Ennerdale Fell Race

It was off to the Lake District last Saturday for the Longest Race in this year’s English and British Fell Championships, the Ennerdale Horseshoe. 

The race has 23 miles of running and 7500 feet of climbing in, but due to the forecast thunder and lightning the race was shortened. The new route did not go to any of the mountain summits, instead making its way to Buttermere and back via the cols. The route then had a loop from Black Sail Hut which headed up towards the mountains of Great Gable and Kirk Fell before descending back down to the Black Sail Hut. There was then an 8 mile run down the road/track and then around the edge of Ennerdale to the finish. 

Jon Wright led the way for Todmorden with a solid run finishing just over 3 hours in around 30^th position. Next to finish was Ivan Gee a great result in what was his first big lakeland race. 

The ever improving Ben Crowther finished next after another solid run, (again he was on the cusp of championship points in the V40 category we wait to see the official results for clarification). 

New Toddie Dave Garner was next to finish not far ahead of Dan Taylor, who overtook a tiring Paul HHobbs just yards before the finish. This means the team got the 6 counters around for qualification for the championship.  

 In the ladies race Lucy Burnett stormed up the hills for a 16^th place result and some well earned championship points. Clare Harris and Kath Brierley decided 21 miles wasn’t enough so added an extra mile going back to a checkpoint they had missed.   

A good day out for all, even though the route was changed it was still a tough challenge. 

by DT

Peris Horseshoe | World Triathlon London | Turbine Tangle | South Cheshire 20

A handful of Todmorden Harriers were in attendance at the Peris Horseshoe, the fourth and final race in the British Fell Running Championships.

Todmorden look to have clinched the Women’s Team silver medal by the narrowest of margins, based on provisional results, tying on points with Mercia but finishing ahead on aggregate places, and just one point ahead of Wharfedale Harriers, whilst Ambleside were the clear winners.

Kath Brierley was the first Todmorden woman in 134^th place with a time of 5:11:40, followed by Jane Leonard in 143^rd place at 5:20:37 and Clare Harris was 160^th in 5:43:33.

Andrew Bibby was the first Todmorden man in 120^th position, completing the 17.5 mile mountainous route in 4:59:08 with Dan Taylor a couple of places behind in 5:00:49.

 

Sarah Vickers was at the World Triathlon Grand Final in London where she was competing in the Olympic distance open race, finishing in 9^th place in the v35 age group after a strong run section moved her up several places.

 

Marcel Ellison finished in 3^rd place at the Turbine Tangle in a time of 1:44:41, a new race at Cowpe that challenged runners to visit all 26 wind turbines on Scout Moor.  The order and route choice was down to the runners meaning that navigation skills were as important as pure speed.

 

Paul Alexander continued his marathon training with a strong run at the Cheshire 20 mile road race, finishing in 37^th place with a time of 2:24:46.

Blisco Dash | Todmorden 5k | Towneley 10k

Several Todmorden Harriers were in the Langdales for the Blisco Dash, the latest counter in both the British and English Fell Running Championships.

Jane Leonard was the sole representative in the women’s race, as the club was hit by absences due to injuries and holidays, and finished in 58:02 for 32^nd place and 2^nd v55 to keep alive her individual medal prospects.

In the men’s race, a trio of Harriers battled it out with Nick Barber the first back across the line in 45:54 for 71^st place, with John Lloyd in 77^th and Craig Stansfield in 79^th position.

Richard Blakeley finished first v70 to keep him in the running for a medal also.

Todmorden results: 71 Nick Barber 45:54; 77 John Lloyd 47:10; 79 Craig Stansfield 47:30; 104 Dave Collins 51:55; 130 Peter Bowles 54:22; 168 Andrew Bibby 58:38; 182 Mark Whitaker 1:03:28; 188 Richard Blakeley 1:04:08; 200 Peter Ehrhardt 1:14:03; 205 Paul Brannigan 1:22:08.

The Todmorden 5k series switched to a new route on Wednesday for the second of four races in Centre Vale Park.  The improved circuit made for faster running with Gary Shaw of Burnley AC setting the pace at 15:57.  Max Wharton running for Halifax Harriers crossed the line in 16:25 just ahead of Calder Valley’s Alex Whittem in 16:37.

Martin Stork continued his return from injury to finish first Todmorden Harrier in 18:46, chased in by Dan Taylor in 16^th and Rob Gray in 19^th position.

Mel Siddall finished 5^th woman and 47^th overall in a time of 22:41, with Bev Wright and Andrea Marshall in finishing 8^th and 11^th women respectively.  Myra Wells finished 14^th woman, and first v55.

Ian Stansfield won the v70 prize, finishing in 75^th place.

Todmorden Results: 14 Martin Stork 18:46; 16 Dan Taylor 19:01; 19 Rob Gray 19:10; 24 Darren Tweed 19:29; 26 Paul Alexander 19:52; 27 Ben Crowther 20:02; 36 Mark Anderton 21:02; 37 Simon Anderton 21:04; 47 Mel Siddall 22:41; 54 Richard  Butterwick 23:55; 57 Bev Wright 24:19; 63 Andrea Marshall 27:03; 66 Myra Wells 28:21; 75 Ian Stansfield 34:33.

Robin Tuddenham finished first at the weekly Burnley parkrun on Saturday, recording 17:45 for the 5km route in Towneley Park.

Towneley Park was also the focus for the Towneley 10k on Sunday with Richard Butterwick completing the new course based upon the former Cliviger 6 route in 48:25 and Myra Wells in 1:01:31.

Moel Wnion | Jungfrau Marathon | Yorkshireman Marathon | Burnley parkrun



Photo by Jim Smith

 Lauren Jeska sealed her first British Fell Championship with a win at the final race in Wales. Lauren needed to overhaul Calder Valley’s Helen Fines in the standings, and quickly established a lead on the Moel Wnion race, and went on to win with a new ladies course record of 43:40.


In the men’s race, Dan Taylor finished in 55:43 for 76th place.

Photo by Bev Wright

A trio of Todmorden runners were in Switzerland for the Jungfrau Marathon, which follows a mainly uphill mountainous route in the shadow of the Eiger.

Jon Wright completed the course in 3:53:49, with Andrew Horsfall finishing in 4:55:38 and James Riley in 5:38:33.



Closer to home, at Haworth, Joe Daniels finished in 22nd place at the Yorkshireman Marathon in 4:28:57 and Elise Milnes was 104th with a time of 5:32:58.

In the 15 mile ‘half’ marathon Lucy Hobbs was 88th completed the course in 2:30:46 and Paul Cruthers crossed the line in 2:44:25 for 129th place.



Todmorden’s youngster’s were setting the pace for the club at Burnley parkrun, with Jackson Cowie finishing in 5th place, Jack Crummett in 15th, Henry Antemes in 24th and Alex Duffield in 79th place.

Coledale Horseshoe | Wardle Skyline | Steve Rothwell Memorial 4

Lauren Jeska claimed a course record breaking victory, in the British and English Fell Running Championships, for Todmorden Harriers at the Coledale Horseshoe Fell Race on Saturday.


The 9 mile circular route from Braithwaite near Keswick featured over 3000’ feet of ascent.

Lauren reached the top of the main climb to Grisedale Pike, with just Sarah O’Neil of Hunters Bog Trotters for company.

After a brief respite with a short downhill section, the two runners then reached the highest point of the course at Crag Hill.

The pair stayed clear of the field on long descent back to the village, before Lauren was finally able to extend a winning lead on the final climb over Barrow, to complete the course in 1:22:40. That time was well inside the former course record and over half a minute ahead of second placed O’Neill, with Catriona Buchanan of Ochil heading the rest of the challengers a further three minutes behind.

Lucy Burnett was Todmorden’s next finisher in 31st with Jane Leonard in 70th position.

Todmorden Ladies results: 1 Lauren Jeska 1:22:40; 31 Lucy Burnett 1:39:01; 70 Jane Leonard 1:51:10; 77 Becca Marshall 1:52:34; 83 Melanie Blackhurst 1:55:19; 95 Helen Hodgkinson 1:59:47; 98 Fiona Armer 2:01:43; 119 Helen Wilson 2:13:13.



In the men’s race, Sean Carey had a fine run to finish in 71st position and 5th under 23 runner.

Dwane Dixon was the next to complete the course in 91st with John Lloyd in 132nd position.

Todmorden Men’s results: 71 Sean Carey 1:20:51; 91 Dwane Dixon 1:23:09; 132 John Lloyd 1:27:40; 192 Marcel Ellison 1:34:00; 211 Dave Collins 1:36:38; 251 Phil Hodgson 1:41:00; 310 Richard Leonard 1:51:21; 352 Chris Drinkwater 2:02:06; 358 Richard Blakeley 2:05:44; 371 David Wilson 2:21:26; 375 Peter Ehrhardt 2:23:46.



Closer to home on Saturday, a number of Harriers tackled the 7 mile Wardle Skyline Fell Race.

Todmorden Results: 33 Clive Greatorex 57:11; 40 Rob Gray 57:59; 55 Michael Harper 59:45; 60 Geoff Read 1:00:04; 75 Mick Craven 1:01:44; 98 James Riley 1:03:58.



On Wednesday evening, the focus was on the club’s Road Championship with the Steve Rothwell Memorial 4 mile road race near Rochdale.

John Lloyd set the pace from the off eventually finishing in 3rd place, with Nick Barber in 6th and Robin Tuddenham in 10th place.

Helen Wilson was the first Todmorden lady, followed by Mandy Goth.

Todmorden results: 3 John Lloyd 21:36; 6 Nick Barber 21:54; 10 Robin Tuddenham 22:37; 21 Paul Brannigan 23:52; 29 Darren Graham 24:39; 48 Joe Daniels 26:10; 51 Richard Butterwick 26:41; 72 Simon Galloway 28:16; 89 Richard Blackley 29:27; 105 Helen Wilson 31:47; 107 Nigel Hanson 32:02; 117 David Wilson 32:53; 124 Mandy Goth 33:42.

Todmorden Harriers - Champions Video!

FRA Awards | Wadsworth Half Trog | Bolton Cross Country

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.

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

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...

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.

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

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...

Mourne Peaks [British Champs] | Wardle Skyline Fell Race

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...

Sedbergh 3 Peaks Fell Race

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.

British Champs Silent Valley | Bunny Run1 | Cowm Reservoir | Wardle Skyline

Lauren Jeska made a flying start at the first of this year’s British Fell Championship Races in Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountains at the weekend with a hard earned 2nd place in the Silent Valley Mountain Race. The Todmorden runner put in a tremendous performance to split last year’s ladies gold and silver medallists in a close contest to the end.
The 10 mile route, which packed in a substantial 4500 feet of ascent and descent, had been specifically designed for this year’s Championship and proved a worthy test.
Current champion Phillipa Maddams of Keswick was first lady in a time of 2:09:35, with Lauren in close attendance with a time of 2:10:53 ahead of Calder Valley’s Helen Fines in 2:12:22.
Whilst Lauren was the only Harrier to make the trip over the Irish Sea, Todmorden Harriers found plenty of other local races to enjoy in the spring weather.

On Tuesday the first of the weekly Bunny Runs at Haworth attracted a strong turnout from the club. The 3 mile races held every April are a fast dash around the Dimples Quarry area and are famed for their chocolate prizes.
First Todmorden Harrier was Shaun Pickard in 32nd place in a time of 18:45, followed by Martin Roberts in 72nd and Peter Clarke in 96th. Jack Crummett was the first Todmorden junior finishing in 125th in a time of 21:59. Todmorden’s first lady was Kath Brierley in 23:09, edging out Chris Preston.

A trio of Harriers were in Whitworth on Wednesday evening for the Ken Taylor Cowm Reservoir Race. First to finish the two lap circuit was James Riley in 20:34, 13 seconds ahead of Keith Parkinson, with John Newby in 32:14.

On Saturday twelve Harriers joined the biggest field in the past 10 years for the 25th Wardle Skyline Fell Race. Starting from Wardle Square the 7.2 mile route circles the hills around Watergrove Reservoir and features 1250 feet of ascent.
Dave Collins led in the Todmorden contingent in 32nd place out of the 239 starters, with Clive Greatorex pipping Steve Brandwood by 2 seconds to snatch 53rd. Kevin Booth finished 71st before a 4 way battle saw Lee McCluskey lead in Mick Craven, Peter Clarke and James Riley all within a minute. Mandy Goth finished first Todmorden lady ahead of Kathy Bridger.