports Sunday's Tour of Pendle Photos...

Oldham parkrun #66

2011-11-19T23:23:00.000Z

Another parkrun video from a warm autumnal Alexandra Park... spot the Toddies!

FRA Awards | Wadsworth Half Trog | Bolton Cross Country

2011-11-17T00:00:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers Ladies collected their first ever medals at the Fell Running Association’s Presentation Dinner held at Pennine Manor near Huddersfield at the weekend.

The club collected the team gold medal in the English Fell Championships. Contributing performances had come from Lauren Jeska, Sarah May, Sarah Warburton, Kath Brierley, Gemma Kendall, Jane Leonard, Lucy Hobbs and Mel Blackhurst.

Lauren Jeska also collected the individual ladies trophy and gold medal after winning the English Fell Championship for the second consecutive year.

The ladies team then added the bronze medal for the British Fell Championships, with contributions coming from Kath Brierley, Jane Leonard, Sue Roberts, Lauren Jeska, Sarah May, Elise Milnes, Mandy Goth, Gemma Kendall and Mel Blackhurst.

Photo by Keith Parkinson

There was no let up in the race action at the weekend, despite the awards ceremony. Lauren Jeska was first lady at the Dunnerdale Fell Race, with John Medcalfe, Jane Leonard and Mick Howard also taking on the South Lakeland course.

The Wadsworth Half Trog was run over 9 miles, following a figure of eight route through Cock Hill and Crow hill and passing over High Brown Knoll twice.

Paul Hobbs was the first Todmorden finisher in 21st place, with Ben Crowther in 28th position. Chris Preston finished 10th lady, just ahead of Hatty Nylan and Bev Holmes as the ladies finished second team.

Todmorden Results: 21 Paul Hobbs 1:23:04; 28 Ben Crowther 1:25:16; 69 Mick Craven 1:39:00; 80 (lady 10) Christine Preston 1:41:06; 88 (lady 13) Hatty Nylan 1:43:59; 96 (lady 16) Beverley Holmes 1:45:15; 106 (lady 18) Fiona Armer 1:50:30; 113 Paul Cruthers 1:51:53; 118 (lady 23) Elise Milnes 1:53:13; 121 (lady 25) Helen Hodgkinson 1:55:48; 126 (lady 26) Sue Roberts 1:57:16.

The third round of the Red Rose Cross Country League visited Leverhulme Park in Bolton for the most challenging course so far, including a refreshing stream crossing.

A strong performance from the men’s team saw them finish in 6th place, with the ladies team finishing in 14th position.

Oldham parkrun #65

2011-11-12T12:00:00.000Z

Short video from 12th November 2011's Oldham parkrun at Alexandra Park - runners a few hundred metres into their weekly 5k run - photos added to the Oldham parkrun flikr group -

Shepherds Skyline Fell Race | Lancaster Half Marathon

2011-11-06T08:47:00.000Z

Photo by Myra

The Shepherd’s Skyline Fell Race attracted a large field of 357 runners on Saturday, with Bingley’s Ian Holmes recording another win ahead of Calder Valley Fell Runner James Logue. The junior races also attracted a good turnout with 116 youngsters taking part across the four age groups.

Sean Carey was Todmorden’s first finisher in the main race in 5th position, ahead of Jon Wright in 6th place. John Lloyd was the 16th runner across the line.

Calder Valley’s Anne Johnson was the first lady, with Hatty Nylan the first Todmorden women closely followed by Chris Preston.

Todmorden Results: 5 Sean Carey 44.12; 6 Jon Wright 45.05; 16 John Lloyd 47.21; 42 Andy McFie 51.30; 46 Paul Hobbs 51.46; 66 Peter Bowles 53.33; 87 Dan Taylor 55.17; 98 Darren Graham 56.06; 142 Angus Barclay 60.01; 162 Duncan Ritchie 62.05; 170 Lee McCluskey 62.32; 187 Hatty Nylan 63.38; 189 Richard Leonard 63.39; 203 Garry Quested 64.2; 204 Chris Preston 64.31; 221 Jane Leonard 65.58; 231 Fiona Armer 66.39; 245 Bev Holmes 67.27; 247 Chris Drinkwater 67.41; 253 John Medcalfe 68.12; 282 Ray Poulter 71.15; 295 Jeanette Dowling 72.25; 342 Kathy Bridger 85.21.

Shepherds Skyline Fell Race 2011 Results...
Shepherd's Skyline Junior Results...

Shepherds Skyline Photos by Keith Parkinson...

Shepherds Skyline Photos by Sports Sunday...

On Sunday the penultimate race of the Club’s Road Championship took a small band of Harriers to the Lancaster Half Marathon, which attracted over 700 runners.

Nick Barber led the way with sixth place in 1:16:52, with Robin Tuddenham in seventh place in 1:18:09.

Dan Taylor completed the 13.1 mile course in 1:34:45, followed by Mel Blackhurst in 1:38:49 as she continued to close in on current club road championship leader Sarah Glyde, who was not running, meaning that the destiny of the ladies title will go the wire at the last race in two weeks time.

Paul Cruthers recorded a time of 1:42:38 and Andrea Marshall completed the Todmorden contingent with a time of 1:57:59.

Accrington 10k | Bronte Way | Great Whernside | Lucerne Marathon | Marathon Eryri | Yorkshire Coast 10k

2011-10-31T17:12:00.000Z

Robin Tuddenham moved to the top of Todmorden Harriers’ Road Championship with a strong run at the Accrington 10k on Sunday.

Robin was the first Harrier to finish in fourth position, just ahead of Nick Barber in fifth place. Former championship leader John Lloyd finished in eighth place, but he now trails Tuddenham in the road table by a significant gap that will be hard to close in the final two races.

Mel Blackhurst was the first Todmorden lady to finish, winning the v45 prize, closely followed by Sarah Glyde who continues to head the ladies standings. Sarah’s lead is more precarious with Mel Blackhurst still in with a chance of catching her if she can score highly in the next two races.

Moyra Parfitt won the v65 prize, and the hilly course also saw a rare race outing from Jim Smith.

Todmorden results: 4 Robin Tuddenham 35:46; 5 Nick Barber 35:57; 8 John Lloyd 36:46; 18 Martin Stork 39:28; 85 Melanie Blackhurst 46:23; 101 Sarah Glyde 47:01; 136 Elise Milnes 49:25; 161 Melanie Robertson 51:50; 169 Nigel Hanson 52:27; 183 Moyra Parfitt 53:36; 225 Graham Milnes 57:04; 245 David O'Neill 1:00:15; 303 James Smith 1:31:28.

Eight Harriers took to the hills for the Bronte Way Fell Race, an eight mile route from Wycollar to Howarth.

Shaun Pickard led the way for the Todmorden club, finishing a minute ahead of Darren Graham with Chris Preston the first Todmorden lady to finish.

Todmorden results: 34 Shaun Pickard 1:05:25; 40 Darren Graham 1:06:09; 92 Chris Preston 1:16:36; 110 Peter Clarke 1:21:23; 121 Jane Leonard 1:24:17; 152 Louise Abdy 1:36:00; 154 Helen Hodgkinson 1:37:43; 162 Kathryn Bridger 1:47:10.

Sean Carey won the U23 bronze medal in the Yorkshire Fell Championships held in conjunction with the Great Whernside Fell Race after finishing 13th overall. James Riley also completed the 4 mile course in 76th place, with Sue Roberts in 166th.

Lauren Jeska travelled further afield to Switzerland for the Lucerne Marathon and clocked an outstanding time of 2:48:19 to finish first lady.

Julie Wyant was in Wales for the very tough Marathon Eryri, which follows a circular route around Mount Snowdon, completing the distance in just over five hours.

Richard Butterwick and Myra Wells enjoyed some sun and sea air as they took on the Yorkshire Coast 10k in Scarborough, finishing in 44:48 and 58:55 respectively.

The popular Shepherd’s Skyline Fell Race takes place on Saturday, with entry on the day at the Shepherd’s Rest Inn on Lumbutts Road. Around 300 runners are expected for the 6 mile senior race which starts at 1pm, with various junior races taking place from 12 noon. Further details are on the club’s website www.todharriers.co.uk/

Race You To The Summit | Hyndburn Cross Country | Withins Skyline Fell Race

2011-10-25T09:29:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers started the weekend in fine form with all five who tackled the ‘Race you to the Summit’ fell race taking home prizes.

The route was slightly longer than the usual 4 miles as it climbed from the Summit Inn up to the Whitehouse and back down again.

Sean Carey in 6th, Darren Graham in 12th and Dan Taylor in 23rd won the men’s team prize, whilst Hatty Nylan finished 3rd lady, and Elise Milnes 6th lady.

The Red Rose Cross Country League continued with its second fixture at Hyndburn on Saturday afternoon.

Jack Crummett was the first Harrier in action in the U13 boy’s race, where he finished in 10th place.

The ladies then took on the 5km course, with Kath Brierley leading the way with 28th place, and 3rd v50. She was followed by Lucy Hobbs and Mel Robertson to take the ladies team into a provisional 12th place. Andrea Marshall and Mandy Goth completed the woodland course in 85th and 88th respectively.

The men’s team improved on their performance in the first race, to finish in 6th position.

Jon Wright led them in with 19th place and 3rd v40. A highly competitive battle then saw Dwane Dixon, Nick Barber and John Lloyd finish with seconds of each other, with Robin Tuddenham and Martin Stork the other counters.

Dan Taylor and Richard Butterwick finished in 103rd and 165th respectively.

On Sunday, the Withins Skyline Fell Race formed the final race in the club’s fell championship.

The 7 mile route began in Penistone Quarry, near Howarth, and climbed upwards toward the Stoop stone, passing along the skyline to the ruin of Top Withins. A descent to Bronte Bridge was followed by a stiff climb and a long run back to the final climb up to the finish.

Robin Tuddenham was the first Harrier to finish in 33rd place, after pulling out a lead on Paul Hobbs on the final climb. Dan Taylor completed his third race of the weekend with 76th place.

Hatty Nylan was the first Todmorden lady in 227th, just ahead of Chris Preston in 237th place.

Todmorden results: 33 Robin Tuddenham 50:29; 42 Paul Hobbs 51:09; 76 Dan Taylor 54:36; 90 Darren Tweed 55:29; 123 Simon Galloway 58:13; 128 Clive Greatorex 58:28; 181 Phil Hodgson 1:01:36; 212 Keith Parkinson 1:04:03; 221 Keith Drinkwater 1:04:47; 227 Hatty Nylan 1:05:15; 237 Christine Preston 1:05:51; 258 Elise Milnes 1:07:46; 269 Kevin Coughlan 1:08:44; 277 Sue Roberts 1:09:53; 298 Mandy Goth 1:13:48; 301 Dave O'Neill 1:14:51; 312 Louise Abdy 1:18:27; 316 Richard Butterwick 1:28:13; 322 Myra Wells 1:53:00.

Good Shepherd Fell Race | Leigh Cross Country | Beefy's Nab Fell Race

2011-10-11T10:08:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers were in action on several fronts at the weekend.

The Good Shepherd Fell Race attracted over 100 runners to Mytholmroyd on Saturday morning despite the rainy weather. The 14 mile route started from Dauber Bridge and looped around the moors, passing over Stoodley Pike twice and returning via Robin Hood Rocks to the Good Shepherd Centre.

Calder Valley’s James Logue improved on his own course record to win in a time of 1:42:20.

Nick Barber was the first Todmorden runner in 8th place, with Paul Hobbs in 17th place and Dan Taylor in 28th position.

The ladies record was also bettered by Calder Valley’s Anne Johnson, with Mel Blackhurst finishing second lady for Todmorden and Bev Holmes ninth lady.

Todmorden Results: 8 Nick Barber 1:52:54; 17 Paul Hobbs 2:00:52; 28 Dan Taylor 2:11:18; 38 David Baldaro 2:18:33; 40 Melanie Blackhurst 2:19:15; 41 Kevin Booth 2:19:23; 71 Bev Holmes 2:36:05; 101 Julie Wyatt 3:22:18; 102 Moyra Parfitt 3:22:19; 103 Elise Milnes 3:22:20.

On Saturday afternoon Todmorden made a respectable return to the Red Rose Cross Country League with a seventh place for the men’s team at the opening race of the season held at Leigh Sports Village.

The fixture was the first of four in this year’s competition, and was the first time for several years that the club had entered a team. In the men’s race John Lloyd led the way for the club with 19th place, followed by Robin Tuddenham in 26th and Martin Stork in 41st position.

Sean Carey completed the course in 55th, despite a fall, with Ben Crowther in 72nd place. Simon Anderton was 101st, with Richard Butterwick finishing in 135th position.

Kath Brierley completed the ladies 5k course in 31st place, and 3rd v50, with Mel Robertson in 59th position, and 5th v50. Jack Crummett finished 12th in the U13 boys race.

On Sunday, a short trip to a very wet Oxenhope beckoned for Beefy’s Nab Fell Race, which was the final race in the club’s Trail Championship.

Dwane Dixon finished in 4th place, ahead of John Lloyd in 6th place, which was sufficient to keep him at the head of the table and win the Trail Championship.

Hatty Nylan won the ladies race, with Helen Hodgkinson finishing first v40 lady.

Elise Milnes completed the course to be crowned ladies Trail Champion.

Todmorden Results: 4 Dwane Dixon 21:52; 6 John Lloyd 22:11; 15 Dan Taylor 25:35; 19 Peter Clarke 26:27; 24 Hatty Nylan 27:32; 34 Helen Hodgkinson 29:53; 35 Richard Butterwick 31:29; 36 Kevin Coughlan 31:40; 39 Graham Milnes 32:12; 40 Andrea Marshall 32:15; 41 Elise Milnes 32:23; 43 Sue Roberts 32:36; 48 Dave O’Neill 36:46; 49 Kathy Bridger 39:18; 51 Myra Wells 44:52.

Lauren Jeska lined up on the elite women’s start for the Great Yorkshire Run 10k in Sheffield and finished in 5th place in 35:33, only 8 seconds outside a personal best time on a testing course.

Sarah May tackled the Chester Marathon, completing the 26 miles in 3:09:44 to finish 13th lady.

Ian Hodgson Relay | Ravenstones Brow Fell Race | Smarna Gora

2011-10-04T15:44:00.001+01:00

Todmorden ladies fielded a team at the Ian Hodgson Relay on Sunday in the Lake District. The 25 mile route was split into four legs, that were run in pairs and misty conditions on the hilltops made for a challenging day of navigation.

The team were led off by Elise Milnes and Kath Brierley, followed by a strong performance on leg 2 by Sarah May and Gemma Kendall where difficult conditions meant several teams went astray.

Mandy Goth and Sue Roberts navigated their way through the checkpoints perfectly with almost zero visibility at times.

Lucy Burnett and Cath Shanley rounded the day off to take the ladies into 7th place.

On Saturday a trio of Harriers took on the Ravenstones Brow Fell Race at Greenfield, in unseasonably hot and sunny conditions.

James Riley completed the 9 mile course in 17th in a time 1:38:43, with Mick Craven a couple of minutes further back in 20th place.

Lucy Hobbs finished 5th lady, and 36th overall, in a time of 1:50:35.

Lauren Jeska travelled to Slovenia for the Smarna Gora mountain race, which was the final round of the WMRA Grand Prix.

Lauren’s 7th place took her to 4th place in the series overall as she narrowly missed out on a medal.

Thieveley Pike Fell Race

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000+01:00

A smaller than usual turnout for the Thieveley Pike Fell Race at Holme Chapel in Cliviger on Saturday, meant that Todmorden Harriers supplied a quarter of the runners, with the race featuring in their club Fell Championship.

Fifteen Harriers tackled the 4.3 mile loop, which included over 1300 feet of ascent, in breezy and drizzly conditions.

Todmorden won the team prize with Jon Wright and Sean Carey finishing in second and third places behind Calder Valley’s James Logue, who won in a time of 34:04.

John Lloyd in 7th place and Paul Hobbs in 14th place completed the winning team quartet.

Hatty Nylan finished third lady, with Moyra Parfitt also taking home the prize for first lv65.

In the well attended junior races, Todmorden’s Liam Williamson was the U16 winner and Jack Crummett the U14 winner.

Todmorden Results: 2 Jon Wright 35:16; 3 Sean Carey 35:30; 7 John Lloyd 37:53; 13 Paul Hobbs 39:30; 14 Ben Crowther 39:58; 18 Kevin Booth 42:15; 20 Dan Taylor 42:59; 23 Clive Greatorex 44:11; 40 Hatty Nylan 48:00; 47 Helen Hodgkinson 50:50; 51 Kevin Coughlan 53:24; 52 Richard Butterwick 55:12; 55 Moyra Parfitt 57:28; 60 Dave O’Neill 61:58; 61 Louise Abdy 64:49.

Boggart Hole Chase 10k | Great North Run | Helen Clitheroe Gold 5k

2011-09-18T23:25:00.003+01:00

Todmorden Harriers travelled to Boggart Hole Clough last weekend for the latest round of the club’s road championship and left with an armful of prizes.

Robin Tuddenham won the race in 35:41 with John Lloyd in third and Martin Stork in sixth. The men not only won the team prize, but also won the veteran team prize.

Sarah May finished second lady, with Mel Blackhurst taking home the prize for first v45, and together with Sarah Glyde the trio won the ladies team prize.

Todmorden Results:1 Robin Tuddenham 35:41; 3 John Lloyd 36:54; 6 Martin Stork 37:58; 12 Sarah May 39:28; 24 Dan Taylor 42:06; 29 Dave Collins 43:09; 32 Andrew Bibby 44:04; 39 Simon Galloway 45:48; 46 Sarah Glyde 46:14; 52 Mel Blackhurst 47:04; 60 Richard Butterwick 47:42; 81 Mel Robertson 52:11; 82 Nigel Hanson 52:34; 88 Ray Poulter 53:55; 102 Myra Wells 1:01:11.

Lauren Jeska lined up on the elite women’s start on Sunday for the Great North Run alongside some of the world’s best runners, and put in a well measured performance to finish in 14th, and 4th British woman, in a time of 1.17.07.

Amongst the 50,000 runners, Tracy Stansfield completed the half marathon distance in 1:55:20 with Joanne Scholfield stopping the clock at 1:56:51. Anna Brannigan and father Paul finished together in 2:26:58.

On Wednesday a trio of Todmorden runners were in Whitworth for a 5k race honouring Helen Clitheroe, who was the guest race starter and stayed on to present the prizes.

Richard Butterwick completed the two lap course in 21:35 for 42nd place. Myra Wells finished in 83rd with Ian Stansfield in 92nd.

Photo by Ian Slater

Results...

Photos from Ian Slater...

Photos from John Mayall...

Devil's Beef Tub Fell Race | Worsley Woods Trail Race

2011-09-13T15:00:00.002+01:00

Todmorden Harriers ladies team were celebrating once again at the weekend after winning the bronze medal in this year’s British Fell Championships, to add to their recent gold medal in the English Championships.

The final race was the Devil’s Beef Tub in Scotland, which was an extremely hard 2 mile route, featuring over 750 feet of steep ascent and descent.

In misty and wet conditions Sarah May led the way for the Harriers with 7th place in the ladies race in a time of 29 minutes. Elise Milnes, in 22nd place, then led in a quartet of Todmorden runners in quick succession with Mandy Goth, Sue Roberts and Kath Brierley taking the next three places.

That gave them third placed team on the day to confirm their medal winning position in the final table behind Calder Valley Fell Runners and Welsh club Eryri Harriers.

In the subsequent men’s race John Lloyd finished in 50th in a time of 25:35 and James Riley in 72nd in 28:37.

On Sunday, the clubs Trail Championship was back on the agenda with the 4.5 mile Worsley Woods Trail Race.

It was the turn of the men to put in a strong performance with Robin Tuddenham, Dwane Dixon and John Lloyd taking 4th, 5th and 6th places.

However, they agonisingly missed out on the team prize, by 1 point, to Salford Harriers who were led in by Andi Jones who won the race for the consecutive year in 23:53.

Dan Taylor put in a solid run for 15th place, with Simon Galloway completing the leafy course in 28th place.

Andrea Marshall finished 11th lady in 41:00 for 62nd overall, with Dave O’Neill and Myra Wells crossing the finish line in 74th and 81st places respectively.

>Worsley Woods Trail Race Photographs...

Blackshaw Head | Ben Nevis | Alice's Run | Stainland 7 | Bradley Fell Race

2011-09-06T16:21:00.002+01:00

Todmorden Harriers were faced with a good choice of races at the weekend starting with the short trip for the 5.5 mile Blackshaw Head Fell Race, held in conjunction with the Fete.

Sean Carey led the way for the Harriers in 6th place, with newcomer Steve Pullian in 9th place.

Todmorden Results: 6 Sean Carey 40.29; 9 Steve Pullian 41.39; 18 Darren Tweed 43:59; 21 Duncan Ritchie 45.56; 28 Roger Haworth 47.14; 34 Clive Greatorex 47.43; 40 Guy Whitmore 48:56; 41 Angus Barclay 49.05; 76 Trevor Smith 1:03:39; 80 Louise Abdy 1:13:13.

On the same day, several Todmorden runners were in Scotland for the Ben Nevis Race, a 10 mile up and down climb from Fort William to the summit of Britain’s highest mountain.

Jon Wright finished in 18th position in 1:45:54, with Andrew Horsfall completing the route in 91st place.

Todmorden Results: 18 Jon Wright 1:45:54; 91 Andrew Horsfall 2:01:59; 185 Marcel Ellison 2:17:42; 203 James Riley 2:20:19; 262 Dan Taylor2:28:58; 312 Simon Anderton 2:35:35; 449 Mandy Goth 3:01:50.

On Sunday, five Harriers tackled Alice’s Run from Mytholmroyd on Sunday, with the 10k route winding its way up and down the Upper Calder Valley.

Guy Whitmore and Paul Cotton ran a close race for 17th and 18th place, with only 10 seconds separating them at the finish line.

Elise Milnes finished 8th lady, and 40th overall, ahead of husband Graham in 58th and Myra Wells in 104th place.

At the same time a trio of Harriers tackled the tough Stainland 7 mile road race.

Mel Blackhurst finished first v45 and Moyra Parfitt first v65 for the ladies, in 67th and 120th places overall, with Kevin Coughlin also completing the hilly course in just under an hour for 91st place.

Mel then travelled to Skipton to complete her second race of the day at the Bradley Fell Race, finishing in 71st place.

Nick Barber was the first Harrier to finish the 3.5 mile route, in 4th place, with John Lloyd in 13th and Paul Brannigan in 14th place. Dave O’Neill completed the Todmorden entry with 88th position.

Fleetwood Half Marathon | Stan Curran Cowm Reservoir 5k

2011-08-31T08:31:00.002+01:00

A handful of Todmorden Harriers braved unseasonable conditions at the Fleetwood Half Marathon on Sunday. They battled around the 13 mile course through gale force winds with frequent heavy rain and hail showers.

The race was the latest round of the club’s road championship. Robin Tuddenham ran a strong race to finish in 7^th place and first vet40 in a time of 1:17:57 closing the gap on current championship leader, Martin Stork who finished in 14^th place.

Darren Graham completed the course in 67^th, with Simon Galloway finishing in 90^th.

Mel Robertson was the sole female Todmorden runner in 181^st place

Todmorden Results: 7 Robin Tuddenham 1.17.57; 14 Martin Stork 1.22.04; 67 Darren Graham 1.32.17; 90 Simon Galloway 1.36.45; 181 Mel Robertson 1.49.11

On Tuesday evening, a trio of Todmorden runners enjoyed calmer conditions at the Stan Curran Cowm Reservoir 5k. A sizeable entry from Salford Harriers saw the course records for men and women both fall with Joe Bailey winning in a time of 15:11, over one minute ahead of 2^nd place, and Hayley Kuter setting a new women’s mark of 18:00.

Simon Anderton completed the two lap course of the reservoir in 19:53 for 30^th place overall and first vet50. James Riley was hot on his heels in 32nd place and a time of 20:05.

Myra Wells finished in 89th place for Todmorden in 28:47.

Sedburgh Hills | Burnsall Feast Sports | Golf Ball Fell Race

2011-08-24T14:12:00.000+01:00

The Sedburgh Hills Fell Race on Sunday marked the final race in this year’s English Fell Championships. The 16 mile race featured over 6500 feet of ascent and was also a counter in this year’s British Fell Championships.

Whilst Todmorden Ladies were safe in the gold medal position for the English Championships, the race was still an important chance to add to their score as they pursue a British Championship medal.

Lauren Jeska had already secured the individual ladies championship so opted not to race, but Sarah May led the Todmorden charge as she also sought to improve her own position. Starting the day in joint 8thplace, Sarah ran a strong race to finish in 8th place in the ladies race on the day. That result moved her up to 7th place in the overall standings for the year.

Gemma Kendall was the next Todmorden lady in 25th followed by Mel Blackhurst in 44th place, to take the ladies into 4th team on the day and keep them in 3rd place in the British Championships, with just one race to go.

Jane Leonard kept her hopes of an English Championship V50 medal alive with 52nd lady, and is currently second in the overall standings.

Alistair Rhodes-Dawson returned from injury to lead in the Todmorden men in 65th place, with Dwane Dixon finishing in 97th place.

Todmorden Results: 65 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 2:30:40; 97 Dwane Dixon 2:39:09; 122 Nick Barber 2:47:58; 129 Sarah May 2:50:03; 130 Dave Collins 2:50:31; 180 Andrew Bibby 3:06:05; 190 Gemma Kendall 3:07:11; 247 Melanie Blackhurst 3:23:10; 275 Jane Leonard 3:33:46; 295 Peter Ehrhardt 3:43:39.

On Saturday, several Harriers took part in the Burnsall 10 road race in the Yorkshire Dales which featured in this year’s club road championship.

Paul Brannigan finished the course in 8th place, with Martin Stork in 13th and John Lloyd in 15th, winning them second placed team prize.

Richard Blakely crossed the line in 74th, with Peter Ehrhardt in 79th and Mel Robertson in 82nd place.

Todmorden Results: 8. Paul Brannigan 1:02:23; 13. Martin Stork 1:04:12; 15. John Lloyd 1:04:46; 74. Richard Blakeley 1:24:12; 79. Peter Ehrhardt 1:27:14; 82. Melanie Robertson 1:28:49.

The race formed part of the Burnsall Feast Sports Day and was followed with the classic Fell Race, which a trio of Todmorden runners entered.

James Riley completed the 1.5mile course which features a lung busting 900 feet climb and a precipitous descent in 19:46 for 41st place, with Peter Clarke in 77th in a time of 22:24. Sue Roberts claimed the 10th lady position with 25:44.

Sean Carey enjoyed a titanic battle with Eryri’s Matthew Roberts at the Golf Ball Fell Race on Wednesday as the pair left the rest of the field trailing in the distance, with Sean eventually losing out on the line by one second.

James Riley in 75th and Kevin Booth in 84th place were the Harriers other representatives.

The race was the fourth and final race in Rossendale’s Mid Week Fell Series and second place on the night was sufficient for Sean to claim a comfortable win in the series overall.

Worsthorne Moor Fell Race | Borrowdale Fell Race | Hailstorm Hill Fell Race

2011-08-09T09:27:00.001+01:00

Todmorden Harriers made a short trip to the Worsthorne Moor Fell Race on Sunday. In wet conditions, the 7 mile race followed a loop around the moor on a variety of terrain.

The race featured in the club’s inaugural trail championship and Dwane Dixon strengthened his hold at the top of the table with 4th place in a time of 41:50.

Paul Brannigan edged out Robin Tuddenham on the line for 11th place, with only one second separating them, with Martin Stork in 14th.

Mel Robertson was the only Todmorden lady to tackle the course, finishing in 98th place.

Todmorden Results: 4 Dwane Dixon 42.48; 11 Paul Brannigan 44.24; 12 Robin Tuddenham 44.25; 14 Martin Stork 45.09; 42 Simon Galloway 50.04; 49 Andrew Bibby 51.06; 55 Mick Craven 52.37; 64 Dan Taylor 54.04; 85 Richard O'Sullivan 58.05; 95 Kevin Coughlan 59.57; 98 Melanie Robertson 61.02.

On Saturday, a quartet of Harriers entered the classic Borrowdale Fell Race. Over 300 runners tackled the 17 mile route which features over 7000 feet of ascent.

Phil Hodgson was the first Harrier to finish in 153rd in a time of 4:24:56. Jane Leonard finished 2nd lady vet50, and 204th overall, in 4:45:58 with husband Richard completing the course in 5:15:03 for 267th place. Mandy Goth finished in 314th in 6:01:51.

Three Todmorden runners entered a new race at Bacup on Wednesday, with 117 runners taking advantage of the free entry offered by organisers Rossendale Harriers.

The imposingly named Hailstorm Hill Fell Race, which fortunately did not live up to its name, saw Marcel Ellison lead the way for the Harriers in 26th place. Simon Anderton finished in 35th position just ahead of James Riley in 38th place.

Whittle Pike [English Champs] | Harakiri Mountain Race | Lakeland 100 | Cowm Reservoir 4.2m

2011-07-31T16:34:00.008+01:00

Todmorden Ladies clinched the English Fell Championship team gold medal at the Whittle Pike Fell Race on Saturday. With one race to go in the six race series they now hold an uncatchable lead.

The 5.1 mile race started with a half mile road section, before the first of three steep climbs, the second of which took the runners to the high point of Whittle Pike.

In hot and sunny conditions Sarah May led the way for the Harriers in the ladies race finishing in an excellent 5th place, behind Holmfirth's Katie Walshaw who won in a time of 45:47.

Jane Leonard was the next Todmorden lady in 44th place. After a close battle Lucy Hobbs edged out Fiona Armer on the final run in to finish 51st and 54th respectively. Karen Gray completed the course in 69th place.

In the men's race, Dark Peak's Lloyd Taggert won in a time of 37:30 after catching the early leader Rob Jebb, of Bingley Harriers, who retired after a late fall. Jon Wright was the first Todmorden runner in 28th, ahead of Sean Carey in 49th, who was also 2nd U18.

A strongly finishing Paul Brannigan edged out Alistair Rhodes-Dawson as they finished 59th and 68th respectively.

Todmorden men's results: 28 Jon Wright 42:38; 49 Sean Carey 44:59; 59 Paul Brannigan 45:49; 68 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 46:36; 90 Dave Collins 48:46; 102 Peter Bowles 50:19; 122 Marcel Ellison 53:27; 125 Andrew Bibby 53:36; 141 Mick Craven 56:17; 161 Richard Blakeley 59:34; 167 Phil Cook 1:00:22; 184 Peter Ehrhardt 1:05:15; 188 Kevin Coughlin 1:07:30.

Ladies results: 5 Sarah May 48:23; 44 Jane Leonard 59:18; 51 Lucy Hobbs 1:00:38; 54 Fiona Armer 1:01:38; 69 Karen Gray 1:09:02.

Lauren Jeska was in Mayrhofen, Austria for the Harakiri Mountain Race, the fourth race in the World Mountain Running GP. In a highly competitive race, Lauren finished 12th lady, and 2nd v35, completing the tough uphill only course in 1:15:09.

Elise Milnes completed the Lakeland 100 in 38 hours and 49 minutes at the weekend. The 100 mile 'Ultra Tour of the Lake District' followed a circular route from Coniston that included over 6000 feet of ascent. With less than half the starters finishing the full distance, it lives up to its reputation as the toughest race in the UK.

On Wednesday, Martin Stork finished 4th at the Linda Crabtree Cowm Reservoir Race. Martin completed the 4.2 mile multi terrain race in 25:49, with James Riley in 21st place in a time of 29:44.

Mel Robertson recorded 35:03 for 47th, with Myra Wells stopping the clock at 42:48 for 65th.

Ian Terry 5k | Widdop Fell Race | Elswick Express 10 | Turnslack Fell Race | Snowden Race | Gorski tek na Grintovec

2011-07-26T09:46:00.001+01:00

Todmorden Harriers started a busy week with success at the Ian Terry Memorial 5k in Littleborough which attracted 150 runners on Tuesday evening.

John Lloyd finished in 5th place in 17:04, with Lauren Jeska in 7th setting a new PB of 17:15. The time also represented the second fastest time by a woman on the popular hilly course.

Martin Stork recorded 18:02 for 10th place.

Todmorden Results: 5 John Lloyd 17.04; 7 Lauren Jeska 17.15; 10 Martin Stork 18.02; 25 David Baldaro19.54; 52 Richard Butterwick 22.38; 65 Mel Robertson 23.53; 112 Myra Wells 30.02.

On Wednesday night, the ladies team finished first at the Widdop Fell Race. The seven mile moorland route included 1200 feet of ascent as it looped around Gorple and Widdop reservoirs.

Alistair Rhodes-Dawson led the way for the Harriers with 6th place in 54:18. Ben Crowther finished 15th, with Shaun Pickard in 20th just under the hour mark.

Chris Preston led in the victorious ladies trio, finishing 4th lady, with Jane Leonard 6th lady and Elise Milnes was 12th lady.

In the junior races Sophie Taylor completed the 0.4 mile under eights course in 6:31 and Jack Crummett finished 4th in the under fourteens 2.6 mile race.

Todmorden Results: 6 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 54:18; 15 Ben Crowther 58:03; 20 Shaun Pickard 59:43; 61 Chris Preston 1:11:37; 63 Paul Cotton 1:11:52; 69 Jane Leonard 1:13:48; 86 Elise Milnes 1:20:00; 89 Helen Hodgkinson 1:21:11; 102 Graham Milnes 1:30:05.

On Saturday, the club’s Road Championship returned to the fore with a new race on the Fylde Peninsular, the 10 mile Elswick Express.

Robin Tuddenham finished in 58:26 for 8th place, with John Lloyd hot on his heels in 10th. Paul Brannigan was 18th, with Sarah Glyde completing the course in 1:16:41 for 12th lady. Peter Ehrhardt rounded off the Todmorden entry in 81st.

Todmorden Results: 8 Robin Tuddenham 58.26; 10 John Lloyd 59.02; 18 Paul Brannigan 1:01.16; 63 Sarah Glyde 1:16.41; 81 Peter Ehrhardt 1:22:29.

Closer to home on Saturday, eight Harriers tackled the tough eight mile route of the Turnslack Fell Race at Calderbrook.

Darren Graham finished first Todmorden man in 1:24:04 for 34th place, with Mick Craven in 51st and Marcel Ellison in 62nd.

Chris Preston once again led the Todmorden ladies to another team prize, finishing in 1:36:05 and 4th lady. Elise Milnes, Issy Pollard and Moyra Parfitt finished together for 8th, 9th and 10th ladies respectively.

Graham Milnes completed the Todmorden entry with 97th place in a time of 1:56:33.

Todmorden Results: 34 Darren Graham 84.04; 51 Mick Craven 90:42; 62 Marcel Ellison 93.21; 68 Chris Preston 96.05; 90 Elise Milnes 113.00; 91 Issy Pollard 113.01; 92 Moyra Parfitt 113.02; 97 Graham Milnes 116.33.

A pair of Harriers were in Wales, also on Saturday, for the International Snowdon Race. Paul Hobbs finished in 95th place in a time of 1:27:19 and James Riley recorded 1:39:50 for 218th place.

Lauren Jeska was in Slovenia for the latest race in the WMRA Grand Prix on Sunday. Due to severe weather, with snowfall on the upper part of the mountain, the uphill only course was shortened to an intense 1200m climb over 6.5km. Lauren finished in 3rd place in 58:38, taking her into 3rd place in the series.

Waugh's Well | Radcliffe 3 Day Challenge | Heaton parkrun

2011-07-16T10:11:00.009+01:00

Sean Carey finished in second place at Waugh's Well Fell Race on Tuesday in 34:04, behind Wharfedale's James Hall. The 4 mile race near Edenfield took a new revised longer route that included an additional early steep climb before passing over Whittle Pike twice.

Marcel Ellison completed the course in a time of 41:48 for 26th, with Richard Butterwick crossing the line in 48:42 for 59th. Helen Hodgkinson finished 8th lady in 50:52.

Steve Bateson's Waugh's Well Photos... (coming soon)

Mel Siddall finished first lady v45, and 31st overall, at the Radcliffe 5 mile trail race on Saturday in 39:49. Myra Wells completed the Irwell Valley course in 54th in a time of 57:45, having earlier that day recorded 30:48 at the Oldham parkrun 5k.

The trail race was the final element of Radcliffe AC's three day challenge, that also featured Thursday's 5.5 mile Bull Hill Fell Race and the 5 mile Giant's Seat Summer Cross Country on Friday evening.

Richard Butterwick was the sole Todmorden entrant, finishing the series in 9th place, and second v40, in a combined time of 2:08:46 for the three races.

Mark Murphy's Bull Hill Fell Race 2011 Photos...

Myra's rainy Giant's Seat Summer XC 2011 Photos...

Radcliffe AC's Giant's Seat and Radcliffe Trail Photo's...

Todmorden Harriers dominated the weekly parkrun at Heaton Park, with Robin Tuddenham winning in 17:37.

Lauren Jeska finished first lady, and third overall in 18:03, with Martin Stork 9 seconds behind in fourth.

Ian Stansfield continued his return from injury with 34:45, finishing 197th of the 240 runners.

Stoodley Pike Fell Race | Ras Yr Aran [British Champs] | Heptonstall Festival Fell Race

2011-07-11T21:59:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers claimed both the men’s and ladies team prizes at the Stoodley Pike Fell Race last Tuesday.

The 3 mile race successfully dodged the showers to start under a rainbow. The runners tackled the tough climb up Long Causeway and travelled along the ridge to Stoodley Pike. A nerve testing steep descent to London Road followed, before a fast flat return to the finish at the Top Brink Inn.

Ilkley’s Tom Adams established an early lead on the climb and held it to the end, to finish in 19:09.
Calder Valley’s Max Wharton crossed the line 30 seconds behind for second place, and first under-18, just ahead of last year’s winner Alex Whittem.

Jon Wright was the first Harrier in 6th place, and first vet40, with Sean Carey in 8th place. Todmorden took the team prize with Dwane Dixon in 10th and John Lloyd in 11th place making up the winning quartet.

Todmorden’s Lauren Jeska repeated her win from last year in the ladies race, ahead of Tara Krzywicki of Accrington and Anne Johnson of Calder Valley.

Gemma Kendall finished in 4th and Hatty Nylan in 9th as the ladies narrowly won the team prize from Calder Valley and Accrington, with all three clubs having their three counting runners in the top ten.

Todmorden Results: 6 Jon Wright 20.41; 8 Sean Carey 20.58; 10 Dwane Dixon 21.21; 11 John Lloyd 21.34; 13 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 21.40; 21 Lauren Jeska 22.36; 40 Marcel Ellison 24.08; 54 Dan Taylor 25.14; 58 Gemma Kendall 25.28; 93 Mick Craven 27.01; 97 Hatty Nylan 27.23; 136 Jane Leonard 29.30; 138 Matt Edwards 29.38; 177 Louise Abdy 36:00.

Stoodley Pike Fell Race Results 2011...

Stoodley Pike Photos...

Todmorden posted a strong showing at Saturday’s British Championship Fell Race in Wales. The second race in this year’s championship was the Ras Yr Aran near Bala.

Todmorden ladies finish 3rd team to repeat their result from round one in Northern Ireland and keep hopes high of a team medal this year, with two races remaining.

Lauren Jeska finished 4th lady in 1:44:32, with Jane Leonard and Kath Brierley crossing the line together for 27th and 28th places and Sue Roberts completing the course for 42nd lady.

Jon Wright led a strong showing from the men with 1:33:46 taking him into 31st place, with Alistair Rhodes Dawson in 39th. Nick Barber finished in 53rd with John Lloyd one place behind.

Todmorden Results: 31 Jon Wright 1:33:46; 39 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 1:37:12; 53 Nick Barber 1:41:05; 54 John Lloyd 1:42:11; 67 Lauren Jeska 1:44:32; 122 James Riley 2:04:01; 161 Jane Leonard 2:14:40; 162 Kath Brierley 2:14:40; 164 Richard Leonard 2:15:56; 190 Sue Roberts 2:31:40.

Ras Yr Aran Results...

Ras Yr Aran Al Tye Photos(up)... Photos (down)

Graham Spencer's Yr Aran Photos..

Closer to home on Saturday the inaugural Heptonstall Festival Fell Race attracted over 90 runners to its 6 mile testing course.

Todmorden’s Sean Carey set the pace and won the race in 53:01, with Paul Hobbs in 8th and Ben Crowther in 9th, allowing Todmorden to also win the team prize.

Hatty Nylan finished 8th lady and Louise Abdy 13th lady.

Todmorden Results: 1 Sean Carey 53:01; 8 Paul Hobbs 56:11; 9 Ben Crowther 56:21; 20 Shaun Pickard 59:32; 30 Jeff Walker 1:01:56; 32 Duncan Ritchie 1:02:10; 62 (lady 8) Hatty Nylan 1:11:40; 67 Richard Butterwick 1:14:00; 86 (lady 13) Louise Abdy 1:31:04.

Hepstonstall Festival Fell Race Results...

From Azerbaijan to Heptonstall – Festival Fell Race wins friends far and wide

2011-07-11T18:00:00.006+01:00

by Steve Grimley...

Another bumper Heptonstall turnout saw Todmorden Harriers take local honours in first ever Heptonstall Festival Fell Race on Saturday. The race was conceived by local runners Heptonstall Hurriers to support the Heptonstall village festival and was the result of a tremendous community effort as friends, neighbours, and families pulled together to act as marshals, time keepers, and race officials. An informal running group comprised of local Tod Harriers and Calder Valley members, the Hurriers were delighted at the success of the race having planned the event only 4 weeks earlier. Featuring 1500 feet of ascent the race was specifically designed to qualify for Fell Running’s “Category A” status, the highest difficultly level in the sport. The challenging route helped to attract a field of 93 runners from across the region, with many runners travelling from as far afield as Kent and Leicestershire to swell ranks at the White Lion start.

Photographs by Ed Lister

Stephen Heath took the prize for the furthest flung entrant; travelling from Azerbaijan as the only representative of Baku Hash House Harriers he finished in a creditable 63rd place. The BP employee used to running through the arid badlands of Baku oil fields, in temperatures topping 40’C, noticed the Heptonstall Fell Race website and decided to include the race in his preparations for his up coming ultra marathon in the High Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. The Hash House Harrier, based in Baku since 2004, was full of praise the event, “I was back in the UK for a week or two for the birth of my daughter and thought it would be great opportunity to have a go at my first fell race – the whole village festival-fell race format made it a great day out, the route was pretty formidable, but the village and local landscape made it a memorable run. The Calder Valley is a wonderful place with warm and generous people”. Stephen’s wife Rebecca gave birth to their daughter Georgia 5 days before the race, both were on hand to cheer him on as he finished the race in 71 min. The much travelled Hash House Harrier promised he would spread the word of Heptonstall’s new race across the hills and mountains of Central Asia.

Both Calder Valley and Todmorden Harriers were well represented to add friendly local rivalry to the event. Calder Valley had previously dominated proceedings at the inaugral 15 mile Heptonstall Fell Race in March, but Todmorden Harriers turned the tables on their local rivals to take the Festival Honours.

As torrential rain gave over to bright sunshine, 17 year old Todmorden Harriers Sean Carey ran a dazzling race to finish in 1st place ahead of Calder Valley’s Andy Thorpe. Leading the field from Heptonstall on the “white knuckle” descent to the Blue Pig, before a 1000 foot ascent to High Brown Knoll, Carey showed he had stamina in his young legs as he skipped up the daunting 500 foot ascent to the finish line, setting a new race record of 53.01mins. The up and coming Todmorden runner has recently won a host of short races, and his victory helped secure team honours for Todmorden as Paul Hobbs and Ben Crowther finished 8th and 9th respectively to out score Calder Valley’s 3 highest placed runners.

Some pride was restored for Calder Valley, as Anne Johnson, Gayle Sugden, and Trudi Entwhistle took the ladies team prize. But Calder ladies didn’t have it all their own way as highly talented Holmfirth Harrier Katie Walshaw set a stunning pace to finish first lady beating off many of the stronger male runners to take 7th place overall in the ladies course record of 55.42min.

A number of beginners and none attached runners from the village also ran including new Hurrier Sam Swindells who lent a pair of fell-trainers to run his first ever race.The Manchester University student finished in an impressive 15th place winning the honour of fastest Heptonstall Hurrier (of 10 running either as Hurriers or official clubs).

Runners and motorists may have been surprised to be confronted by a troop of clowns marshaling the Draper Corner road crossing as the village volunteers were dressed for the their later roles in the Festival fun; not to be out done, a bunch of leading (but unnamed) Calder Valley clowns were heard to have completely missed the well flagged route to find themselves wading through brambles and nettles to emerge 100 yards short of the official road crossing on Lee Road.

Heptonstall Results: 15 Sam Swindells 57:19; 40 Jo Daniels 1:04:26; 43 Gavin Lee 1:04:53; 47 Chris Cavey 1:06:52; 60 Paul Cruthers 1:10:58.

Heptonstall Festival Fell Race

2011-07-05T21:58:00.001+01:00

Beginners encouraged to run to the hills as new Fell Race kicks off Heptonstall Festival by Steve Grimley...

Excitement is building in Heptonstall as the village prepares to stage its second major fell running event of 2011 this Saturday 9th July. Following the success of the epic 15 mile Heptonstall Fell Race in March Heptonstall Hurriers were asked to organise a new short, fun, fell race for Heptonstall Festival.

The Hurriers rose to the challenge, working with land owners, Calder Valley Fell Runners, Todmorden Harriers, plus a host of friends and neighbours to make the new race a reality. Heptonstall Festival Fell Race will kick off a day of family fun including live music, folk dancing, local food, and children’s entertainment.

The 6 mile course should be an instant hit with fell runners, featuring some of the best scenery in the area on little known paths and rights of way; The unusual double-descent format starts at the White Lion Pub with a quick run up the cobbles, followed by a 500 ft descent to the Blue Pig. After the 1000 ft ascent to High Brown Knoll runners turn tail and head back to the Heptonstall the way they came.

Set against the iconic backdrop of Hardcastle Craggs, Heptonstall, and Stoodley Pike, Peckett Well War Memorial is a real highlight. As the race progresses from Peckett Well to the summit of High Brown Knoll runners will be clearly visible from Heptonstall. Standing at 1453 feet, and 120 feet higher than Stoodley Pike, High Brown Knoll and its moorland flanks provide classic fell running, whilst offering festival-goers with binoculars the unique opportunity to monitor the race from the comfort of the finishing field in Town Field Lane. (weather permitting!). The return ascent to Heptonstall should be a real test of runner’s endurance on the final, and steepest climb from Midgehole to Lee Bank.

The race will swell the crowds at the Heptonstall Village Festival, as runners from across the region are expected to join locals on the start line. Race Organisers hope the race will become an annual community event, inspiring local runners, new to fell running, to experience the exhilaration of racing over hills. Beginners will find the route easy to follow, fully flagged, and well marshalled, whilst seasoned fell runners will enjoy the 1500 feet of climbs and descents over wide variety of terrain.

Runners can register from 9.00, race starts at 11.00; followed by prize giving at 12.45 in White Lion Pub. Village gala, food stalls, music, and beer kick off at 12.00. Full details and map; www.heptonstallfestivalrace.org.uk/

Cragg Vale Fell Race

2011-06-29T22:22:00.008+01:00

Todmorden Harriers made the short trip to Cragg Vale on Wednesday for the Cragg Vale Fell Race.

The 4 mile race started from Cragg Church and featured 800 feet of ascent. After a narrow woodland path, the runners climbed up to Bell House Moor. The climbing continued up Dicks Lane before the runners turned and descended via Sunderland Pasture and Swan Bank.

John Lloyd led the way for the Harriers with 7th place. Alistair Rhodes-Dawson was 10th and Paul Hobbs 11th.

Hatty Nylan finished 3rd lady, with Lisa Parsons 6th lady and Chris Preston 9th lady.

Todmorden Results: 7 John Lloyd 29:44; 10 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 30:35; 11 Paul Hobbs 30:47; 24 Shaun Pickard 32:54; 28 Peter Bowles 33:31; 29 Paul Brannigan 33:45; 30 Marcel Ellison 33:47; 43 Jack Crummett 35:40; 58 Angus Barclay 37:48; 59 (lady 3) Hatty Nylan 37:50; 65 Phil Cook 38:45; 71 (lady 6) Lisa Parsons 39:25; 81 (lady 9) Chris Preston 42:30; 84 (lady 10) Elise Milnes 42:58; 90 Graham Milnes 44:52; 91 (lady 11) Melanie Robertson 45:38.

Cragg Vale Results...

Cragg Vale Fell Race 2011 Photos...

The Stoodley Pike Fell Race takes place on Tuesday 5th July at 7:30pm. Entry on the night is £3.50 at race HQ in the Top Brink Inn and is open to runners aged 14 and above, with proceeds donated to a local charity.

The 3.5 mile race starts with a stiff climb up the Calderdale Way past Lea Dam and follows the flat ridge along to the Stoodley Pike monument. A steep descent down to London Road takes the runners back to the finish field via Broad Carr.

Loughrigg-Silver Howe [English Champs]

2011-06-27T08:40:00.008+01:00

Todmorden's Lauren Jeska scored an unexpected but well deserved win at the Loughrigg Silver Howe Fell Race to open up an unassailable lead in this year's English Fell Championships, to win the ladies gold medal for the second consecutive year.

Calder Valley's Helen Fines - Lauren's closest rival in the championship going into this round - and Jo Buckley looked to have secured a one-two for Calder Valley, having set the pace from the off. However, a faster route choice on the final descent handed victory to the Todmorden Harrier by 11 seconds over Kendal's Lou Roberts.

Sarah May had an inspired run to finish in 6th place, and together with Gemma Kendall in 21st, the Todmorden ladies secured second placed team behind Calder Valley.

That result leaves the club on target for their first ever English Championship medal, with a silver medal already guaranteed. However, with two wins and two second places so far this year, the ladies will be pushing hard for gold at the next Championship race, the Whittle Pike Fell Race, at Cowpe at the end of July.

Todmorden Ladies Results: 1 Lauren Jeska 1:27:38; 6 Sarah M 1:33:26; 21 Gemma Kendall 1:43:01; 22 Kath Brierley 1:43:03; 34 Mel Blackhurst 1:46:31; 56 Jane Leonard 1:58:41; 61 Helen Hodgkinson 2:00:30; 73 Louise Abdy 2:18:47.

In the men’s race, Bingley veteran Ian Holmes also came from behind to snatch victory in a time of 1:08:20.

Jon Wright finished in 25th for the Harriers before Nick Barber crossed the line in 51st, just ahead of 53rd placed John Lloyd and Alistair Rhodes-Dawson in 57th.

Todmorden Men’s Results: 25 Jon Wright 1:15:48; 51 Nick Barber 1:20:05; 53 John Lloyd 1:20:28; 57 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 1:21:31; 128 Andrew Bibby 1:44:36; 140 Simon Galloway 1:48:19; 148 Richard Leonard 1:51:35; 167 Richard Blakeley 2:01:56.

Pete's Loughrigg Silver Howe Photos...

Paul Dobson's Loughrigg Silver Howe Photos...

The Stoodley Pike Fell Race takes place on Tuesday 5th July at 7:30pm. Entry on the night is £3.50 at race HQ in the Top Brink Inn and is open to runners aged 14 and above, with proceeds donated to a local charity.

The 3.5 mile race starts with a stiff climb up the Calderdale Way past Lea Dam and follows the flat ridge along to the Stoodley Pike monument. A steep descent down to London Road takes the runners back to the finish field via Broad Carr.

Whicken Hill Whizz | Hendon Brook

2011-06-17T23:45:00.008+01:00

Nick Barber was the highest placed Todmorden Harrier at the Midsummer Madness Series, as the men’s team snatched the team prize on the final day. The three race series, organised by Calder Valley Fell Runners, comprises of three fell races held on consecutive days.

The first race on Friday evening, from Mytholmroyd, was the Whicken Hill Whizz, a steep 3 mile climb up to Sheepstones trig point and back.

Calder Valley’s Ben Mounsey took the win in 20:05, half a minute ahead of club mate Alex Whittem.

Todmorden’s Sean Carey held off a strong challenge from Calder Valley’s Max Wharton to finish in 3rd place.

Nick Barber was the next Todmorden runner in 8th, just ahead of Dwane Dixon in 9th. A further three Harriers made it into the top fifteen with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson in 12th, Paul Hobbs 13th and Paul Brannigan 15th.

Sarah May finished 1st lady in 25:33, with Helen Hodgkinson and Chris Preston finishing 8th and 9th ladies.

On Saturday, the 7 mile Reservoir Bogs also was something of a mental test as well as physical, as the runners were only handed a map of the checkpoints at the start and were faced with the decision as to which route to take between them.

Ben Crowther was the first Harrier to finish in 12th, with Paul Hobbs in 13th. Nick Barber crossed the line in 15th despite adding to the difficultly by losing his map part way round, to finish the day in 4th place for the series.

Helen Hodgkinson was Todmorden’s first lady finisher in 10th, with Elise Milnes navigating herself round as 13th lady.

The 4 mile Tom Tittiman Fell Race on Sunday marked the final race in the series and Nick Barber was once again the first Todmorden man in 4th place, lifting him into 3rd place for the series overall.

Paul Hobbs finished 7th and Ben Crowther 8th which meant they finished the series in 5th and 6th respectively to take the series team prize.

Darren Graham and Marcel Ellison also completed the series in 7th and 8th overall.

Helen Hodgkinson finished the final race as 12th lady, taking her into 6th lady for the series.

Whicken Hill Whizz 2011 Results... Reservoir Bogs Results... Tom Tittiman Results...

Midsummer Madness overall standings...

Whicken Hill Whizz Photos...

The 13.5 mile Hendon Brook road race also took place on Sunday, attracting several Todmorden Harriers to the tough hilly course near Colne.

Salford’s Tom Cornthwaite was in a class of his own as he completed the route in 1:19:04, over 7 minutes ahead of the next runner.

John Lloyd led the way for Todmorden in 5th place in 1:30:29, with Paul Brannigan in 11th place, and first v45, and Martin Stork in 15th.

Mel Blackhurst crossed the line in 1:53:28 for 3rd lady, with Sarah Glyde 5th lady. Chris Preston finished strongly taking 14th lady just ahead of Elise Milnes. Moyra Parfitt finished first vet 65.

Hendon Brook 2011 Results...

Hebden Bridge Fell Race | Knowl Hill Fell Race

2011-06-12T20:31:00.004+01:00

It was a record breaking night for the Hebden Bridge Fell Race on Thursday. The Todmorden Harriers organised race saw a record entry of over 170 runners take on the 5.8 mile route from Calder Holmes Park up across Erringdon Moor to Stoodley Pike and back down again.

As well as the host club, there were also large turnouts from Calder Valley Fell Runners and Stainland Lions.
Fine conditions made for perfect running and Calder Valley’s Ben Mounsey shaved 4 seconds off the course record as he won in 42:37, ahead of team mate Gavin Mulholland in 44:02.

Todmorden’s Sean Carey finished a further 9 seconds back to take 3rd place, with Jon Wright in 4th for the Harriers.

Helen Fines made it a double for Calder Valley, as she also set a new ladies course record of 51:48, bettering Lisa Lacon’s mark from 2007 by 41 seconds.

Gemma Kendall finished 4th lady for Todmorden, with Sarah Warburton and Kath Brierley 6th and 8th ladies respectively.

Hebden Bridge Fell Race Results

Keith Parkinson's Hebden Bridge Fell Race Photos...

Steve Boyer's Hebden Bridge Fell Race Photos...

Rachel from Fix Lifestyles - Blog about 2011 Hebden Bridge Fell race...

The Knowl Hill Fell Race on Sunday saw a strong showing by Todmorden’s men, with Jon Wright finishing in 2nd place, 11 seconds behind race winner Matt Proctor. Jon had led the race at the midway point, but Rochdale’s Proctor overhauled him in the run in to win in 44:24.

Alistair Rhodes-Dawson and John Lloyd ran a close race to finish 4th and 5th.

The race was the final event in Rochdale Harriers three day event, and Todmorden’s sole completer of all the races was Robin Tuddenham who finished in 11th place at Knowl Hill. This followed a 4th place at Friday’s Norden 10k and 4th again at Saturday’s Naden Valley Trial race, and meant he finished 4th in the series overall.

Dave Collins finished in 17th, and first v55, with Marcel Ellison in 32nd place.

Knowl Hill Fell Race Results

Rochdale Three Day Event Results and Photos...

Duddon Valley Fell Race | Jura Fell Race

2011-06-05T17:59:00.006+01:00

Todmorden Harriers Ladies Team recorded another excellent win at the Duddon Valley Fell Race on Saturday to strengthen their hold at the top of this year’s English Fell Championship standings. With three of the six races completed the club now hold a nine point lead over second placed Keswick.

The classic race started and finished at Seathwaite and the route covered 18 miles around the head of the Duddon Valley with 6000ft of climb over several Lakeland peaks.

Todmorden’s Lauren Jeska won the ladies race, after another epic battle with Calder Valley’s Helen Fines, with just 13 seconds between them after over three hours of racing in the hot sunny conditions.

Sarah May finished 14th lady and Kath Brierley completed the winning team line up with 31st place.

Lauren has now doubled her advantage over Fines in the individual Championship to six points, with Sarah consolidating her position in the top ten.

Alistair Rhodes Dawson was the first Todmorden man to finish in 49th, with Dwane Dixon in 61st. Dave Collins finished 4th vet55, and 90th overall, with Ben Crowther finishing 100th.

Todmorden Results: 32 Lauren Jeska 3:14:26; 49 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 3:20:23; 61 Dwane Dixon 3:26:49; 90 Dave Collins 3:39:58; 100 Ben Crowther 3:44:10; 129 Sarah May 3:58:04; 136 Robin Tuddenham 4:01:43; 151 John Lloyd 4:09:14; 165 Darren Graham 4:16:34; 168 Darren Tweed 4:17:01; 186 Kath Brierley 4:24:09; 190 Jane Leonard 4:25:11; 223 Melanie Blackhurst 4:40:28; 259 Mandy Goth 5:18:11; 263 Richard Blakeley 5:43:17; 264 Peter Ehrhardt 5:43:46.

Sports Sunday's Duddon photo's...

The previous weekend had seen a quartet of Harriers take on the Isle of Jura Fell Race. The 28 km route featured 2370m of climbing including 7 mountain summits. First Harrier to finish was Phil Hodgson in 5:07:15 for 94th place.
Richard Leonard completed the course in 6:32:27 with Rhys Watkins finished 1 second apart for 182nd and 183rd, with Mandy Goth in 184th three minutes further back.

Jack Crummett won the U13 Jura junior race in a new record time.

The attentions of club will now turn to their own race - the Hebden Bridge Fell Race on Thursday 9th June at 7:15pm.

Registration is at Machpelah Mill, next to Calder Holmes Park, Hebden Bridge. This is between the town centre and the railway station, south of A646 Burnley Road. Enter on the day £3.50. Minimum age 16.

Prizegiving/food afterwards at the White Swan, Bridgegate, Hebden Bridge. Special prize category for runners entering their first fell race.

Starting on Hebden Bridge Calder Holmes Park, this 5.8mile race goes to Stoodley Pike and back via Erringden Moor, thereby adding a different twist to the climb up to the Pike than other races.

Colne 10k | Broughton Heights Hill Race | Cader Idris Fell Race | Saddleworth Fell Race

2011-05-31T18:33:00.002+01:00

Todmorden Harriers Road Championship was back on the agenda on Friday evening with the Burnley Lions Colne 10k.

A sizeable turnout from the club were led in by John Lloyd in 6th place and Robin Tuddenham in 9th.

Martin Stork and Paul Brannigan ran a close race around the two lap course with Martin finishing just 5 seconds ahead in 15th place.

Maria Prescott ran a strong race to take 5th lady overall and Sarah Glyde was 7th lady.

With Mel Siddall finishing 11th lady, they narrowly won the ladies team prize from Trawden.

Todmorden Results: 6 John Lloyd 36.34; 9 Robin Tuddenham 37.10; 15 Martin Stork 38.56; 16 Paul Brannigan 39.01; 40 Darren Graham 41.14; 47 Kevin Booth 41.46; 74 Andrew Bibby 44.09; 77 Lee McCluskey 44.23; 97 Maria Prescott 46.20; 103 Sarah Glyde 47.12; 105 Richard O'Sullivan 47.18; 107 Richard Blakeley 47.24; 117 Kevin Coughlan 48.19; 119 Mel Siddall 48.35; 134 Helen Hodgkinson 50.42; 138 Peter Ehrhardt 51.46; 140 Nigel Hanson 52.06.

Lauren Jeska travelled to Scotland for the Inter-Counties Fell Championship, at the Broughton Heights Hill Race near Moffat. In a highly competitive race, Lauren finished in 3rd place, leading the Lancashire Ladies to 2nd place behind Central Scotland.

Chris Upson's Broughton Heights photos...

At the Cader Idris Fell Race in Wales, Paul Hobbs finished 32rd in 1:45:28 and James Riley was 92nd in 2:01:36. The 10.5 mile course started and finished in Dolgellau, climbing the windy peak of Cader Idris at just under 3000 feet.

Sean Carey recorded a hard fought for win at the Saddleworth Fell Race on Saturday, completing the course in 22:04 to finish 18 seconds ahead of Rossendale's Anthony Dalton.

Blackstone Edge Fell Race | Edinburgh Marathon | Arco di Trento WMRA GP | Lanzarote Ironman

2011-05-23T16:22:00.004+01:00

Todmorden Harriers sent a strong contingent to the Blackstone Edge Fell Race winning two team prizes. They not only finished first men’s team but also took home the 3rd place team prize.
Sean Carey finished in 4th place over the steep 3.5 mile course from Lydgate hamlet, with Nick Barber edging 9th place just one second ahead of Alistair Rhodes-Dawson. Dwane Dixon completed the winning line up in 12th place, beating local rivals Calder Valley into second place.

The Todmorden club’s second quartet of John Lloyd, Paul Hobbs, Ben Crowther and Peter Bowles then followed up with 3rd place in the men’s team competition.

Gemma Kendall continued her excellent start at the club with 3rd placed lady and Paul Cruthers completed the Todmorden entry in 83rd overall.

Whilst Todmorden’s men enjoyed success with a short trip, a trio of Harriers’ ladies travelled much further afield.

Julie Wyant travelled to Scotland to complete the Edinburgh Marathon in 4:15:32.

Lauren Jeska made the trip to Arco di Trento in Italy for the opening round of the 2011 World Mountain Running Grand Prix.

Lauren finished 6th in the race, behind race winner Lucija Krkoc of Slovenia who set a new course record, with England’s Emma Clayton in 2nd place.

Emma Osenton was in the Canary Islands for the Lanzarote Ironman Triathlon, made up of a 3800m swim, a 122km mountainous cycle ride and followed by a full marathon run.

After a 1:18:45 swim Emma lay in 17th place out of her age category. A strong cycle section time of 6:18:38 pushed her up into 5th place.

She completed the marathon run in 5:09:16, to give a total time including transitions, of just over 13 hours, and 9th place in her category.

Mearley Clough Fell Race [English Champs] | The Fellsman | Great Manchester Run

2011-05-15T16:54:00.008+01:00

Lauren Jeska stormed to victory in the ladies race at the Mearley Clough Fell Race, which formed the second round of this year's English Fell Championships. The 3.5 mile race featured over 1200 feet of steep ascent as it climbed from Worston up the north side of Pendle Hill, near Clitheroe.

Lauren quickly established herself at the front and held an unassaible lead as she began the descent, eventually crossing the line with a winning margin of over a minute.

The win was sufficient to take her to the top of the Ladies standings for 2011 after two of the six races, with Calder Valley's Helen Fines and Holmfirth's Helen Berry close behind.

Sarah May finished in 12th and Kath Brierley completed the course in 34th place to help the ladies team into second place on the day, allowing them to retain their lead at the top of the Team Championships.

In the separate men's race that followed, the first Todmorden runner was Jon Wright who finished in 33rd place.

Nick Barber and Alistair Rhodes-Dawson had a close battle throughout, to finish 64th and 66th respectively.

Todmorden Results (Ladies) 1 Lauren Jeska 34:29; 12 Sarah May 38:14; 34 Kath Brierley 41:44; 48 Sarah Warburton 43:08; 55 Jane Leonard 44:06; 65 Maria Prescott 45:30; 76 Helen Hodgkinson 47:02; 92 Sue Roberts 49:28; 95 Andrea Marshall 50:10.

(Men): 33 Jon Wright 30:52; 63 Nick Barber 32:39; 65 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 32:47; 86 John Lloyd 34:28; 105 Paul Hobbs 35:49; 110 Dave Collins 36:20; 111 Robin Tuddenham 36:23; 113 Martin Roberts 36:36; 143 Andrew Bibby 40:16; 159 Keith Parkinson 42:39; 170 Richard Blakeley 45:34; 177 Peter Ehrhardt 48:38; 182 Dave O’Neill 54:44.

Andy Holden's Mearley Clough photographs...

Men's race video...

Darren Graham was the lone Todmorden entrant in The Fellsman – a 62 mile ultra event over rugged moorland from Ingleton to Threshfield in the Yorkshire Dales.

Starting on Saturday morning, Darren completed the course in 16 hours and 23 minutes in the early hours of Sunday.

Sports Sunday's Fellsman photos...

On Sunday, two Harriers joined nearly 40,000 runners at the Great Manchester Run with Joanne Scholfield finishing the 10k route in 50:55 and Helen Wilson in 52:44.

Flower Scar Fell Race | Pendle Cloughs | Calderdale Way Relay

2011-05-10T08:59:00.009+01:00

Photo by Keith Parkinson

Sean Carey led the way for the Harriers at Todmorden’s Flower Scar Fell Race last Wednesday evening, finishing in 3rd place just a few seconds behind Calder Valley’s Karl Gray and Alex Whittem.

The 4 mile race, which is free to enter, climbs 1400 feet from the start at Todmorden High School up to the top of Flower Scar Hill and loops back to the start via Robinwood.

The Harriers added a further three finishers in the top ten, with Andrew Wrench in sixth, John Lloyd in eighth and Alistair Rhodes-Dawson in ninth.

Todmorden runners made up almost a quarter of the ninety strong entry, so hopes were high of some good performances and the ladies did not disappoint, with Gemma Kendall putting in an excellent run to finish first lady.

Kath Brierley was second lady, and Bev Holmes marked her first race for the club with fourth lady.

Helen Hodgkinson was fifth and Maria Prescott sixth lady, as the home club dominated the ladies results.

On Saturday, three Harriers took on the 14 mile Pendle Cloughs Fell Race, which requires good navigation to find the nine checkpoints around Pendle Hill.

Helen Hodgkinson finished second lady, Mandy Goth first lady vet50 and Phil Hodgson second men’s vet50.

The rescheduled Calderdale Way Relay took place on Sunday, which had been postponed last December due to snow and ice.

Todmorden fielded three teams who all put in strong performances around the 50 mile route which includes over 12,000 feet of climbing. The distance is split into six legs, each run by a pair of runners.

The mens ‘A’ team finished in ninth place, with Sean Carey and John Lloyd laying down the 3rd fastest time of the day on leg 3.

The ‘B’ team also improved on their previous year's position to finish in 35th place, and 5th ‘B’ team.

The ladies team were boosted by club record performances on leg 3 by Maria Prescott and Sarah Glyde, and on leg 4 by Lauren Jeska and Sarah May.

This took them into fourth place after a close battle with Bingley Harriers, who eventually took third place with an advantage of just 2 minutes, after nearly 8 hours of racing. Holmfirth were the ladies team winners by a comfortable margin.

Three Peaks Fell Race | Bluebell Trail 10 | Coiners Fell Race

2011-05-03T10:05:00.003+01:00

Jon Wright led the way for Todmorden Harriers at the Three Peaks Fell Race on Saturday, which attracted almost 700 competitors. The 23.3 mile course featured over 5000 feet of climbing as it passed over the summits Pen Y Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

Jon finished in 12th place overall in a time of 3:13:39, also finishing 2nd vet40. Nick Barber had a strong run to finish in 39th, with Alistair Rhodes Dawson in 74th.

Todmorden Results: 12 Jonathan Wright 3:13:39; 39 Nick Barber 3:29:51; 74 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 3:40:40; 195 Robin Tuddenham 4:04:23; 259 Paul Hobbs 4:14:03; 266 Andy McFie 4:15:02; 418 Paul Cotton 4:36:37; 618 Elise Milnes 5:09:33.

On Sunday over 20 Harriers took on the Bluebell Trail 10.3 mile race, including Elise Milnes who had completed the Three Peaks race the previous day.

Four hundred runners took on the undulating route along trails and tracks to the south of Halifax, with a shallower than usual river crossing at the finish.

Dwane Dixon was the first Todmorden finisher in 7th, just ahead of John Lloyd in 8th, with Martin Stork completing the course in 39th.

Sarah May was the 3rd lady overall, and together with Mel Blackhurst, first vet45, and Maria Prescott they narrowly missed out on the ladies team prize to Burnden. Moyra Parfitt finished first vet65 to add to the club’s successful day.

Todmorden Results: 7 Dwane Dixon 1:10:53; 8 John Lloyd 1:11:25; 29 Martin Stork 1:16:51; 46 Sarah May 1:21:27; 47 Mark Anderton 1:21:31; 53 Clive Greatorex 1:22:19; 59 Richard Butterwick 1:23:56; 90 Keith Parkinson 1:28:36; 112 Simon Galloway 1:31:02; 115 Melanie Blackhurst 1:31:18; 142 Paul Cruthers 1:34:54; 157 Maria Prescott 1:37:05; 197 Kevin Coughlan 1:41:14; 226 Elise Milnes 1:46:07; 233 Peter Ehrhardt 1:46:51; 241 David Leslie 1:48:32; 254 Moyra Parfitt 1:50:34; 281 Graham Milnes 1:53:28; 283 Rachel Henthorne 1:53:42; 310 David Henthorne 1:58:36; 318 Barry Chapman 1:59:29; 374 Katy Moore 2:10:28.

On Monday, three Harriers tackled the 7 mile Coiners Fell Race from Mytholmroyd, organised by Calder Valley Fell Runners.

The circular route travels through Coiners country as it ascends to Stoodley Pike and back down.

Dave Collins was the first Todmorden man, followed by Martin Roberts and Mick Craven.

In the earlier junior races, which formed part of the Junior English Championships, Sean Carey finished 4th in the U18 race.

Jack Crummett was 19th U14 boy, with Bill Furminger 37th U10. In the U8 race, Ewan Logue was 23rd boy and Thea Crowther 12th girl.

Caldervale 10 | Salford 10k | Ken Taylor Cowm Reservoir 5k

2011-04-26T09:08:00.001+01:00

The Caldervale 10 was dominated by Todmorden Harriers on Good Friday, with four Harriers in the first seven places led in by race winner Robin Tuddenham.

The race formed the latest round of Todmorden Harriers’ Road Championship on Good Friday. The undulating course, near Garstang, was made all the harder by the hot sunny weather with many of the 214 runners struggling with the heat.

Robin Tuddenham and John Lloyd showed no signs of difficulty as they headed the field with first and second places for the club.

Paul Brannigan completed the course in 6th place, just ahead of Martin Stork in 7th.

Lucy Hobbs was the first Todmorden lady in 88th, and 10th lady, with Julie Wyant and Mel Siddall crossing the line together for 158th and 160th respectively.

On Easter Sunday, Julie also took part in the Fleetwood 10, showing tremendous consistency by completing that course just 3 seconds slower.

Todmorden Results: 1 Robin Tuddenham 1:00:31; 2 John Lloyd 1:02:54; 6 Paul Brannigan 1:05:25; 7 Martin Stork 1:06:08; 42 Kevin Booth 1:14:50; 60 Mick Craven 1:16:50; 88 Lucy Hobbs 1:22:19; 109 Simon Galloway 1:24:56; 159 Julie Wyant 1:33:34; 160 Mel Siddall 1:33:35.

Lauren Jeska experienced similarly hot conditions at the very competitive Salford 10k, also on Good Friday.

In her debut entry in a 10k race, Lauren finished 3rd woman, to set a respectable time of 35:25 after a race long battle with Tess Walker of Salford Harriers, that drew them to just a few seconds behind 2nd placed lady Sarah Tunstall of Kendal.

First lady was Lauren Howarth of Leigh Harriers who set a sizzling pace to record the fastest women’s 10k so far this year, with 32:33.

Mick Hall's Salford 10k and Fleetwood 10 photo's...

On Wednesday, four Harriers made the short trip to Cowm Reservoir for the Ken Taylor 5k.

Robin Tuddenham was again the first Harrier, finishing in 4th place with a time of 16:59, with Martin Stork recording 18:01 for 8th. Richard Butterwick set a new personal best for the distance with 19:04 for 19th and Myra Wells finished in 68th in 28:23.

London Marathon 2011

2011-04-17T11:59:00.007+01:00

Three Todmorden Harriers joined 35,000 other runners at the London Marathon. John Medcalf and Mel Blackhurst ran similar paced efforts to finish just 11 seconds apart, despite rarely seeing each other on the way round.

John crossed the line 10 minutes faster than his previous attempt two years ago, in 3:33:15.

School teacher Mel donned a school uniform for her 3:33:26, which subject to verification may be a new Guinness World Record for the outfit. Mel Robertson ran a well paced race to cross the line in 4:16:52.

Also on Sunday, Darren Graham and Julie Wyant joined a 750 strong field for the Bolton 10k, with Darren completing the winding course in 44:45 for 100th position and Julie finishing in 53:08 for 298th place.

Mick Craven and Peter Ehrhardt tackled the Hyndburn 10k trail race, finishing in 19th and 35th respectively.

On Wednesday, the Steve Rothwell Memorial 4 mile race in Norden attracted nearly 200 entrants, with Richard Butterwick completing the circular course in 35th place in a time of 25:26, whilst Myra Wells’ time of 37:02 earnt her 150th place.

At the second of the weekly Bunny Runs at Haworth on Tuesday, Sean Carey led a handful of Harriers in for 10th place, with Robin Tuddenham in 23rd.

Paul Hobbs finished in 32nd, with Jack Crummett in 90th and Christine Preston in 178th.

Helen Hodgkinson was the sole Todmorden entrant at the Coledale Horseshoe Fell Race in the Lake District. The 9 mile course featured over 3000 feet of climb as it passed over Grisedale Pike and Crag Hill.

Mourne Peaks [British Champs] | Wardle Skyline Fell Race

2011-04-10T08:46:00.009+01:00

Todmorden Harriers sent a quartet of runners to the Mourne Peaks in Northern Ireland for the first round of the British Fell Championships at the weekend and were rewarded with third place in the ladies team competition.

The opening race in this year’s championship was a demanding rollercoaster route over 10 mountain peaks, racking up over 6,300 feet of ascent and descent over a 12.5 mile course. A strong breeze in the hot and sunny conditions added to the challenge.

Kath Brierley led the way for the club, finishing 14th lady and second v45 in a time of 3:15:02. Jane Leonard was the first v50 lady to finish, seven minutes later, in 3:22:29.

Sue Roberts completed the course in 3:52:18 and Mandy Goth in 4:19:57.

Whilst the ladies were away, Todmorden’s men chose to stay local as eight Harriers took on the Wardle Skyline Fell Race in equally hot and sunny conditions.

The 7.2 mile race, organised by Rochdale Harriers, started with a climb from Wardle village, past Watergrove Reservoir, to the summit of Brown Wardle Hill. It then followed an undulating route over Hades Hill, Rough Hill and Crook Hill.

A long descent towards Shore led onto a cobbled section and the final climb of the day on the track back to Wardle.

John Lloyd and Alistair Rhodes-Dawson enjoyed a race long battle, with John crossing the line in 5th place to take the honour of first Todmorden finisher.

Alistair finished 6th, and first v40, with Robin Tuddenham closing rapidly on the pair towards the line for 7th place, to win the team prize for Todmorden.

Clive Greatorex finished in 56:20 for 31st place, half a minute ahead of Martin Roberts in 39th.

Richard Butterwick finished fast to squeeze in just under the hour mark for 57th, with Simon Galloway in 67th and Simon Anderton crossing the line in 74th place.

Myra's Wardle Skyline Photos...
Dave Woodheads pictures...
Eileen Woodheads pictures...

Liver Hill Fell Race | Vera Hirst 5k | Lad's Leap Fell Race | Pendle Fell Race

2011-04-04T16:32:00.007+01:00

On Tuesday, the start of Spring was marked with the first evening fell race of the year with Rossendale Harriers’ 5.1 mile Liver Hill Fell Race.

Starting from Marl Pits, the race quickly gained height before a flattish section across the Moors and a final climb up and around Liver Hill.

Returning by the same route, it proved a lottery at the many stiles to negotiate as the leading runners crossed paths with those still climbing up.

In drier than usual conditions, the race was won by Pudsey’s Danny Hope in a new course record of 31:56.

Sean Carey led the way for Todmorden in 4th place in 33:31. Richard Butterwick finished in 58th, with Kath Brierley 6th lady, in 74th overall, and Derek Donohue in 84th.

Jack Crummett put in a strong showing in the U14 junior race, finishing in 2nd place.

Liver Hill photos by Dave Haygarth...

On Wednesday, the Vera Hirst Littleborough 5k marked another tradition of spring as local race organiser Andy O’Sullivan returned with the first of his mid week races.

Martin Stork recorded a personal best time for the distance with 17:52 taking him into 12th place out of over 200 runners. Martin then added another new best time for 10k, with 36:54 at the Wakefield 10k at the weekend.

Paul Brannigan was 2nd Todmorden man at Littleborough in 16th, with Dan Taylor also recording a new personal best of 18:59 for 35th.

Richard Butterwick followed them in with 64th, with Keith Parkinson crossing the line 85th.

Maria Prescott was first Todmorden lady in 126th, with Andrea Marshall in 47th – with another personal best of 24:36 - and Myra Wells in 187th.

The Lad's Leap Fell Race at weekend formed the latest round in the club’s Fell Championship and 12 Harriers made the trip to Crowden Campsite for the 5.9 mile race.

After a quick starting dash past the youth hostel, the runners were faced with a tough steep climb up to Lads Leap Rocks. They then crossed the moors and plunged down a steep slope, losing much of the height initially gained. A second climb looped them back up to rocks and a downhill return the finish via the initial route.

Jon Wright finished in 2nd place, a minute behind Dark Peak’s Mark Tuckett, with John Lloyd in 7th place. Paul Brannigan crossed the line in 25th place, just ahead of a fast finishing Dave Collins who gained several places on the final descent.

Kath Brierley won the ladies race in a time 1:04:42, with Jane Leonard finishing 3rd lady.

Todmorden Results: 2 Jon Wright 49:17; 7 John Lloyd 53:15; 25 Paul Brannigan 00:57:20; 26 Dave Collins 00:57:36; 50 Simon Galloway 01:03:26; 55 Kath Brierley 01:04:42; 58 Richard Butterwick 01:05:52; 66 Jane Leonard 01:09:14; 75 Richard Blakeley 01:10:44; 80 Richard Leonard 01:11:48; 107 Barry Chapman; 111 Peter Ehrhardt.

LL photos by Myra...
LL photos by Shaun...

Lauren Jeska was crowned Lancashire Ladies Fell Champion at the 4.5 mile Pendle Fell Race on Saturday, completing the course in 37:11, a minute ahead of her nearest rival.

The day also saw the first round of the Fell Running Association Junior Championship Series with several Todmorden juniors taking part.

Pendle photos by Steve Bateson...

Pendle photos by Run and Ride...

Robin Tuddenham recorded his third win at the weekly Heaton parkrun 5k on Saturday to add to the club’s excellent start to spring.

Liverpool Half Marathon | Heaton parkrun | Liverpool Princes parkrun | Midgley Moor Fell Race

2011-03-29T12:26:00.001+01:00

Lauren Jeska stepped up her London Marathon training with first place at the Liverpool Half Marathon on Sunday.

After a strong start, Liverpool Harrier Jenny Clague took an early lead in the ladies race buoyed on by local support.

Despite not feeling on top form, Lauren put in a strong finish to move ahead with just over a mile to go, and maintained her pace to cross the line 30 seconds ahead in a time of 1:19:03.

Todmorden’s second representative in the race was Joanne Scholfield who completed the course in 1:55:19.

On Saturday, Martin Stork recorded 18:04 to win the weekly Heaton Park 5k parkrun, whilst Richard Butterwick and Myra Wells also travelled to Liverpool for the inaugural Princes Parkrun.

Richard covered the distance in 19:25 for 10th place overall, with Myra 12th lady.

Closer to home five Harriers took on the Midgley Moor Fell Race with Ben Crowther completing the course in 16th place, followed by Dave Collins in 26th and Clive Greatorex in 32nd place.

Lucy Hobbs finished 3rd lady with Hatty Nylon 4th; on a day when had any other ladies turned out they would surely have won the team prize.

Steve Bateson's Midgley Moor photos...
Woodentops Midgley Moor photos...
Jellybabyfairy's photo's...

Heptonstall Fell Race

2011-03-21T15:28:00.000Z

The new Heptonstall Fell Race saw a strong contingent of Todmorden Harriers tackle the 15.5 mile course. The race, which was organised to help raise funds for the church restoration fund, attracted a good first turnout of over 200 runners.

Starting from the main street, the race followed a large loop to the north of the village, taking in a variety of Pennine terrain including steep-sided wooded valleys, upland pasture and pathless moorland. Whilst much of the route was flagged to guide the runners, misty and drizzly conditions added to the difficulty. The race featured over 3000 feet of ascent, with the toughest climb of the day coming in the last half mile, as tired legs were tested by a long steep climb out of Hebden Dale towards the finish field.

It was a day of second places for the Harriers, with no less than five Todmorden runners finishing second in their respective age categories: Jon Wright (v40), Dave Collins (v50) and Richard Blakeley (v60) for the men, with Kath Brierley (lv40) and Louise Abdy (lv50) for the ladies.

Jon Wright had a strong run to finish 5th overall. New member John Lloyd finished 18th and Paul Hobbs crossed the line in 30th place.

Kath Brierley led the way for Todmorden ladies finishing 5th lady, with Lisa Parsons 13th and Helen Hodgkinson 17th lady.

Todmorden Results: 5 Jon Wright 2:00:13; 18 John Lloyd 2:10:04; 30 Paul Hobbs 2:17:43; 32 Dave Collins 2:18:43; 56 Paul Brannigan 2:27:16; 63 Ben Crowther 2:28:41; 64 Clive Greatorex 2:28:43; 69 Andy McFie 2:29:40; 70 Dan Taylor 2:29:40; 106 Kath Brierley 2:41:53; 118 Paul Smith 2:45:03; 120 Andrew Bibby 2:45:23; 129 Mick Craven 2:46:59; 141 Derek Donohue 2:50:14; 148 Simon Galloway 2:54:27; 155 Lisa Parsons 2:56:09; 164 Paul Cruthers 3:04:53; 170 Helen Hodgkinson 3:08:13; 176 Stuart Boulton 3:11:57; 177 Richard Blakeley 3:12:45; 178 Peter Ehrhardt 3:16:22; 182 Patsey Reilly 3:22:37; 185 Fiona Armer 3:25:55; 189 Louise Abdy 3:35:07.

Roddlesworth Roller | Spen 20 | Haworth Hobble | Ian Roberts Fell Race

2011-03-15T09:22:00.004Z

Todmorden Harriers’ inaugural Trail Championship got off to a flyer on Sunday with the Roddlesworth Roller, with the club winning both the ladies and men’s team prizes.

Nineteen Harriers took on the undulating 6 mile course at Abbey Village near Chorley.

Martin Stork continued his current excellent form to finish in 6th place, with Dwane Dixon in 13th one place ahead of Paul Brannigan.

It was a remarkable run for Dwane, and for Elise Milnes, as both had completed the 32 mile Haworth Hobble the previous day.

Gemma Kendall made a dazzling debut for the club to finish first Todmorden lady, and 6th lady overall, over a minute ahead of Sarah Glyde who was 8th lady, with Jayne Williams 12th lady

Todmorden results: 6 Martin Stork 36:44; 13 Dwane Dixon 37:58; 14 Paul Brannigan 38:22; 30 Dan Taylor 40:27; 50 Simon Galloway 42:50; 52 Gemma Kendall 43:22; 66 Sarah Glyde 44:47; 77 Jayne Williams 46:18; 84 Kevin Coughlan 47:58; 92 Hatty 48:28; 95 Elise Milnes 48:41; 108 Peter Ehrhardt 50:05; 131 Rachel Henthorne 51:45; 136 David Henthorne 51:51; 148 Helen Hodgkinson 53:15; 150 Graham Milnes 53:36; 176 Mandy Goth 57:13; 178 David O'Neill 57:28; 206 James Smith 1:27:40.

Sport Sunday's Roddlesworth photos...

Several Harriers took part in the Spen 20 mile race, a favourite for those training for the London Marathon. Sarah May completed the course in 2:27:07, followed by Mel Blackhurst in 2:44:08, with Johnny Medcalf 2 seconds behind. Mel Robertson and Julie Wyant finished just past the 3 hour mark.

At the Haworth Hobble on Saturday, Oz Kershaw was the first Harrier to finish in 5:12:29 with Nick Barber and Robin Tuddenham, the third pair to complete the distance in 5:27:07.

Sean Carey was the sole Todmorden runner at the Ian Roberts Memorial Fell Race, where he repeated his win from a year ago. It was a hard fought victory as he triumphed in a close finish with Jack Ross of Mow Cop Runners, who was just three seconds behind.

Long Mynd Valleys Fell Race - 2011 English Championships

2011-03-08T12:12:00.007Z

Todmorden Harriers’ Ladies Team recorded a win in the opening event of this year’s English Fell Championships.

The six event series opened with the Long Mynd Valleys Fell Race in the Shropshire Hills near Church Stretton.

The team were led in by Lauren Jeska, the current individual champion, who started the defence of her title with 4th place.

Sarah May followed in 15th and Sarah Warburton in 27th to give the club a full 12 points in the team competition.

For the men, Jon Wright was the first Todmorden man to finish in 26th place, with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson in 76th and Andrew Wrench in 89th.

Dave Collins made a strong start in the V55 category, finishing 93rd overall.

Todmorden Results: 28 Jon Wright 1:43:07; 76 Alastair Rhodes Dawson 1:54:59; 89 Andrew Wrench 1:57:26; 93 Dave Collins 1:57:57; 114 Lauren Jeska 2:00:33; 128 Nick Barber 2:02:32; 163 Sarah May 2:09:24; 227 Sarah Warburton 2:19:32; 260 Kath Brierley 2:25:22; 295 Melanie Blackhurst 2:32:02; 312 Andrew Bibby 2:37:25; 353 Sue Roberts 2:47:55; 356 Peter Ehrhardt 2:49:31.

Noon Stone Fell Race | Lynn Hindle, Brian Hargreaves & John McDonagh Memorial Littleborough 5 mile

2011-03-01T10:02:00.004Z

The Noon Stone Fell Race, organised by Todmorden Harriers, attracted almost 250 runners last Saturday. Despite the relatively mild conditions, rain showers and heavy going underfoot added to the challenge of the 9 mile course which features over 2300 feet of ascent and descent.

The race climbed steeply up to Coldwell Hill from Mankinholes, then immediately back down to London Road for a steady rise to Stoodley Pike. A descent down to Withins Clough led onto the navigation section across open moorland, past Little Holder Stones to the rain gauge at Warland Reservoir.

A steep drop into Black Clough below Langfield Edge was followed by the final climb of the day back past Coldwell Hill and a testing steep descent back to the finish.

A close race soon developed with five runners battling for the win for much of the distance, with the lead changing hands several times. Tom Addison of Lakeland club Helm Hill eventually winning in a time of 1:12:05, just 15 seconds ahead of Ben Mounsey of Calder Valley. Simon Harding of Macclesfield Harriers finished in 3rd place.

Calder Valley won the team prize with Alex Whittem crossing the line in 4th and Gavin Mulholland in 5th.

First Todmorden runner was Sean Carey, recording 8th place in his first attempt at the distance. Ben Crowther was next to finish in 47th, just ahead of Shaun Pickard in 51st.

The ladies race was won in a time of 1:25:40 by Helen Berry of Holmfirth with Kath Brierley taking the honour of first Todmorden lady in 6th, and first v40, having overhauled Sarah Warburton in the final mile. Together with Lucy Burnett, in her first race for the club, they won the ladies team prize for Todmorden.

Tod Results: 8 Sean Carey 1.17.53; 47 Ben Crowther 1.28.28; 51 Shaun Pickard 1.29.22; 69 Clive Greatorex 1.32.46; 75 Ozzy Kershaw 1.33.29; 111 Dan Taylor 1.38.48; 115 Kath Brierley 1.39.42; 120 Sarah Warburton 1.40.10; 143 Andy Glyde 1.44.19; 153 Lucy Burnett 1.45.21; 214 Sue Roberts 1.57.22.

On Sunday, twenty one Harriers turned out for a memorial race in Littleborough for former Todmorden runners John McDonagh and Brian Hargreaves, and Blackburn Road Runners' Lynn Hindle, who all passed away last year.

Originally planned as a 5km road race, roadworks meant a course switch to a longer and tougher 5 mile trail race. The runners were faced with an early steep climb up Blackstone Edge Old Road and then a further climb along the Pennine Bridleway.

After crossing over the motorway, a steep descent looped them back under Rakewood viaduct and past Hollingworth Lake for a fast downhill finish back in Littleborough.

Rob Jackson of Horwich RMI won in a time of 29:37, with former Todmorden runner Sue Becconsall now of Bingley Harriers finishing first lady in 33:07 and 8th overall.

Dwane Dixon and Martin Stork led the way for Todmorden finishing in 2nd and 4th places respectively, with Dave Collins completing the course in 10th place.

Sarah Glyde finished 3rd lady, just ahead of Lucy Hobbs in 4th with Mel Siddall just edging out Hatty Nylon for 8th lady.

Tod Results: 2 Dwane Dixon 30.31; 4 Martin Stork 31.03; 10 Dave Collins 33.31; 15 Simon Galloway 35.03; 17 Richard Butterwick 35.21; 18 Kevin Booth 35.23; 24 Keith Parkinson 37.38; 26 Phil Cook 38.29; 27 Sarah Glyde 38.36; 28 Lucy Hobbs 38.55; 34 Paul Brannigan 39.50; 35 Mel Siddall 40:00; 36 Hatty Nylan 40.05; 40 Kevin Coughlan 41.35; 46 Nigel Hanson 42.49; 49 Peter Ehrhardt 43.24; 52 Helen Hodgkinson 43.54; 53 Andrea Marshall 44.26; 63 Dave O'Neil 48.29; 72 Barry Chapman 50.17; 73 Myra Wells 50.42.

Steve Bateson's Littleborough 5 pics...

Liversedge Half Marathon | Wadsworth Trog

2011-02-14T17:36:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers club Road Championship got underway on Sunday with the Liversedge Half Marathon. Starting and finishing at Roberttown, the route followed an undulating course with several tough climbs as it weaved its way through Liversedge, Bailiff Bridge and Brighouse en route.
Martin Stork was the first Harrier to cross the line in 23rd place in a time of 1:27:12 with Sarah May three minutes behind in 35th overall and 2nd lady.
Mick Craven and Mel Blackhurst were the next Harriers to finish just 11 seconds apart.

Todmorden Results: 23 Martin Stork 1:27:12; 35 Sarah May 1:30:26; 130 Mick Craven 1:43:59; 134 Mel Blackhurst 1:44:10; 223 Kevin Coughlan 1:52:14; 239 Mel Robertson 1:54:13; 252 Peter Ehrhardt 1:55:41; 293 Nigel Hanson 2:00:57.

On Saturday, Todmorden had a good showing with three runners in the top twenty at the Wadsworth Trog. The 20 mile fell race features over 4000 feet of ascent as it winds around the moors to the north of Hebden Bridge.

Jon Wright led the way for the club in 5th place, behind race winner and Calder Valley runner James Logue who completed the course in 2:48:25.
Nick Barber continued his fine form from last year with 10th place and Dave Collins finished in 20th.
Kath Brierley led the way for Todmorden ladies in 85th, and 6th lady.

5 Jon Wright 2:55:27; 10 Nick Barber 3:14:58; 20 Dave Collins 3:29:37; 43 Ozzy Kershaw 3:52:21; 60 Richard Bellaries 4:02:53; 95 Kath Brierley 4:22:45; 114 Richard O'Sullivan 4:38:43; 116 John Preston 4:40:30; 117 Christine Preston 4:40:32; 120 Elise Milnes 4:43:21; 124 Jane Leonard 4:48:19.

Fell End Clouds Fell Race | Mickledon Straddle | Heaton Park parkrun | Bolton parkrun | Alexandra Park 5k | Dewsbury 10k

2011-02-08T09:11:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers experienced wild weather at the weekend as they were spread far and wide.

Braving horrendous gales and torrential rain, James Riley and Simon Galloway tackled the Fell End Clouds Fell Race near Sedburgh on Saturday. The race, which is part of the Kendal Winter League, was run over a shortened course due to the weather conditions with James finishing in 21st and Simon in 40th.

Similar conditions were experienced for the Mickleden Straddle, near Denby Dale, with gusts of up to 90 mph recorded. Derek Donohue and Mandy Goth battled their way around the 13.8mile course to finish 149th and 189th respectively.

Also braving Saturday’s wet weather, Robin Tuddenham recorded a comfortable first place at the Heaton Park 5k parkrun with a time of 17:43, for his 2nd win on the course.
Richard Butterwick and Myra Wells travelled to Bolton for the first running of the latest event to be added to the weekly parkrun family at Leverhulme Park, with Richard dodging the puddles to finish in 5th and Myra in 34th place.

Richard and Myra then travelled to central Manchester on Sunday for the Alexandra Park 5k in much drier conditions, Richard finished in 12th in 20:00 and Myra 5th lady and first fv50 in 28:03.

Martin Stork was the sole Todmorden runner in the Dewsbury 10k, completing the course in 38:29 to finish 100th out of the 1000 runners.
Todmorden Harriers’ toughest fell race takes place on the 26th February at 12noon, with entry on the day £5 at race HQ at the Top Brink Inn. The 9 mile Noonstone Fell Race includes over 2300 feet of ascent and further details can be found on the club’s website http://www.todharriers.co.uk/

Pennine Bridleway Relay

2011-01-31T16:58:00.006Z

Todmorden Harriers fielded five teams in the Pennine Bridleway Relay, last Sunday. Over 100 teams of ten runners took part in the event, which was organised by Rossendale Harriers, and followed a full circuit of the 47 mile Mary Townley Loop.

The distance is split into 5 legs, of varying lengths from 5.5 to 12.5 miles, each run by a pair of different runners. A light frost overnight meant the course was firm underfoot with occasional icy patches to negotiate, but the day remained dry and windless to provide for near perfect conditions.

Salford Harriers and Calder Valley set the pace at the front, with Salford holding a narrow 3 second lead at the start of the final leg back to Waterfoot, which they managed to slightly extend to win the event overall in a time of 4:49:10, less than a minute outside of the course record.

Todmorden Men’s A team put in a strong performance, with Sean Carey and Andrew Wrench recording the 3rd best time of the day on leg 4 to move them up from 15th to 12th. Team captain Nick Barber and Robin Tuddenham set the 6th best time on the final leg to gain a further two places as the team finished in 10th place with a total time of 5:17:21, improving on last year’s efforts by 12 minutes.

The ladies A team were in contention throughout but had to settle for second place at the finish, in a highly competitive battle for the ladies title. Lisa Parsons and Kath Brierley put in a solid performance to handover in 4th place, a few seconds behind 3rd placed Calder Valley, with Rossendale leading Clayton at the front.

English Fell Champion Lauren Jeska and Team Captain Sarah May then turned things on their head with Todmorden leading Calder Valley by over four minutes at the end of the 2nd leg.

Ali Richards and Sarah Warburton then put in a blistering run to set a new ladies course record on leg 3, to hand over an eight minute lead to Jayne Williams and Sarah Glyde. Calder Valley managed to claw a few seconds back on leg 4, before a strong final pairing of Jo Waites and Gayle Sugden put in a stunning run to overhaul Todmorden’s Mel Blackhurst and Lucy Hobbs to steal the win in 6:03:02.

The Todmorden ladies were left to console themselves that they had at least improved by 13 minutes on the previous year, to finish in a highly respectable time of 6:09:38, which would have been good enough to win the competition in many years.

For the first time the club also fielded a Ladies B team, who put in a fine effort to finish second placed ladies B team behind Clayton le Moors B, in a time of 7:21:11 and 89th overall.

The Men’s B team finished in 32nd place in a time of 5:55:24, also 13 minutes faster than 12 months ago, with club B records being set on leg 2 by Andy McFie and Peter Bowles and on leg 3 by Marcel Ellison and David Baldaro.

Pictures by Myra Wells

The Todmorden Allstars team also enjoyed a strong performance to improve on their time from 2010 by just short of an hour. They crossed the line in a total time of 6:40:05 and 64th place.

2011 Pennine Bridleway Relay Full Results...

Myra's Photos (leg 3 and leg 4)...

Sports Sunday Pics... leg 1 | leg 2 | leg 3 | leg 5

Stanbury Splash Fell Race

2011-01-25T10:06:00.004Z

Todmorden Harriers turned out in force for the first race in the club’s 2011 Grand Prix.

Penistone Hill Country Park was the venue for the 7 mile Stanbury Splash Fell Race.

The race featured three stream crossings and several climbs adding up to 1200 feet of ascent.

Pictures by Myra Wells

After a muddy scramble out of the quarry the course followed road and track to a grassy descent to the first stream crossing. Despite the relatively mild conditions the water was icy cold.

A steep climb, followed by a further track section led onto a loop of the moors with several climbs and descents before a return via the route out.

Bingley’s Ian Holmes had his incredible 14 year winning run ended as he finished in 3rd place behind winner Chris Steele of Borrowdale and Stuart Pond of Dark Peak.

Sean Carey led in the thirty Todmorden runners in 10th place, with Nick Barber in 17th and Dwane Dixon in 32nd.

Sarah May finished 5th lady in 102nd overall, with Hatty Nylan in 271st and Emma Osenton crossing the line in 290th.

Todmorden Results: 10 Sean Carey 47:14; 17 Nick Barber 48:01; 32 Dwane Dixon 49:37; 53 Paul Hobbs 51:54; 69 Martin Stork 53:12; 73 Dave Collins 53:23; 85 Martin Roberts 54:32; 86 Ben Crowther 54:50; 90 Shaun Pickard 55:07; 102 Sarah May 56:25; 131 Marcel Ellison 59:02; 142 Simon Galloway 59:36; 181 Andrew Bibby 1:02:12; 185 Richard Butterwick 1:02:58; 198 Andy Glyde 1:03:46; 206 Derek Donohue 1:04:13; 223 Keith Parkinson 1:05:10; 241 Phil Hodgson 1:06:37; 271 Hatty Nylan 1:08:48; 277 Phil Cook 1:09:03; 290 Emma Osenton 1:09:40; 305 Peter Ehrhardt 1:11:04; 316 Mick Howard 1:11:58; 340 Louise Abdy 1:15:16; 360 Mandy Goth 1:17:16; 362 Ray Poulter 1:17:22; 376 Barry Chapman 1:21:31; 383 Dave O'Neill 1:24:40; 399 Kathy Bridger 1:33:09.

White Holme Circular Fell Race

2011-01-18T09:07:00.004Z

Todmorden Harriers battled strong winds and heavy rain at the White Holme Circular Fell Race on Sunday. The weather did nothing to deter a record field of 112 entrants.

The 12 mile route featured 1200 feet of ascent, much of it in the initial climb from the Summit Inn past Chelburn Reservoirs as the runners headed up towards the Whitehouse.

Here, they joined the Pennine Way and passed by Light Hazzles and Warland Reservoirs with a strong side wind blasting the rain across.

After leaving the Pennine Way they continued around the drains on boggier ground, with poor visibility making it difficult to see far ahead.

As they turned towards White Holme Reservoir, they now also had to contend with a powerful headwind blasting the relentless rain into their faces.

Calmer conditions slowly returned as they descended back to the finish.

James Logue, of Calder Valley, seemed unaffected by the conditions as he completed the distance in 1:18:18, close to the course record and over 5 minutes ahead of 2nd placed Jon Morgan of Dark Peak.

Photo by Myra Wells

Paul Hobbs was the first of the Todmorden runners, finishing in 19th place in a time of 1:33:50.

Darren Graham finished in 1:44:43 for 51st, with Mick Craven three minutes back in 57th and Richard Butterwick a further minute behind in 62nd place.

Kath Brierley finished 4th lady, and 67th overall, in a time of 1:49:46. Mandy Goth finished 109th, just ahead of Jane Leonard who suffered an injury part way through but still completed the course. That unfortunately meant that the ladies team prize was lost by a narrow margin to Calder Valley, who also won the men’s team prize.

Full Results

Myra's Pics...
SportsSunday's Photos...

Steve Bateson's Photos... to come

Todmorden Harriers' Mini Mountain Marathon

2011-01-11T09:00:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers’ annual Mini Mountain Marathon took place at the weekend, with a new base of Sowerby Bridge.

It is a 3 hour orienteering score event with the aim being to visit as many controls as possible within the time limit, with heavy penalties for those who go over.

Start times were staggered and competitors were only given the map revealing the locations of the controls at the start of their 3 hours.

Being on unfamiliar ground this year meant that good navigation and route planning skills were more important than ever.

Twenty controls were placed around Norland Moor, North Dean Woods and the Ryburn Valley areas.

The event was open to club members and invited guests, with many Calder Valley Fell Runners taking part and going on to take the top 4 places.

James Logue won the overall event once again, having visited 18 of the 20 controls to score 200 points with Jon Emberton just 10points back in 2nd.

Phil Hodgson was the highest scoring Todmorden Harrier in 5th place overall with 160 points.

Mandy Goth scored 120 points to finish first Todmorden lady, with Chris Preston and Helen Hodgkinson just 10 points behind having visited one control less.

Sarah Warburton and Lucy Hobbs finished first ladies pairing also with 120 points.

Rachel Skinner and Jeff Walker finished first mixed pair with 110 points, again narrowly taking the prize by visiting one more control than Jon and Bev Wright, and Richard and Jane Leonard.

Skye Wilson was the first junior to finish, paired with father Dave on 70 points, which was the same score achieved by Jim Smith who was first vet70.

Emma Osenton and Ali Mills were the unfortunate recipients of the ‘Golden Pigeon’ award after going over the time limit, more than wiping out all their earned points to finish with a negative score.

The prize giving ceremony, at the Jubilee Refreshments Rooms, was closed with much gratitude to Dave Collins, and his helpers, organisation of the event.

Auld Lang Syne Fell Race | Joe Salt New Year Awakener

2011-01-05T12:45:00.005Z

Todmorden Harriers race action for 2010 came to a close with the traditional end of year fell race on New Year’s Eve. The Auld Lang Syne Fell Race followed a 6 mile route around the Haworth Moors with a top class field being headed by Commonwealth athlete Andi Jones, taking his third win over the course, and World U23 Triathlon Champion Jonny Brownlee.

Sean Carey ended an excellent year with 17th place for Todmorden, with Paul Hobbs and Shaun Pickard in 62nd and 65th respectively.

First Todmorden lady was Mel Blackhurst in 198th, followed by Helen Hodgkinson in 326th and Kathy Bridger in 382th.

Clive Greatorex ensured he stayed warm on the windy moors, as he completed the course in a gorilla costume to win the fancy dress prize.

Todmorden Results: 17 Sean Carey 45.30; 62 Paul Hobbs 50.26; 65 Shaun Pickard 50.36; 92 Dave Collins 52.22; 163 Simon Galloway 57.55; 172 Peter Clarke 58.46; 198 Melanie Blackhurst 60.17; 277 John Medcalf 65.45; 283 Clive Greatorex 66.14; 285 Peter Ehrhardt 66.39; 326 Helen Hodgkinson 70.51; 363 Barry Chapman 78.05; 382 Kathy Bridger 85.42.

Steve Bateson's Auld Lang Syne Photos...

David Brett's Auld Lang Syne Photos...

Lots more photo links on the Woodentops site...

A handful of Harriers then made an early start to the New Year as they tackled a 4.2 mile trail race at Cowm Reservoir.

Robin Tuddenham was the first Harrier to finish in 8th place with a time of 26:32, with James Riley in 29:11 for 25th and Richard Butterwick finishing a couple of minutes later in 31:08 for 50th place.

Maria Prescott recorded a time of 33:44 as she took the 2nd fv45 prize, in 74th overall, and Myra Wells crossed the line in 43:33 for 114th to complete the Todmorden entry.

Steve Bateson's Joe Salt Awakener Photographs...

The Hot Toddy Road Race 2010

2010-12-30T00:00:00.000Z

Whilst many races were cancelled due to the wintery weather Todmorden Harriers’ Hot Toddy Road Race took place on Monday.

Even an early morning snowfall that turned to sleet did not deter over 250 runners tackling the hilly course. Starting from Todmorden town centre, the race travelled up Rochdale Road, turning at Walsden Post Office for a long steady climb up to the Shepherd’s Rest.

The race quickly developed into a two way battle between David and Matt Proctor of Rochdale Harriers.

A slushy descent via Woodhouse Road took them to Halifax Road and a return back to the finish, with David edging the victory by just 2 second from his brother in a fast time of 29:22. John Brown of Salford Harriers finished in 3rd place, with Salford also winning the men’s team prize.

The ladies race was also a close contest with Anna Lupton of Radcliffe AC crossing the finish line in 34:15, just six seconds ahead of Rotherham’s Nicola Squires.

Sean Carey was the first Todmorden runner to finish in 19th place with Dwane Dixon in 25th and Martin Stork 46th.

Maria Prescott was the first Todmorden lady in 119th – winning the 2nd v45 prize – with Hatty Nylan in 155th just ahead of Mel Robertson in 167th. Moyra Parfitt won the v65 category prize. The ladies team prize was won by Stainland Lions who had sent a 33 strong contingent to the race.

Todmorden Results: 19 Sean Carey 34.12; 25 Dwane Dixon 34.42; 46 Martin Stork 36.47; 83 Darren Graham 39.46; 87 Peter Clarke 40.05; 88 Richard Butterwick 40.07; 119 Maria Prescott 42.58; 141 Kevin Coughlan 44.35; 155 Hatty Nylan 46.23; 167 Melanie Robertson 47.05; 183 David Leslie 48.58; 192 Graham Milnes 49.52; 197 Moyra Parfitt 50.17; 201 Julie Wyant 50.34; 237 Myra Wells 57.57; 239 Kathy Bridger 58.35.

Keith Parkinson's Hot Toddy Pics...

Steve Bateson's Hot Toddy Pics...

and a Royton video...

Whinberry Naze

The Stoop | Lynne Edmondson Cowm Reservoir 4.2

2010-12-19T17:21:00.012Z

Todmorden Harriers took to the hills again at the weekend with the snow and ice making for some challenging running.

Eleven Harriers made their way to a very cold and misty Penistone Hill Country Park at Howarth for The Stoop Fell Race.

For the second consecutive year the 5 mile course was slightly shortened but they still had 1200 feet of ascent to contend with, in the well below zero conditions.

Martin Roberts was the first Harrier to finish in 48th, with Dan Taylor in 59th and Phil Hodgson 74th.

Sue Roberts made it a family double as she narrowly finished first Todmorden lady in 146th, with Elise Milnes and Maria Prescott hot on her heels.

Photo by Julie Wyant

Todmorden Results: 48 Martin Roberts 38:08; 59 Dan Taylor 39:19; 74 Phil Hodgson 41:16; 81 Darren Graham 41:46; 123 Richard Blakeley 46:09; 145 Graham Milnes 50:02; 146 Sue Roberts 50:20; 147 Elise Milnes 50:23; 150 Maria Prescott 50:36; 162 Louise Abdy 52:16; 164 Mandy Goth 52:53.

David Brett's Stoop Photos...

Paul Wood's Stoop Photo's outbound... and on return...

By contrast, blue skies and sunshine greeted a trio of Todmorden runners at Cowm Reservoir for the 4.2 mile Lynne Edmondson Memorial Race.

The compacted snow meant it was heavy going on the two lap course, particularly on the climbs of the longer second loop.

James Riley finished in 10th to take the honour of first Harrier, in a time of 32:29, with Richard Butterwick crossing the line in 37:05 for 23rd place.

Myra Wells celebrated her 50th race of the year by finishing in 50th place, winning the first LV50 prize in the process, in a time of 49:07.

Steve Bateson's Cowm Pictures...

The Hot Toddy 5.8mile road race takes place on Monday December 27th. Alternatively, there is a mile-long fun run which follows an off-road route close to Todmorden town centre. The Hot Toddy starts at 11am and the fun run gets underway at 10.30am.

Registration once again takes place at the Todmorden Working Mens Social Club on Halifax Road[map]. Advance entries have now closed, but entries are accepted on the day.

All finishers, over 18 years old, will be rewarded with a hot toddy drink at the Social Club, where the prizegiving presentation will also take place after the race.

Further details are on the club’s website http://www.todharriers.co.uk/

Todmorden Harriers 2010 Presentation Evening

2010-12-07T00:00:00.002Z

Todmorden Harriers’ annual presentation evening took place at Todmorden Cricket Club, on Saturday, as the club celebrated an extremely successful year.

Outgoing club president Jim Smith handed over to new president Graeme Wrench, as they made a joint presentation to mark Lauren Jeska and Moira Parfitt’s gold medal winning performances in the English Fell Championships.

Phil Hodgson then proposed a toast to two former Todmorden Harriers who had sadly passed away during 2010, Brian Hargreaves and John McDonagh. A memorial 5k race in their honour is to be held in Littleborough, organised by Andy O’Sullivan, on Sunday 27th February 2011.

Phil then continued to give a review of the year, highlighting the many successes of both individuals and teams, particularly in the English Championships where, in addition to the individual gold medallists, all of Todmorden’s teams had improved their positions from the year before.

Club Chairman Mandy Goth then announced the winners of the club competitions, with awards being handed out by Graeme Wrench.

Jon Wright was awarded the men’s Fell Champion Trophy, with Lauren Jeska receiving the ladies Fell Champion Trophy.

Age category awards were also made to Andrew Horsfall (v45), Dave Collins (v50, Peter Ehrhardt (v60) and Richard Blakely (v65). Kath Brierley (lv45) and Jane Leonard (lv50) were category winners for the ladies in the fell championship.

Nick Barber was crowned club Road Champion, with Mel Blackhurst adding her name onto the Ladies Road Trophy once again.

Age category awards in the road championship went to Mark Anderton (v45), Nigel Hanson (v50), Peter Ehrhardt (v60), Ian Stansfield (v65), Mel Robertson (lv45) and Elise Milnes (lv50).

The Grand Prix Champion, awarded for performance on road and fell, went to Jon Wright. Dave O’Neill received a tankard to mark his 10th qualification for the Club Grand Prix.

Nick Barber was crowned Club Champion, a trophy that reflects all round ability on the road and fells at a range of short, medium and long distances.

Not surprisingly, Nick was also awarded the ‘Most Improved Runner of the Year’ award to reflect the effort and progress he has made this year.

On a less athletic front, Nick was also awarded the ‘Toilet Seat’ trophy which is awarded to the Harrier who has the most running related mishaps during the year.

Club Secretary Derek Donohue then stepped in to make the final award of the evening, that of ‘Clubman of the Year’ which is voted for by Harriers on the evening. This year it was presented to Graeme Wrench to reflect the enormous contribution he makes as club coach towards the improvement of its runners at all levels.

Wesham 10k

2010-12-02T00:00:00.003Z

Todmorden Harriers 2010 Club Road Championship reached a dramatic climax at the Wesham 10k on Saturday, as Nick Barber snatched the trophy from yearlong leader Martin Stork.
Seventeen Harriers travelled across to a chilly Fylde Peninsular to join 436 runners for this popular undulating race.
Nick Barber, who was attempting his first 10k road race, stuck to his race plan to finish in 12th place, in a time of 34:44.
Martin Stork ran a personal best time for the distance in 37:58 and 38th place, to finish the year in 2nd place in the Championship.
Sarah May completed the course in 38:54 to claim the prize for second female and 55th overall, with Mark Anderton finishing in 62nd.
After Richard Butterwick finished in 114th, Mel Blackhurst crossed the line in 147th, and 21st lady, to confirm her as the Ladies Road Champion.

Todmorden Results: 12 Nick Barber 34:44; 36 Martin Stork 37:56; 55 Sarah May 38:54; 61 Mark Anderton 39:37; 114 Richard Butterwick 43:11; 143 Melanie Blackhurst 44:47; 178 Richard Blakeley 46:01; 209 Elise Milnes 48:11; 224 Peter Ehrhardt 48:47; 231 Melanie Robertson 49:01; 236 Bev Wright 49:25; 287 Mandy Goth 52:33; 301 Wayne Morrison 53:28; 322 Moyra Parfitt 54:03; 339 Graham Milnes 55:05; 352 Myra Wells 55:52; 369 Barry Chapman 58:06.

SportSunday Pics...

Steve Bateson's Pics...

Shepherds Skyline Fell Race | Lancaster Half Marathon

2010-11-11T11:00:00.001Z

Todmorden Harriers final fell race of the year took place on Saturday, with the six mile Shepherd’s Skyline taking place under blue skies and autumnal sunshine.

283 runners tackled the 6.25 mile course from the Shepherd’s Rest Inn. The route started with a stiff climb up to Langfield Edge, then along the skyline to the Pike. A steep descent down to and along London Road led to a second tough climb back up to the ridge. After the retracing their footsteps back to Langfield Edge, the final descent took them back to the finish at the Inn.

Pic by Keith Parkinson

After missing the race last year, Bingley’s Ian Holmes continued his incredible record in the race, with his eighth victory in his last eight attempts. Holmes had warmed up by cycling to the race and crossed the line in 40:26 having been tracked all the way by Ilkley’s Tom Adams who was only 14 seconds behind at the finish.

Alistair Rhodes-Dawson improved his time by two minutes from 12 months ago to be the first Todmorden runner in 14th place. Dave Collins was the next Harrier to finish in 36th, and 3rd v50, with Paul Hobbs just edging out Shaun Pickard.

Pic by Keith Parkinson

Holmfirth’s Lisa Lacon finished first lady in 52:51 ahead of Laura Kent from CLC Striders in 54:01.

Sarah Warburton was Todmorden’s first lady, and 6th overall. Jane Leonard finished 2nd v50 and was followed in by Emma Osenton.

Todmorden Results: 14 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 46.51; 36 Dave Collins 50.15; 46 Paul Hobbs 51.34; 49 Shaun Pickard 51.49; 59 Peter Bowles 52.28; 68 Martin Roberts 53.3; 71 Martin Stork 53.54; 87 Dan Taylor 55.39; 120 Sarah Warburton 58.19; 123 Mick Craven 58.31; 141 Angus Barclay 59.47; 153 Peter Jackson 60.48; 170 John Preston 63.1; 175 Jane Leonard 63.19; 204 Johnny Medcalf 66.34; 221 Emma Osenton 67.45; 241 Karen Gray 69.37; 252 Sue Roberts 72.36; 270 Mel Robertson 80.43.

At the earlier junior races, which attracted a record 120 youngsters, Sophie Taylor finished 2nd in the under eight girls and Jack Crummett finished 2nd in the under twelves, despite losing a shoe in a muddy bog early on.

Shepherd's Skyline Picture Links...
Keith Parkinson | Myra Wells | Kevin | Mick Watson | Steve Bateson

On Sunday, Lauren Jeska put in an outstanding run at the Lancaster Half Marathon to finish in 11th place overall and first lady by over 5 minutes in a time of 1:18:35.

The Harriers next race is the 5.8 mile Hot Toddy Road Race, and Fun Run, on Monday 27th December 2011. Entries are now open and full details are at http://www.todharriers.co.uk/

Bronte Way Fell Race | Great Whernside Fell Race

2010-11-04T00:00:00.000Z

Todmorden Harriers had a sizeable turnout for the Bronte Way Fell Race at Haworth on Sunday. The 8 mile race, which unusually follows a point to point route from Wycoller to Haworth, features over 1150 feet of climb and was the latest event in the club’s fell championship.
The race was won by Bingley’s Ian Holmes in a time of 51:52 ahead of his team mate Lee Athersmith in 53:12.
Shaun Pickard was the first Harrier to finish in 28th place in a time of 63:29, with Martin Roberts just behind 34th. Sarah Warburton was the first Todmorden lady crossing the line in 74:38, ahead of Maria Prescott and Elise Milnes.

Todmorden Results: 28 Shaun Pickard 63.29; 34 Martin Roberts 64.47; 71 Angus Barclay 72.08; 76 Peter Clarke 72.48; 85 Sarah Warburton 74.38; 106 Richard Leonard 78.28; 107 Maria Prescott 78.31; 127 Elise Milnes 81.4; 139 Jane Leonard 85.04; 142 Kevin Coughlan 85.28; 147 Graham Milnes 87.01; 149 Helen Hodgkinson 87.44; 151 Louise Abdy 88.03; 173 Julie Wyant 94.54; 179 Barry Chapman 96.47; 189 Kathy Bridger 107.43.

On Saturday, Holmes had also won the Great Whernside Fell Race at Kettlewell, with Todmorden’s Sean Carey in hot pursuit finishing in 3rd place less than a minute behind. Dave Collins finished in 28th, and 2nd v50, with James Riley in 46th and Dan Taylor in 61st.

Sport Sunday's Great Whernside Pics...

The Shepherd’s Skyline Fell Race takes place on Saturday, with entry on the day at the Shepherd’s Rest Inn on Lumbutts Road. The 6 mile senior race starts at 1pm, with junior races from 12 noon.

Withins Skyline Fell Race

2010-10-28T00:00:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers enjoyed a successful Sunday winning both the men’s and ladies team prizes at the Withins Skyline Fell Race at Haworth. Despite the sunny weather, there were still plenty of boggy sections to negotiate.

The 7 mile course headed out from Penistone Quarry to climb up to Oxenhope Stoop Stone. After a flat section across the moors passing Top Withins ruin the runners descended to Bronte Bridge and a steep climb back up past the waterfalls. They then returned to the finish with a final steadier climb taking the day’s total ascent past the 1000 feet mark.

The Harrier’s men put in a strong showing with 5 finishers in the top 20. Sean Carey, Andrew Wrench, and Nick Barber crossed the line in quick succession. Alistair Rhodes-Dawson and Dwane Dixon were not far behind.

The ladies took the team prize with Sarah May, Sarah Warburton and Jane Leonard – who was also first v50.

Todmorden Results: 8 Sean Carey 45.53; 10 Andrew Wrench 46.02; 11 Nick Barber 46.07; 16 Alistair Dawson 46.43; 18 Dwane Dixon 46.55; 53 Dave Collins 50.20; 72 Martin Stork 52.00; 98 Martin Roberts 54.18; 101 Sarah May 54.28; 150 Simon Gallaway 58.03; 157 Angus Barclay 58.54; 165 Sarah Warburton 60.01; 188 Peter Clarke 61.39; 195 Keith Parkinson 62.03; 198 Richard Leonard 62.19; 230 Jane Leonard 64.48; 236 John Metcalf 65.14; 240 Emma Osenton 65.30; 265 Elise Milnes 67.53; 280 Peter Ehrhardt 69.04; 281 Stuart Boulton 69.06; 287 Graham Milnes 70.09; 293 Maria Prescott 71.10; 296 Patsy Riley 72.18; 299 Sue Roberts 72.46; 309 David O'Neill 74.29; 315 Barry Chapman 75.16; 317 Mandy Goth 75.28; 322 Melanie Robertson 77.40; 326 Julie Wyant 78.52; 330 Shaun Pickard 79.20; 339 Myra Wells 81.35; 341 Kathy Bridger 82.42.

My Pictures...

Pictures on Woodentops...

Watergrove Reservoir 3m

2010-10-21T00:00:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers’ Ladies collected another team prize at the weekend at the Clare Ryder Memorial Watergrove Reservoir Race.

The 3 mile course started at Wardle with a climb up a cobbled road to the reservoir. After a half circuit of the reservoir, the route then turned into woodland and followed a twisting course around the other side of the water, with several gates to negotiate.

A grassy path across the dam led to a descent down the cobbles to the finish for the 122 runners that enjoyed glorious sunshine.

Richard Butterwick was the first Harrier to finish in 18th place.

Mel Siddall finished 4th lady, and 34th overall, just ahead of Bev Wright in 37th and Louise Abdy in 43rd, making up the winning team.

Myra Wells crossed the line in 54th just ahead of Mandy Goth in 55th to complete the Todmorden turn out.

Steve Bateson's Pics...

Langdale Fell Race

2010-10-14T00:00:00.001+01:00

Todmorden Harriers’ Ladies Team picked up the team prize at the Langdale Horseshoe Fell Race on Saturday. Starting at Old Dungeon Ghyll the 14 mile route took in over 4000 feet of ascent as the runners made their way between the 7 checkpoints, including the summits of Esk Hause, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags and Pike O’Blisco.

Eleven Harriers completed the race in fine autumnal sunshine, with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson leading the way in 30th place out of over 350 runners in a time of 2:28:51. Paul Hobbs was next to finish in just under 3 hours.

The victorious ladies team was lead in by Kath Brierley in a time of 3:15:12, a few seconds ahead of Jane Leonard, with Ali Richards and Sue Roberts completing the winning quartet.

Todmorden Results: 30 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 2.28.51; 113 Paul Hobbs 2.59.05; 176 Kath Brierley 3.15.12; 178 Jane Leonard 3.15.40; 230 Alison Richards 3.27.12; 251 Richard Leonard 3.30.12; 268 Andrew Bibby 2.36.49; 279 Sue Roberts 3.41.31; 323 Helen Hodgkinson 4.00.55; 324 Fiona Armer 4.03.12; 332 Mandy Goth 4.08.40.

Sport Sunday Pics...

Smarna Gora | Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay | Burnley Fire 7 | Ravenstones

2010-10-07T00:00:00.000+01:00

Lauren Jeska travelled to Slovenia for the final race in the World Mountain Running Grand Prix at the weekend. The 10k Smarna Gora Race near Ljubljana featured two climbs but only one descent meaning over 2000 feet of ascent but only 1000 feet of descent with an uphill finish.

Austria’s Andrea Mayr, who already had an unassailable lead in the series, put on an outstanding display to lead from start to finish, winning in a time of 48:48. Despite suffering from illness in the days leading up to the race which nearly led to her withdrawal, Lauren completed the course in 54:23 to take 5th place on the day ahead of Anna Frost of New Zealand and fellow English runner Emma Clayton. This was sufficient for Lauren to finish the >world series in 2nd place marking another high point in her exceptional year.

Todmorden sent two teams to Brotherswater in the Lake District for the Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay on Sunday. The relay features 4 legs each run in pair over a total distance of 25 miles featuring 8500 feet of ascent and descent. Rain and wet conditions underfoot together with patches of cloud on the hill tops meant for a tough day out.

Borrowable left it late as they overhauled Pudsey & Bramley on the final leg to win by just 26 seconds in an aggregate time of 3:44:21, with Calder Valley finishing in 3rd place just under the 4 hour mark.
Todmorden Men’s team finished in 16th place and the ladies team were 10th ladies team.

Also on Sunday, twelve Harriers took part in the Burnley Fire 7 mile race which was a counter in the club’s Road Championship. The route started from the Fire Station, passing Turf Moor and climbing up past Towneley Park. After an undulating stretch along Todmorden Road the race turned up Red Lees Road for a final steep climb. The last 3 miles were then mainly downhill as the route returned to the fire station. Runners splashed their way around the course with torrential rain throughout.

Darren Tweed was the first Harrier to finish, ahead of Richard Butterwick and Mick Craven. First Todmorden lady was Maria Prescott followed by Mel Robertson and Mel Blackhurst, with Moyra Parfitt winning the v65 prize.

On Saturday, a handful of Harriers had the pick of the weekend weather at the Ravenstones Brow Fell Race. The 10 mile route featured over 1250 feet of ascent and though conditions underfoot were wet and muddy, including a deeper than usual stream crossing, there was at least dry and sunny weather overhead for the 71 runners.

Martin Roberts was the first Todmorden runner in 12th place, with James Riley in 19th and Angus Barclay in 38th. Louise Abdy finished in 57th and Sue Roberts in 63rd, being 9th and 10th ladies respectively.

Ron Hill 72nd Birthday 5k | Thieveley Pike Fell Race | Langdale Half Marathon

2010-09-30T00:00:00.003+01:00

Eleven Todmorden Harriers joined over 300 runners at Littleborough on Thursday evening to celebrate the 72nd birthday of Ron Hill with the annual 5k race organised by Andy O’Sullivan.

Jon Wright finished in 6th place, and first v40, in a time of 16:36, a minute behind winner Andy Norman of Altringham. Martin Stork recorded a time of 18:53 to finish in 33rd just ahead of Paul Hobbs in 40th, making a rare appearance on the road, crossing the line at 19:11.

Emma Osenton was the first Todmorden lady in 23:49, followed by Mel Robertson stopping the clock at 24:48 and Bev Wright in 25:08.

Picture by Keith Parkinson

Steve Bateson's Ron Hill Birthday 5k Pics...

Todmorden Harriers turned out in force at the Thieveley Pike Fell Race on Saturday. The 4.25 mile route from Holme Chapel features over 1300 feet of ascent including a near vertical scramble up to Stone House Edge. After a brief respite, a further climb took them to a ridge traverse to the Pike. A steep descent tested the nerves before the final climb took them back to Stone House Edge and a rough descent led to the undulating finish along the Pennine Bridleway.

Andrew Wrench finished in 6th place to claim the v45 prize and Lauren Jeska finished in 12th and 1st lady. The ladies team once again won the team prize, with Claire Duffield 3rd lady and Maria Prescott 14th. Moyra Parfitt added a v65 win to another successful club outing.

Nick Barber finished less than a minute behind Wrench in 8th place, with Dave Collins in 30th and Paul Hobbs in 42nd amongst the 13 Todmorden finishers.

Steve Bateson's Thieveley Pike Pics...

Only two Todmorden runners travelled to the Great Langdale Half Marathon for the latest Road Championship counter. After Elise Milnes was forced to withdraw mid-way with an injury, Mel Blackhurst was the sole Todmorden runner, completing the hilly course in 1:46:37, finishing 2nd v45.

Garstang Half | Boggart Hole Chase 10k | Rombald's Romp | High Peak 40 | Cowm 5k

2010-09-23T00:00:00.000+01:00

Robin Tuddenham warmed up for the Garstang Half Marathon on Sunday, by finishing in first place at the Heaton Parkrun on Saturday covering the 5k course in 16:48.

The relentless rain overnight on Saturday led to flooding on the half marathon course and the race was shortened to 11.75 miles with the Todmorden man finishing in 9th place in a time of 1:08:55.

Bohuslav Barlow and Ian Stansfield also completed the Saturday Parkrun at Heaton Park, whilst Richard Butterwick and Myra Wells plumped for the Oldham Parkrun. After leading for the first kilometre, Richard was unable to hold onto the lead to make it a double win for the club and had to settle for 2nd place.

Richard and Myra then took on the very wet Boggart Hole Chase 10k on Sunday at Moston. Richard completed the hilly course in 43:32 with Myra finishing just past the hour mark.

The Rombald’s Romp Trail Race took place on Saturday at Ilkley Moor. This is rather a unique race, in that the runners did not find out the course route until they arrived. Even the length was a mystery, knowing in advance only that it would be between 6 and 9 miles.

Harriers Julie Wyant and Darren Graham both completed what turned out to be just over seven miles in 1 hour 17 minutes.

Colin Duffield and Elise Milnes knew exactly how far they would be travelling, at the High Peak 40, a 40 mile ultra race that follows a circular route through the Peak District from Buxton. Colin completed the tough challenge in 8 hours and 26 minutes with Elise finishing in 10 hours 13 minutes.

On Wednesday, James Riley led the way for the Harriers at the Derek Howarth and Arthur Walsham 5k at Cowm Reservoir, held to celebrate the 80th birthdays of the two veteran athletes, both of whom are still racing. James finished in 15th place in a time of 19:55, half a minute ahead of Richard Butterwick in 17th place. Myra Wells finished in 56th and Ian Stansfield in 31:22.

Cowm Reservoir 4.2 | Hades Hill | Good Shepherd | Norland Moor

2010-09-16T00:00:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers' Road Championship was back on the agenda this week with the shortest of this year’s counters, the 4.2 mile multi terrain Graham Wright Cowm Reservoir Race at Whitworth on Wednesday.

After living with the early pace of Barnsley’s Shaun Dimelow, who won in a time of 23:23, Jon Wright had to settle for 2nd place in 24:00 with Nick Barber in 5th in 24:41. Paul Brannigan managed to edge in front of Martin Stork as they fought over 13th place to the end.

Mel Robertson was the first Todmorden lady to finish, followed by Myra Wells.

Tod results: 2 J. Wright 24:00; 5 N. Barber 24:41; 13 P. Brannigan 26:51; 14 M. Stork 26:52; 17 D. Tweed 27:45; 21 M. Anderton 28:35; 23 J. Riley 28:46; 31 R. Butterwick 30:07; 43 R. Blakeley 31:42; 67 Melanie Robertson 35:35; 71 N. Hanson 35:49; 74 P. Ehrhardt 37:22; 81 D. O'Neil 38:33; 91 Myra Wells 42:47; 96 I Stansfield 48:49; 98 J. Newby 56:48.

On the other side of the Whitworth valley, Sean Carey put in a strong performance on Thursday at the Hades Hill Fell Race. Organised by Harrier Derek Clutterbuck, the 5 mile route climbed up and over Brown Wardle Hill. After dropping down there was then a further climb to the top of Hades Hill, before a return via the same route to the finish near Lobden Golf Club.

Traditionally the race is the last evening fell race of the summer, and whilst held in pleasant warm sunny conditions, recent rainfall meant there were plenty of boggy patches to negotiate and it was heavy going underfoot at times.

Sean was in control from the steep start up Whitworth Rake, holding his lead throughout to cross the finish line in 34:18, 38 seconds ahead of Steve Smithies of Calder Valley. James Riley was the next Harrier to finish in 26th with Simon Galloway in 29th. Dan Taylor and Richard Butterwick completed the Todmorden men’s turnout in 43rd and 67th respectively.

Mandy Goth was the first Todmorden lady in 76th just ahead of Myra Wells in 78th.

On Saturday, the Good Shepherd Fell Race from Mythomlroyd featured in the club’s Fell Championship. The 14 mile route included over 2000 feet of ascent and runners experienced an unwelcome early drenching from a heavy shower as they climbed up from the start at Dauber Bridge through Spring Wood towards Stoodley Pike. After a loop passing around Withens Clough, a climb up to the Cloven Stone and along Warland Drain, they reached London Road for another climb towards Stoodley Pike again. A long descent into Cragg Vale led to the final climb of the day past Robin Hood Rocks and the long run into the finish at the Good Shepherd in Mytholmroyd.

Won by the host club’s Steve Smithies in 1:57:14, Darren Tweed and Peter Bowles led the Harriers home in 6th and 7th places. Mel Blackhurst was the first lady overall, and along with Jane Leonard and Sue Roberts they won the ladies team prize.

Tod results: 6 Darren Tweed 2:10:55; 7 Peter Bowles 2:12:03; 19 Clive Greatorex 2:19:15; 22 Mick Craven 2:23:29; 27 Melanie Blackhurst 2:27:10; 31 Richard Leonard 2:33:34; 32 Jane Leonard 2:35:59; 34 Richard Blakeley 2:40:50; 35 Paul Carruthers 2:44:11; 42 Sue Roberts 2:52:32; 43 Peter Ehrhardt 2:59:30; 46 Elise Milnes 3:09:03; 47 Moira Parfitt 3:09:06.

It was another local race on Sunday with Halifax Harrier’s Norland Moor Trail Race. The 6.3 mile route started at Copley and climbed through woodland for a circuit around the moor. After a steep descent, runners returned via the Calder riverbank for the run in to the finish.

Robin Tuddenham found the terrain to his liking and finished in 2nd place, and first v40, with Martin Stork and Martin Roberts both finishing in the top 15. After Dan Taylor had crossed the line, Mel Robertson took the honour of being first Todmorden lady ahead of Andrea Marshall.

Shelf Moor | Ben Nevis | Blackshaw Head | Alice's Run

2010-09-09T00:00:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers were celebrating two English Champions after this year’s final English Championship Fell Race at Shelf Moor on Sunday.

Picture by John Crummett

Lauren Jeska went into the race knowing that only a win would be sufficient to overhaul Olivia Walwyn’s 4 point lead, but also having to guard her position from Eyrie’s Jackie Lee and Calder Valley’s Helen Fines who were close behind in the standings.

A close battle ensued as first Lauren set the pace before Helen Fines took up the lead on the climb up and retained it for much of the race. In a sprint finish, Lauren managed to outpace Fines by 3 seconds to clinch the overall Ladies English Championship Gold Medal.

Minutes later, the club’s delight was doubled as Moyra Parfitt crossed the line to clinch the vet65 Gold Medal.

A sizeable turnout from Todmorden had made the trip to the Peak District for the 5.8 mile race and although they put in an excellent performance to finish 2nd team on the day, a win for Calder Valley meant Todmorden ladies finished just outside the medals in 4th place for their highest ever placing in the Championships. The Ladies v40 team also finished 4th veteran team.

Ladies Results: 1 Lauren Jeska 48.49 ; 7 Sarah May 53.56 ; 27 Claire Duffield 58.58 ; 30 Kath Brierley 59.24 ; 32 Sarah Warburton 59.47 ; 33 Rachel Skinner 59.52 ; 47 Emma Osenton 1.01.43 ; 55 Melanie Blackhurst 1.04.19 ; 62 Elise Milnes 1.07.00 ; 71 Fiona Armer 1.10.42 ; 72 Maria Prescott 1.10.54 ; 75 Moyra Parfitt 1.11.34 ; 76 Isobel Pollard 1.11.36 ; 80 Melanie Robertson 1.19.19.

Whilst the limelight was firmly fixed on the ladies, Todmorden’s men were well represented in the 2nd separate race of the day with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson leading them home in 45th and Dave Collins in 76th – to finish 8th in the overall v50 Championship standings - and Nick Barber in 92nd.

Men’s Results: 45 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 48.01; 76 Dave Collins 51.21; 92 Nick Barber 52.53; 104 Martin Stork 54.07; 122 Paul Brannigan 56.30; 142 Lee McCluskey 1.00.24; 157 Richard Blakeley 1.03.29; 173 Peter Ehrhardt 1.11.19; 174 Graham Milnes 1.12.31; 175 Barry Chapman 1.13.52; 181 Ian Stansfield 1.55.03.

On Saturday, several Harriers were in Scotland for the annual Ben Nevis Mountain Race which attracted a world class entry of nearly 500 competitors. Jon Wright put in an outstanding run to finish in 4th place completing the 10 mile route up to Britain’s highest summit and back, in 1:43:29, to retain the Wallace Plaque for the highest placed police runner.

Andrew Horsfall finished in 99th, with first Todmorden lady Jane Leonard in 235th ahead of husband Richard Leonard. Mick Howard was the next Todmorden runner with Sue Roberts and Mandy Goth also successfully finishing the course.

Much closer to home on Saturday, several Harriers tackled the 5.5mile Blackshaw Head Fell Race. Featuring over 900 feet of climb, over 70 runners were headed by a close battle between Halifax’s Ben Crowther and Rossendale’s Brendon Taylor, who were separated by only 1 second at the finish.

The Todmorden runners were led in by Andy McFie in 14th place. Martin Robert edged out Mark Harris for 23rd and 25th respectively, with Mick Craven in 31st. Four Harriers then came in within a minute of each other with Dan Taylor 45th, Duncan Ritchie 47th, Angus Barclay 48th and Ali Richards in 49th.

Also staying local, on Sunday several Harriers completed Alice’s Run from Mytholmroyd. The 10k multi-terrain race, organised by Epilepsy Action, weaved its way up one side of the valley to Hebden Bridge and back on the other taking in several small climbs.

First Harrier to finish was Richard Butterwick in 21st, followed by David Leslie in 78th. Eric Wrathall was next over the line followed by Myra Wells and Matthew Wrathall.

August Round-up

2010-09-02T00:00:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers saw out August in fine form, including several winning performances.

Sean Carey won the Rossendale Harriers mid week series of fell races, with a measured 6th place at the final event, the Golf Ball Fell Race, being sufficient to take the series after a 1st and 2nd in earlier races.

Despite missing the last race - at Worsthorne Moor - of the 12 race Pendle & Burnley GP, Ian Stansfield won the v65 category after completing all of the first 11 races.

Alistair Rhodes-Dawson won the v40 trophy at the Grasmere Sports Senior Guides Fell Race, a short and steep up and down featuring a 900 foot climb in its 1.5 mile course.

Dave Collins won the v50 category at one of the longest standing fell races, the Burnsall Feast Sports Classic Fell Race which has been a fixture since the mid 19th century. It also covers a 900 foot climb over a 1.5 mile up and back course. James Riley, Peter Clarke and Peter Ehrhardt were Todmorden’s other representatives in the 150 strong field.

Robin Tuddenham finished 6th overall, and first v40, at the Round Latrigg fell race in Keswick on Wednesday – to follow his first place at the Oldham Parkrun the previous Saturday. Elise Milnes was first lady v50, with Ali Richards and Graham Milnes also completing the 5.5 mile course, which featured over 800 feet of ascent.

Also on Wednesday, Todmorden narrowly missed out on the ladies team prize at the Chunal Fell Race in Glossop. The 4 mile route included 950 feet of climb and Sarah Warburton led the way for the Harriers in 2nd place, only 8 seconds behind ladies winner Mary Edgerton of Pennine Fell Runners. Kath Brierley was a few seconds further back in 3rd with Emma Osenton finishing 10th lady.

On Saturday, five Harriers travelled to Clitheroe for the five mile Pendleton Fell Race, with Jon Wright in 7th and Dwane Dixon in 15th place.
Mick Craven finished 78th, with Dan Taylor making a return from injury in 104th and Andrea Marshall in 166th.

Sarah May meanwhile has been setting the triathlon world alight with two consecutive wins. First up was the Lakeland Triathlon, made up of a 1500 metre open water swim in Bassenthwaite Lake, and a hilly 40km cycle and a 10km run. She then followed that up just a week later with first female at the Clitheroe Triathlon over a slightly shorter course with a 400 metre swim, 30km bike and 9km run.

Belper Rugby Rover | Pilgrim's Cross

2010-08-19T08:17:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harriers travelled to the Derbyshire for the longest race in this year’s Road Championship. Once voted the 11th best race in the UK, the Belper Rugby Rover is a hilly 30km trail race that weaved its way through the heart of the Derwent Valley along the Midshires Way, roman roads, paths and tracks.

Nick Barber was the first Harrier to finish in 5th place, in 2 hours 11 minutes and 55 seconds, just 5 minutes behind race winner Richard Pattison. He was followed by Mark Anderton with first Todmorden lady Elise Milnes finishing in 3 hours 9 minutes and Julie Wyant completing the quartet who had made the journey.

Todmorden Results: 5 Nick Barber 2:11:55; 150 Mark Anderton 2:52:45; 206 Elise Milnes 3:09:26; 303 Julie Wyant 3:36:46.

Sean Carey recorded another senior win at the Pilgrim’s Cross Fell Race on Wednesday. The race is part of Rossendale Harriers mid week series and followed his 2nd place a week earlier at the Whittle Pike Fell Race. The Todmorden runner was a comfortable winner in 39:16 ahead of fellow under 18 Joe Johnston, of Rossendale, who finished 36 seconds behind.

Cliviger 6 | Healey Reservoir 5k

2010-08-05T00:00:00.000+01:00

Todmorden Harrier’s Road Championship continued on Sunday with the Cliviger Six. Starting from Mount Lane Sports Field the route began with a stiff climb up Red Lees Road. A gentle downhill then took the runners into and through Towneley Park. More uphill followed as they passed by Towneley Hall and exited the park for an undulating return along Todmorden Road, which led to the last climb back up Red Lees Road to the finish in the sports field.

Jon Wright was the first Harrier to finish in 7th place closely followed by Nick Barber in 9th and Paul Brannigan in 14th. After Martin Stork had crossed the line, a close battle between Mark Anderton, Kevin Booth and Darren Tweed saw just 6 seconds between them at the end.

Maria Prescott finished first Todmorden lady followed by Elise Milnes, who won the first v50 prize, and Mel Robertson.

Todmorden Results: 7 Jon Wright 34:53; 9 Nick Barber 35:09; 14 Paul Brannigan 37:02; 25 Martin Stork 38:38; 38 Mark Anderton 39:44; 39 Kevin Booth 39:47; 40 Darren Tweed 39:50; 72 Richard Butterwick 43:19; 87 Maria Prescott 45:12; 96 Phil Cook 46:24; 112 Elise Milnes 48:39; 117 Melanie Robertson 49:59; 118 Peter Ehrhardt 50:05; 130 David O'Neill 54:57; 131 Graham Milnes 55:11; 141 Myra Wells 1:00:08; 147 Ian Stansfield 1:05:12.

The previous Tuesday had seen five Todmorden Harriers take on the Emily Hughes Healey Reservoir Dash at Whitworth. The 5k multi terrain race included sections of road, rocky track and two laps of the reservoir with Richard Butterwick first Harrier back in 13th place, followed by Peter Ehrhardt in 27th and first v60. Myra Wells was the sole Todmorden lady in 34th, with Ian Stansfield in 39th and Jon Newby in 44th.

Snowden | Turnslack | Oxenhope | Lakeland 50

2010-07-29T00:00:00.000+01:00

Todmorden runner, Lauren Jeska represented England at the Snowdon International Mountain Race on Saturday and achieved an excellent 3rd place on her first call up to the national team. Scotland’s Catriona Buchanan won the ladies race in wet and windy conditions but, along with Pippa Maddams in 2nd and Emma Clayton in 7th, Lauren’s performance meant that England Ladies narrowly took the team prize.

Closer to home, Todmorden Harriers comfortably took the men’s team prize at the Turnslack Fell Race. Starting from Calderbrook the 8 mile race followed a circular route over Freehold’s Top, and included two tough climbs on the return. Andrew Wrench finished in 3rd place, shadowed 3 seconds behind by Sean Carey in 4th, with Alistair Rhodes Dawson 7th and Dwane Dixon in 8th.

Not to be outdone Todmorden Ladies, Chris Preston, Sue Roberts and Kathy Bridger also won the team prize at the Oxenhope Fell Race.

Elise Milnes and Julie Wyant took on the Lakeland 50 mile ultra race at the weekend along with over 300 other competitors. They traversed their way along the off road route from Penrith to Coniston that included over 10,000 feet of ascent. Starting at midday on Saturday they successfully completed the challenge shortly after dawn on Sunday morning having travelled throughout the night in a time of 17 hours and 59 minutes.

Holme Moss Fell Race

2010-07-22T23:44:00.000+01:00

Lauren Jeska recorded her first English Fell Championship Race win at the Holme Moss Fell Race to enhance her chances of a medal this season. With just one race remaining, Lauren lies in 2nd place in the championship table, 4 points behind Altringham’s Olivia Walwyn and 1 point ahead of Eryri’s Jackie Lee, with Calder Valley’s Helen Fines still in medal contention.
Wet and windy conditions made tackling the 18 mile course, with over 4000ft of ascent all the harder and a record field of 310 were whittled down to 292 by the finish when the sun finally came out. They made Calder Valley’s Karl Grey’s win all the more remarkable as he set a new course record in 2:24:18
Alistair Rhodes-Dawson was the first Harrier to finish in 30th place, just ahead of Lauren with Dave Collins and Andrew Horsfall following them in.
Todmorden Ladies also took the ladies team prize on the day, with Sarah May, 10th lady, and Kath Brierley, 22nd lady, contributing to a hard won effort that not only cements their 4th place in the team standings but moved them closer to the top three to keep alive an outside chance of a team medal.

Todmorden Results: 30 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 2.47.17; 33 Lauren Jeska 2.49.31; 57 Dave Collins 2.56.55; 66 Andrew Horsfall 3.02.59; 78 Paul Brannigan 3.06.37; 89 Paul Hobbs 3.08.47; 102 Ozzie Kershaw 3.13.26; 112 Sarah May 3.16.35; 149 Kath Brierley 3.29.29; 186 Mick Craven 3.40.29; 195 Phil Hodgson 3.42.33; 197 Andrew Bibby 3.43.07; 212 Ben Crowther 3.49.30; 226 Melanie Blackhurst 3.54.40; 244 Elise Milnes 4.04.41; 266 Louise Abdy 4.18.40.

Stoodley Pike Fell Race | Eccup 10

2010-07-15T00:00:00.001+01:00

Todmorden’s Lauren Jeska smashed the ladies course record by over a minute at the Stoodley Pike Fell Race last week.

The race starts with a sharp climb on the causeway stones up from Lumbutts, and then travels along the ridge to the Pike. A steep descent to London Road tests the nerves of the runners and the final run in takes them back to the finish field at the Top Brink Inn.

Todmorden postman, and Calder Valley runner, Alex Whittem won the race for the second consecutive year, having quickly stamped his authority from the off, crossing the line in 19:05. Another Todmorden resident, and Calder Valley runner, James Logue finished second managing to hold off Harriers Andrew Wrench and Sean Carey as they battled for third place, with Wrench eventually edging it by just 5 seconds.

Lauren Jeska had an equally comfortable win in the ladies race, and her time of 21:24 beat the former record, held by Calder’s Jo Waites, by over a minute. Todmorden’s Sarah May finished second lady in 23:26, and with Jane Leonard eighth lady, Todmorden narrowly took the ladies team prize ahead of a strong showing by Wharfedale Harriers in third, fourth and fifth. The men’s team prize went to Calder Valley Fell Runners ahead of Todmorden.

Todmorden Results: 3 Andrew Wrench 19:58; 4 Sean Carey 20:03; 16 Lauren Jeska 21:24; 18 Dwane Dixon 21:36; 19 Paul Hobbs 21:38; 29 Ben Crowther 22:29; 46 Sarah May 23:26; 48 Dave Collins 23:29; 54 Darren Tweed 23:42; 57 Martin Stork 23:56; 98 Richard Butterwick 26:41; 102 Jane Leonard 26:52; 142 Helen Hodgkinson 29:56; 156 Dave O'Neill 32:57; 157 Sue Roberts 33:17; 159 Melanie Robertson 33:31; 161 Barry Chapman 33:48; 166 Andrea Marshall 34:27; 172 Myra Wells 37:22; 175 Alison Mills 38:25; 176 Richard Leonard 38:26.

On Sunday, the club’s Road Championship continued with the Eccup 10 mile race near Leeds. Starting and finishing in Adel, the route looped around Eccup Reservoir with Longwood Harrier Andrew Pearson recording a winning time of 52:15.

Nick Barber led the way for the Harriers in an excellent 14th place out of 536 finishers, with Paul Brannigan 45th and Martin Stork 61st.

Lucy Hobbs was the first Todmorden lady to finish in 199th place.

Todmorden Results: 14 Nick Barber 59:57; 45 Paul Brannigan 1:05:57; 61 Martin Stork 1:07:12; 199 Lucy Hobbs 1:19:08; 224 Bohuslav Barlow 1:20:43; 302 Peter Ehrhardt 1:25:58; 304 Melanie Robertson 1:26:15; 521 Ian Stansfield 1:52:38; 528 Rachel Allen 1:56:08.

Cragg Vale Fell Race | Todmorden Triathlon

2010-07-08T00:00:00.001+01:00

Todmorden Harriers arrived en masse for the Cragg Vale Fell Race last week with 24 Harriers tackling the four mile course. Starting from Cragg Vale Church the race took a woodland path along the river before a long climb up to Bell House Moor. The climbing continued up Dicks Lane before the runners turned and descended via Sunderland Pasture and Swan Bank.

Sean Carey was the first Harrier to finish taking 3rd place, with Nick Barber in 6th and Alistair Rhodes Dawson in 9th. However, with Karl Grey taking the win in 27:08 ahead of Gavin Mulholland the team honours went to Calder Valley Fell Runners.

The ladies mirrored the men’s performance with Claire Duffield 3rd lady, Jane Leonard 6th lady and Chris Preston 9th lady, again finishing 2nd team behind Calder Valley.

Todmorden Results: 3 Sean Carey 28.31; 6 Nick Barber 28.45; 9 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 30.09; 12 Paul Hobbs 30.36; 13 Dwane Dixon 30:52; 16 Andy McFie 31.09; 18 Peter Bowles 31.22; 26 Ben Crowther 32.08; 27 Paul Brannigan 32.12; 32 Dave Collins 32.52; 33 Shaun Pickard 32.54; 38 Martin Stork 34.02; 54 Andrew Bibby 36.13; 58 Claire Duffield 36.29; 60 Jack Crummett 37.09; 63 Richard Butterwick 37.17; 69 Jane Leonard 37.58; 85 Christine Preston 40.10; 91 Elise Milnes 42.40; 95 Peter Ehrhardt 43.35; 96 Graham Milnes 43.47; 97 Louise Abdy 44.11; 99 Sue Roberts 45.41; 100 Melanie Robertson 45.44; 105 Myra Wells 52.30.

Four Harriers tackled the Todmorden Triathlon on Sunday. After a 400m swim in Todmorden Pool, a 20km cycle ride was followed by a 5km run around Centre Vale Park.

Mark Anderton led the way with 18th place, with Shaun Pickard finishing 3rd V50 as he completed his first triathlon. Ben Crowther was the next Harrier to finish with Karen Gray finishing 3rd female V40.

Sedbergh 3 Peaks Fell Race

2010-07-01T00:01:00.006+01:00

Moyra Parfitt finished first V65 and Lauren Jeska recorded 5th place in the Sedbergh ladies race at the English Fell Championships on Saturday. The race also formed a round of the British Championships so the competition was as tough as it could be over the 4.1 mile course that featured 1663 feet of ascent.

Ladies Results: 5 Lauren Jeska 39:51; 32 Kath Brierley 46:34; 47 Jane Leonard 48:21; 58 Claire Duffield 49:48; 72 Melanie Blackhurst 52:30; 86 Louise Abdy 56:14; 88 Moyra Parfitt 57:43; 91 Sue Roberts 1:00:53.

Jon Wright led the way for the Harriers in the men’s’ race, with Nick Barber having an excellent run in the hot and sunny conditions to finish 64th ahead of Alistair Rhodes Dawson in 103rd.

48 Jonathon Wright 37:02; 64 Nick Barber 38:12; 103 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 40:54; 115 Dave Collins 41:18; 117 Andrew Horsfall 41:33; 166 Martin Roberts 45:25; 181 Phil Hodgson 47:01; 190 Peter Clarke 48:10; 192 James Riley 48:23; 207 Richard Blakeley 52:31; 208 Richard Leonard 52:36; 224 Lee McCluskey 56:32; 231 Barry Chapman 1:03:38; 234 Dave O'Neill 1:07:34.

Todmorden Harriers popular Stoodley Pike Fell Race takes place on Tuesday 6th July at 7:30pm. Entry on the night is £3.50 at race HQ in the Top Brink Inn and is open to runners aged 14 and above. The 3.5 mile race starts with a stiff climb up the Calderdale Way past Lea Dam and follows the flat ridge along to Stoodley Pike. A steep descent down to London Road takes the runners back to the finish field via Broad Carr.

Midsummer Madness [Whicken Hill Whizz, Reservoir Bogs,Tom Tittiman] | Hendon Brook 13.5

2010-06-24T00:00:00.002+01:00

Todmorden Harriers were well represented at the Midsummer Madness Series, organised by Calder Valley Fell Runners, with five Harriers completing all three races, which took place on consecutive days. Starting from Mytholmroyd on Friday evening the opening race was 3 mile Whicken Hill Whizz, a steep climb up to the Sheepstones trig point and back down.

Sean Carey finished in 4th, and 1st U18, for the Harriers with Paul Hobbs in 9th and Jackson Cowie 14th, and 1st U16. Todmorden Ladies added another team prize, with Jane Leonard 3rd lady, Fiona Armer 7th and Louise Abdy 9th.

The following day saw a move to Chiserley for the 7.5 mile Reservoir Bogs race, which was also a counter in the club’s fell championship. The race route was unmarked and runners did not find out the location of the checkpoints until the morning of the race. They were then faced with a quick decision as to which route to take between the checkpoints.

This time it was the turn of the Todmorden Men to take the team prize with Jon Wright in 2nd, Andrew Wrench in 4th and Andrew Horsfall in 7th.

The ladies finished 2nd team with Chris Preston 3rd lady, Jane Leonard 4th and Louise Abdy 8th, leading the way. Sean Carey continued his challenge as he won the U18 race.

The final race on Sunday was the 4 mile Tom Tittiman Race from Chiserley, with Sean Carey finishing 3rd to take the Series U18 win and new Harrier Robin Tuddenham made a flying start with the club in 7th. Paul Hobbs finished 11th to place him 3rd in the senior Series ahead of Ben Crowther in 5th.

Jane Leonard finished the ladies Series in 3rd, with Fiona Armer narrowly pipping Louise Abdy for 6th.

On Sunday, the 13.5 mile Hendon Brook road race was a counter for the club’s Road Championship. The hilly race is highly rated as one of the most scenic, and toughest, races and despite a change of date this year once again was run in hot and sunny conditions.

Darren Tweed and Kevin Booth ran a close race with Darren eventually crossing the line in 1:44:30, a half minute ahead of his team mate as they finished 32nd and 33rd respectively.

Keith Parkinson was the next Harrier in 51st with Mel Blackhurst just behind, winning the FV45 category. Elise Milnes finished 2nd LV50, followed by Nigel Hanson and Ian Stansfield 1st V65.

Ennerdale Horseshoe | Hebden Bridge Fell Race | Otley 10

2010-06-17T00:00:00.002+01:00

Todmorden Harriers’ Ladies won the team prize at the English Fell Championships on Saturday. The Ennerdale Horseshoe Fell Race was the third of the six races that make up the championship, and was also the longest at 23 miles, with over 7,500 feet of ascent and descent. Starting and finishing at Ennerdale Scout Camp the epic route travelled over the many peaks surrounding Ennerdale Water, with warm weather adding to the challenge.

Lauren Jeska maintained her challenge for a medal with 5th place, in what is unfolding as one of the most competitive ladies championships in recent years. The next counter is in a fortnight with the first short race in the series at Sedburgh, but the destiny of the medals is not likely to be settled until the final race in September.

Jane Leonard continued her comeback from injury with 15th place, and 2nd V50, with Sarah Warburton and Kath Brierley the other victorious team prize winners.

Rob Jebb of Bingley won the men’s race, holding off Dark Peak’s fast finishing Lloyd Taggart. Jon Wright was Todmorden’s first counter in 14th, with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson and Nick Barber in 61st and 67th respectively.

Todmorden Results: 14 Jonathan Wright 4:03:02; 61 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 4:36:38; 67 Nick Barber 4:40:16; 74 Lauren Jeska 4:44:25; 108 Oz Kershaw 5:02:04; 136 Phil Hodgson 5:13:00; 137 Dave Collins 5:14:04; 151 Clive Greatorex 5:19:11; 157 Jane Leonard 5:22:42; 195 Sarah Warburton 5:38:16; 221 Kath Brierley 5:48:05; 239= Ben Crowther 5:55:56; 239= Richard Leonard 5:55:56; 247 Kevin Booth 5:59:36; 267= Louise Abdy 6:47:45; 278 David Wilson 7:28:23.

The Hebden Bridge Fell Race, organised by Todmorden Harriers, took place in cool and breezy conditions last Thursday evening. Starting and finishing at Calder Holmes Park the 5.8 mile race followed a looping route over Erringdon Moor up to Stoodley Pike taking in 1150 feet of ascent.

The race quickly developed into a two way battle between Calder Valley’s Karl Gray and Alex Whittem, with Gray eventually pulling out a 40 second lead on the descent to win in a new course record time of 42:41.

Todmorden’s Sean Carey finished in 4th place narrowly losing out to Pudsey’s Colin Walker in their race long tussle for 3rd. Paul Hobbs was the next Harrier in 8th with Peter Bowles in 14th.

Chris Preston finished 2nd lady and Patsy Reilly 3rd lady for Todmorden behind Calder Valley’s Jackie Scarf.

The club’s final summer fell race is the 3.5 mile Stoodley Pike Fell Race, which takes place on Tuesday 6th July.

Todmorden Results: 4 Sean Carey 44.49; 8 Paul Hobbs 48.03; 14 Peter Bowles 50.32; 18 Martin Roberts 53.36; 22 Paul Brannigan 55.14; 28 Paul Cotton 55.47; 32 Deon Bamford 56.35; 34 Lee McCluskey 57.03; 37 Peter Clarke 57.18; 38 Andrew Bibby 57.29; 40 Paul Cruthers 57.42; 45 Richard Blakeley 60.36; 52 Chris Preston 61.58; 54 Derek Donohue 62.27; 60 Patsy Reilly 66.42.

On Tuesday, the latest round of the club’s Road Championship took place, with the Otley 10. Six Harriers tackled the 10 mile undulating scenic route with Paul Brannigan first Harrier home. Mel Blackhurst was next ahead of Nigel Hanson and 1st V65 Moira Parfitt. Mel Siddall was next to finish with Ian Stansfield completing the club entry.

Blencathra | Isle of Jura | round up...

2010-06-10T00:00:00.000+01:00

Lauren Jeska set a new course record on her way to winning the Blencathra Fell Race last Wednesday. The Todmorden Harrier has been in fine form all year and has just been rewarded with her first call up to the England Ladies Team for the International Snowden Race next month.

The 8 mile Blencathra race followed a horseshoe route with three climbs totalling 2700 feet, as it passed over Bowscales Fell, Blencathra and Southern Fell. Lauren finished 12th overall out of 142 runners and was comfortably first lady, over 7 minutes ahead of her nearest rival. Her time of 1:10:51 knocked 25 seconds off Natalie White’s record from 2008.

The Isle of Jura Fell Race once again attracted a quality field to its legendary 16 mile course with over 7,500 feet of ascent that require runners to tackle 7 mountain summits, including the Paps of Jura. The race is one of the toughest in the calendar and with this year’s 199 runners, along with supporters, the island’s population more than doubles for the race weekend.

Rob Jebb took the win in 3:28:36 over fellow Bingley Harrier Ian Holmes. Jon Wright led the way for the Harriers in 11th place with Jane Leonard finishing first V50 lady.

Todmorden Results: 11 Jon Wright 3:53:36; 69 Phil Hodgson 4:37:54; 94 Jane Leonard 4:52:47; 109 Ozzie Kershaw 5:02:30; 139 Kath Brierley 5:21:35; 141 Richard Leonard 5:22:23; 184 John Preston 5:55:19.

Elsewhere, Todmorden Harriers were spread far and wide with Rachel and David Henthorne undertaking the first of the three Badger 10k trail races at Cuerden Valley to finish 2 seconds apart in 121st and 122nd.

James Riley tackled the 5.9mile Pen-Y-Ghent Fell Race which includes 1650 feet of ascent on the way to the summit and then back down, finishing in 42nd place.

Mick Craven finished 26th and Peter Ehrhardt 52nd at the 7.5mile Edenfield Fell Race near Ramsbottom that featured 1600 feet of ascent, including a steep climb near to the finish.

Bohuslav Barlow and Ian Stansfield completed the unique Morecambe Cross Bay Challenge, a half marathon that crosses over the sands, and occasional water channels, from Cumbria to Lancashire. Their times were 1:57:40 and 2:33:19 respectively.

Lisa & Rachel's Syke Reservoir 5k | Ilkley Trail Race

2010-06-03T00:00:00.000+01:00

With two English Championship races to look forward to during June, it was a quiet week for Todmorden Harriers.

On Wednesday evening at Whitworth three Harriers took part in the Syke Reservoir 5k multi terrain race. Starting with a steep tarmac climb, the runners then followed an off road track leading to two laps of Brown House Reservoir and then a return back to the finish at the Red Lion.

James Riley finished in 7th in 21:29, with Myra Wells – 4th lady - in 21st and veteran Jon Newby in 23rd place.

With several Harriers making the trip for the Isle of Jura Fell race – full report next week – Mick Craven was the sole Harrier in racing action at the Ilkley Trail Race on Sunday.

The scenic 6.9 mile out-and-back route followed woodland tracks, fields and moors, with some brief road sections to the north of the town. Most of the climb was in the first half of the race allowing runners to be treated to the views over the Wharfe Valley and across to Ilkley Moor before a fast return to the finish.

Mick finished in 79th place in a time of 54:40 out of nearly 300 entrants.

Blackstone Edge Fell Race | Cowm Reservoir 5k

2010-05-24T11:49:00.002+01:00

Todmorden Harriers Ladies took first and second places at the 3.75 mile Blackstone Edge Fell Race on Wednesday evening. Starting from Lydgate Hamlet the race climbed almost straight up to the Trig point with the terrain increasingly steep. After a brief traverse along the top, runners were then faced with a sharp and tussocky descent back to the finish.

After a close contest for much of the race, Kath Brierley won in 40:30 after she managed to open up a gap in the last mile to finish a minute ahead of team mate Jane Leonard. Andrea Marshall was the ladies 3rd counter to take the team prize.

The men’s team finished 2nd behind Calder Valley with Sean Carey in 4th, and first U18, and Jon Wright just 2 seconds behind in 5th leading the way. Wright had held the upper hand on the climb up to Blackstone Edge but once past the trig point, Carey made a move and held the advantage to the line despite being pushed all the way. Newcomer Jackson Cowie showed considerable promise with 14th place, and 3rd junior, finishing ahead of Dave Collins in 18th place.

Geoff Read made the not inconsiderable trip all the way from Japan to finish in 42nd place just ahead of Phil Cook.

On the same evening at Whitworth four Harriers tackled the 5km Ian Casey Memorial Cowm Reservoir Race. James Riley finished in 30th in a time of 20:07 with Mel Siddall finishing 5th lady in 22:22. Ian Stansfield finished 101st and Jon Newby in 106th place.

Mearley Clough | Littleborough 5k | Churn Milk Chase

2010-05-17T10:55:00.004+01:00

Todmorden Harriers had an excellent week with the men claiming three 3rd places, and Sarah May claiming an outright win for the ladies.

The club’s Fell Championship visited Pendle Hill for the Mearley Clough Fell Race on Tuesday evening. The 3.5mile race features 1200 feet of climb as it ascends from the village of Worston on the north side of the hill. A fast dash across fields led to a steep climb up to the Scout Cairn. After a flat traverse along the top, runners plunged back down the hill to the finish back at the village.

Clayton le Moors Andy Brown took the win in 31:11 with Todmorden’s Andrew Wrench in 3rd, just behind Wharfedale’s Jack Smith. Nick Barber continued his recent run of fine form with 9th position. Sarah May also had an excellent run to comfortably win the ladies race in 36:23, with Jane Leonard finishing 5th lady.

At the same time on Tuesday, Jon Wright also clinched 3rd place at the Geoff Doggett 5k in Littleborough. D Luckett of Salford won in a time of 16:14 after establishing an early lead as the race travelled towards Rochdale and then through Smithy Bridge to Hollingworth Lake.

Salford had put out a strong showing in the race eventually taking five of the first seven places and despite lying in 4th place as the runners turned for home from the lake, Wright managed to gain a place in the push for the line, narrowly missing out on 2nd place. Mel Siddall was the first of three Todmorden ladies in a time of 22:43, with Mandy Goth in 26:13 and Myra Wells in 27:50. Jon Newby finished 2nd V75 in a time of 38:12.

Sean Carey completed the hat trick on Friday evening at the Churn Milk Chase Fell Race at Midgley above Mythomlroyd. Starting from the recreation ground the 3.8mile race picked its way out of the village to join the Calderdale Way climbing up 700 feet, around the landmark Churn Milk Joan standing stone, then across to Crow Hill and back down.

Karl Grey of Calder Valley won in a time of 22:28, in a race where Calder Valley took five of the first seven places. The coincidences to the earlier race continued as Carey was lying in 4th place at the standing stone behind James Logue and narrowly missed out on 2nd place to Gavin Mulholland. Andrea Marshall also claimed 3rd place for the ladies in a time of 36:39.

Flower Scar Fell Race

2010-05-11T17:09:00.006+01:00

Todmorden Harriers put on a good performance with four runners in the top ten at the Flower Scar Fell Race last Wednesday, with Sean Carey going closest of the home runners to adding another win to his collection. However, it was Todmorden postman and Calder Valley runner Alex Whittem who triumphed for the second consecutive year at the finish.

The four mile race features a tough 1400 feet of ascent as the race climbs from Todmorden High School grounds up to Flower Scar Hill and back, via Robinwood.

The club had a good turnout of runners in the 100+ entry taking advantage of the free entry, in addition to many other Harriers assisting race organiser Jon Wright.

Whittem won the race in a time of 28:54 with Carey pushing him all the way. Calder Valley’s James Logue was third, in 29:45, with Todmorden’s Andrew Wrench 4th. After Clayton le Moors Jack Dugdale had crossed the line in 5th, the local domination continued with Calder’s Steve Smithies 6th and Todmorden’s Nick Barber 7th, and Paul Hobbs 10th.

Halifax’s Carole Fryer finished first lady ahead of Calder’s Clare Kenny. Todmorden’s first lady was Jane Leonard, ahead of Jeanette Dowling and Issy Pollard.

Todmorden Results: 2 Sean Carey 29.18; 4 Andrew Wrench 30.00; 7 Nick Barber 31.06; 10 Paul Hobbs 32.20; 13 Andy McFie 33.16; 18 Ben Crowther 33.43; 25 Peter Bowles 34.59; 28 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 35.28; 29 Dave Collins 35.33; 39 Martin Stork 37.15; 48 Lee McLuskey 39.24; 49 Peter Clarke 39.27; 69 Jane Leonard 42.13; 73 Richard Blakeley 43.57; 74 Jeanette Dowling 44.16; 79 Isobel Pollard 46.49; 80 Peter Ehrhardt 47.06; 83 Maria Prescott 47.15; 84 Fiona Armer 48.00; 85 Louise Abdy 48.40; 87 Paula Haworth 48.45; 91 Barry Chapman 49.33; 93 Hannah Godden 50.50; 94 Amanda Jackson 50.51; 95 Petra Davey 50.57; 97 Melanie Robertson 51.28; 98 Andrea Marshall 51.50; 100 David O'Neill 54.15.

Coniston Fell Race | Bluebell 10 Trail

2010-05-05T09:11:00.007+01:00

It was a busy Bank Holiday for Todmorden Harriers starting with the English Championship Fell Race at Coniston. The 9 mile race is always a favourite and once again saw a strong turnout from the club.
The race started in the village in brilliant sunshine and quickly climbed up the steep Mouldry Bank on its way up the relentless ascent of Wetherlam. After a fast descent the runners then scrambled up to Swirl How and followed the ridge across to the summit of the Old Man of Coniston. Increasing cloud then gave way to a brief hail shower, followed by rain that made the steep rocky descent all the more treacherous. It was here that Bingley’s Ian Holmes – who been outside the leading ten until then - made a decisive move to take an optimum line down the mountain and move into a lead that he retained to the end, crossing the line for his 9th victory on the course.

Jon Wright was Todmorden’s first finisher, closing fast on Calder Valley’s Alex Whittem to the line. Andrew Wrench was next to complete the course, followed by an in form Lauren Jeska who took 3rd lady behind Scunthorpe’s Emma Clayton and Altringham’s Olivia Walwyn, who lost her lead after a fall in the last mile.

Alistair Rhodes-Dawson was the next Harrier followed by Andrew Horsfall and Dave Collins. The ladies team had a strong showing with Sarah May and Rachel Skinner also achieving high places.

On Sunday, the outskirts of Halifax were the setting for the 10.3 mile Bluebell Trail Race organised by Stainland Lions. The popular course follows an undulating route along trails, tracks, minor roads and bluebell woods and has a unique river crossing to finish. Paul Hobbs led the way for the Todmorden club with 20th place

Todmorden Results: 20 Paul Hobbs 1:17:12; 38 Mark Anderton 1:19:49; 39 Martin Stork 1:19:50; 49 Darren Tweed 1:21:17; 53 Kevin Booth 1:22:32; 137 Phil Cook 1:33:02; 144 Paul Cruthers 1:33:27; 200 Elise Milnes 1:39:36; 209 Peter Ehrhardt 1:41:28; 259 Graham Milnes 1:48:49; 273 Melanie Robertson 1:50:42; 307 Nigel Hanson 1:55:04; 382 Katy Moore 2:09:44.