Jura Fell Race | Saddleworth Fell Race | Great Manchester Run 10k

Three Todmorden Harriers were on the Isle of Jura, for the annual fell race that is ranked among the toughest on the calendar.


The 28km route passes over seven mountain summits, including the Paps of Jura.

Phil Hodgson was the first Harrier to finish in 4 hours and 59 minutes, with Dan Taylor finishing just 7 minutes further back on his first attempt at the challenge.

Richard Leonard finished in 5 hours and 58 minutes.



John Lloyd finished in eighth place with a time of 23:57 at the Saddleworth Fell Race at Greenfield, with James Riley posting a time of 29:32 for 45th position over the steep 3 mile course.



At the Great Manchester Run 10k Michael Harper recorded a new personal best time of 39:50 for 365th place out of 40000 runners.


UPCOMING EVENTS:  
Wednesday 29th May / 5th June / 12 June @ 19:00 - Cannonball Hill Rollers 1m up and 1 mile down races  

Thursday 6th June @ 19:15 - Hebden Bridge Fell Race -  350m ascent over 9.6 km.  

Every Sunday 9:00am - Great Run Local - Free timed training runs over 5k / 2k - Boggart Hole - Debdale Park - Wythenshaw

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.

Blencathra | Isle of Jura | round up...

Lauren Jeska set a new course record on her way to winning the Blencathra Fell Race last Wednesday. The Todmorden Harrier has been in fine form all year and has just been rewarded with her first call up to the England Ladies Team for the International Snowden Race next month.


The 8 mile Blencathra race followed a horseshoe route with three climbs totalling 2700 feet, as it passed over Bowscales Fell, Blencathra and Southern Fell. Lauren finished 12th overall out of 142 runners and was comfortably first lady, over 7 minutes ahead of her nearest rival. Her time of 1:10:51 knocked 25 seconds off Natalie White’s record from 2008.


The Isle of Jura Fell Race once again attracted a quality field to its legendary 16 mile course with over 7,500 feet of ascent that require runners to tackle 7 mountain summits, including the Paps of Jura. The race is one of the toughest in the calendar and with this year’s 199 runners, along with supporters, the island’s population more than doubles for the race weekend.

Rob Jebb took the win in 3:28:36 over fellow Bingley Harrier Ian Holmes. Jon Wright led the way for the Harriers in 11th place with Jane Leonard finishing first V50 lady.

Todmorden Results: 11 Jon Wright 3:53:36; 69 Phil Hodgson 4:37:54; 94 Jane Leonard 4:52:47; 109 Ozzie Kershaw 5:02:30; 139 Kath Brierley 5:21:35; 141 Richard Leonard 5:22:23; 184 John Preston 5:55:19.


Elsewhere, Todmorden Harriers were spread far and wide with Rachel and David Henthorne undertaking the first of the three Badger 10k trail races at Cuerden Valley to finish 2 seconds apart in 121st and 122nd.

James Riley tackled the 5.9mile Pen-Y-Ghent Fell Race which includes 1650 feet of ascent on the way to the summit and then back down, finishing in 42nd place.

Mick Craven finished 26th and Peter Ehrhardt 52nd at the 7.5mile Edenfield Fell Race near Ramsbottom that featured 1600 feet of ascent, including a steep climb near to the finish.

Bohuslav Barlow and Ian Stansfield completed the unique Morecambe Cross Bay Challenge, a half marathon that crosses over the sands, and occasional water channels, from Cumbria to Lancashire. Their times were 1:57:40 and 2:33:19 respectively.