Good Shepherd Fell Race | Leigh Cross Country | Beefy's Nab Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers were in action on several fronts at the weekend.

The Good Shepherd Fell Race attracted over 100 runners to Mytholmroyd on Saturday morning despite the rainy weather. The 14 mile route started from Dauber Bridge and looped around the moors, passing over Stoodley Pike twice and returning via Robin Hood Rocks to the Good Shepherd Centre.

Calder Valley’s James Logue improved on his own course record to win in a time of 1:42:20.

Nick Barber was the first Todmorden runner in 8th place, with Paul Hobbs in 17th place and Dan Taylor in 28th position.

The ladies record was also bettered by Calder Valley’s Anne Johnson, with Mel Blackhurst finishing second lady for Todmorden and Bev Holmes ninth lady.

Todmorden Results: 8 Nick Barber 1:52:54; 17 Paul Hobbs 2:00:52; 28 Dan Taylor 2:11:18; 38 David Baldaro 2:18:33; 40 Melanie Blackhurst 2:19:15; 41 Kevin Booth 2:19:23; 71 Bev Holmes 2:36:05; 101 Julie Wyatt 3:22:18; 102 Moyra Parfitt 3:22:19; 103 Elise Milnes 3:22:20.


On Saturday afternoon Todmorden made a respectable return to the Red Rose Cross Country League with a seventh place for the men’s team at the opening race of the season held at Leigh Sports Village.

The fixture was the first of four in this year’s competition, and was the first time for several years that the club had entered a team. In the men’s race John Lloyd led the way for the club with 19th place, followed by Robin Tuddenham in 26th and Martin Stork in 41st position.

Sean Carey completed the course in 55th, despite a fall, with Ben Crowther in 72nd place. Simon Anderton was 101st, with Richard Butterwick finishing in 135th position.

Kath Brierley completed the ladies 5k course in 31st place, and 3rd v50, with Mel Robertson in 59th position, and 5th v50. Jack Crummett finished 12th in the U13 boys race.


On Sunday, a short trip to a very wet Oxenhope beckoned for Beefy’s Nab Fell Race, which was the final race in the club’s Trail Championship.

Dwane Dixon finished in 4th place, ahead of John Lloyd in 6th place, which was sufficient to keep him at the head of the table and win the Trail Championship.

Hatty Nylan won the ladies race, with Helen Hodgkinson finishing first v40 lady.

Elise Milnes completed the course to be crowned ladies Trail Champion.

Todmorden Results: 4 Dwane Dixon 21:52; 6 John Lloyd 22:11; 15 Dan Taylor 25:35; 19 Peter Clarke 26:27; 24 Hatty Nylan 27:32; 34 Helen Hodgkinson 29:53; 35 Richard Butterwick 31:29; 36 Kevin Coughlan 31:40; 39 Graham Milnes 32:12; 40 Andrea Marshall 32:15; 41 Elise Milnes 32:23; 43 Sue Roberts 32:36; 48 Dave O’Neill 36:46; 49 Kathy Bridger 39:18; 51 Myra Wells 44:52.


Lauren Jeska lined up on the elite women’s start for the Great Yorkshire Run 10k in Sheffield and finished in 5th place in 35:33, only 8 seconds outside a personal best time on a testing course.

Sarah May tackled the Chester Marathon, completing the 26 miles in 3:09:44 to finish 13th lady.

Thieveley Pike Fell Race

A smaller than usual turnout for the Thieveley Pike Fell Race at Holme Chapel in Cliviger on Saturday, meant that Todmorden Harriers supplied a quarter of the runners, with the race featuring in their club Fell Championship.

Fifteen Harriers tackled the 4.3 mile loop, which included over 1300 feet of ascent, in breezy and drizzly conditions.

Todmorden won the team prize with Jon Wright and Sean Carey finishing in second and third places behind Calder Valley’s James Logue, who won in a time of 34:04.

John Lloyd in 7th place and Paul Hobbs in 14th place completed the winning team quartet.

Hatty Nylan finished third lady, with Moyra Parfitt also taking home the prize for first lv65.

In the well attended junior races, Todmorden’s Liam Williamson was the U16 winner and Jack Crummett the U14 winner.

Todmorden Results: 2 Jon Wright 35:16; 3 Sean Carey 35:30; 7 John Lloyd 37:53; 13 Paul Hobbs 39:30; 14 Ben Crowther 39:58; 18 Kevin Booth 42:15; 20 Dan Taylor 42:59; 23 Clive Greatorex 44:11; 40 Hatty Nylan 48:00; 47 Helen Hodgkinson 50:50; 51 Kevin Coughlan 53:24; 52 Richard Butterwick 55:12; 55 Moyra Parfitt 57:28; 60 Dave O’Neill 61:58; 61 Louise Abdy 64:49.

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.

Whittle Pike [English Champs] | Harakiri Mountain Race | Lakeland 100 | Cowm Reservoir 4.2m

Todmorden Ladies clinched the English Fell Championship team gold medal at the Whittle Pike Fell Race on Saturday. With one race to go in the six race series they now hold an uncatchable lead.

The 5.1 mile race started with a half mile road section, before the first of three steep climbs, the second of which took the runners to the high point of Whittle Pike.

In hot and sunny conditions Sarah May led the way for the Harriers in the ladies race finishing in an excellent 5th place, behind Holmfirth's Katie Walshaw who won in a time of 45:47.

Jane Leonard was the next Todmorden lady in 44th place.  After a close battle Lucy Hobbs edged out Fiona Armer on the final run in to finish 51st and 54th respectively.  Karen Gray completed the course in 69th place.

In the men's race, Dark Peak's Lloyd Taggert won in a time of 37:30 after catching the early leader Rob Jebb, of Bingley Harriers, who retired after a late fall.  Jon Wright was the first Todmorden runner in 28th, ahead of Sean Carey in 49th, who was also 2nd U18. 

A strongly finishing Paul Brannigan edged out Alistair Rhodes-Dawson as they finished 59th and 68th respectively.
 
Todmorden men's results: 28 Jon Wright 42:38; 49 Sean Carey 44:59; 59 Paul Brannigan 45:49; 68 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 46:36; 90 Dave Collins 48:46; 102 Peter Bowles 50:19; 122 Marcel Ellison 53:27; 125 Andrew Bibby 53:36; 141 Mick Craven 56:17; 161 Richard Blakeley 59:34; 167 Phil Cook 1:00:22; 184 Peter Ehrhardt 1:05:15; 188 Kevin Coughlin 1:07:30.

Ladies results: 5 Sarah May 48:23; 44 Jane Leonard 59:18; 51 Lucy Hobbs 1:00:38; 54 Fiona Armer 1:01:38; 69 Karen Gray 1:09:02.


Lauren Jeska was in Mayrhofen, Austria for the Harakiri Mountain Race, the fourth race in the World Mountain Running GP. In a highly competitive race, Lauren finished 12th lady, and 2nd v35, completing the tough uphill only course in 1:15:09.  
 

Elise Milnes completed the Lakeland 100 in 38 hours and 49 minutes at the weekend.  The 100 mile 'Ultra Tour of the Lake District' followed a circular route from Coniston that included over 6000 feet of ascent.  With less than half the starters finishing the full distance, it lives up to its reputation as the toughest race in the UK.

On Wednesday, Martin Stork finished 4th at the Linda Crabtree Cowm Reservoir Race.  Martin completed the 4.2 mile multi terrain race in 25:49, with James Riley in 21st place in a time of 29:44.

Mel Robertson recorded 35:03 for 47th, with Myra Wells stopping the clock at 42:48 for 65th.

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...

Loughrigg-Silver Howe [English Champs]

Todmorden's Lauren Jeska scored an unexpected but well deserved win at the Loughrigg Silver Howe Fell Race to open up an unassailable lead in this year's English Fell Championships, to win the ladies gold medal for the second consecutive year.

Calder Valley's Helen Fines - Lauren's closest rival in the championship going into this round - and Jo Buckley looked to have secured a one-two for Calder Valley, having set the pace from the off. However, a faster route choice on the final descent handed victory to the Todmorden Harrier by 11 seconds over Kendal's Lou Roberts.

Sarah May had an inspired run to finish in 6th place, and together with Gemma Kendall in 21st, the Todmorden ladies secured second placed team behind Calder Valley.

That result leaves the club on target for their first ever English Championship medal, with a silver medal already guaranteed. However, with two wins and two second places so far this year, the ladies will be pushing hard for gold at the next Championship race, the Whittle Pike Fell Race, at Cowpe at the end of July.

Todmorden Ladies Results: 1 Lauren Jeska 1:27:38; 6 Sarah M 1:33:26; 21 Gemma Kendall 1:43:01; 22 Kath Brierley 1:43:03; 34 Mel Blackhurst 1:46:31; 56 Jane Leonard 1:58:41; 61 Helen Hodgkinson 2:00:30; 73 Louise Abdy 2:18:47.



In the men’s race, Bingley veteran Ian Holmes also came from behind to snatch victory in a time of 1:08:20.

Jon Wright finished in 25th for the Harriers before Nick Barber crossed the line in 51st, just ahead of 53rd placed John Lloyd and Alistair Rhodes-Dawson in 57th.

Todmorden Men’s Results: 25 Jon Wright 1:15:48; 51 Nick Barber 1:20:05; 53 John Lloyd 1:20:28; 57 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 1:21:31; 128 Andrew Bibby 1:44:36; 140 Simon Galloway 1:48:19; 148 Richard Leonard 1:51:35; 167 Richard Blakeley 2:01:56.

Pete's Loughrigg Silver Howe Photos...

Paul Dobson's Loughrigg Silver Howe Photos...


The Stoodley Pike Fell Race takes place on Tuesday 5th 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, with proceeds donated to a local charity.


The 3.5 mile race starts with a stiff climb up the Calderdale Way past Lea Dam and follows the flat ridge along to the Stoodley Pike monument. A steep descent down to London Road takes the runners back to the finish field via Broad Carr.

Duddon Valley Fell Race | Jura Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers Ladies Team recorded another excellent win at the Duddon Valley Fell Race on Saturday to strengthen their hold at the top of this year’s English Fell Championship standings. With three of the six races completed the club now hold a nine point lead over second placed Keswick.


The classic race started and finished at Seathwaite and the route covered 18 miles around the head of the Duddon Valley with 6000ft of climb over several Lakeland peaks.

Todmorden’s Lauren Jeska won the ladies race, after another epic battle with Calder Valley’s Helen Fines, with just 13 seconds between them after over three hours of racing in the hot sunny conditions.

Sarah May finished 14th lady and Kath Brierley completed the winning team line up with 31st place.

Lauren has now doubled her advantage over Fines in the individual Championship to six points, with Sarah consolidating her position in the top ten.

Alistair Rhodes Dawson was the first Todmorden man to finish in 49th, with Dwane Dixon in 61st. Dave Collins finished 4th vet55, and 90th overall, with Ben Crowther finishing 100th.

Todmorden Results: 32 Lauren Jeska 3:14:26; 49 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 3:20:23; 61 Dwane Dixon 3:26:49; 90 Dave Collins 3:39:58; 100 Ben Crowther 3:44:10; 129 Sarah May 3:58:04; 136 Robin Tuddenham 4:01:43; 151 John Lloyd 4:09:14; 165 Darren Graham 4:16:34; 168 Darren Tweed 4:17:01; 186 Kath Brierley 4:24:09; 190 Jane Leonard 4:25:11; 223 Melanie Blackhurst 4:40:28; 259 Mandy Goth 5:18:11; 263 Richard Blakeley 5:43:17; 264 Peter Ehrhardt 5:43:46.

Sports Sunday's Duddon photo's...


The previous weekend had seen a quartet of Harriers take on the Isle of Jura Fell Race. The 28 km route featured 2370m of climbing including 7 mountain summits. First Harrier to finish was Phil Hodgson in 5:07:15 for 94th place.
Richard Leonard completed the course in 6:32:27 with Rhys Watkins finished 1 second apart for 182nd and 183rd, with Mandy Goth in 184th three minutes further back.

Jack Crummett won the U13 Jura junior race in a new record time.


The attentions of club will now turn to their own race - the Hebden Bridge Fell Race on Thursday 9th June at 7:15pm. 

Registration is at Machpelah Mill, next to Calder Holmes Park, Hebden Bridge. This is between the town centre and the railway station, south of A646 Burnley Road. Enter on the day £3.50. Minimum age 16.

Prizegiving/food afterwards at the White Swan, Bridgegate, Hebden Bridge. Special prize category for runners entering their first fell race.

Starting on Hebden Bridge Calder Holmes Park, this 5.8mile race goes to Stoodley Pike and back via Erringden Moor, thereby adding a different twist to the climb up to the Pike than other races.

Mearley Clough Fell Race [English Champs] | The Fellsman | Great Manchester Run

Lauren Jeska stormed to victory in the ladies race at the Mearley Clough Fell Race, which formed the second round of this year's English Fell Championships.   The 3.5 mile race featured over 1200 feet of steep ascent as it climbed from Worston up the north side of Pendle Hill, near Clitheroe.

Lauren quickly established herself at the front and held an unassaible lead as she began the descent, eventually crossing the line with a winning margin of over a minute.

The win was sufficient to take her to the top of the Ladies standings for 2011 after two of the six races, with Calder Valley's Helen Fines and Holmfirth's Helen Berry close behind.

Sarah May finished in 12th and Kath Brierley completed the course in 34th place to help the ladies team into second place on the day, allowing them to retain their lead at the top of the Team Championships.

In the separate men's race that followed, the first Todmorden runner was Jon Wright who finished in 33rd place.
 
Nick Barber and Alistair Rhodes-Dawson had a close battle throughout, to finish 64th and 66th respectively. 

Todmorden Results (Ladies) 1 Lauren Jeska 34:29; 12 Sarah May 38:14; 34 Kath Brierley 41:44; 48 Sarah Warburton 43:08; 55 Jane Leonard 44:06; 65 Maria Prescott 45:30; 76 Helen Hodgkinson 47:02; 92 Sue Roberts 49:28; 95 Andrea Marshall 50:10.

(Men): 33 Jon Wright 30:52; 63 Nick Barber 32:39; 65 Alistair Rhodes-Dawson 32:47; 86 John Lloyd 34:28; 105 Paul Hobbs 35:49; 110 Dave Collins 36:20; 111 Robin Tuddenham 36:23; 113 Martin Roberts 36:36; 143 Andrew Bibby 40:16; 159 Keith Parkinson 42:39; 170 Richard Blakeley 45:34; 177 Peter Ehrhardt 48:38; 182 Dave O’Neill 54:44.


Andy Holden's Mearley Clough photographs...

Men's race video...



Darren Graham was the lone Todmorden entrant in The Fellsman – a 62 mile ultra event over rugged moorland from Ingleton to Threshfield in the Yorkshire Dales.


Starting on Saturday morning, Darren completed the course in 16 hours and 23 minutes in the early hours of Sunday.

Sports Sunday's Fellsman photos...



On Sunday, two Harriers joined nearly 40,000 runners at the Great Manchester Run with Joanne Scholfield finishing the 10k route in 50:55 and Helen Wilson in 52:44.

Three Peaks Fell Race | Bluebell Trail 10 | Coiners Fell Race

Jon Wright led the way for Todmorden Harriers at the Three Peaks Fell Race on Saturday, which attracted almost 700 competitors. The 23.3 mile course featured over 5000 feet of climbing as it passed over the summits Pen Y Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

Jon finished in 12th place overall in a time of 3:13:39, also finishing 2nd vet40. Nick Barber had a strong run to finish in 39th, with Alistair Rhodes Dawson in 74th.

Todmorden Results: 12 Jonathan Wright 3:13:39; 39 Nick Barber 3:29:51; 74 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 3:40:40; 195 Robin Tuddenham 4:04:23; 259 Paul Hobbs 4:14:03; 266 Andy McFie 4:15:02; 418 Paul Cotton 4:36:37; 618 Elise Milnes 5:09:33.


On Sunday over 20 Harriers took on the Bluebell Trail 10.3 mile race, including Elise Milnes who had completed the Three Peaks race the previous day.

Four hundred runners took on the undulating route along trails and tracks to the south of Halifax, with a shallower than usual river crossing at the finish.

Dwane Dixon was the first Todmorden finisher in 7th, just ahead of John Lloyd in 8th, with Martin Stork completing the course in 39th.

Sarah May was the 3rd lady overall, and together with Mel Blackhurst, first vet45, and Maria Prescott they narrowly missed out on the ladies team prize to Burnden. Moyra Parfitt finished first vet65 to add to the club’s successful day.

Todmorden Results: 7 Dwane Dixon 1:10:53; 8 John Lloyd 1:11:25; 29 Martin Stork 1:16:51; 46 Sarah May 1:21:27; 47 Mark Anderton 1:21:31; 53 Clive Greatorex 1:22:19; 59 Richard Butterwick 1:23:56; 90 Keith Parkinson 1:28:36; 112 Simon Galloway 1:31:02; 115 Melanie Blackhurst 1:31:18; 142 Paul Cruthers 1:34:54; 157 Maria Prescott 1:37:05; 197 Kevin Coughlan 1:41:14; 226 Elise Milnes 1:46:07; 233 Peter Ehrhardt 1:46:51; 241 David Leslie 1:48:32; 254 Moyra Parfitt 1:50:34; 281 Graham Milnes 1:53:28; 283 Rachel Henthorne 1:53:42; 310 David Henthorne 1:58:36; 318 Barry Chapman 1:59:29; 374 Katy Moore 2:10:28.

On Monday, three Harriers tackled the 7 mile Coiners Fell Race from Mytholmroyd, organised by Calder Valley Fell Runners.

The circular route travels through Coiners country as it ascends to Stoodley Pike and back down.

Dave Collins was the first Todmorden man, followed by Martin Roberts and Mick Craven.

In the earlier junior races, which formed part of the Junior English Championships, Sean Carey finished 4th in the U18 race.

Jack Crummett was 19th U14 boy, with Bill Furminger 37th U10. In the U8 race, Ewan Logue was 23rd boy and Thea Crowther 12th girl.

Liver Hill Fell Race | Vera Hirst 5k | Lad's Leap Fell Race | Pendle Fell Race

On Tuesday, the start of Spring was marked with the first evening fell race of the year with Rossendale Harriers’ 5.1 mile Liver Hill Fell Race.

Starting from Marl Pits, the race quickly gained height before a flattish section across the Moors and a final climb up and around Liver Hill.

Returning by the same route, it proved a lottery at the many stiles to negotiate as the leading runners crossed paths with those still climbing up.

In drier than usual conditions, the race was won by Pudsey’s Danny Hope in a new course record of 31:56.

Sean Carey led the way for Todmorden in 4th place in 33:31. Richard Butterwick finished in 58th, with Kath Brierley 6th lady, in 74th overall, and Derek Donohue in 84th.

Jack Crummett put in a strong showing in the U14 junior race, finishing in 2nd place.

Liver Hill photos by Dave Haygarth...



On Wednesday, the Vera Hirst Littleborough 5k marked another tradition of spring as local race organiser Andy O’Sullivan returned with the first of his mid week races.

Martin Stork recorded a personal best time for the distance with 17:52 taking him into 12th place out of over 200 runners. Martin then added another new best time for 10k, with 36:54 at the Wakefield 10k at the weekend.

Paul Brannigan was 2nd Todmorden man at Littleborough in 16th, with Dan Taylor also recording a new personal best of 18:59 for 35th.

Richard Butterwick followed them in with 64th, with Keith Parkinson crossing the line 85th.

Maria Prescott was first Todmorden lady in 126th, with Andrea Marshall in 47th – with another personal best of 24:36 - and Myra Wells in 187th.


The Lad's Leap Fell Race at weekend formed the latest round in the club’s Fell Championship and 12 Harriers made the trip to Crowden Campsite for the 5.9 mile race.

After a quick starting dash past the youth hostel, the runners were faced with a tough steep climb up to Lads Leap Rocks. They then crossed the moors and plunged down a steep slope, losing much of the height initially gained. A second climb looped them back up to rocks and a downhill return the finish via the initial route.

Jon Wright finished in 2nd place, a minute behind Dark Peak’s Mark Tuckett, with John Lloyd in 7th place. Paul Brannigan crossed the line in 25th place, just ahead of a fast finishing Dave Collins who gained several places on the final descent.

Kath Brierley won the ladies race in a time 1:04:42, with Jane Leonard finishing 3rd lady.

Todmorden Results: 2 Jon Wright 49:17; 7 John Lloyd 53:15; 25 Paul Brannigan 00:57:20; 26 Dave Collins 00:57:36; 50 Simon Galloway 01:03:26; 55 Kath Brierley 01:04:42; 58 Richard Butterwick 01:05:52; 66 Jane Leonard 01:09:14; 75 Richard Blakeley 01:10:44; 80 Richard Leonard 01:11:48; 107 Barry Chapman; 111 Peter Ehrhardt.

LL photos by Myra...
LL photos by Shaun...

Lauren Jeska was crowned Lancashire Ladies Fell Champion at the 4.5 mile Pendle Fell Race on Saturday, completing the course in 37:11, a minute ahead of her nearest rival.

The day also saw the first round of the Fell Running Association Junior Championship Series with several Todmorden juniors taking part.

Pendle photos by Steve Bateson...

Pendle photos by Run and Ride...

Robin Tuddenham recorded his third win at the weekly Heaton parkrun 5k on Saturday to add to the club’s excellent start to spring.

Heptonstall Fell Race

The new Heptonstall Fell Race saw a strong contingent of Todmorden Harriers tackle the 15.5 mile course. The race, which was organised to help raise funds for the church restoration fund, attracted a good first turnout of over 200 runners.

Starting from the main street, the race followed a large loop to the north of the village, taking in a variety of Pennine terrain including steep-sided wooded valleys, upland pasture and pathless moorland. Whilst much of the route was flagged to guide the runners, misty and drizzly conditions added to the difficulty. The race featured over 3000 feet of ascent, with the toughest climb of the day coming in the last half mile, as tired legs were tested by a long steep climb out of Hebden Dale towards the finish field.

It was a day of second places for the Harriers, with no less than five Todmorden runners finishing second in their respective age categories: Jon Wright (v40), Dave Collins (v50) and Richard Blakeley (v60) for the men, with Kath Brierley (lv40) and Louise Abdy (lv50) for the ladies.

Jon Wright had a strong run to finish 5th overall. New member John Lloyd finished 18th and Paul Hobbs crossed the line in 30th place.

Kath Brierley led the way for Todmorden ladies finishing 5th lady, with Lisa Parsons 13th and Helen Hodgkinson 17th lady.

Todmorden Results: 5 Jon Wright 2:00:13; 18 John Lloyd 2:10:04; 30 Paul Hobbs 2:17:43; 32 Dave Collins 2:18:43; 56 Paul Brannigan 2:27:16; 63 Ben Crowther 2:28:41; 64 Clive Greatorex 2:28:43; 69 Andy McFie 2:29:40; 70 Dan Taylor 2:29:40; 106 Kath Brierley 2:41:53; 118 Paul Smith 2:45:03; 120 Andrew Bibby 2:45:23; 129 Mick Craven 2:46:59; 141 Derek Donohue 2:50:14; 148 Simon Galloway 2:54:27; 155 Lisa Parsons 2:56:09; 164 Paul Cruthers 3:04:53; 170 Helen Hodgkinson 3:08:13; 176 Stuart Boulton 3:11:57; 177 Richard Blakeley 3:12:45; 178 Peter Ehrhardt 3:16:22; 182 Patsey Reilly 3:22:37; 185 Fiona Armer 3:25:55; 189 Louise Abdy 3:35:07.

Long Mynd Valleys Fell Race - 2011 English Championships

Todmorden Harriers’ Ladies Team recorded a win in the opening event of this year’s English Fell Championships.

The six event series opened with the Long Mynd Valleys Fell Race in the Shropshire Hills near Church Stretton.

The team were led in by Lauren Jeska, the current individual champion, who started the defence of her title with 4th place.

Sarah May followed in 15th and Sarah Warburton in 27th to give the club a full 12 points in the team competition.

For the men, Jon Wright was the first Todmorden man to finish in 26th place, with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson in 76th and Andrew Wrench in 89th.

Dave Collins made a strong start in the V55 category, finishing 93rd overall.

Todmorden Results: 28 Jon Wright 1:43:07; 76 Alastair Rhodes Dawson 1:54:59; 89 Andrew Wrench 1:57:26; 93 Dave Collins 1:57:57; 114 Lauren Jeska 2:00:33; 128 Nick Barber 2:02:32; 163 Sarah May 2:09:24; 227 Sarah Warburton 2:19:32; 260 Kath Brierley 2:25:22; 295 Melanie Blackhurst 2:32:02; 312 Andrew Bibby 2:37:25; 353 Sue Roberts 2:47:55; 356 Peter Ehrhardt 2:49:31.

Stanbury Splash Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers turned out in force for the first race in the club’s 2011 Grand Prix.

Penistone Hill Country Park was the venue for the 7 mile Stanbury Splash Fell Race.

The race featured three stream crossings and several climbs adding up to 1200 feet of ascent.

Pictures by Myra Wells

After a muddy scramble out of the quarry the course followed road and track to a grassy descent to the first stream crossing. Despite the relatively mild conditions the water was icy cold.

A steep climb, followed by a further track section led onto a loop of the moors with several climbs and descents before a return via the route out.

Bingley’s Ian Holmes had his incredible 14 year winning run ended as he finished in 3rd place behind winner Chris Steele of Borrowdale and Stuart Pond of Dark Peak.

Sean Carey led in the thirty Todmorden runners in 10th place, with Nick Barber in 17th and Dwane Dixon in 32nd.

Sarah May finished 5th lady in 102nd overall, with Hatty Nylan in 271st and Emma Osenton crossing the line in 290th.


Todmorden Results: 10 Sean Carey 47:14; 17 Nick Barber 48:01; 32 Dwane Dixon 49:37; 53 Paul Hobbs 51:54; 69 Martin Stork 53:12; 73 Dave Collins 53:23; 85 Martin Roberts 54:32; 86 Ben Crowther 54:50; 90 Shaun Pickard 55:07; 102 Sarah May 56:25; 131 Marcel Ellison 59:02; 142 Simon Galloway 59:36; 181 Andrew Bibby 1:02:12; 185 Richard Butterwick 1:02:58; 198 Andy Glyde 1:03:46; 206 Derek Donohue 1:04:13; 223 Keith Parkinson 1:05:10; 241 Phil Hodgson 1:06:37; 271 Hatty Nylan 1:08:48; 277 Phil Cook 1:09:03; 290 Emma Osenton 1:09:40; 305 Peter Ehrhardt 1:11:04; 316 Mick Howard 1:11:58; 340 Louise Abdy 1:15:16; 360 Mandy Goth 1:17:16; 362 Ray Poulter 1:17:22; 376 Barry Chapman 1:21:31; 383 Dave O'Neill 1:24:40; 399 Kathy Bridger 1:33:09.