Fleetwood Half Marathon | Stan Curran Cowm Reservoir 5k

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

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

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.