Race you to the Summit | Witton Park Cross Country

Todmorden Harrier’s Club Fell Championship went to the wire at the final counter, the ‘Race you to the Summit’ Fell Race on Saturday morning.


Nick Barber overhauled Dwane Dixon to be crowned Men’s Fell Champion and Helen Hodgkinson was crowned Ladies Fell Champion after a close battle with Helen Wilson.

Nick finished in second place in the race, behind Staffordshire Moorlands’ William Neill who won in a time of 30:37. The 4 mile route climbed in glorious autumnal sunshine from the Summit Inn to the Whitehouse and back down again.

Dwane finished in fifth place, with Jackson Cowie just edging out Paul Brannigan for seventh position as the club easily claimed the men’s team prize.

Mel Blackhurst was the first Todmorden lady to finish ahead of Elise Milnes but all eyes were on the battle between the two Helens in the ladies championship.

Helen Wilson was first over the line but Helen Hodgkinson followed just 9 seconds later to hold onto her slender lead in the standings.

Todmorden Results: 2 Nick Barber 31.21; 5 Dwane Dixon 32.09; 7 Jackson Cowie 33.27; 8 Paul Brannigan 33.31; 12 Robin Tuddenham 34.32; 14 Marcel Ellison 34.45; 15 Darren Graham 35.09; 16 Darren Tweed 35.16; 24 Dave Collins 37.21; 25 Michael Harper 37.32; 30 Andrew Glyde 39.13; 31 Phil Hodgson 39.22; 35 Phil Cook 40.07; 36 Mel Blackhurst 40.27; 43 Chris Drinkwater 42.54; 45 Liam Williamson 43.26; 47 Elise Milnes 43.33; 52 Ray Poulter 45.48; 54 Graham Milnes 47.00; 56 Helen Wilson 47.03; 57 Helen Hodgkinson 47.12; 59 Julie Wyant 47.59; 60 Peter Ehrhardt 48.33; 65 Dave O'Neill 54.38.



There was little time to recover for several Harriers as they were straight back in action on Saturday afternoon, at the second round of the Red Rose Cross Country League, on a hilly course in Blackburn’s Witton Park.

Sarah May lead the way for the ladies with a fine third place, followed by Kath Brierley and Issy Pollard as they finished eighth team in the ladies race.

Mel Robertson and Bev Wright enjoyed a close battle to be the third counter for the ladies veterans’ team, with another eighth spot claimed.

Moyra Parfitt completed the ladies turnout, finishing first v65.

Todmorden Ladies: 3 Sarah May 22:23; 27 Kath Brierley 25:25; 51 Issy Pollard 28:03; 60 Mel Robertson 29:08; 62 Bev Wright 29:23; 72 Moyra Parfitt 31:02.

In the subsequent men’s race, a strong showing by the Todmorden men lifted them into third place; with the vets’ team finishing in second place lead in by Andrew Wrench and Jon Wright.

Todmorden Men: 13 Andrew Wrench 38:41; 15 Jon Wright 38:46; 18 John Lloyd 39:41; 42 Nick Barber 41:53; 51 Dwane Dixon 42:38; 58 Martin Stork 43:11; 70 Robin Tuddenham 44:37; 106 Richard Butterwick 48:18.

Leigh Cross Country | Kielder Blast | Thieveley Pike Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers were spoilt for choice at the weekend, with the opening fixture of the Red Rose Cross Country League high on the agenda.


The venue, for the first of four rounds, was Leigh Sports village and Todmorden Ladies finished 10th team, and 8th veteran team, over the 5km course.

Todmorden ladies results: 20 Sarah Glyde 22:38; 34: Mel Blackhurst 23:41; 63: Mel Robertson 26:16; 75: Moyra Parfitt 28:14.

Ray Poulter finished second v65 on the same course in 27:00.

The men’s team then tackled the longer 10km course finishing in 5th place, and 2nd veteran team.

Todmorden men’s results: 11: John Lloyd 35:47; 15: Andrew Wrench 35:59; 17: Jon Wright 36:11; 29: Robin Tuddenham 37:28; 50: Paul Hobbs 39:31; 82: Michael Harper 41:57; 92: Simon Anderton 42:25.



The English Fell Championships drew to a close with the Kielder Blast Fell Race. Dwane Dixon was once again in the points as he finished the 9.5km course in a time of 75:29 for 46th place, with Paul Brannigan finishing in 51st place in 58:48.

Peter Ehrhardt finished in 135th, with Peter Marshall in 144th and Derek Clutterbuck making a rare racing appearance to finish in 150th position.



Closer to home Todmorden Ladies claimed the team prize at the Thieveley Pike Fell Race, whilst the men narrowly missed out on the team prize after finishing level on points with Calder Valley, but ht prize going to their neighbours as their forth counter crossed the line first.

Marcel Ellison led the way for the Harrier finishing in third place, with Craig Stansfield in 8th. Dave Collins and Robert Gray were the other counters finishing in 22nd and 28th positions.

The winning ladies team were Sarah Warburton, Issy Pollard and Eleanor Lang who were 4th, 5th and 6th ladies respectively.

Todmorden results: 3 Marcel Ellison 37.44; 8 Craig Stansfield 38.24; 22 Dave Collins 41.58; 28 Robert Gray 42.30; 44 Dan Taylor 44.17; 60 Paul Cook 46.26; 71 Sarah Warburton 48.13; 74 Issy Pollard 48.39; 78 Eleanor Lang 49.14; 101 Elise Milnes 51.53; 105 Graham Milnes 52.40; 106 Sue Roberts 52.57.

Rombald's Romp | Three Shires

Todmorden Harriers plumped for the fell option at the Rombald’s Romp Fell versus Trail Race on Ilkley Moor. The unique event features a choice of two 7 mile courses, one a fell route and one a trail route.


Nick Barber was the 6th finisher on the fell route, followed by Paul Brannigan in 15th and Paul Hobbs in 17th place.

Kath Brierley finished in 47th, with Mel Blackhurst in 53rd and Helen Wilson in 77th place.

Todmorden Results: 6 Nick Barber 51:16; 15 Paul Brannigan 54:13; 17 Paul Hobbs 54:17; 29 Dave Collins 58:44; 40 Michael Harper 1:02:01; 47 Kath Brierley 1:04:39; 48 Phil Hodgson 1:04:49; 51 Andy Glyde 1:05:49; 53 Melanie Blackhurst 1:06:14; 77 Helen Wilson 1:16:08; 80 Sue Roberts 1:19:36; 84 Louise Abdy 1:20:59; 90 Ray Poulter 1:29:28;



A trio of Todmorden runners tackled the Three Shire Fell Race in the Lake District. The 13 mile race featured over 4000 feet of ascent and Marcel Ellison was the first Harrier to finish in 51st position in a time of 2:25:51, followed by Andy McFie in 68th in 2:31:01 and Simon Anderton in 175th in 3:03:03.

Weasdale Horseshoe | Pikes Peak Marathon | Crow Hill Reverse Fell Race

Dwane Dixon was once again in the points for Todmorden Harriers as the English Fell Championship reached the penultimate round with the Weasdale Horseshoe Fell Race on Saturday.


Dwane completed the 8 mile route in the Howgill Hills in 1:04:34 for 49th place, with John Lloyd in 60th position less than two minute behind and Paul Brannigan also squeezing into the top 100.

Todmorden men’s results: 49 Dwayne Dixon 1:04:34; 60 John Lloyd 1:06:25; 99 Paul Brannigan 1:11:46; 115 Dave Collins 1:14:10; 130 Dan Taylor 1:16:54; 139 Simon Anderton 1:19:54; 168 Mark Whittaker 1:27:03; 177 Chris Drinkwater 1:32:11; 189 Peter Ehrhardt 1:38:41; 192 Peter Marshal 1:43:13.

Kath Brierley finished in 37th place in the ladies race, with Fiona Armer in 56th, as the ladies team suffered from holiday and injury absences.



Lauren Jeska, having already secured the ladies championship, opted for a trip to America for the high altitude Pikes Peak Marathon where she finished in 5th place.



The previous week had seen a good turnout of over 100 for the Crow Hill Reverse Fell Race at Mytholmroyd on a fine sunny evening.

The race is organised, and sponsored, by local physiotherapist and Todmorden Harrier Ali Mills and in addition to raising over £450 for Ovarian Cancer, the runners also raised £150 towards the flood relief fund.

Halifax’s Ben Crowther narrowly edged out Calder Valley’s Tim Black to win in a time of 31:29.

The first Todmorden Harrier to finish was Sarah May who was also first lady overall.

Dave Collins crossed the line in 20th, with Phil Hodgson in 31st position, as they finished second and third v50’s respectively.

Gemma Kendall was third lady and 34th followed by 7th lady Sarah Warburton to help the ladies to the team prize.

Todmorden results: 17 Sarah May 37.08; 20 Dave Collins 37.40; 31 Phil Hodgson 39.35; 34 Gemma Kendall 39.55; 56 Sarah Warburton 44.11; 62 Richard Leonard 44.58; 65 Jane Leonard 45.10; 67 Paul Cruthers 45.33; 72 Chris Drinkwater 45.59; 74 Maria Prescott 46.12; 78 Ray Poulter 48.23; 86 Mick Howard 50.27; 96 Laura Sutcliffe 53.25; 104 Reg Czudek 56.44; 106 David O'Neill 59.30.

Turnslack Fell Race | Snowden Race | Ian Terry 5k

Todmorden Harriers were out in force at the Turnslack Fell Race on Saturday, with twenty five of the eighty five finishers coming from the club, and they were rewarded with an armful of prizes including first men’s and first ladies teams.


Summer in the Pennines can be unpredictable



The race is run over one of the toughest local routes, with the 8 mile course starting at Calderbrook and tracing a circular route up and over Freehold’s Top, with two steep climbs on the return to the finish at the church steps.

Dwane Dixon led the way for Todmorden finishing in 3rd place behind Calder Valley’s Tim Ellis and Shaun Godsman. The race was the first since Dwane attained veteran status and he comfortably claimed the v40 prize.

Nick Barber finished in sixth place, with John Lloyd in 15th and Sean Carey 17th, and first u23, making up the winning team.

Dave Collins added to the prize haul with second v55.

Melanie Blackhurst was 6th lady, with Maria Prescott 7th lady as they claimed second and third v45 prizes respectively. Elise Milnes finished 8th lady and Chris Preston 10th lady ensuring the ladies team prize also went to the club.

Elise Milnes rounded off a successful day with the first v50 prize.

Todmorden Results: 3 Dwane Dixon 1:09:56; 6 Nick Barber 1:14:27; 15 John Lloyd 1:17:53; 17 Sean Carey 1:17:59; 18 Paul Brannigan 1:18:00; 19 Dave Collins 1:18:06; 20 Ivan Gee 1:18:31; 29 Darren Tweed 1:23:18; 30 Clive Greatorex 1:24:38; 33 Rob Gray 1:25:03; 35 Dan Taylor 1:26:53; 44 Phil Cook 1:32:02; 49 Melanie Blackhurst 1:33:44; 51 Maria Prescott 1:35:27; 59 Chris Drinkwater 1:38:50; 60 Elise Milnes 1:40:01; 61 Simon Galloway 1:40:20; 66 John Preston 1:43:55; 67 Richard Butterwick 1:44:44; 68 Chris Preston 1:45:00; 72 Helen Wilson 1:48:44; 75 David Wilson 1:51:06; 77 Helen Hodgkinson 1:51:38; 78 Graham Milnes 1:54:29; 84 Louise Abdy 2:05:21.


A trio of Harriers were in Wales for the Snowdon International Mountain Race, with Andrew Wrench finishing in 59th and second v45 completing the 10 mile route to the mountain summit and back to Llanberis in 1:24:00.

Paul Hobbs finished in 117th with a time of 1:32:02, with Lucy Hobbs completing the course in 1:58:58 to take her to sixth v40.

Snowdon Race highlights on S4C... expires 26 August


At the Ian Terry Memorial 5k in Littleborough on Tuesday, Martin Stork continued his return from injury with 5th place, finishing in a time of 18:54.

Paul Alexander finished in 20th in 20:14 with Maria Prescott winning the ladies v45 prize in 41st place overall with a time of 22:30.

Chris Drinkwater crossed the line in 23:58 for 64th, with Myra Wells in 117th in 30:45 and Ian Stansfield’s time of 34:56 taking him to 132nd place.

Steve Bateson's Ian Terry Photos...

Great Lakes Run

Todmorden Harriers were faced with testing conditions at the Great Lakes Run, which formed the third round of this year’s English Fell Championships on Saturday.


With driving rain, raging rivers to cross and summits shrouded in cloud runners were faced with considerable additional challenges, to that of the tough 21 kilometre course that crossed several Lakeland peaks including Scafell and Scafell Pike totalling over 2000 metres of ascent.

Lauren Jeska seemed little affected by the conditions as she not only finished first lady, but broke the course record as well, completing the course in 3:28:38 and 40th overall of the 273 finishers.

Sean Carey was the first Todmorden man over the line in 71st with Geoff Read in 112th place.

Lucy Burnett finished 10th lady, and 118th overall, and Jane Leonard finished 14th lady to lift the ladies into 2nd place on the day.

Todmorden Results: 40 Lauren Jeska 3:28:38; 71 Sean Carey 3:52:10; 112 Geoff Read 4:17:45; 118 Lucy Burnett 4:19:49; 126 Nick Barber 4:24:36; 126 Dwaine Dixon 4:24:36; 128 John Lloyd 4:24:38; 147 Phil Hodgson 4:33:41; 150 Jane Leonard 4:37:23; 177 Mark Whitaker 5:02:28; 210 Sue Roberts 5:39:06; 229 Helen Hodgkinson 5:49:15; 247 Fiona Armer 6:03:51; 247 Mandy Goth 6:03:51.

Saddleworth Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers enjoyed a taste of summer at the Saddleworth Fell Race on Sunday.


The 3 mile race quickly climbed from Greenfield up to the summit of Alderman Hill. A welcoming breeze provided some relief to the high temperatures on the traverse across the hill tops to the Pots and Pans stone.

Runners then plunged down a steep grassy bank to rejoin the upward route which they reversed back to the finish line at Tanners Mill.

Nick Barber led the way for the club with John Lloyd hot on his heels as they finished in 2nd and 3rd places respectively, behind winner Joe Crossfield of Halifax Harriers.

Dave Collins crossed the line in 12th place, with Richard Butterwick in 40th.

Helen Hodgkinson was the first Todmorden lady in 47th place, ahead of Helen Wilson in 52nd position.

Peter Marshall completed the turnout from the club with 56th position.



In the earlier junior races, Jack Crummett finished in 4th place in his age category, with Joseph and Jack Willis also running well in their races.


Woodentops Saddleworth Fell Race Photos... and here...

Flower Scar Fell Race | Pendle Cloughs | Cake Race | Bluebell Trail

The Flower Scar Fell Race last Wednesday evening saw 130 runners tackle the 4 mile course, in fine and dry conditions, with Todmorden’s Lauren Jeska adding another course record to her collection.
 Calder Valley's Tim Ellis won in 29.33 comfortably ahead of clubmate Jason Stevens, with Todmorden's Andrew Wrench in third place.
 Despite a change to the start that lengthened the distance slightly, Lauren Jeska reduced the ladies course record by over a minute to 31:58. Calder's Helen Fines was second lady in 34:54 with Sarah Sarginson of Bowland Fell Runners in third position.


Todmorden Results: 3 Andrew Wrench 31.30; 5 Lauren Jeska 31.58; 8 Ivan Gee 33.07; 14 John Lloyd 34.08; 20 Marcel Ellison 35.14; 21 Paul Brannigan 35.37; 24 Darren Tweed 36.35; 28 Dan Taylor 36.53; 29 Robin Tuddenham 36.55; 34 Rob Gray 37.54; 35 Ben Crowther 37.55; 41 Dave Collins 39.26; 48 Michael Harper 40.07; 49 Simon Galloway 40.11; 52 Paul Alexander 40.39; 57 Derek Donohue 41.11; 58 Lee McCluskey 41.15; 70 Phil Cook 42.50; 76 Bev Holmes 43.23; 80 Richard Butterwick 43.54; 84 Andy Glyde 44.07; 89 Guy Whitmore 44.19; 94 Maria Prescott 45.04; 95 David Leslie 45.11; 97 Mick Howard 45.41; 98 Helen Hodgkinson 45.55; 99 Richard Blakeley 45.56; 101 Chris Drinkwater 46.46; 103 Ray Poulter 47.04; 105 Cath Shanley 47.24; 108 Andy Brookfield 48.21; 109 Peter Ehrhardt 48.22; 112 Sue Roberts 48.35; 114 Fiona Armer 49.13; 119 Peter Marshall 49.56; 120 Andrea Marshall 50.04; 125 Louise Abdy 54.14; 126 Julie Wyant 54.45; 129 David O'Neill 58.42.

On Saturday, Todmorden’s runners headed in different directions.



Marcel Ellison finished in 13th place in a time of 2:30:19 at the Pendle Cloughs Fell Race, a 14 mile race that requires runners to navigate themselves through 9 checkpoints in order.


Kevin Booth finished in 50th place, just ahead of Bev Holmes in 58th, and 5th lady.


Chris Drinkwater finished in 62nd, with Peter Ehrhardt completing the Todmorden contingent in 70th place.


Heading to the Saddleworth hills, a trio of Todmorden runners tackled the 10 mile Cake Race from Diggle, which attracted a record entry of 153 runners.


Dave Collins finished second v55, and 30th overall in 1:21:02 with Darren Graham just behind in 1:23:04 for 47th position.


Lucy Hobbs finished 5th lady with a time of 1:31:51.


On Sunday, the Bluebell Trail race attracted almost 400 runners to the outskirts of Halifax.


The course followed a 10.3 mile undulating route along trails, tracks and minor roads including a tough climb up Trooper Lane and a unique river crossing to finish.


Paul Hobbs led the way for the Harriers finishing in 21st position in 1:14:41.


Michael Harper completed the course in 72nd, with Mel Blackhurst in 126th and Paul Cruthers in 150th position.

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.

Lads Leap [English Champs] | Heptonstall Fell Race | Cowm Reservoir 5k

Todmorden Harriers were out in force for the first race in the 2012 English Fell Championships on Saturday. The six race series began with the 6 mile Lad’s Leap Fell Race in the Peak District.

Lauren Jeska put up a strong start to the defence of her ladies title but had to settle for second place behind Bingley’s Emma Clayton.

The pair had quickly opened a gap to the rest of the field by the start of the first climb, and Emma held a small advantage until the halfway point.

Lauren then managed to take the lead on a steep descent but on the long climb back to Lad’s Leap rocks Emma regained the upper hand and pulled back in front.

Despite a strong final descent by Lauren to the finish at Crowden, she was unable to catch her rival.

The ladies team suffered a blow to the defence of their team title, as Chris Preston was forced to retire injured and Jane Leonard and Kath Brierley stopped to assist.

Lucy Burnett in 38th place and Sarah Warburton in 61st place were Todmorden’s other team counters as they were still able to score what may prove to be valuable points.

Todmorden Ladies Results: 2 Lauren Jeska 52.51; 38 Lucy Burnett 65.07; 61 Sarah Warburton 71.02; 66 Melanie Blackhurst 71.47; 91 Sue Roberts 79.26; 93 Helen Hodgkinson 79.43; 99 Moyra Parfitt 84.2; 100 Clare Duffield 84.2; 107 Jane Leonard 89.06; 108 Kath Brierley 89.06.

In the separate men’s race, Jon Wright led the way for the Harriers in 48th position. Dwane Dixon finished in 58th, with Sean Carey in 68th and John Lloyd in 78th position.

Todmorden Men’s Results: 48 Jonathan Wright 50.39; 58 Dwane Dixon 51.5; 68 Sean Carey 52.24; 78 John Lloyd 52.57; 156 Marcel Ellison 59.28; 209 Dave Collins 63.05; 220 Dan Taylor 64.07; 224 Phil Hodgson 64.19; 254 Mick Craven 68.34; 255 Mark Whitaker 68.39; 269 Richard Leonard 71.43; 285 Richard Blakeley 76.45; 288 Chris Drinkwater 78.45; 298 David Wilson 81.22; 302 Peter Ehrhardt 84.23.

Twelve Todmorden runners took on a more local challenge in the shape of the Heptonstall Fell Race on Sunday.

The race which is co-organised by a group of Todmorden Harriers and Calder Valley Fell Runners attracted over 170 runners to its 15 mile course.

Andy McFie was the first Todmorden runner back in 26th position in a time of 2:22:22, with Trevor Davies completing the route in 2:30:42 for 38th place.

New member Becca Marshall was the first Todmorden lady to finish just past the 3 hour mark to claim 9th lady finisher, with Hatty Nylan, 11th lady, a few minutes further back.

Todmorden Results: 25 Andy McFie 2:22:22; 38 Trevor Davies 2:30:42; 54 Darren Graham 2:35:39; 61 Darren Tweed 2:37:05; 75 David Baldaro 2:40:16; 88 Joe Daniels 2:45:32; 89 Dan Taylor 2:46:14; 123 Duncan Ritchie 2:57:23; 127 Phil Cook 2:59:04; 132 Becca Marshall 3:00:33; 135 Paul Cruthers 3:02:41; 138 Hatty Nylan 3:06:38.

SportSunday's Heptonstall photos...


Also enjoying the sunny conditions on Sunday were a quartet of Harriers at the Joe Ashcroft Memorial Cowm Reservoir 5k.

Richard Butterwick was the first Harrier to finish in 20:42 for 29th place, just ahead of Sarah Glyde in 33rd position, who was 5th lady on the day, in a time of 21:00.

Ray Poulter stopped the clock at 24:37 for 65th place, with Myra Wells finishing first v50 lady, and 92nd overall, in 28:52.

Steve Bateson's Cowm Photos...

Wadsworth Trog | Winter Hill Fell Race | Liversedge Half | Tarren Hendre

The Wadsworth Trog proved an even harder event than usual with just 135 starters tackling the fell race from Old Town above Hebden Bridge on Saturday.


The 20 mile route featured an amended start and finish to miss some of the ice, but after last week’s freezing rain much of the route was frozen solid with the moorland heather and grass coated in ice, and stiles and tracks treacherously glassy.

Jon Wright led the way for Todmorden in second place behind Calder Valley’s James Logue. Nick Barber finished in fifth and Dwane Dixon in 11th position as the club narrowly lost out to Dark Peak for the team prize.

The ladies team also finished second, with only a single place the difference between themselves and Abbey Runners. Chris Preston continued her return to fitness, finishing 5th lady and 57th overall, with Helen Wilson in 105th and Fiona Armer in 199th position the other counters.

Todmorden Results: 2 Jon Wright 2:57:02; 5 Nick Barber 3:01:40; 11 Dwane Dixon 3:12:01; 24 Ben Crowther 3:25:44; 25 John Lloyd 3:27:07; 33 Phil Hodgson 3:33:46; 39 Ozzy Kershaw 3:40:35; 57 Christine Preston 4:08:43; 79 Darren Graham 4:18:07; 81 Andrew Bibby 4:18:52; 105 Helen Wilson 4:46:52; 108 David Wilson 4:53:33; 119 Fiona Armer 5:22:40; 122 Elise Milnes 5:25:44.



On Sunday, a pair of Harriers had the added challenge of very poor visibility, with low cloud hugging the ground, on a similarly icy course for the Winter Hill Fell Race.

Clive Greatorex finished the 11 mile route in 2:20:25 for 94th place, with Andy McFie in 131st position with a time of 2:34:56.



At the Liversedge Half Marathon, Jayne Williams completed the hilly 13 miles in 1:47:27 with Kevin Coughlan not far behind in 1:48:57.



Lauren Jeska finished first lady at the Tarren Hendre Fell Race in North Wales, completing the 6 mile route in 57:54, over two minutes ahead of her nearest rival.

Stanbury Splash Fell Race | Brass Monkey Half Marathon | The Hebden

Twenty nine Todmorden Harriers took part in the first race of the club's 2012 Fell Championship on Sunday.


The 7 mile race from Penistone Hill Country Park near Haworth attracted nearly 400 runners despite cold and breezy conditions.

The course features three stream crossings and several climbs adding up to 1200 feet of ascent.

Dwane Dixon led the way for the Harriers in 14th place in 50:21, with John Lloyd a minute behind in 21st position.

Marcel Ellison was next over the line holding off a challenge from Paul Brannigan.

Hatty Nylan was the first Todmorden lady in 1:07:27, just ahead of Mel Blackhurst.

Todmorden Results: 14 Dwane Dixon 50:21; 21 John Lloyd 51:37; 59 Marcel Ellison 57:26; 62 Paul Brannigan 57:54; 95 Darren Tweed 1:00:44; 126 Simon Galloway 1:03:18; 137 Kevin Booth 1:04:18; 143 Darren Graham 1:04:38; 177 Joe Daniels 1:07:26; 178 Hatty Nylan 1:07:27; 179 Andy Glyde 1:07:34; 184 Mel Blackhurst 1:07:55; 190 Richard Leonard 1:08:44; 206 Derek Donohue 1:09:56; 228 Chris Preston 1:11:30; 262 Jane Leonard 1:14:29; 266 Elise Milnes 1:15:06; 279 Helen Hodgkinson 1:16:20; 282 Richard Blakeley 1:16:27; 287 Ray Poulter 1:17:07; 288 John Preston 1:17:08; 290 Helen Wilson 1:17:15; 291 John Medcalfe 1:17:19; 295 Sue Roberts 1:17:35; 315 David Leslie 1:20:27; 321 Graham Milnes 1:22:06; 325 David Wilson 1:22:39; 328 Peter Ehrhardt 1:23:04; 331 Mandy Goth 1:23:49.

Stanbury Splash 2012 results...

Photo by Joolz

Also on Sunday, Robin Tuddenham finished 38th of the 1700 runners at the Brass Monkey Half Marathon in York completing the 13.1 miles in 1:18:50.


Several Harriers had warmed up on Saturday with The Hebden, a 22 mile route from St Michaels Church Hall in Mytholmroyd via valleys around Hebden Bridge passing through Hardcastle Crags, Colden Clough, and Cragg Vale.

Paul Hobbs was the first Todmorden man in 3 hours 43 minutes, closely followed by Darren Graham and Ozzy Kershaw.

Bev Holmes was the first Todmorden lady in 4 hours 25 minutes.

Todmorden Results: 19 Paul Hobbs 03:43; 24 Darren Graham 03:45; 28 Ozzy Kershaw 03:48; 42 Phil Hodgson 04:05; 64 Bev Holmes 04:25; 144 Julie Wyant 05:42; 145 Elise Milnes 05:42; 170 Chris Drinkwater 07:05.

Tackling the shorter 14.5 mile route, Clive Greatorex was second to finish in 2 hours and 42 minutes with Chris Preston 7th in 3 hours 10 minutes and Sue Roberts 21st in 3 hours 32 minutes.