Preston 10 | Harriers v Cyclists

Sunday saw the last race in the Todmorden Harriers Road Championships, as 6 harriers travelled to Preston for the Preston 10. With their respective titles already in the bag, Paul Brannigan and Sarah Glyde chose to stay away. Nick Barber looking to get the last race needed for qualification for the Club Championship, was eager for the top 10 finish required to take the title. He set off at a rapid pace and was going well at 5 miles in about 4^th/5^th place just under 28 minutes.  Shortly afterwards he was struck by stomach pains and had to pull out due to sickness ending his chances. Paul Alexander was elevated to the first Todmorden Harrier on the road with relish and continued his season of PB’s knocking 6 minutes off his previous 10 mile best, to finish in 1.06.50. Andy Glyde (Sarah’s husband) finished next, closely followed by Phil Cook and Kevin Coughlan. These 3 have all now qualified for the Harriers Grand Prix prior to the final race at Pendle this weekend.

Todmorden Results: Paul Alexander 1.06.50; Andy Glyde 1.12.35; Phil Cook 1.13.07; Kevin Coughlan 1.14.28 ; Peter Erhardt  1.26.18.

A couple of Harriers made the trip to Leeds on Sunday for the Abbey Dash 10k. The out and back course is well known as a fast flat course and had over 10000 participants. Martin Stork showed he is now back to his best following injury, with a great run and new personal best time of 36.40. Andy Mcfie managed to arrive on time this week and completed the Todmorden entries with a solid run of 38.17.

Saturday saw the annual Harriers v Cyclists race from the Fishermans Inn in Bingley. This involves cyclo crossers versus runners. The runners are quicker up the hill and the cyclists on the way back down, on a well balanced course for the challenge. Tom Adams continued his good form winning for the runners ahead of 1^st bike Andy Peace in 2^nd. First Harrier home was Robin Tuddenham just ahead of Steve Pullen. Emma Osenton was on her Cross Bike and managed a very respectable 163^rd position, showing how much she has improved since taking up the discipline only last year. Chris Preston managed to finish in front of Mandy Goth in the battle of the Tod ladies.

Todmorden Results: 48 Robin Tuddenham 41.13; 52 Steve Pullen 41.33; 163 Emma Osenton 53.45; 184 Chris Preston 56.41; 198 Mandy Goth 1.01.04.

Saturday sees the culmination of the Harriers Grand Prix season with the final race at Barley for the Tour of Pendle. At 17 miles long with nearly 5000 feet of climbing the race (in its 30^th year) is known as the toughest of the South Pennine races, with 3 very steep climbs one after another toward the end. Mud, tussocks and bogs are guaranteed in this season finale.  

Capesthorne Half Marathon | Shepherd's Skyline Fell Race

by Dan Taylor

Sunday saw the penultimate round of the Todmorden Harriers Road Championship with 6 Harriers taking the trip to Capesthorne Hall for the Cheshire Half Marathon. The weather was bad but cleared just before the start, although rain came towards the end of the race.

Todmorden’s Nick Barber surged to the front straight from the start followed by the Road Champs leader Paul Brannigan. These 2 managed to pull out a bit of a lead and soon realised it was between the 2 of them for the win. Brannigan (who has been in brilliant form in the last few months) made his move after 10 miles slowly catching and overtaking Barber, who couldn’t quite hang on to him. They finished in first and second with very impressive times just under 1 hr 17.

Behind there was a trio of Harriers who used the occasion to re write their Personal Bests. Dan Taylor, in a rare appearance on the roads, continued his recent improvement finishing in 35th place. He knocked over 2 minutes off his best and was the 3rd counter as Todmorden also took the mens team prize.

Paul Alexander sprinted over the line for a sub 1hr 30 minutes time and Sarah Glyde continued a season of great improvement to finish a minute later, knocking over 3 minutes off her best and taking the V35 Ladies prize.

 Andrea Marshall was the last harrier to finish just over her target time of 2 hours. This result means Paul and Sarah are now assured of the Road Championships prior to the final race at Preston 10.

Todmorden Results: 1 Paul Brannigan 1:16:41; 2 Nick Barber 1:16:57; 35 Dan Taylor 1:27:43; 49 Paul Alexander 1:29:54; 55 Sarah Glyde 1:30:57; 524 Andrea Marshall 2:04:40.

Saturday saw the 28th running of the famous Shepherd Skyline Fell Race. Expertly organised as always by the husband & wife team of Phil Hodgson and Mandy Goth, ably assisted by the Todmorden Harriers Crew. The main race for the adults was well attended despite the bad weather, with over 280 people braving the rain.

Tom Adams from Ilkley led the way from the start and was never challenged winning in a little over 41 minutes. There was a close battle for second with Chris Farrell from Horwich narrowly beating Tim Ellis, Shaun Godsman and Alex Whittam of local club Calder Valley.

First Todmorden man was Jon Wright in 8th position (incidentally Jon came 9th as long ago as 1995 so good consistency there).

First lady home was Helen Fines of Calder Valley with first Todmorden lady Rebecca Patrick in 8th.

Junior races were also held with good participation from a number of local clubs. Tod Harriers had some good performances, including Jack Crummett who won the Under 16’s and Jack Willis who was 2nd in the under 8s, as the junior team continues to grow. Junior sessions for 6 – 12 year olds are held on Tuesdays at the Todmorden High School Gym from 5 – 6.30pm. 

Tod Results: 8 Jon Wright 46.07; 46 Craig Stansfield 52.42; 48 Steve Pullan 53.06; 77 Martin Roberts 56.27; 115 Simon Galloway 60.24; 116 Rebecca Patrick 60.37; 172 Jackie Holden 66.33; 199 Kirsty Patten 70.01; 203 Chris Preston 70.29; 207 Laura Sutcliffe 71.03.

Tod Juniors U8’s: 2 Joseph Willis 4.30; 5 Euan Logue 5.25; 8  Ben Hodgkinson 5.55; 11 Jack Suthers 6.37; 12 Erin McGrath 6.38

U10’s: 6 Joseph Hobbs 8.34; 17 Maebe Logue 9.32; 18 Jack Willis 10.03; 19 Oonagh Brooks 10.50; 22 Noah Lane 11.13; 23 Thea Crowther 11.49

U12’s: 7 Jacob Brady 8.40; 13 Jake Blackhurst 12.52

U16’s:  1 Jack Crummett 9.39

Todmorden Harriers next race is the Hot Toddy road race which will be held on Sunday 29th December. Perfect for getting rid of the extra inches put on over the Christmas period.

Blackpool to Fleetwood 10 | Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay | Chester Marathon | Saddleworth Edges

Todmorden Harriers enjoyed a successful trip to the seaside with the Blackpool to Fleetwood 10 mile road race featuring in the club’s Road Championship.

Paul Brannigan and Robin Tuddenham battled it out for second and third places, with both improving their best time for the distance by a few seconds, crossing the line in 57:05 and 57:13 respectively.

The performance of the day was undoubtedly Sarah Glyde who finished second woman, in 1:07:14, with a huge improvement of 4 minutes on her previous best for 10 miles.  Sarah is now assured of retaining her title of Women’s Road Champion.

Andrew Bibby finished first v60 in 28^th position overall with a time of 1:10:08.  Simon Galloway was 40^th in 1:13:53 and Peter Ehrhardt was 108^th in 1:27:53. 

Todmorden fielded two teams at the Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay in the Lake District, with poor visibility making for some difficult navigation and several teams going astray over the 4 leg course.  Unfortunately this included the club’s mixed team who missed a checkpoint and joined the list of disqualifications.

The men’s team fared slightly better although they also lost several places on the second leg, but recovered well to finish in 30^th place. 

Two Todmorden runners tackled the Chester Marathon, with Paul Alexander improving his personal best for the distance by a few seconds to finish in 3:26:03 and Kevin Coughlan crossing the line in 3:43:07. 

A pair of Harriers were also present at the Saddleworth Edges Fell Race, with Dave Collins finishing the 10 mile route in 1:14:03 for 26^th place and first v55.  James Riley followed him in at 1:23:07 for 72^nd place.

Ron Hill 5k | Edale Skyline | Leigh Cross Country | Thieveley Pike

Todmorden Harriers joined almost 400 runners in Littleborough to celebrate the 75th birthday of Dr Ron Hill MBE, with the annual 5k road race that is held in his honour.

Over thirty Harriers took to the hilly course along Rochdale Road, Smithy Bridge Road, along the side of Hollingworth Lake and finishing with a downhill section back into Littleborough.

Nick Barber led the way for Todmorden, finishing in fifth position with a time of 17:04, ahead of Paul Brannigan at 17:33 for 11th place and Martin Stork in 30th place stopping the clock at 18:36.

Sarah Glyde was the first Todmorden woman, collecting the v35 prize with her time of 20:36.  Kath Brierley completed the distance in 22:18 and Mel Blackhurst in 22:36.

Derek Clutterbuck enjoyed a rare race appearance and crossed the line first v80, after a race long battle that saw him claim a 13 second advantage over his nearest rival.

Todmorden results:  5 Nick Barber 17:04; 11 Paul Brannigan 17:33; 30 Martin Stork 18:36; 38 Dan Taylor 19:05; 41 Paul Alexander 19:24; 45 Robert Gray 19:28; 51 Ben Crowther 19:38; 79 Sarah Glyde 20:36; 88 Michael Harper 20:51; 97 Andrew Bibby 21:08; 104 Simon Galloway 21:31; 110 Richard Butterwick 21:34; 135 Kath Brierley 22:18; 138 Kevin Coughlan 22:26; 143 Phil Cook 22:34; 145 Melanie Blackhurst 22:36; 152 Keith Parkinson 22:59; 176 Richard Leonard 23:28; 210 Bev Wright 24:40; 224 Jane Leonard 25:28; 233 Nigel Hanson 25:41; 242 Mandy Goth 25:56; 246 David Leslie 26:02; 248 Julie Wyant 26:06; 258 Ray Poulter 26:28; 263 Andrea Marshall 26:42; 271 Peter Ehrhardt 27:03; 306 David O'Neill 29:00; 346 Derek Clutterbuck 35:26; 349 Ian Stansfield 36:21. 

Steve Bateson's Ron Hill 5k photos...

After being rearranged due to snow drifts on the original scheduled date in the spring, the Edale Skyline Fell Race was blessed with sunshine and blue skies at the weekend as the 34km Peak District race made up the final round of this year’s English Fell Championships.

Nick Barber recorded his highest finish in a Championship race, with 29^th place after 3:09:01, with Paul Brannigan finishing in 49^th position in 3:22:27.  Rob Tyson completed the route in 3:58:09 for 129^th place.

Mel Blackhurst was the first Todmorden woman in 160^th with a time of 4:08:01, followed by Kath Brierley in 201^st in a time of 4:21:37 and Jane Leonard in 251^st at 4:51:00.

David Leslie completed the Todmorden finishers with 270^th position in a time of 5:35:20.

A trio of Todmorden runners were present at the first fixture of this year’s Red Rose Cross Country League held on a fast dry course at Leigh Sports Village.

Martin Stork completed the course in 62nd place in a time of 38:59, followed by Dan Taylor in 85th with a time of 40:23.

Andrea Marshall was 83rd in the women’s race, with a time of 27:45.

There was a large entry for the Thieveley Pike Fell Race, with Andrew Wrench finishing in 6th place, and first v45.

Stephen Pullin just edged out Jamie Wrench as they finished 27th and 29th respectively, with Jamie claiming the first u18 prize.

Martin Roberts was 41st, with James Riley 59th and Phil Cook in 81st place.

In the junior races, Mayah Brooks finished first U12 girl, whilst Jaden Riley was second U12 boy.

Todmorden runners dominated the U8 boys race with Alex Duffield finishing first.  Noah Lane was second, with Harvey Riley third and William Beresford in fourth place.

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.

Rochdale 10k | Cragg Vale Fell Race | Helen Windsor 10k

There was a good turnout of twenty-one Todmorden Harriers at the Rochdale 10k last week, with heavy rain throughout failing to dampen the spirits of the 340 runners.

John Lloyd was the first Harrier to finish in 5^th place with a time of 35:28, followed by Robin Tuddenham in 10^th place in 36:21.

Trevor Davies was the next Todmorden man across the line in 24^th position, with Michael Harper 48^th and Rob Gray in 56^th place.

Sarah Glyde improved on her best time for the distance to finish 6^th woman overall, and first v35.

Jane Leonard made a rare foray onto the roads to finish 41^st woman, followed by Helen Wilson 49^th woman.

Richard Blakeley claimed the first v70 prize for the club.

Todmorden results: 5 John Lloyd 35:28; 10 Robin Tuddenham 36:21; 24 Trevor Davis 37:58; 48 Michael Harper 40:34; 56 Robert Gray 40:57; 93 Sarah Glyde 42:57; 146 Phil Cook 46:44; 155 Paul Cruthers 47:04; 156 Richard Blakeley 47:09; 178 Richard Leonard 48:18; 218 Jane Leonard 50:30; 219 Richard Butterwick 50:38; 230 Helen Wilson 51:26; 249 Nigel Hanson 52:34; 252 David Wilson 52:41; 253 David Leslie 52:44; 277 Ray Poulter 55:28; 280 Jilly Davidson 55:31; 284 Moyra Parfitt 55:45; 299 Louise Abdy 58:22; 305 Myra Wells 59:19.

 

The following evening saw Robin Tuddenham lead home another sizeable Todmorden contingent at the Cragg Vale Fell Race, finishing in 8^th position in a time of 31:47 for the 4 mile course.

He was followed over the line by Peter Bowles in 15^th place and Jack Crummett in 21^st place, and first under-16 runner, taking the men into 3^rd placed team.

Todmorden’s women were in dominant mood, easily winning the team prize with Gemma Ford in first place and Rebecca Patrick in third place, and first v40, and Clare Harris fifth woman, and first v50.

Todmorden results: 8 Robin Tuddenham 31:47; 15 Peter Bowles 32:37; 21 Jack Crummett 33:59; 26 David Baldaro 34:30; 27 Dave Collins 34:41; 40 Gemma Ford 36:08; 41 Andrew Bibby 36:13; 57 Rebecca Patrick 39:45; 73 Clare Harris 41:42; 78 Elise Milnes 42:33; 81 Graham Milnes 42:59; 98 Peter Ehrhardt 47:34; 104 Reg Czudek 52:04. 

Two Todmorden runners tackled the hilly Helen Windsor 10k, with David Leslie finishing in 106^th and Ian Stansfield in 151^st place. 

Photo courtesy of woodentops.org.uk

On Saturday, the weather had taken a warmer and dryer turn for the 6 mile Heptonstall Festival Fell Race, making for a tough race. 

After leading early on in the race Nick Barber had to settle for fifth position, with full results yet to be published.

Woodentop's Heptonstall Photos... and more
 

At the two day Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon, Sue Roberts teamed up with daughter Annie to finish 3^rd women’s pair.

Otley 10 | Buckden Pike | Cwm Pennant | Holcombe Two Towers | Cannonball Relay | Hendon Brook

The Otley 10 formed the latest round of Todmorden Harriers’ Road Championship last Wednesday.

Trevor Davies was the first Todmorden runner to complete the tough hilly course in 31^st position with a time of 1:04:39, followed by Ben Crowther in 65^th and Michael Harper in 87^th place.

Sarah Glyde recorded a time of 1:13:14 to finish ninth lady and strengthen her place at the top of the ladies standings.

Richard Blakeley finished first v70 with a time of 1:20:10.

Todmorden Results: 31 Trevor Davis 1:04:39; 65 Ben Crowther 1:08:57; 87 Michael Harper 1:10:27; 115 Paul Alexander 1:12:52; 123 Sarah Glyde 1:13:14; 177 Lee McCluskey 1:18:20; 195 Richard Blakeley 1:20:10; 269 David Leslie 1:27:17; 298 Peter Ehrhardt 1:31:45.
 

Photo by Anna Brannigan

The latest round of the English Fell Championship took place at the weekend, with the Buckden Pike Fell Race in the Yorkshire Dales.

In the ladies race Jane Leonard was the only Todmorden representative as she finished 3^rd v55 lady, and 50^th overall.

Dwayne Dixon was the first Harrier home in the subsequent men’s race, finishing in 71^st position, followed by John Lloyd and Nick Barber who were separated by just a few seconds as they finished 88^th and 89^th.

Richard Blakeley finished third v70 to keep in the running for a championship medal.

Todmorden Men’s Results: 71 Dwayne Dixon 37:48; 88 John Lloyd 38:41; 89 Nick Barber 38:47; 155 Dave Collins 43:26; 177 Garry Quested 44:27; 219 Mark Whitaker 47:30; 252 Richard Blakeley 51:18; 268 Ray Poulter 57:04; 276 Peter Ehrhardt 59:46.

 

Lauren Jeska finished first woman in the Cwm Pennant Horseshoe Fell Race in North Wales, recording 3:07:29 for the 24km race.

At the Holcombe Two Towers Fell Race James Riley completed the 5 mile route in 43:45 for 31^st position, whilst Clare Kenny claimed the v50 prize with a time of 47:05 and 43^rd place overall.

 At the Cannonball Hill Roller Relay Myra Wells, Ian Stansfield and Jackie Hesketh finished second team.

Mel Blackhurst finished fifth lady at the Hendon Brook 13.5mile road race with a time of 1.53.52 and Kevin Coughlan stopped the clock at 1.58.20.

Fairfield Horseshoe | Cowpe Junior Fell Race | Sheffield Half | Geoff Doggett 5k

Todmorden Harriers were in English Championship action at the weekend in the Fairfield Horseshoe Fell Race at Rydal Hall, Ambleside.

Dwane Dixon was first Harrier to complete the 9 mile loop in 72nd place, closely followed by John Lloyd and Craig Stansfield.

Lauren Jeska finished 12th lady, whilst Jane Leonard was second v55. Richard Blakeley finished third v70.

Todmorden Results: 72 Dwane Dixon 1.33.22; 77 John Lloyd 1.34.23; 83 Craig Stansfield 1.35.00; 105 Paul Brannigan 1.38.34; 119 Paul Hobbs 1.41.09; 124 Ben Crowther 1.41.34; 148 Lauren Jeska 1.43.33; 149 Peter Bowles 1.43.34; 187 Steve Pullan 1.47.50; 194 Daniel Taylor 1.49.01; 195 Martin Roberts 1.49.11; 216 Dave Collins 1.52.40; 282 Mark Whitaker 2.02.14; 286 Jane Leonard 2.03.01; 319 Simon Galloway 2.08.13; 338 Richard Blakeley 2.13.40; 351 Kathleen Brierley 2.16.50; 369 Sue Roberts 2.21.16; 382 Mandy Goth 2.26.53.


Todmorden’s young runners were also in English Championship action, this time at a very wet Cowpe.

A trio of juniors made the top ten of the under eight’s race, with Alex Duffield edging 5th place ahead of Joe Hobbs in 6th place, with Joseph Willis finishing in 10th position.

Jack Crummett finished 15th in the under 16’s and Jack Willis was 16th in the Under 14’s.


On Sunday, the club’s Road Championship was the focus, with a quartet of Todmorden runners joining five and a half thousand competitors at the Sheffield Half Marathon.

Robin Tuddenham set a season’s best for the distance of 1:17:19 as he finished in 27th position, and 4th v40.

Sarah Glyde recorded a personal best, completing the 13.1 miles in 1:34:01, as she finished 43rd woman and 11th v35.

Paul Cruthers finished 934th in a time of 1:40:10 for another season best, whilst Nigel Hanson recorded 1:55:24 for 2584th place.


A trio of Todmorden entrants were in Littleborough last Tuesday for the Geoff Doggett 5k, with Michael Harper finishing in 20:02 for 20th place.

Myra Wells recorded 29:05 for 71st position and Ian Stansfield was 78th with 34:30.

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.

Winter Warmer 10k | Winter Hill | Wadsworth Trog

Todmorden Harriers Road Championship opened with the Blackburn Winter Warmer 10k on Sunday, but with sleet quickly turning to snow there was little warmth to be found on the hilly course for the twenty Harriers who made the trip.


John Lloyd continued his strong start to the year with sixth position out of the 400 runners. Paul Brannigan was the next Harrier to finish, despite nursing fractured ribs, completing the course in 19th place with Trevor Davis coming across the line in 31st position.

Sarah Glyde set the pace for the Todmorden ladies finishing seventh lady and 91st place overall. Elise Milnes and Issy Pollard then crossed the line in quick succession for 225th and 226th positions respectively.

Todmorden Results: 6 John Lloyd 36:16; 19 Paul Brannigan 38:21; 31 Trevor Davis 39:39; 58 Richard Butterwick 42:20; 73 Paul Alexander 43:11; 91 Sarah Glyde 44:07; 94 Jonathan Daniels 44:24; 105 Andrew Bibby 45:08; 118 Phil Cook 45:45; 134 Guy Whitmore 46:30; 178 Paul Cruthers 48:53; 225 Elise Milnes 51:40; 226 Issy Pollard 51:47; 241 Julie Wyant 52:38; 265 Nigel Hanson 54:32; 275 Moyra Parfitt 55:14; 285 Mandy Goth 55:31; 308 Melanie Whitmore 57:12; 324 Graham Milnes 58:20; 344 Myra Wells 1:00:12.


A few miles down the road at Rivington, the Winter Hill Fell Race certainly lived up to its name, with cold and snowy conditions as two Todmorden Harriers took on the tough 11 mile race.

Despite poor visibility on the hill, Dan Taylor put in a strong performance to finish the course in 20th position in a time of 2:01:49, just ahead of 35th placed Andy McFie who recorded a time of 02:04:13.


On Saturday, five Todmorden runners undertook the Wadsworth Trog Fell Race, a 20 mile course from Old Town.

Craig Stansfield finished in 18th place in 3:35:59, followed by Darren Graham in 57th in a time of 3:51:11 and Rob Tyson in 89th place with a time of 4:13:55.

Elise Milnes finished 17th lady in 5:04:19 and Bev Holmes was 20th lady with a time of 5:30:47.


Ben Crowther recorded a narrow win at Calder Valley Fell Runners invitation night score orienteering event last week, beating Calder Valley’s Phil Scarfe by 2 points, whilst Mandy Goth was the top scoring lady.

Around 50 runners had to navigate themselves between the controls on the hills above Hebden Bridge and having to contend with not only the darkness but strong winds bringing wintery showers.


At the Calderdale Schools Cross Country race, one of Todmorden Harriers’ junior runners ran a well paced race to move through the field and battled across the line in first place.

Maebh Logue, a Year 3 pupil at Walsden St Peters School, was rewarded for her performance by earning selection for the West Yorkshire Schools Cross Country Race.