Norland Moor | Blackshawhead Fell Race | Littleborough Lions 5k | Alice's Run | Blackpool Half

Sarah and Gareth Vickers celebrated their marriage with a run at the Tour of Norland Moor Fell Race, with the happy couple finishing together in 64^th and 65^th places.

They were joined by several other Todmorden Harriers, with Trevor Davies finishing in 15^th place with a time of 42:54 over the 10k route.  

Kath Brierley finished in 50:59 for 54^th place, with David Leslie in 76^th and Jane Leonard in 81^st position.

There was a strong turnout of Todmorden Harriers at the Blackshawhead Fell Race, with many others assisting in the race organisation.

Nick Barber finished in third place, just ahead of Jon Wright in fourth position who also claimed the v40 prize.  Jon Mitcham added the v50 prize and Rebecca Patrick finished third placed woman for the club.

Todmorden Results: 3 Nick Barber 37.27; 4 Jon Wright 38.12; 15 Jon Mitcham 41.34; 16 Marcel  Ellison  41.38; 19 Dan Taylor 42.00; 29 Dave Collins 43.55; 33 Gary Quested  44.18; 36 Martin Roberts 45.27; 47  Simon Anderton 47.17; 48 Roger Haworth  47.19; 55 Rebecca  Patrick 48.26; 56 Mark Anderton 49.21; 76 Paul Cruthers  52.22; 100 Andrea Marshall  60.53.

Jon Wright recorded 17:13 at the mid week Littleborough Lions 5k for third place, with Paul Alexander setting a new personal best for the distance of 19:23 for 15^th position.

Richard Butterwick was placed 28^th in a time of 21:36, followed by Myra Wells in 29:30 for 44^th and Ian Stansfield in 47^th place with a time of 34:42.

The latter trio were back in action at the Cowm Reservoir 5k on Sunday, with Richard setting a time of 21:59 for 19^th position.  Myra completed the two lap course in 28:31 for 58^th and Ian was 68^th in a time of 33:38.

At the popular Alice’s Run 10k from Mytholmroyd on Sunday, Paul Hobbs finished the multi terrain course in 39:26 for 7^th position, followed by Andy McFie in 9^th with a time of 40:19.

Guy Whitmore finished in 34^th position with a time of 47:10, with David Leslie finishing in 51^st in 49:47 and Lee McCluskey 56^th in a time of 50:59.

David O’Neill took on the Blackpool 10k on Saturday, finishing in 289^th with a time of 1:04:10.

The following day, a pair of Harriers tackled a windy Blackpool Half Marathon, with John Lloyd finishing in fourth place with a new personal best time for the distance of 1:15:25 and Robin Tuddenham in 15^th position with a time of 1:20:09.

Alice's Run 10k | Ben Nevis Race | Blackshawhead Fell Race | Littleborough Lions 5k

Todmorden Harriers’ club Trail Championship concluded at the weekend with Alice’s Run in Mytholmroyd, a 10k multi terrain race that weaves up and down the Calder Valley.


Although not running on the day, Paul Hobbs was crowned Trail Champion having already built up a sufficient lead in the earlier rounds.

On Sunday, 21 Harriers joined the 200 entrants in the Epilepsy Action race, with Paul Brannigan leading the way for the club in 3rd place, pursued by Darren Tweed in 5th place.

Dave Collins was first v50 and 11th overall, followed by Richard Butterwick in 16th and Guy Whitmore in 22nd position.

Kath Brierley finished 3rd lady, with Mel Blackhurst finishing 5th lady and Karen Gray 11th lady.

Elise Milnes and Moyra Parfitt picked up prizes for first v50 and first v60 ladies respectively.

Todmorden results: 3 Paul Brannigan 38:43; 5 Darren Tweed 41:22; 11 Dave Collins 42:55; 16 Richard Butterwick 45:02; 22 Guy Whitmore 45:30; 33 Kathleen Brierley 47:24; 35 Andy Glyde 47:45; 37 Phil Cook 47:49; 39 Melanie Blackhurst 48:14; 50 Chris Drinkwater 49:48; 52 Richard Blakeley 50:00; 65 Karen Gray 52:11; 67 David Leslie 52:33; 70 Fiona Armer 52:53; 73 Elise Milnes 53:28; 76 Ray Poulter 53:35; 79 Peter Ehrhardt 54:08; 83 Mel Whitmore 55:03; 85 Moyra Parfitt 55:14; 94 Graham Milnes 57:47; 125 Myra Wells 1:05:16.

Epilepsy Action photographs from Alice's Run...

Farmer Gizmo's Alices Run photos... & Tod Harriers...


At the Ben Nevis Mountain Race, Jon Wright once again claimed the Wallace Plaque for the highest placed police runner, finishing the 10 mile up and down route in 1:45:17 for 9th place overall out of over 450 finishers.

Marcel Ellison was the next Todmorden runner to finish in 69th position, improving on his previous best time by some margin to finish in 1:59:42.

Todmorden’s other finishers: 108 Andrew Horsfall 2:06:26; 142 Dan Taylor 2:11:56; 222 Phil Hodgson 2:22:14; 437 Mandy Goth 3:07:44; 438 Mick Howard 3:07:44.

On Saturday, the Blackshaw Head Fell Race attracted 66 runners to its 5.5 mile course.

First Harrier was Dwane Dixon in 4th place, followed by Andy McFie in 11th position. Hatty Nylan finished 5th lady.

Todmorden Results: 4 Dwane Dixon 39.04; 11 Andy McFie 43.29; 26 Simon Anderton 49.31; 27 Roger Haworth 49.32; 40 Hattie Nylan 52.57; 43 Mark Whittaker 53.50; 61 Reg Czudek 70.22; 62 Jo Rutter 72.24.

Farmer Gizmo's Blackshawhead Fell Race photos...



Bev Wright finished 3rd lady at the Littleborough Lions 5k, recording a time of 23:54 for 22nd place overall.

Richard Butterwick crossed the line in 20:08 for 7th, with Chris Drinkwater stopping the clock at 22:16 for 17th place.

Myra Wells finished in 39th position in a time of 28:52.

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

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.

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

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.

4 sep 08

The final English Championship fell race on Saturday at Dufton saw some excellent performances from Todmorden runners, particularly from the ladies team. With the race also being a counter for the British championships it was a very select field that took on the 5 mile course in good conditions, from the agricultural show field.
The ladies’ race was won by Natalie White of Bingley Harriers in a time of 35:56. First Todmorden lady was Ali Richards in 26th place; rapidly followed over the line by Claire Duffield in 28th and Kath Brierley in 33rd. Chris Preston finished as 2nd lady V40 and 41st overall.
The men’s race was won by John Heneghan of Pudsey & Bramley in 28:55, a time many runners would be happy with on the flat, but with 1500 feet of steep ascent and descent squeezed in between it was an impressively fast pace. Not far behind was the first Todmorden man home, Chris Smale, who rounded off an excellent showing in this year’s championship with another solid run.

Full Todmorden results – Men: 22 Christopher Smale (31:54); 90 Dave Collins (37:21); 126 Martin Roberts (39:36); 129 Paul Brannigan (39:48); 146 Andrew Bibby (42:07); 148 Phil Hodgson (42:15); 156 Jeremy Godden (44:26); 162 Richard Leonard (45:21); 185 Derek Clutterbuck (59:59)
Ladies: 26 Alison Richards (41:39); 28 Claire Duffield (41:59); 33 Kath Brierley (42:54); 41 Christine Preston (44:07); 48 Jane Leonard (45:37); 65 Sue Roberts (51:12); 70 Mandy Goth (53:55).


Closer to home, many Harriers were either involved in the organisation of, or took part in, the Blackshaw Head Fete Fell Race. Whilst the fete itself suffered from a waterlogged field, it did nothing to deter the 64 runners that lined up for the 5½ mile course.
The leading group of five runners that included both Sean Carey and Nick Barber in contention for the win took a wrong path mid way through the race and lost valuable time. Unfortunately, too much time and effort had been lost and despite strenuous attempts they were unable to regain the front of the race. Local resident Greg Elwell running in the colours of Halifax Harriers triumphed in 43:04.
First Todmorden Harrier to finish was Nick Barber who recovered back to 8th place just over a minute behind the winner. With top future prospects Sean Carey in 12th and Matt Crowley in 18th not far behind, they narrowly landed Todmorden the award of first team ahead of neighbours Calder Valley. Sean added to this season’s growing credits as he pipped his club mate to the U18 prize which was some consolation for the lost places in the overall placing.
First lady home was Todmorden based, but unattached runner, Lauren Jeska in 49:35. The first Harrier lady was Paula Haworth, who along with Sarah Moss and Rachel Allen combined to take the honours as first ladies team.

Full Todmorden results - 8 Nick Barber (44.22); 12 Sean Carey (44.57); 18 Matt Crowley (46.40); 34 Rhys Watkins (50.31); 53 David O'Neill (66.23); 56 Paula Haworth (72.22); 59 Ian Stansfield (80.40); 60 Sarah Moss (84.24); 61 Rachel Allen (87.24); 62 Jill Greenfield (92.05).