British Fell Relay | Bronte Way

Todmorden Harriers put out three relay teams at the British Fell Relay Championships on Sunday, held in the Lake District’s Ennerdale Hills. The relays are run in teams of six with a single runner leading off in the first leg, followed by two pairs for legs 2 & 3 and a final individual runner completing the team. Conditions could not have been much more testing, as mist quickly closed in after the first leg reducing visibility down to 20 metres for times.
On a day that favoured those with keen navigational skills, it was an achievement just to finish and several of the top contenders were disqualified for missing checkpoints in the clag, including current Triathlon World Champion Alistair Brownlee running for Bingley.
Todmorden’s men’s team put in a solid performance to finish 27th overall, with the men’s veteran team finishing 26th in their category. The ladies team capped a good season with a 9th place, narrowly missing out on 8th.

Closer to home, Harriers’ John & Christine Preston were organising the Bronte Way Fell Race at Haworth. The race follows a rare point to point route from Wycoller to the finish at the door of the Fleece Inn on Haworth’s Main Street. 168 runners took to the course to be rewarded with a hot soup and a bottle of beer at the finish. Martin Roberts was the first Harrier to finish in 24th, followed by Richard Gilbert in 39th. Mick Craven was 69th and John Medcalf 102nd. First Todmorden lady was Sue Roberts, followed by Kirsten Arlie and Hannah Januszczyk.