Tandle Hill Trail Race | OMM | Marathon Eryri | Bronte Way Fell Race

by Richard Butterwick (Final report, hanging up keyboard after 5.5 years)

Todmorden Harriers’ Trail Championship reached its conclusion at the Tandle Hill Trail Race on Sunday with the top three men in the standings all in attendance.

Dan Taylor, who was lying in second place in the table beforehand, was the first Todmorden Harrier to finish the 5.8 mile route in 39:28 for 9^th place, closely followed by Trevor Davies in 11^th who kept the gap between them small enough to enable him to clinch the men’s Trail Champion title.

Rob Gray finished in 40:47 which cemented his third place in the Championship.

Issy Pollard was not racing but previous results meant she claimed the women’s Trail Championship.

On the day, Bev Wright was the first Todmorden woman, finishing 17^th woman in a time of 53:28.  She was followed by Louise Abdy who battled on with a suspected broken finger after a fall to finish 21^st woman and Andrea Marshall who was 23^rd woman.

Todmorden results:  9 Daniel Taylor 39:28; 11 Trevor Davis 39:41; 16 Rob Gray 40:47; 21 Jon Wright 41:45; 44 Phil Cook 47:09; 48 Nick Barber 47:25; 53 Kevin Coughlan 48:48; 73 Bev Wright 53:28; 83 Peter Ehrhardt 55:59; 85 Louise Abdy 56:19; 89 Andrea Marshall 57:01.

Mandy Goth and Rachel Skinner finished first female pair in the long class at the OMM Marathon Mountain in the Brecon Beacons.  After holding a 5 point lead overnight after the first day, they completed the two day navigational event with a 15 point lead over their closest rivals.

Mel Blackhurst was also in Wales for the Marathon Eryri, completing the 26.2 mile route in Snowdonia in a time of 3:53:05, finishing 44th woman, and 7th in the v45 age category. 

Closer to home, a trio of Harriers tackled the Bronte Way Fell Race, an 8 mile point to point race from Wycollar to Haworth.

Martin Roberts finished in 46th place in a time of 1:06:30, followed by Chris Preston in 125th at 1:20:54 and Sue Roberts crossed the line at 1:32:32 for 159th position.

Cuerden Valley 10k | Cowm 5k | Todmorden 5k | Top O' Leach | Borrowdale

Cuerden Valley was host to the penultimate round of Todmorden Harriers’ Trail Championship on Thursday evening.  The Badger 10k organised by Lancashire Wildlife Trust attracted over 150 runners to the park.

Paul Brannigan was the first Todmorden runner, finishing in sixth place in a time of 39:06, followed by Dan Taylor in exactly 44 minutes for 22^nd place.

Simon Galloway was the next Harrier to finish in 57^th position at 48:52, with Peter Ehrhardt completing the scenic course in 58:28 and 115^th place just ahead of Andrea Marshall in 119^th, with a time of 59:21.

Todmorden Harriers were in the prizes at the Harry Kelly Cowm Reservoir 5k, with Mandy Goth finishing first v50 woman in 26:50 for 40^th place overall and Myra Wells first v55 woman, and 49^th overall,  in 28:37, followed by Kathy Bridger, second v50 woman and 53^rd with a time of 31:25.

Richard Butterwick finished the two lap route in 27^th place with a time of 22:48.

The club continued collecting prizes the following night at the third Todmorden 5k race in Centre Vale Park.

Robin Tuddenham finished in fifth overall and first v40 male, whilst Bev Wright claimed the corresponding v40 women’s prize, stopping the clock at 23:50.

Myra Wells was first v55 woman and Ian Stansfield first v70 male.

Todmorden results: 5 Robin Tuddenham 17:55; 13 Martin Stork 18:42; 21 Paul Alexander 19:35; 28 Simon Anderton 20:24; 39 Richard Butterwick 22:48; 41 Bev Wright 23:50; 54 Andrea Marshall 26:11; 61 Myra Wells 28:30; 72 Ian Stansfield 34:20.

A quartet of Harriers kept up the successes at the Top O’Leach Fell Race on the same evening. The 8 km route from Cowpe was the first race of Rossendale Harriers mid-week series.

Dave Collins was the first Harrier home in 8^th place, and first v55, with a time of 52:55. Marcel Ellison finished in 53:25 for 13^th position.

Jackie Holden finished 2^nd woman, in 1:08:18 just 27 seconds behind the ladies winner, and Kirsty Patten was 3^rd woman in 1:11:14. 

A longer challenge was on offer at the weekend in the form of the Borrowdale Fell Race, with the 27km route featuring over 2000m of ascent over several Lakeland peaks including the summits of Scafell Pike and Great Gable.

Paul Hobbs was the first Todmorden runner back in a time of 3:55:27 for 86^th place.

Jane Leonard finished sixth woman, and first v55, with a time of 4:21:19 and Darren Graham was 197^th, in a time of 4:35:53.

Stoodley Pike | Royton Trail | Radcliffe 3 Day Challenge

The fine weather enticed many Todmorden Harriers out racing in the last week, starting with the club's own Stoodley Pike Fell Race on Tuesday evening.

The 5km race climbed up from the Top Brink Inn, along the skyline to the Pike. A steep descent down to London Road then took the runners back to the finish.

Andrew Wrench was the first Harrier in fifth place, followed by John Lloyd in sixth, then an outstanding run by Jack Crummett taking him into 14th and second under 16 runner.

Hatty Nylan finished third woman, with Rebecca Patrick in sixth and Clare Harris tenth.  Madeleine Rolinson Lord collected the under 18 prize for the club.

Todmorden Results: 5 Andrew Wrench 20.51; 6 John Lloyd 21.27; 14 Jack Crummett 22.24; 29 Steve Pullan 23.37; 32 Robert Tyson 23.44; 43 Simon Hollows 24.22; 52 Jon Wright 25.03; 66 Hatty Nylan 26.25; 70 Benjamin Beckwith 26.31; 91 Rebecca Patrick 28.03; 94 Henry Artemes 28.38; 97 Paul Cruthers 28.48; 105 Clare Harris 29.13; 116 John Killerby 29.59; 123 Mark Williams 30.18; 126 Jackie Holden 30.26; 136 Graham Milnes 31.06; 153 Kirsty Patten 32.11; 155 Madeleine Rolinson Lord 32.36; 157 Laura Sutcliffe 32.55; 184 David O'Neill 40.12; 185 Myra Wells 40.56; 186 Ian Stansfield 50.43.  

On Wednesday evening the club’s Trail Championship was the focus with the 5.5 mile Royton Trail Race. 

Trevor Davies consolidated his lead at the top of the men’s standings with 11th place in a time of 34:53, followed by Robert Gray in 23rd place and Andrew Bibby in 70th place.

Mel Blackhurst was the first Todmorden women home in 89th position, followed by current ladies leader Issy Pollard in 114th place and Moyra Parfitt in 138th position.

Todmorden Results: 11 Trevor Davis 34.53; 23 Robert Gray 36.24; 70 Andrew Bibby 40.08; 77 Andy Glyde 41.26; 89 Mel Blackhurst 42.47; 110 David Leslie 45.28; 114 Issy Pollard 45.58; 138 Moyra Parfitt 49.25; 149 David Henthorne 50.55; 165 Ray Poulter 53.45.

 

A trio of Todmorden Harriers tackled the Bull Hill Fell Race at Hawkshaw on Thursday evening, where Marcel Ellison finished in 49th place in a time of 45:36.  Richard Butterwick finished just past the hour mark for 155th position and Myra Wells completed the 5.5 mile course in 190th place.

 

The race also formed the first day of Radcliffe Athletic Club’s Three Day Challenge, and the following evening  Richard and Myra moved on to the Giant’s Seat Summer Cross Country, with Myra winning the v55 prize on the night. 

The final event, the VLA Events Radcliffe Trail Race took place on Saturday afternoon, with Richard ending the series in 44th and Myra in 54th position and 2nd v55.

Dave Collins finished in 21st place at the Addingham Gala Fell Race, covering the 6 mile route to Beamsley Beacon and back in 31:17.

 

On Sunday, Robin Tuddenham finished in 27th place at the Jane Tomlinson Leeds 10k in a time of 35:56.

Paul Alexander was in Lytham for the Windmill Half Marathon where he completed the two lap course in 1:35:42 for 69th position. 

Lauren Jeska finished 5th overall, and set a new women’s record of 1:16:13 at the Tal Y Fan Race in North Wales.

Bluebell Trail | Coiners Fell Race | Cake Race | Hambledon Hill

The Bluebell Trail Race on Sunday was the third of Todmorden Harriers Trail Championship fixtures and attracted a good turnout from the club, on a day when Stockport Harrier Andi Jones set a new course record of 59:17 with a winning margin of over 6 minutes.


Paul Brannigan finished in 10th place with a time of 1:11:24, out of the 400 entrants, and also was first v45.

A quartet of Harriers then finished within a minute of each other, headed by Ben Crowther. He was closely followed by Ivan Gee, Darren Tweed and Robert Gray.
Richard Blakeley claimed the first v70 prize, with Moyra Parfitt winning the women’s v65 prize.

Todmorden Results: 10 Paul Brannigan 1:11:24; 34 Ben Crowther 1:17:25; 37 Ivan Gee 1:18:00; 38 Darren Tweed 01:18:05; 40 Robert Gray 1:18:17; 49 Trevor Davis 1:19:34; 64 Michael Harper 1:22:51; 94 Andy Glyde 1:26:50; 104 Paul Cotton 1:28:18; 128 Lee McCluskey 1:32:15; 129 Paul Cruthers 1:32:16; 155 Mark Williams 1:35:06; 173 Richard Blakeley 1:37:08; 204 David Leslie 1:40:13; 208 Issy Pollard 1:40:53; 273 Helen Wilson 1:49:00; 279 Peter Ehrhardt 1:49:49; 285 Moyra Parfitt 1:50:54.


Paul Hobbs finished fourth at the Coiners Fell Race in Mytholmroyd on Monday, with Claire Duffield finishing fifth lady.
Todmorden Juniors were also out in force, with Jack Crummett finishing in second place in the under 16’s race.

Alex Duffield went one better as he finished first in the under eight’s race, closely followed by Joseph Hobbs in 3rd place. Oonagh Brooks was the next Harrier across the line as she finished 5th girl.

Under 8’s: 1 Alex Duffield 5:02; 3 Joseph Hobbs 5:12; 14 Oonagh Brooks 6:53; 15 Euan Logue 6:54; 17 Noah Lane 7:09; 18 Ben Julian 7:10; 20 George McFie 7:13; 21 Flo Fortune Bayliss 7:46; 22 Rachel Davis 7:59; 23 Jasmine Gale 8:00; 24 Mia Wharfedale 8:21; 26 Isaac Lane 8:28; 27 Gretel Wolfendale 9:25; 28 Ptolemy Gregory 9:48.

Under 10’s: 19 Maebh Logue 3:53; 22 Thea Crowther 4:17; 23 Sam Fortune Bayliss 4:35; 26 Katie Crowther 9:16.


A trio of Todmorden runners took part in Davina Raidy’s Birthday 5k at Healey, with James Riley finishing in 26th with a time of 22:09. Myra Wells recorded 27:59 for 52nd and Ian Stansfield was 57th in 33:55.

Mick Craven was the sole Harrier at The Cake Race, finishing in 100th place with a time of 1:31:53 for the 10 mile fell race over the Saddleworth Moors.

There was also just one Todmorden Harrier at the first of this year’s Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix fixtures, the Hambledon Hill Fell Race, near Accrington. Kevin Booth completed the 6 mile course in 53:42 for 95th place.

Hit The Trail | Auld Lang Syne | Giant's Tooth

Todmorden Harriers hit the trail in Reddish Vale with much success at the weekend. Thirty two Harriers joined over 300 runners at the first of the club’s grand prix races for 2013, the five mile ‘Hit The Trail’ race near Stockport.

John Lloyd was the first Harrier to finish, in third place, followed by Robin Tuddenham in seventh position and first v40.

Trevor Davies and Paul Brannigan finished seconds apart in 12th and 14th places respectively, and the quartet were comfortable winners of the men’s team prize.

Richard Blakeley added first v70 prize to the club’s haul.

Mel Blackhurst was the first Todmorden lady to finish, winning the v45 prize, followed by Claire Duffield. Issy Pollard was next across the line, as she won the v35 prize, and Jane Leonard who won the v55 prize.

Together the quartet won the ladies team prize, and Moyra Parfitt claimed the first v65 prize to round off a rewarding outing for the club.

Todmorden Results: 3 John Lloyd 27:54; 7 Robin Tuddenham 28:39; 12 Trevor Davies 30:01; 14 Paul Brannigan 30:09; 19 Craig Stansfield 30:45; 22 Robert Tyson 31:19; 25 Darren Graham 31:27; 38 Dan Taylor 32:29; 39 Richard Butterwick 32:36; 59 Andrew Bibby 34:01; 60 Kevin Booth 34:04; 73 Joe Daniels 34:44; 77 Simon Galloway 35:09; 95 Mel Blackhurst 35:57; 98 Andy Glyde 36:03; 102 Keith Parkinson 36:13; 114 Richard Leonard 37:08; 116 Claire Duffield 37:12; 135 Richard Blakeley 38:21; 138 Chris Drinkwater 38:39; 146 Issy Pollard 39:23; 167 Jane Leonard 40:52; 172 Ray Poulter 41:11; 189 Elise Milnes 41:58; 197 Julie Wyant 42:23; 200 Moyra Parfitt 42:43; 201 Peter Ehrhardt 42:51; 207 Helen Wilson 43:37; 215 Graham Milnes 44:15; 224 David Wilson 45:16; 245 Myra Wells 47:47; 262 David O'Neill 52:22.


The club had seen out the old year at the Auld Lang Syne Fell Race at Penistone Quarry near Haworth on New Years’ Eve, with the race won by Bingley Harrier – and Olympic medallist – Jonny Brownlee.


Martin Roberts was the first Harrier to finish in 102nd place in a time of 59:30, followed by Dan Taylor in 139th and Joe Daniels in 146th position.

Mark Whitaker judges edged out Phil Hodgson with just 7 seconds spanning the pair in 183rd and 186th.

Richard Leonard crossed the line in 210th ahead of Jane Leonard in 233rd, with Chris Preston in 250th place and John Preston in 272nd.

Fiona Armer in 280th, Mandy Goth 309th and Sue Roberts in 327th completed a sizeable club showing.


Two Harriers were up early the following day for the Giant’s Tooth Fell Race at Ogden Reservoir, with Jack Crummett finishing the three mile course in 22:28 for 37th place and Peter Ehrhardt in 103rd position with a time of 29:37