Langdale Half | Three Shires | Littleborough 10k | Good Shepherd | Stainland 10k

Todmorden Harriers Road Championship continued with the Great Langdale Half Marathon, with three Harriers making the trip on Saturday.
 

Paul Brannigan put in a strong run to finish first v45 and in third place overall with a time of 1:24:12.
 

Mel Blackhurst was first v45 woman crossing the line in 1:45:37, and Kevin Coughlan completed the demanding hilly course in 1:50:50 for 95^th place.

 

On the same day, the Three Shires Fell Race was taking place just around the corner with misty conditions on the hill tops making for a challenging day.
 

Geoff Read made the most of his navigational skills to finish in 124rd place, just ahead of Jane Leonard and Marcel Ellison as the trio all came in around the 3 hour mark.
 

Phil Hodgson and Richard Leonard followed them a few minutes further back in 132^nd and 135^th respectively.

Steve Pullan then crossed the line in 200^th position and Mandy Goth was just behind in 202^nd place.
 

Todmorden results: 123 Geoff Read 2.59.23; 124 Jane Leonard 2.59.51; 126 Marcel Ellison 3.00.24; 132 Phil Hodgson 3.06.09; 135 Richard Leonard 3.08.28; 200 Stephen Pullan 3.40.10; 202 Mandy Goth 3.43.36.

Closer to home, several Todmorden runners tackled the inaugural Littleborough 10k, which followed a scenic loop along country lanes, including a lap around Hollingsworth Lake.
 

Dwane Dixon and Martin Stork battled to end with Dwane finishing in 8^th position in 39:00, with Martin just 3 seconds behind.
 

Paul Alexander improved his 10k personal best to 41:08 as he finished in 18^th position, followed by Mark Anderton in 34^th with a time of 44:05 and Mick Craven in 43^rd position in 45:42.
 

Karen Gray finished 8^th woman and 67^th overall with a time of 50:59 and Ian Stansfield finished in 110^th place stopping the clock at 1:14:51.
 

Todmorden results: 8 Dwane Dixon 39:00; 9 Martin Stork 39:03; 18 Paul Alexander 41:08; 34 Mark Anderton 44:05; 43 Mick Craven 45:42; 67 Karen Gray 50:59; 110 Ian Stansfield 1:14:51.

Peter Ehrhardt finished first v65 at another new race, the Stainland Trail 10k, completing the hilly course in 1:05:25.

A handful of Harriers were in Mytholmroyd for the Good Shepherd Fell Race, a 14 mile route featuring 2000 feet of climbs including two ascents of Stoodley Pike.

Paul Hobbs finished in 10^th position in 1:54:57, followed by Dan Taylor in 21^st position, stopping the clock just inside 2 hours, at 1:59:54.
 

David Leslie finished in 2:46:01 for 81^st, followed by Sue Roberts in 89^th at 2:58:34 and Reg Czudek was 97^th at 3:42:00.

Robin Tuddenham was a little further afield, as he finished first at the Melbourne parkrun in Australia.

Ron Hill 72nd Birthday 5k | Thieveley Pike Fell Race | Langdale Half Marathon

Eleven Todmorden Harriers joined over 300 runners at Littleborough on Thursday evening to celebrate the 72nd birthday of Ron Hill with the annual 5k race organised by Andy O’Sullivan.

Jon Wright finished in 6th place, and first v40, in a time of 16:36, a minute behind winner Andy Norman of Altringham. Martin Stork recorded a time of 18:53 to finish in 33rd just ahead of Paul Hobbs in 40th, making a rare appearance on the road, crossing the line at 19:11.

Emma Osenton was the first Todmorden lady in 23:49, followed by Mel Robertson stopping the clock at 24:48 and Bev Wright in 25:08.



Picture by Keith Parkinson

Steve Bateson's Ron Hill Birthday 5k Pics...
 

Todmorden Harriers turned out in force at the Thieveley Pike Fell Race on Saturday. The 4.25 mile route from Holme Chapel features over 1300 feet of ascent including a near vertical scramble up to Stone House Edge. After a brief respite, a further climb took them to a ridge traverse to the Pike. A steep descent tested the nerves before the final climb took them back to Stone House Edge and a rough descent led to the undulating finish along the Pennine Bridleway.



Andrew Wrench finished in 6th place to claim the v45 prize and Lauren Jeska finished in 12th and 1st lady. The ladies team once again won the team prize, with Claire Duffield 3rd lady and Maria Prescott 14th. Moyra Parfitt added a v65 win to another successful club outing.



Nick Barber finished less than a minute behind Wrench in 8th place, with Dave Collins in 30th and Paul Hobbs in 42nd amongst the 13 Todmorden finishers.

Steve Bateson's Thieveley Pike Pics...

Only two Todmorden runners travelled to the Great Langdale Half Marathon for the latest Road Championship counter. After Elise Milnes was forced to withdraw mid-way with an injury, Mel Blackhurst was the sole Todmorden runner, completing the hilly course in 1:46:37, finishing 2nd v45.