Dave Collins recorded an historic win at the Windmill’s Whizz fell race at Ogden Water on Saturday. It was no surprise that Todmorden Harriers supplied the winner of this 7 mile circuit of Ovenden Moor, with Chris Smale having triumphed in two of the last three years, but Collins was an unexpected winner after a sizeable number of the front runners had taken a wrong turning as a result of a directional sign that had been interfered with.
Proving that fell running requires sharp mental skills in addition to speed and strength, Collins who had won the Vet50 prize the year before, sportingly had tried to call runners back after they had gone astray from the route. He then progressed on his way and crossed the line to enthusiastic cheers as he realised he had won the race outright this year.
Meanwhile on the moors above Haworth, Hebden and Todmorden, many Harriers were tackling the 33 mile Haworth Hobble. The race that started and finished in Haworth, can be entered either as a pair or solo, and attracted a quality field of over 250 entrants as it formed the latest ‘short’ round in the 2009 UK Ultra Running Championship Series. Jon Wright continued his excellent current form over the longer distances with 4th place in a time of 4 hours and 30 minutes, just 15 minutes behind winner Jez Bragg.
Sue Roberts and Elise Milnes, who knocked one and a half hours off her previous attempt, finished as the first female pair and Chris Preston finished as 6th solo lady, 1 second behind Calder Valley’s Clare Kenny.
The previous weekend had seen four Todmorden Ladies take on the High Peak Marathon, a 42 mile loop around the Derwent watershed in the Peak District. With a start from Edale just before midnight, much of the boggy route is covered through darkness. Battling against wind, rain and drizzle, competitors also found that the approach of daylight did little to improve visibility with much of the higher ground shrouded in clag.
The team, competing as Tod Totty, made up of Mandy Goth, Kath Brierley, Rachel Skinner and Emma Osenton completed the epic event in a time of 14 hours and 39 minutes.
Another team featuring Harriers’ Jon Wright and Rhys Watkins recorded the 13th best time, but after losing one member early on were not eligible for the overall ranking.
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