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.

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...

Worsthorne Moor Fell Race | Borrowdale Fell Race | Hailstorm Hill Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers made a short trip to the Worsthorne Moor Fell Race on Sunday. In wet conditions, the 7 mile race followed a loop around the moor on a variety of terrain.

The race featured in the club’s inaugural trail championship and Dwane Dixon strengthened his hold at the top of the table with 4th place in a time of 41:50.

Paul Brannigan edged out Robin Tuddenham on the line for 11th place, with only one second separating them, with Martin Stork in 14th.

Mel Robertson was the only Todmorden lady to tackle the course, finishing in 98th place.

Todmorden Results: 4 Dwane Dixon 42.48; 11 Paul Brannigan 44.24; 12 Robin Tuddenham 44.25; 14 Martin Stork 45.09; 42 Simon Galloway 50.04; 49 Andrew Bibby 51.06; 55 Mick Craven 52.37; 64 Dan Taylor 54.04; 85 Richard O'Sullivan 58.05; 95 Kevin Coughlan 59.57; 98 Melanie Robertson 61.02.



On Saturday, a quartet of Harriers entered the classic Borrowdale Fell Race. Over 300 runners tackled the 17 mile route which features over 7000 feet of ascent.

Phil Hodgson was the first Harrier to finish in 153rd in a time of 4:24:56. Jane Leonard finished 2nd lady vet50, and 204th overall, in 4:45:58 with husband Richard completing the course in 5:15:03 for 267th place. Mandy Goth finished in 314th in 6:01:51.



Three Todmorden runners entered a new race at Bacup on Wednesday, with 117 runners taking advantage of the free entry offered by organisers Rossendale Harriers.

The imposingly named Hailstorm Hill Fell Race, which fortunately did not live up to its name, saw Marcel Ellison lead the way for the Harriers in 26th place. Simon Anderton finished in 35th position just ahead of James Riley in 38th place.

Whicken Hill Whizz | Hendon Brook

Nick Barber was the highest placed Todmorden Harrier at the Midsummer Madness Series, as the men’s team snatched the team prize on the final day. The three race series, organised by Calder Valley Fell Runners, comprises of three fell races held on consecutive days.

The first race on Friday evening, from Mytholmroyd, was the Whicken Hill Whizz, a steep 3 mile climb up to Sheepstones trig point and back.

Calder Valley’s Ben Mounsey took the win in 20:05, half a minute ahead of club mate Alex Whittem.

Todmorden’s Sean Carey held off a strong challenge from Calder Valley’s Max Wharton to finish in 3rd place.

Nick Barber was the next Todmorden runner in 8th, just ahead of Dwane Dixon in 9th. A further three Harriers made it into the top fifteen with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson in 12th, Paul Hobbs 13th and Paul Brannigan 15th.

Sarah May finished 1st lady in 25:33, with Helen Hodgkinson and Chris Preston finishing 8th and 9th ladies.


On Saturday, the 7 mile Reservoir Bogs also was something of a mental test as well as physical, as the runners were only handed a map of the checkpoints at the start and were faced with the decision as to which route to take between them.

Ben Crowther was the first Harrier to finish in 12th, with Paul Hobbs in 13th. Nick Barber crossed the line in 15th despite adding to the difficultly by losing his map part way round, to finish the day in 4th place for the series.

Helen Hodgkinson was Todmorden’s first lady finisher in 10th, with Elise Milnes navigating herself round as 13th lady.

The 4 mile Tom Tittiman Fell Race on Sunday marked the final race in the series and Nick Barber was once again the first Todmorden man in 4th place, lifting him into 3rd place for the series overall.

Paul Hobbs finished 7th and Ben Crowther 8th which meant they finished the series in 5th and 6th respectively to take the series team prize.

Darren Graham and Marcel Ellison also completed the series in 7th and 8th overall.

Helen Hodgkinson finished the final race as 12th lady, taking her into 6th lady for the series.


Whicken Hill Whizz 2011 Results...  Reservoir Bogs Results... Tom Tittiman Results...

Midsummer Madness overall standings...

Whicken Hill Whizz Photos...


The 13.5 mile Hendon Brook road race also took place on Sunday, attracting several Todmorden Harriers to the tough hilly course near Colne.


Salford’s Tom Cornthwaite was in a class of his own as he completed the route in 1:19:04, over 7 minutes ahead of the next runner.

John Lloyd led the way for Todmorden in 5th place in 1:30:29, with Paul Brannigan in 11th place, and first v45, and Martin Stork in 15th.

Mel Blackhurst crossed the line in 1:53:28 for 3rd lady, with Sarah Glyde 5th lady. Chris Preston finished strongly taking 14th lady just ahead of Elise Milnes. Moyra Parfitt finished first vet 65.

Hendon Brook 2011 Results...

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.

Roddlesworth Roller | Spen 20 | Haworth Hobble | Ian Roberts Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers’ inaugural Trail Championship got off to a flyer on Sunday with the Roddlesworth Roller, with the club winning both the ladies and men’s team prizes.

Nineteen Harriers took on the undulating 6 mile course at Abbey Village near Chorley.

Martin Stork continued his current excellent form to finish in 6th place, with Dwane Dixon in 13th one place ahead of Paul Brannigan.

It was a remarkable run for Dwane, and for Elise Milnes, as both had completed the 32 mile Haworth Hobble the previous day.

Gemma Kendall made a dazzling debut for the club to finish first Todmorden lady, and 6th lady overall, over a minute ahead of Sarah Glyde who was 8th lady, with Jayne Williams 12th lady

Todmorden results: 6 Martin Stork 36:44; 13 Dwane Dixon 37:58; 14 Paul Brannigan 38:22; 30 Dan Taylor 40:27; 50 Simon Galloway 42:50; 52 Gemma Kendall 43:22; 66 Sarah Glyde 44:47; 77 Jayne Williams 46:18; 84 Kevin Coughlan 47:58; 92 Hatty 48:28; 95 Elise Milnes 48:41; 108 Peter Ehrhardt 50:05; 131 Rachel Henthorne 51:45; 136 David Henthorne 51:51; 148 Helen Hodgkinson 53:15; 150 Graham Milnes 53:36; 176 Mandy Goth 57:13; 178 David O'Neill 57:28; 206 James Smith 1:27:40.

Sport Sunday's Roddlesworth photos...

Several Harriers took part in the Spen 20 mile race, a favourite for those training for the London Marathon. Sarah May completed the course in 2:27:07, followed by Mel Blackhurst in 2:44:08, with Johnny Medcalf 2 seconds behind. Mel Robertson and Julie Wyant finished just past the 3 hour mark.

At the Haworth Hobble on Saturday, Oz Kershaw was the first Harrier to finish in 5:12:29 with Nick Barber and Robin Tuddenham, the third pair to complete the distance in 5:27:07.

Sean Carey was the sole Todmorden runner at the Ian Roberts Memorial Fell Race, where he repeated his win from a year ago. It was a hard fought victory as he triumphed in a close finish with Jack Ross of Mow Cop Runners, who was just three seconds behind.