Garstang Gallop 10k | London Marathon | Anniversary Waltz | Bunny Run

Todmorden Harriers put in a dominant performance at the Garstang Gallop 10k on Sunday, claiming all of the first three places.


The undulating route featured in the club’s Road Championship and thirteen Harriers made the trip.

John Cannonball led from start to finish, crossing the line in 36:07, tracked all the way by Robin Tuddenham who recorded 36:21, and a well paced run by Paul Brannigan moved him into third place with a mile to go, which he held to the finish.

Dan Taylor set a personal best for the distance of 39:55, finishing in 12th place, as did Sarah Glyde who was the fifth lady in 43:07. Given the hilly nature of the course, it was a highly commendable performance by both runners.

Todmorden results: 1 John Cannonball 36:07; 2 Robin Tuddenham 36:21; 3 Paul Brannigan 36:26; 12 Dan Taylor 39:55; 25 Sarah Glyde 43:07; 54 Jonathan Daniels 47:47; 55 Paul Cruthers 48:01; 80 Nigel Hanson 52:56; 84 David Wilson 53:18; 87 Helen Wilson 53:45; 90 Ray Poulter 53:54; 97 Andrea Marshall 55:21; 106 Peter Ehrhardt 57:09.



Two Todmorden runners took part in the London Marathon, with Paul Alexander completing the 26.2 miles in 3:26:10 and John Medcalf 3:52:13.

Also on Sunday at the Great Run Local 5k at Boggart Hole Clough, Richard Butterwick and Myra Wells took advantage of the small turnout for these new weekly runs to finish first man and first woman.



Several Harriers were in action on the fells at the weekend at the Anniversary Waltz Fell Race in the Lake District, where Joseph Hobbs continued the club’s excellent recent junior performances, as he finished first in the under 8’s race.

His father, Paul Hobbs, then followed that with a fine run of his own to finish 31st in the senior race, completing the mountainous 18.5km route in 1:58:10.

Marcel Ellison finished in 2:07:09 and Martin Roberts in 2:09:54 for 63rd and 77th places respectively.

Mandy Goth and Sue Roberts finished close together in 253rd and 254th places, just seconds over the 3 hour mark.


The previous weekend Paul Hobbs had warmed up with a 10th place finish at the Boulsworth Hill Fell Race at Wycollar, with Martin Roberts in 24th, Phil Hodgson 43rd and Mark Whitaker in 51st places.

At the third of the weekly Bunny Runs, Rob Tyson was the first Todmorden Harrier to complete the 3 mile route around Penistone Hill Country Park in a time of 19:09 to claim 65th place.

Dan Taylor finished in 19:19 for 72nd place, with Jack Crummett improving his time over the course to 19:33 for 79th place.

Ben Beckwith finished in 132nd in 21:14, Darren Graham was 173rd in 22:53 and Ellie Lang recorded 23:48 for 210th position.

Joe Salt 5k | Bunny Run | Silent Valley | Wardle Skyline | Calderdale Hike | Radcliffe 10k

Todmorden Harriers were out in force for the Joe Salt 80th Birthday 5k at Cowm Reservoir. With the race featuring in the club’s Trail Championship thirty two Harriers took on the flat two lap course.

Robin Tuddenham was the first Harrier to cross the finish line in ninth place, just six seconds ahead of Paul Brannigan in tenth, with the pair claiming the first v40 and first v45 prizes respectively.

Richard Blakeley had a fight to line with Salford’s Sidney Sacks, with the Todmorden man claiming the v70 prize by just one second.

Claire Duffield was the first Todmorden lady, finishing ten second ahead of Mel Blackhurst with the pair claiming the ladies v40 and v45 prizes. Issy Pollard added the first lv35 prize and Myra Wells was first lv55.

Todmorden results: 9 Robin Tuddenham 17:26; 10 Paul Brannigan 17:32; 14 Ivan Gee 17:48; 22 Dan Taylor 18:26; 24 Darren Graham 18:34; 25 Trevor Davis 18:38; 29 Darren Tweed 18:55; 30 Richard Butterwick 18:56; 32 Robert Gray 19:03; 38 Ben Crowther 19:21; 40 Paul Alexander 19:28; 73 Jonathan Daniels 21:04; 74 Dave Collins 21:08; 75 Simon Galloway 21:15; 79 Andrew Bibby 21:27; 80 Phil Cook 21:32; 84 Paul Cruthers 21:35; 93 Keith Parkinson 22:05; 94 Claire Duffield 22:11; 97 Melanie Blackhurst 22:21; 108 Melanie Siddall 22:53; 110 Richard Blakeley 22:58; 117 Issy Pollard 23:47; 122 Bev Wright 24:01; 128 David Leslie 24:38; 132 Helen Wilson 24:55; 136 Ray Poulter 25.17; 145 Andrea Marshall 25:47; 152 Moyra Parfitt 26:11; 154 Louise Abdy 26:34; 160 Myra Wells 27:51; 170 David O'Neill 29:37.


For several Harriers it was their second successive night of racing, following on from Tuesday evenings Bunny Run at Haworth.

Dan Taylor was the first Todmorden runner to cross the line in 18:52, with a late sprint nudging him a fraction ahead of Darren Graham as they finished 43rd and 44th.

Rob Tyson was next to finish in 70th place in 19:42, with Jack Crummett stopping the clock at exactly 20 minutes for 77th position.

Other Todmorden finishers were: 114 John Killerby 21:27; 135 Mark Whitaker 22:22; 224 Andrea Marshal 27:22, 231 Paul Hobbs 27:29; 258 Naomi Watt 30:01.


On Saturday, the focus turned to the opening race in this year’s British Fell Championships. The ladies team got themselves off to a promising start with second place at the Silent Valley Race in Northern Ireland.

Lauren Jeska finished 6th lady, combining with Sarah May and Gemma Ford 15th and 18th ladies to give the team an excellent beginning to the four race series.

Jane Leonard was next to complete the course, closely followed by Todmorden’s sole male entrant Andrew Bibby and Kath Brierley.


Jilly Davidson was also on her travels, completing the Edinburgh Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in 2:02:06 for a new personal best for the distance.


Closer to home a quartet of Harriers took on the Wardle Skyline Fell Race. Marcel Ellison was the first to complete the 7 mile route in 54:26 for 37th place, with Rob Gray hot on his heels in 40th place just 21 seconds behind.

Dave Collins was 56th with a time of 56:41 and Phil Cook finished in 1:00:05 for 81st place.


Taking on a much stiffer test were Colin Duffield and Darren Graham at the Calderdale Hike who were part of the winning Team Krypton quartet that took the first placed team prize for the 37 mile route.

Other Todmorden runners to complete the testing route were Clare Kenny and Bev Holmes.


Darren then rounded off a busy week of racing with a steady run at the Radcliffe 10k finishing in 140th place. Richard Butterwick was the first Todmorden finisher in 61st place with a time of 42:33.

Julie Wyant completed the multi terrain route in 205th with a time of 54:31, and Myra Wells stopped the clock at 1:04:29 for 256th position.

Pendle Fell Race | Bunny Run 1 | Robinson's 5k

Todmorden Harriers put in a strong showing at the Pendle Fell Race on Saturday winning the ladies team and men’s veterans’ team prizes.

The club were set on their way after Alex Duffield had finished first in the juniors under 8’s race, and Jack Willis had finished 18th in the under 10’s category.

The 4.1 mile senior course followed an increasingly steep line towards the summit before plunging briefly down and back up the hill.  After finally reaching the trig point, a hair raising descent took the runners back to the finish at Barley village.

Jon Wright finished in 13th place for the club, followed by Ivan Gee in 18th just ahead of Craig Stansfield in 20th position.
Clare Duffield was first Todmorden lady, and 3rd v40, with Kath Brierley in 185th and Issy Pollard in 204th place.

Todmorden Results: 13 Jon Wright 35:12; 18 Ivan Gee 36:11; 20 Craig Stansfield 36:24; 38 Paul Brannigan 38:00; 55 Robin Tuddenham 39:59; 57 Dan Taylor 40:03; 78 Darren Tweed 41:33; 85 Dave Collins 42:03; 105 Michael Harper 44:14; 138 Andrew Bibby 46:47; 157 Claire Duffield 48:09; 180 Jonathan Daniels 49:32; 183 Mick Craven 49:46; 185 Kathleen Brierley 49:53; 204 Issy Pollard 51:22; 226 Wayne Morrison 52:43; 228 Jane Leonard 52:47; 230 Keith Parkinson 52:53; 231 Clare Kenny 52:59; 238 Elise Milnes 53:40; 265 Graham Milnes 55:51; 277 Richard Blakeley 56:48; 284 David Wilson 57:25; 287 Ray Poulter 57:40; 290 David Leslie 57:47; 307 Peter Ehrhardt 1:00:29; 321 Louise Abdy 1:03:36.


Darren Graham and Dan Taylor fought it out for the honour of first Todmorden man at the first of the weekly Spring Bunny runs on Tuesday, with Darren eventually crossing the line in 43rd with a time of 19:28, and Dan following on 15 seconds behind.

Jack Crummett finished in 20:33 for 70th position on the 3 mile course at Dimples Quarry, Haworth.

Mark Whitaker finished in 126th position, followed by Eleanor Lang in 150th and Andrea Marshall in 228th place.

On the same evening, Clare Kenny was at Marl Pits for the Liver Hill Fell Race, where she finished first v50 lady.


On Wednesday evening, several Harriers were in Littleborough for the Colin and Brenda Robinson 5k. 

Jon Wright finished in 4th position and first v40 with a time of 16:45. A trio of Harriers enjoyed a tight battle with Richard Butterwick finishing in 19:17 for  31st place, closely followed in by Michael Harper in 19:30 and Paul Alexander in 19:42, with both setting personal bests for the distance.

Bev Wright was the first Todmorden lady in 87th, with a time of 24:15 and Myra Wells crossed the line in 28:28.

On Sunday, Richard Butterwick followed that up with a new personal best time at the Lottie Wilcocks 5k in Rochdale, finishing in 12th place with a time of 18:42, with Myra Wells finishing 59th, and first v55, in 26:57.

London Marathon 2011

Three Todmorden Harriers joined 35,000 other runners at the London Marathon. John Medcalf and Mel Blackhurst ran similar paced efforts to finish just 11 seconds apart, despite rarely seeing each other on the way round.

John crossed the line 10 minutes faster than his previous attempt two years ago, in 3:33:15.

School teacher Mel donned a school uniform for her 3:33:26, which subject to verification may be a new Guinness World Record for the outfit. Mel Robertson ran a well paced race to cross the line in 4:16:52.


Also on Sunday, Darren Graham and Julie Wyant joined a 750 strong field for the Bolton 10k, with Darren completing the winding course in 44:45 for 100th position and Julie finishing in 53:08 for 298th place.

Mick Craven and Peter Ehrhardt tackled the Hyndburn 10k trail race, finishing in 19th and 35th respectively.

On Wednesday, the Steve Rothwell Memorial 4 mile race in Norden attracted nearly 200 entrants, with Richard Butterwick completing the circular course in 35th place in a time of 25:26, whilst Myra Wells’ time of 37:02 earnt her 150th place.


At the second of the weekly Bunny Runs at Haworth on Tuesday, Sean Carey led a handful of Harriers in for 10th place, with Robin Tuddenham in 23rd.

Paul Hobbs finished in 32nd, with Jack Crummett in 90th and Christine Preston in 178th.

Helen Hodgkinson was the sole Todmorden entrant at the Coledale Horseshoe Fell Race in the Lake District. The 9 mile course featured over 3000 feet of climb as it passed over Grisedale Pike and Crag Hill.

London Marathon | Three Peaks | Bunny Run 3

The streets of London beckoned for Todmorden Harriers on Sunday as a handful of Harriers took part in the London Marathon.
Andy McFie was the first Harrier to complete the course in a time of 3:15:33. Helen Wilson, raising funds for the Ear Foundation, was next to finish in 4:17:14.
Rhys Watkins, 4:26:04, Dan Taylor, 4:28:51, and Carla Williamson, 4:44:33, were Todmorden’s other representatives amongst the 37,000 finishers.

No less of a challenge was faced by four Harriers on Saturday at the Three Peaks Fell Race. The 24 mile route features over 4,500 feet of climb as it passes over the iconic Yorkshire peaks of Pen Y Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.
Peter Bowles was the first to complete the epic in a time of 4:20:12 followed by Paul Cotton in 4:36:43. Elise Milnes was Todmorden’s sole female entrant finishing in 5:08:26 with John Medcalf rounding off the quartet with 5:18:16.

The third Bunny Run last Tuesday saw Martin Stork comfortably lead in the Todmorden contingent in 19:41, with Clive Greatorex, 20:17, just edging out James Riley in 20:26 and Peter Clarke 20:37 respectively. Sarah Warburton was Todmorden’s first lady in 21:34, ahead of Kath Brierley in 22:08 and Andrea Marshall in 26:00. Ian Stansfield completed the club’s entry in 36:28.

Coledale Horseshoe | Bunny Run 2

On Saturday, Todmorden Harriers were out in force at the Coledale Horseshoe Fell Race, where the ladies team were rewarded with victory in glorious weather.

The 9 mile circular route from Braithwaite took in over 3000’ feet of ascent as it first climbed up Grisedale Pike. After a brief respite with a short downhill section, the runners then rose up to the highest point of the course at Crag Hill. The long descent back to the village was punctuated with a further two smaller rises.

Sarah Warburton, Kath Brierley – who also finished 3rd vet 40 - and Chris Preston proved an unbeatable combination to take the ladies team prize.

Andrew Wrench led in the Todmorden men with 17th place overall and Dave Collins also took home 3rd prize in the vet 50 category.


At the 2nd Haworth Bunny Run on Tuesday, Sean Carey was the first Harrier, finishing in 9th place. Shaun Pickard knocked 28 seconds off his time from the previous week to finish in 46th. Martin Stork made his bunny debut with a respectable 20:09 and was followed over the line by James Riley and Peter Clarke.

Jonny Medcalf improved his time by over 2 minutes to finish ahead of Jack Crummett and Todmorden’s first lady was once again Kath Brierley, ahead of Chris Preston as they warmed up for their weekend triumph.

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.