Hot Toddy Road Race

Over 300 runners descended on Todmorden for the annual Hot Toddy Road Race on Sunday.


The 8.9km race followed a circular route from the town centre, along Rochdale Road to Walsden Post Office and a climb up past the Shepherd’s Rest Inn. A fast descent to Halifax Road then took the runners back to the finish line.

A new race headquarters at Todmorden Cricket Club meant a new improved route for the 1 mile fun run that attracted a further 50 runners to a circuit of Centre Vale Park.

Photos by Keith Parkinson

The Mayor of Todmorden, Counsellor Abid Hussain, then started the runners in the main race and was on hand to congratulate the finishers after they had completed the course.

Damian Nicholls of Wilmslow quickly established a gap and was in a race of his own as he won in a time of 29:50, to repeat his victory of 2007.

It was a much closer battle for second place, with Mike Flatley of Middleton Harriers crossing the line in 31:19, just four seconds ahead of Salford Harrier Mark Russell.

Ivan Gee was the first Todmorden Harrier to finish, holding off a late challenge from Trevor Davies as they finished 19th and 22nd respectively, followed by Paul Hobbs in 31st place.

Halifax Harrier Sarah Louise Cumber also enjoyed a comfortable win as she finished first lady in a time of 34:44, followed by Victoria Bailie of Edinburgh AC in 36:13 and Stainland Lion Julie Field in 37:03.

Helen Wilson was the first Todmorden lady followed by Myra Wells.

Todmorden results: 19 Ivan Gee 34.37; 22 Trevor Davis 34.42; 31 Paul Hobbs 35.36; 39 Richard Butterwick 36.24; 56 Dan Taylor 37.50; 63 Paul Alexander 38.23; 79 Phil Cook 39.42; 96 Joe Daniels 40.29; 103 Kevin Coughlan 40.51; 118 Guy Whitmore 42.11; 181 David Leslie 46.07; 233 Helen Wilson 49.46; 254 Graham Milnes 51.53; 259 Myra Wells 52.14.

The Stoop Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers joined 270 runners at Penistone Country Park for The Stoop Fell Race near Haworth.


The route followed an out and back course to the Stoop Stone with all runners being issued with a Santa Hat for the 5 mile race.

John Lloyd was the first Harrier in 10th place, followed by Peter Bowles in 43rd and Dave Collins in 78th.

Simon Galloway and Andrew Bibby battled to the end for 92nd and 93rd places with just a few seconds between them at the line.

Joe Daniels led in another trio of Todmorden runners in quick succession, with Mark Whitaker and Phil Cook close behind.

Jane Leonard was the first Todmorden lady in 197th, followed by Sue Roberts in 225th and Chris Preston in 253rd position.

Todmorden Results: 10 John Lloyd 35:43; 43 Peter Bowles 39:39; 78 Dave Collins 42:34; 92 Simon Galloway 43:46; 93 Andrew Bibby 43:53; 132 Joe Daniels 46:38; 137 Mark Whitaker 47:01; 138 Phil Cook 47:07; 197 Jane Leonard 51:28; 225 Sue Roberts 56:26; 253 Christine Preston 64.55.


The annual Hot Toddy 8.9k road race takes place in Todmorden on Sunday 30th December at 11am. Entries are welcome on the day and registration takes place from 9:30am at Todmorden Cricket Club on Burnley Road.

The route starts in Todmorden town centre, travelling up Rochdale Road and then turning at Walsden Post Office for a long steady climb up to the Shepherd’s Rest Inn. A descent via Woodhouse Road will then take the runners back along Halifax Road to the finish.

There is a one mile fun run at 10:00am (£1 entry on the day) which follows a new traffic free route around Centre Vale Park.

Full details are on the club’s website www.todharriers.co.uk

Club Duathlon Team Relay

Todmorden Harriers held their club Team Duathlon at the weekend, featuring a fell run, road run and cycle.

The teams of three were seeded to ensure close competition, with the cycle and fell entrants simultaneously setting off from the race HQ at the Summit Inn at one minute intervals, before the fell runner handed over to their road runner.

The winning team, with a combined time of 2:24:17, featured Emma Osenton, Wayne Morrison and Chris Preston.

They held a winning margin of 5 minutes over their closest rivals, but it was a close fight for second place with the combination of Geoff Read, Mel Blackhurst and Richard Butterwick just edging out the trio of Andrew Horsfall, Ray Poulter and Claire Duffield.

Trevor Davies set the fastest cycle time of the day around the 20 mile loop via Mytholmroyd, Cragg Vale and Littleborough, completing the route in breezy conditions with a time of 1:02:35.

Andrew Wrench was the fastest on the 5 mile fell run route, finishing in 29:47.

Robin Tuddenham completed the 5 mile road loop through Calderbrook and Littleborough in 29:24

The day had an added element of a ‘guess your time’ competition, with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson impressively coming within one second of his predicted road time. Richard Leonard was closest to his guess for the cycle, at 28 seconds with Wayne Morrison only 35 seconds away from his expected fell run time.

2012 Presentation Evening | Fallen Heroes 5k

Todmorden Harriers celebrated their successes at their annual presentation evening that took place at Todmorden Cricket Club, on Saturday.

Club Chairman Mandy Goth announced the winners of the club competitions, with awards being handed out by new club president Barry Chapman.

Lauren Jeska was awarded the Eric Stuttard Trophy for her performances in the Ladies English Fell Championships, where she won the gold medal for the third consecutive year, and also was gold medallist in the British Fell Championships.

Nick Barber was awarded the men’s club Fell Champion Trophy, with Helen Hodgkinson receiving the ladies Fell Champion Trophy.

Age category awards in the fell championship were made to Helen Wilson (lv45) and to Paul Brannigan (v45), Dave Collins (v55), Chris Drinkwater (v60) and Peter Ehrhardt (v65).

John Lloyd scored a record total of points as he was crowned club Road Champion, with Sarah Glyde retaining the Ladies Road Trophy once again

Age category awards in the road championship went to Robin Tuddenham (v40), Nigel Hanson (v55), Peter Ehrhardt (v60) and Mel Robertson (lv50).

Paul Hobbs was awarded the Trail Championship Trophy.

The Grand Prix Champion, awarded for performance on road, trail and fell, was won by Paul Brannigan with a total of 22 members receiving trophies and certificates for achieving qualification for this competition.

Nick Barber was crowned Club Champion, a trophy that reflects all round ability on the road and fells at a range of short, medium and long distances.

Chris Drinkwater was named the ‘Most Improved Runner of the Year’ award to reflect the effort and progress he has made this year.

John Lloyd was also awarded the ‘Toilet Seat’ trophy which is awarded to the Harrier who has the most running related misadventures during the year.

A vote was held on the night for the ‘Clubman of the Year’ which was presented to club treasurer Richard Leonard.

The following morning several Harriers were back in action at the Fallen Heroes 5k in Littleborough, held in memory of Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes.

John Lloyd finished in 8th place in a time of 16:57, followed by Robin Tuddenham in 12th with a time of 17:47 and Richard Butterwick crossing the line in 19:32 for 26th position.

Claire Duffield was first Todmorden lady to finish in 22:47 for 68th, with Mel Siddall five places behind in 23:14 and Myra Wells stopping the clock at 27:49 in 128th place.

Wesham 10k

Todmorden Harriers Club Grand Prix came to a close with the final road championship fixture featuring the Wesham 10k.


A strong contingent of Harriers joined almost 500 runners for the gently undulating loop on the Fylde peninsular.

It was fitting that John Lloyd rounded off a successful year on the roads with a personal best for the distance, of 34:48 and 7th place overall, as he was confirmed the winner of this year’s road championship.

Last year’s road champion Robin Tuddenham was next over the line in 14th position, followed by Paul Brannigan sealing his place at the top of the club’s grand prix table with 23rd place, and first vet 45 on the day. Trail champion Paul Hobbs was next to finish in 38th place.

Mel Blackhurst was the first Todmorden lady to finish in 44:17, as she claimed the ladies grand prix crown.

Todmorden Results: 7 John Lloyd 34:48; 14 Robin Tuddenham 35:43; 23 Paul Brannigan 37:08; 38 Paul Hobbs 38:21; 57 Darren Graham 39:32; 75 Richard Butterwick 40:52; 82 Dan Taylor 41:07; 143 Melanie Blackhurst 44:17; 152 Kevin Coughlan 44:42; 160 Phil Hodgson 45:09; 219 Chris Drinkwater 47:22; 242 Mel Siddall 48:46; 274 Julie Wyant 50:43; 287 Peter Ehrhardt 51:40; 293 Elise Milnes 51:49; 299 Moyra Parfitt 52:03; 366 Helen Hodgkinson 57:37; 370 Myra Wells 57:49.





Todmorden Harriers festive Hot Toddy Race takes place on Sunday 30th December, with a new race HQ this year at Todmorden Cricket Club on Burnley Road.

The 8.9km hilly route remains unchanged for the main race at 11am, but the one mile fun run will now be held in Centre Vale Park at 10am.

Entries are open and further information can be found on the club’s website www.todharriers.co.uk

Tour of Pendle | Abbey Dash | Preston 10 | Barnsley 10k

Todmorden Harriers enjoyed perfect running conditions at the Tour of Pendle Fell Race. The 17 mile route weaved its way around the hillside featuring almost 5000feet of ascent over several tough climbs.


Craig Stansfield was the first Todmorden runner to finish in 35th place, in a time of 2 hours 49 minutes.

There was a close battle between four Harriers behind with just 6 minutes separating them at the end, as Dan Taylor crossed the line in 89th position in 3 hours and 3 minutes just ahead of Darren Graham. Ben Crowther was next to finish, followed by Andy McFie.

Chris Drinkwater and Elise Milnes were also well matched as they finished just either side of the four hour mark.



At the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k race Guy and Mel Whitmore joined 9000 entrants, with Guy finishing the 10km course in 44:03 and Mel in 51:28.



Mel Robertson was the sole Todmorden entrant in the Preston 10 mile road race, where she finished 5th v50 and 220th overall, improving on her time of a year before by two minute to complete the course in 1:19:14.

  Lucy Hobbs was also the only Todmorden runner amongst almost 800 runners at the Barnsley 10k as she completed the hilly route in 292nd position in a time of  48:33.

Hyndburn Cross Country | Wadsworth Half Trog

Todmorden Harriers enjoyed another fine outing in Hyndburn at third round of the Red Rose Cross Country League, on a muddy woodland course.


The ladies were sixth placed team with Sarah Warburton, Mel Blackhurst and Kath Brierley all finishing in quick succession.

All three also counted towards the ladies veteran’s standings, where they were 3rd placed team. Moyra Parfitt once again finished first v65.

Todmorden Ladies: 21 Sarah Warburton 24:22; 23 Mel Blackhurst 24:30; 24 Kath Brierley 24:37; 59 Mel Robertson 27:45; 63 Bev Wright 28:15; 71 Moyra Parfitt 30:01; 78 Mandy Goth 30:58.



In the subsequent men’s race, the Todmorden men finished in fourth place; with the vets’ team finishing in second place, led in by Andrew Wrench who was also first v45.

Richard Blakeley finished first v65, with Ray Poulter fourth v65.

Todmorden Men: 12 Andrew Wrench 37:25; 14 Jon Wright 37:37; 19 John Lloyd 38:15; 27 Nick Barber 39:02; 57 Ivan Gee 41:54; 62 Robin Tuddenham 42:18; 81 Dan Taylor 44:34; 118 Richard Butterwick 47:51; 135 Phil Hodgson 49:32; 162 Chris Drinkwater 54:01.



On Sunday, several Harriers took on the Wadsworth Half Trog on the hills above Hebden Bridge. The 9 mile fell race featured over 1400 feet of ascent.

First Todmorden runner back was Paul Hobbs in 9th place, with Dave Collins finishing 19th overall and second v50.

Darren Graham finished in 21st place, just ahead of Robert Tyson in 24th and Clive Greatorex in 31st place.

Richard and Jane Leonard completed the course together in 77th and 78th positions, with Chris Preston in 89th position.

Shepherd's Skyline Fell Race | Through the Villages

The Shepherd’s Skyline Fell Race attracted 272 runners to the hills above Todmorden on Saturday in chilly conditions.


The race climbed up from the Shepherd’s Rest Inn to Langfield Edge and then along the skyline to Stoodley Pike. A brief descent to London Road then lead into a stiff climb back up to the ridge and a return to the finish.

Calder Valley Fell Runners claimed the first three places with Karl Grey winning in a time of 44.56, followed by James Logue and Max Wharton.

Jon Wright was the first Todmorden runner in tenth place, followed by Sean Carey in 13th and Ivan Gee in 17th place.

Chorley’s Lynne Clough won the ladies race in a time of 56:01, ahead of Holmfirth’s Lucy Needham and Wharfedale’s Gill Myers.

Sarah Warburton held off a late challenge from Kath Brierley to finish first Todmorden lady.

Todmorden Results: 10 Jon Wright 48.48; 13 Sean Carey 49.13; 17 Ivan Gee 49.41; 30 Jackson Cowie 51.38; 32 Paul Hobbs 52.12; 34 Marcel Ellison 52.4; 40 John Lloyd 53.31; 47 Steve Pullan 54.24; 71 Martin Roberts 57.38; 101 Simon Galloway 60.45; 122 Sarah Warburton 62.53; 123 Kath Brierley 62.54; 198 Jane Leonard 70.28; 214 Emma Osenton 72.5; 257 David O'Neill 89.23.

My Shepherd's Skyline photo's...

Keith's Shepherds Skyline Photos...

Sport Sunday Shepherds Skyline Photos...





The Through the Villages road race was the penultimate round of Todmorden Harriers’ Road Championship on Sunday.

The 8.5 mile hilly route from Wheelton passed through the West Pennine villages of Brinscall, Abbey Village and Withnell.

Nick Barber finished in fourth place for the club, behind a strong performance by Andi Jones who won in a time of 44:17.

Andy Glyde crossed the line in 80th position followed by Mel Blackhurst who finished first v45 lady, and 91st overall with Phil Hodgson making a rare foray onto the roads in 109th place.

Chris Drinkwater finished 3rd v65 man, whilst Moyra Parfitt was first v65 lady.

Todmorden Results: 4 Nick Barber 49:40; 80 Andrew Glyde 1:03:08; 91 Melanie Blackhurst 1:04:12; 109 Phil Hodgson 1:06:10; 119 Chris Drinkwater 1:07:03; 153 Nigel Hanson 1:12:50; 162 Elise Milnes 1:13:47; 164 Moyra Parfitt 1:14:05; 171 Mandy Goth 1:15:30; 176 Ray Poulter 1:16:25; 190 Peter Ehrhardt 1:19:03; 195 Graham Milnes 1:21:34.

Preston Half | Snowdonia Marathon | Yorkshire Coast 10k | OMM

Todmorden Harrier’s Club Road Championship was back on the agenda, but it was the recently crowned Club Fell Champion who was leading the way for the club at the Preston Guild Half Marathon.


Nick Barber recorded a time of 1:19:02 as he finished in 9th place out of over 2300 runners, in wet and windy conditions on Sunday.

Martin Stork continued his return from injury with 26th place, followed by Paul Alexander in 135th place.

Mel Robertson was the sole Todmorden lady, finishing 3rd in her age category.

Todmorden Results: 9 Nick Barber 1:19:02; 26 Martin Stork 1:24:31; 135 Paul Alexander 1:35:13; 244 Guy Whitmore 1:40:44; 302 Phil Cook 1:43:14; 467 Mel Robertson 1:48:34; 693 Nigel Hanson 1:53:44; 1107 Peter Ehrhardt 2:01:33.

In the simultaneously held Guild event, Joe Daniels took on the full Marathon distance and finished 125th in a time of 3:24:01.



A trio of Harriers were in Wales for the Snowdonia Marathon, with Darren Graham completing the 26 mile circular route around the base of Mount Snowdon in 3:40:07, whilst Julie Wyant finished in 4:24:24 and Elise Milnes completed the tough course in 5:12:00.



Robin Tuddenham finished first at the Burnley parkrun, the third different Todmorden Harrier to do so in the last three weeks.



Two Todmorden runners enjoyed a weekend double starting with the Sewerby parkrun on the cliffs above Bridlington on Saturday, with Richard Butterwick finishing first and Myra Wells in 20th place.

The following day they joined 1200 runners for the Yorkshire Coast 10k in Scarborough, with Richard crossing the line in 40:22 in 74th position and Myra stopping the clock at 57:30 in 805th place.



At the OMM Mountain Marathon, several Todmorden Harriers took on the two day navigational test in the Howgill Hills, with particularly challenging conditions on the second day.

Phil Hodgson teamed up with Calder Valley Fell Runner Phil Scarf to finish in 3rd place in the long class and first veteran pair, just ahead of Dwane Dixon and Ben Crowther who were fifth overall.

Mandy Goth and Sue Roberts finished first female pair and 35th overall, with John Crummett and Kath Brierley in 78th position, and 5th mixed vets, and Dave and Helen Wilson in 83rd place, and 6th mixed vets.

Trevor Smith teamed up with Dave Prentice in the medium class for 93rd position overall and 11th veteran pair.

Race you to the Summit | Witton Park Cross Country

Todmorden Harrier’s Club Fell Championship went to the wire at the final counter, the ‘Race you to the Summit’ Fell Race on Saturday morning.


Nick Barber overhauled Dwane Dixon to be crowned Men’s Fell Champion and Helen Hodgkinson was crowned Ladies Fell Champion after a close battle with Helen Wilson.

Nick finished in second place in the race, behind Staffordshire Moorlands’ William Neill who won in a time of 30:37. The 4 mile route climbed in glorious autumnal sunshine from the Summit Inn to the Whitehouse and back down again.

Dwane finished in fifth place, with Jackson Cowie just edging out Paul Brannigan for seventh position as the club easily claimed the men’s team prize.

Mel Blackhurst was the first Todmorden lady to finish ahead of Elise Milnes but all eyes were on the battle between the two Helens in the ladies championship.

Helen Wilson was first over the line but Helen Hodgkinson followed just 9 seconds later to hold onto her slender lead in the standings.

Todmorden Results: 2 Nick Barber 31.21; 5 Dwane Dixon 32.09; 7 Jackson Cowie 33.27; 8 Paul Brannigan 33.31; 12 Robin Tuddenham 34.32; 14 Marcel Ellison 34.45; 15 Darren Graham 35.09; 16 Darren Tweed 35.16; 24 Dave Collins 37.21; 25 Michael Harper 37.32; 30 Andrew Glyde 39.13; 31 Phil Hodgson 39.22; 35 Phil Cook 40.07; 36 Mel Blackhurst 40.27; 43 Chris Drinkwater 42.54; 45 Liam Williamson 43.26; 47 Elise Milnes 43.33; 52 Ray Poulter 45.48; 54 Graham Milnes 47.00; 56 Helen Wilson 47.03; 57 Helen Hodgkinson 47.12; 59 Julie Wyant 47.59; 60 Peter Ehrhardt 48.33; 65 Dave O'Neill 54.38.



There was little time to recover for several Harriers as they were straight back in action on Saturday afternoon, at the second round of the Red Rose Cross Country League, on a hilly course in Blackburn’s Witton Park.

Sarah May lead the way for the ladies with a fine third place, followed by Kath Brierley and Issy Pollard as they finished eighth team in the ladies race.

Mel Robertson and Bev Wright enjoyed a close battle to be the third counter for the ladies veterans’ team, with another eighth spot claimed.

Moyra Parfitt completed the ladies turnout, finishing first v65.

Todmorden Ladies: 3 Sarah May 22:23; 27 Kath Brierley 25:25; 51 Issy Pollard 28:03; 60 Mel Robertson 29:08; 62 Bev Wright 29:23; 72 Moyra Parfitt 31:02.

In the subsequent men’s race, a strong showing by the Todmorden men lifted them into third place; with the vets’ team finishing in second place lead in by Andrew Wrench and Jon Wright.

Todmorden Men: 13 Andrew Wrench 38:41; 15 Jon Wright 38:46; 18 John Lloyd 39:41; 42 Nick Barber 41:53; 51 Dwane Dixon 42:38; 58 Martin Stork 43:11; 70 Robin Tuddenham 44:37; 106 Richard Butterwick 48:18.

British Fell and Hill Relay | Burnley parkrun

Todmorden Harriers sent three teams to Shropshire for the British Fell and Hill Relays at the weekend.


The relay was made up of four legs, two run solo and two run in pairs.

Todmorden ladies finished in a respectable 10th position, with Sarah May on leg 1 and Lauren Jeska on leg 4, both posting the 4th fastest ladies times on their respective legs.

The men’s A team finished in 25th place with the men’s B team running them close at times, to finish in 64th position overall.



Jackson Cowie was first finisher at Burnley parkrun on Saturday with a time of 18:44, with Jack Crummett finishing in 6th place with a time of 19:27.

Kevin Coughlan just edged out Keith Parkinson as they crossed the line in 22:06 and 22:08 respectively, as all four Harriers set new best times for the 5km Towneley Park course.

Rab MM | Chester Marathon | Huddersfield Hilly Half Marathon | Burnley Fire 7

Todmorden Harriers enjoyed some success at the RAB Mountain Marathon, a two day navigational event held in the Cheviot Hills, this year.


Ben Crowther and Dwane Dixon finished second placed pair in the elite class, whilst Phil Hodgson and Mandy Goth finished third mixed team in the standard class.

Todmorden’s Peter Bowles teamed up with Calder Valley’s Charlie Boyce to finish fifth pair in the elite class.

Elise Milnes also teamed up with a Calder Valley Fell Runner, Clare Kenny, finishing 9th female vets with Colin Duffield also competing in the standard class.



John Lloyd set a personal best time of 2:47:33 to finish the Chester Marathon in 22nd place, with Robin Tuddenham crossing the line in 2:53:23 for 42nd place.

Joe Daniels also set a personal best time of 3:16:13 as he finished in 230th position out of over 3000 finishers.



Mel Blackhurst finished 3rd lady at the Huddersfield Hilly Half Marathon with a time just over 1 hour 42 minutes.



At the Burnley Fire 7 mile race, Eleanor Lang finished 6th lady, and 55th overall in 52:08.

Richard Butterwick finished in 25th place crossing the line in 48:38, with Graham Milnes in 136th in a time of 1:04:03.

Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay

With the tragic and shocking loss on Sunday, it somehow seems inappropriate to report on this year's Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay.

A much better read...

So many events and so little time.

Leigh Cross Country | Kielder Blast | Thieveley Pike Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers were spoilt for choice at the weekend, with the opening fixture of the Red Rose Cross Country League high on the agenda.


The venue, for the first of four rounds, was Leigh Sports village and Todmorden Ladies finished 10th team, and 8th veteran team, over the 5km course.

Todmorden ladies results: 20 Sarah Glyde 22:38; 34: Mel Blackhurst 23:41; 63: Mel Robertson 26:16; 75: Moyra Parfitt 28:14.

Ray Poulter finished second v65 on the same course in 27:00.

The men’s team then tackled the longer 10km course finishing in 5th place, and 2nd veteran team.

Todmorden men’s results: 11: John Lloyd 35:47; 15: Andrew Wrench 35:59; 17: Jon Wright 36:11; 29: Robin Tuddenham 37:28; 50: Paul Hobbs 39:31; 82: Michael Harper 41:57; 92: Simon Anderton 42:25.



The English Fell Championships drew to a close with the Kielder Blast Fell Race. Dwane Dixon was once again in the points as he finished the 9.5km course in a time of 75:29 for 46th place, with Paul Brannigan finishing in 51st place in 58:48.

Peter Ehrhardt finished in 135th, with Peter Marshall in 144th and Derek Clutterbuck making a rare racing appearance to finish in 150th position.



Closer to home Todmorden Ladies claimed the team prize at the Thieveley Pike Fell Race, whilst the men narrowly missed out on the team prize after finishing level on points with Calder Valley, but ht prize going to their neighbours as their forth counter crossed the line first.

Marcel Ellison led the way for the Harrier finishing in third place, with Craig Stansfield in 8th. Dave Collins and Robert Gray were the other counters finishing in 22nd and 28th positions.

The winning ladies team were Sarah Warburton, Issy Pollard and Eleanor Lang who were 4th, 5th and 6th ladies respectively.

Todmorden results: 3 Marcel Ellison 37.44; 8 Craig Stansfield 38.24; 22 Dave Collins 41.58; 28 Robert Gray 42.30; 44 Dan Taylor 44.17; 60 Paul Cook 46.26; 71 Sarah Warburton 48.13; 74 Issy Pollard 48.39; 78 Eleanor Lang 49.14; 101 Elise Milnes 51.53; 105 Graham Milnes 52.40; 106 Sue Roberts 52.57.

Ron Hill Birthday 5k | Watergrove 5k | Wild Goose Chase

Several Todmorden Harriers joined almost 200 runners in Littleborough to celebrate Ron Hill’s 74th birthday with a 5k race.


Andy McFie, making a rare appearance on the roads, was the first Harrier to stop the clock at 18:31 for 12th place, with Martin Stork in 14th and Dan Taylor in 28th place.

Sarah Glyde finished 4th lady, with a time of 20:48.

Todmorden results: 12 Andy McFie 18:31; 14 Martin Stork 18:48; 28 Dan Taylor 19:34; 41 Richard Butterwick 19:54; 57 Sarah Glyde 20:48; 126 Ray Poulter 24:37; 170 Myra Wells 28:34; 187 Ian Stansfield 32:47.


On Sunday the paths around Watergrove Reservoir attracted 100 runners to Wardle, with Alistair Rhodes-Dawson claiming a win over the 5km course in a time of 19:15.

Richard Butterwick and Michael Harper had a close battle finishing 6th and 7th respectively.

1 Alastair Rhodes-Dawson 19.15; 6 Richard Butterwick 20.36; 7 Michael Harper 20.49; 16 Chris Drinkwater 24.07; 27 Bohuslav Barlow 26.24; 41 Myra Wells 29.19; 63 Ian Stansfield 33.51.


A trio of Harriers were on a Wild Goose Chase, from the Turkey Inn at Goose Eye near Keighley.

Clive Greatorex was the first Todmorden runner to finish this new 7km fell race in 7th place, with Dave Collins in 9th position, whilst Sue Roberts finished 3rd lady.

Rombald's Romp | Three Shires

Todmorden Harriers plumped for the fell option at the Rombald’s Romp Fell versus Trail Race on Ilkley Moor. The unique event features a choice of two 7 mile courses, one a fell route and one a trail route.


Nick Barber was the 6th finisher on the fell route, followed by Paul Brannigan in 15th and Paul Hobbs in 17th place.

Kath Brierley finished in 47th, with Mel Blackhurst in 53rd and Helen Wilson in 77th place.

Todmorden Results: 6 Nick Barber 51:16; 15 Paul Brannigan 54:13; 17 Paul Hobbs 54:17; 29 Dave Collins 58:44; 40 Michael Harper 1:02:01; 47 Kath Brierley 1:04:39; 48 Phil Hodgson 1:04:49; 51 Andy Glyde 1:05:49; 53 Melanie Blackhurst 1:06:14; 77 Helen Wilson 1:16:08; 80 Sue Roberts 1:19:36; 84 Louise Abdy 1:20:59; 90 Ray Poulter 1:29:28;



A trio of Todmorden runners tackled the Three Shire Fell Race in the Lake District. The 13 mile race featured over 4000 feet of ascent and Marcel Ellison was the first Harrier to finish in 51st position in a time of 2:25:51, followed by Andy McFie in 68th in 2:31:01 and Simon Anderton in 175th in 3:03:03.

Moel Wnion | Jungfrau Marathon | Yorkshireman Marathon | Burnley parkrun



Photo by Jim Smith

 Lauren Jeska sealed her first British Fell Championship with a win at the final race in Wales. Lauren needed to overhaul Calder Valley’s Helen Fines in the standings, and quickly established a lead on the Moel Wnion race, and went on to win with a new ladies course record of 43:40.


In the men’s race, Dan Taylor finished in 55:43 for 76th place.

Photo by Bev Wright

A trio of Todmorden runners were in Switzerland for the Jungfrau Marathon, which follows a mainly uphill mountainous route in the shadow of the Eiger.

Jon Wright completed the course in 3:53:49, with Andrew Horsfall finishing in 4:55:38 and James Riley in 5:38:33.



Closer to home, at Haworth, Joe Daniels finished in 22nd place at the Yorkshireman Marathon in 4:28:57 and Elise Milnes was 104th with a time of 5:32:58.

In the 15 mile ‘half’ marathon Lucy Hobbs was 88th completed the course in 2:30:46 and Paul Cruthers crossed the line in 2:44:25 for 129th place.



Todmorden’s youngster’s were setting the pace for the club at Burnley parkrun, with Jackson Cowie finishing in 5th place, Jack Crummett in 15th, Henry Antemes in 24th and Alex Duffield in 79th place.

Alice's Run 10k | Ben Nevis Race | Blackshawhead Fell Race | Littleborough Lions 5k

Todmorden Harriers’ club Trail Championship concluded at the weekend with Alice’s Run in Mytholmroyd, a 10k multi terrain race that weaves up and down the Calder Valley.


Although not running on the day, Paul Hobbs was crowned Trail Champion having already built up a sufficient lead in the earlier rounds.

On Sunday, 21 Harriers joined the 200 entrants in the Epilepsy Action race, with Paul Brannigan leading the way for the club in 3rd place, pursued by Darren Tweed in 5th place.

Dave Collins was first v50 and 11th overall, followed by Richard Butterwick in 16th and Guy Whitmore in 22nd position.

Kath Brierley finished 3rd lady, with Mel Blackhurst finishing 5th lady and Karen Gray 11th lady.

Elise Milnes and Moyra Parfitt picked up prizes for first v50 and first v60 ladies respectively.

Todmorden results: 3 Paul Brannigan 38:43; 5 Darren Tweed 41:22; 11 Dave Collins 42:55; 16 Richard Butterwick 45:02; 22 Guy Whitmore 45:30; 33 Kathleen Brierley 47:24; 35 Andy Glyde 47:45; 37 Phil Cook 47:49; 39 Melanie Blackhurst 48:14; 50 Chris Drinkwater 49:48; 52 Richard Blakeley 50:00; 65 Karen Gray 52:11; 67 David Leslie 52:33; 70 Fiona Armer 52:53; 73 Elise Milnes 53:28; 76 Ray Poulter 53:35; 79 Peter Ehrhardt 54:08; 83 Mel Whitmore 55:03; 85 Moyra Parfitt 55:14; 94 Graham Milnes 57:47; 125 Myra Wells 1:05:16.

Epilepsy Action photographs from Alice's Run...

Farmer Gizmo's Alices Run photos... & Tod Harriers...


At the Ben Nevis Mountain Race, Jon Wright once again claimed the Wallace Plaque for the highest placed police runner, finishing the 10 mile up and down route in 1:45:17 for 9th place overall out of over 450 finishers.

Marcel Ellison was the next Todmorden runner to finish in 69th position, improving on his previous best time by some margin to finish in 1:59:42.

Todmorden’s other finishers: 108 Andrew Horsfall 2:06:26; 142 Dan Taylor 2:11:56; 222 Phil Hodgson 2:22:14; 437 Mandy Goth 3:07:44; 438 Mick Howard 3:07:44.

On Saturday, the Blackshaw Head Fell Race attracted 66 runners to its 5.5 mile course.

First Harrier was Dwane Dixon in 4th place, followed by Andy McFie in 11th position. Hatty Nylan finished 5th lady.

Todmorden Results: 4 Dwane Dixon 39.04; 11 Andy McFie 43.29; 26 Simon Anderton 49.31; 27 Roger Haworth 49.32; 40 Hattie Nylan 52.57; 43 Mark Whittaker 53.50; 61 Reg Czudek 70.22; 62 Jo Rutter 72.24.

Farmer Gizmo's Blackshawhead Fell Race photos...



Bev Wright finished 3rd lady at the Littleborough Lions 5k, recording a time of 23:54 for 22nd place overall.

Richard Butterwick crossed the line in 20:08 for 7th, with Chris Drinkwater stopping the clock at 22:16 for 17th place.

Myra Wells finished in 39th position in a time of 28:52.

Fleetwood Half Marathon | Stan Curran 5k | Padiham 5 | Burnsall | Norland Moor

Todmorden Harriers Road Championship was back on the agenda with a trip to the seaside for the Fleetwood Half Marathon.

John Lloyd and Sarah Glyde both consolidated their respective leads in the men’s and ladies standings, and with three races to go are looking strong favourites for this year’s titles.

John was the first Harrier to finish the 13.1 miles in sixth position, with nearest rival Robin Tuddenham finishing in 13th place.

Paul Alexander set a new personal best time for the distance as he crossed the line in 46th, whilst Andrew Bibby finished in 60th and Michael Harper in 73rd position.

Sarah Glyde won the ladies v35 prize and was 10th lady overall as she also improved on her best time, and Mel Robertson just beat her time from a year earlier to finish 33rd lady.

Peter Ehrhardt completed the Todmorden entry with 231st position.
Todmorden Results: 6 John Lloyd 1:17:56; 13 Robin Tuddenham 1:22:33; 46 Paul Alexander 1:31:20; 60 Andrew Bibby 1:34:33; 73 Michael Harper 1:35:30; 80 Sarah Glyde 1:36:10; 189 Melanie Robertson 1:48:49; 231 Peter Ehrhardt 1:52:13.



Other Todmorden Harriers in action included Myra Wells who was first v55 lady at the Stan Curran 5k at Whitworth on Thursday, and then repeated her prize winning form the following evening at the Padiham 5 mile Diamond Jubilee Race.

Also running at Whitworth were Richard Butterwick who finished 24th and Ray Poulter in 55th place, with Richard also going on the following night to finish 15th at the Padiham 5.

Dave Collins finished first v55 at the Burnsall Classic Fell Race, whilst Chris Preston was sixth lady over the 10 mile Burnsall road race course.

David Leslie and Julie Wyant took on the Tour of Norland Moor Fell Race on Sunday, finishing the 10.1km route in 57th and 80th places.



Many Todmorden Harriers will be looking forward to the Blackshaw Head Fell Race that takes place on Saturday 1st September at 2:00pm from the fete field, with entries taken on the day from 12:30pm.

Weasdale Horseshoe | Pikes Peak Marathon | Crow Hill Reverse Fell Race

Dwane Dixon was once again in the points for Todmorden Harriers as the English Fell Championship reached the penultimate round with the Weasdale Horseshoe Fell Race on Saturday.


Dwane completed the 8 mile route in the Howgill Hills in 1:04:34 for 49th place, with John Lloyd in 60th position less than two minute behind and Paul Brannigan also squeezing into the top 100.

Todmorden men’s results: 49 Dwayne Dixon 1:04:34; 60 John Lloyd 1:06:25; 99 Paul Brannigan 1:11:46; 115 Dave Collins 1:14:10; 130 Dan Taylor 1:16:54; 139 Simon Anderton 1:19:54; 168 Mark Whittaker 1:27:03; 177 Chris Drinkwater 1:32:11; 189 Peter Ehrhardt 1:38:41; 192 Peter Marshal 1:43:13.

Kath Brierley finished in 37th place in the ladies race, with Fiona Armer in 56th, as the ladies team suffered from holiday and injury absences.



Lauren Jeska, having already secured the ladies championship, opted for a trip to America for the high altitude Pikes Peak Marathon where she finished in 5th place.



The previous week had seen a good turnout of over 100 for the Crow Hill Reverse Fell Race at Mytholmroyd on a fine sunny evening.

The race is organised, and sponsored, by local physiotherapist and Todmorden Harrier Ali Mills and in addition to raising over £450 for Ovarian Cancer, the runners also raised £150 towards the flood relief fund.

Halifax’s Ben Crowther narrowly edged out Calder Valley’s Tim Black to win in a time of 31:29.

The first Todmorden Harrier to finish was Sarah May who was also first lady overall.

Dave Collins crossed the line in 20th, with Phil Hodgson in 31st position, as they finished second and third v50’s respectively.

Gemma Kendall was third lady and 34th followed by 7th lady Sarah Warburton to help the ladies to the team prize.

Todmorden results: 17 Sarah May 37.08; 20 Dave Collins 37.40; 31 Phil Hodgson 39.35; 34 Gemma Kendall 39.55; 56 Sarah Warburton 44.11; 62 Richard Leonard 44.58; 65 Jane Leonard 45.10; 67 Paul Cruthers 45.33; 72 Chris Drinkwater 45.59; 74 Maria Prescott 46.12; 78 Ray Poulter 48.23; 86 Mick Howard 50.27; 96 Laura Sutcliffe 53.25; 104 Reg Czudek 56.44; 106 David O'Neill 59.30.

Borrowdale Fell Race | Cuerden Valley Badger 10k

Lauren Jeska retained the ladies title in the English Fell Running Championships at the Borrowdale Fell Race on Saturday, whilst Dwane Dixon scored his first championship points in the men’s competition.


Dwane finished in 46th place, covering the extremely tough 17 mile course, which features over 6000 feet of ascent and descent over several Lake District peaks, in 3:37:02.

Lauren finished third lady on the day in 3:41:02 for 57th overall, and with just two races to go in the six race series cannot be caught for the gold medal.

Dave Collins finished in 4:18:38, with Joe Daniels in 200th in a time of 4:38:25 and Mark Whitaker coming home just past the 5hr mark, in 5:07:35.

Jane Leonard crossed the line in 5:22:56 for 330th place, with Chris Drinkwater finishing in 5:57:54 for 366th place.



On Thursday evening 17 Harriers travelled to Cuerden Valley Park near Preston for the Badger 10k trail race, which was the penultimate round of the club’s Trail Championship.

John Lloyd was the first Harrier to complete the multi terrain course, in fifth place, followed by Paul Brannigan in ninth place overall and first v45.

Paul Hobbs finished in 13th place, a result which means he has clinched the Trail Championship ahead of the final race, Alice’s Run which takes place in Mytholmroyd in September.

Maria Prescott was the first Todmorden lady to finish, followed by Elise Milnes as they won the v45 and v50 prizes respectively.

Ray Poulter and Peter Ehrhardt battled their way to finish first and second v65 in the race.

Todmorden results: 5 John Lloyd 37:51; 9 Paul Brannigan 39:51; 13 Paul Hobbs 40:36; 14 Trevor Davis 40:38; 23 Darren Tweed 42:06; 42 Dan Taylor 44:05; 45 Michael Harper 44:22; 69 Andy Glyde 47:36; 71 Phil Hodgson 47:46; 75 Maria Prescott 48:14; 107 Elise Milnes 52:40; 119 Julie Wyant 54:13; 124 Ray Poulter 54:53; 132 Peter Ehrhardt 55:38; 159 Graham Milnes 58:57; 169 Andrea Marshall 1:01:03; 173 David O'Neill 1:03:17;

Burnley parkrun | Cliviger 6

Todmorden Harriers claimed the first two places at Burnley parkrun on Saturday, with Nick Barber finishing first and Paul Hobbs in second place.


Nick was clear on his own as he recorded a time of 17:44 for the free timed 5k run that is held every week in Towneley Park.

Paul had more company and faced a tough battle to claim second spot in 18:52, with Trevor Davis finishing in 19:11 for sixth place.

Maria Prescott completed the distance in 23:02 to finish seventh lady, with Bev Wright finishing ninth lady in 25:24, as they both recorded new best times for the course.

Ian Stansfield crossed the line in 37:51 for 92nd place.


The Harriers headed back to Burnley the following day, for the Cliviger 6 mile road race.

Maria Prescott finished seventh lady once again, as she claimed the v45 prize in 42:53 for 56th overall.

Kevin Coughlan was 75th in 45:23, followed by Elise Milnes finishing first v50 in 49:32.

Peter Ehrhardt stopped the clock at 53:53 for 120th, with Graham Milnes finishing in 129th position in a time of 56:42.


The Crow Hill Reverse Fell Race takes place on Tuesday 7th August starting at 7:30pm, with registration at Mytholmroyd Community Centre.

Entry on the night for the 5 mile race is £3:50 with all proceeds going to Ovarian Cancer Action. There will also be a raffle on the night, with proceeds being donated to the Flood Relief Fund.

Turnslack Fell Race | Snowden Race | Ian Terry 5k

Todmorden Harriers were out in force at the Turnslack Fell Race on Saturday, with twenty five of the eighty five finishers coming from the club, and they were rewarded with an armful of prizes including first men’s and first ladies teams.


Summer in the Pennines can be unpredictable



The race is run over one of the toughest local routes, with the 8 mile course starting at Calderbrook and tracing a circular route up and over Freehold’s Top, with two steep climbs on the return to the finish at the church steps.

Dwane Dixon led the way for Todmorden finishing in 3rd place behind Calder Valley’s Tim Ellis and Shaun Godsman. The race was the first since Dwane attained veteran status and he comfortably claimed the v40 prize.

Nick Barber finished in sixth place, with John Lloyd in 15th and Sean Carey 17th, and first u23, making up the winning team.

Dave Collins added to the prize haul with second v55.

Melanie Blackhurst was 6th lady, with Maria Prescott 7th lady as they claimed second and third v45 prizes respectively. Elise Milnes finished 8th lady and Chris Preston 10th lady ensuring the ladies team prize also went to the club.

Elise Milnes rounded off a successful day with the first v50 prize.

Todmorden Results: 3 Dwane Dixon 1:09:56; 6 Nick Barber 1:14:27; 15 John Lloyd 1:17:53; 17 Sean Carey 1:17:59; 18 Paul Brannigan 1:18:00; 19 Dave Collins 1:18:06; 20 Ivan Gee 1:18:31; 29 Darren Tweed 1:23:18; 30 Clive Greatorex 1:24:38; 33 Rob Gray 1:25:03; 35 Dan Taylor 1:26:53; 44 Phil Cook 1:32:02; 49 Melanie Blackhurst 1:33:44; 51 Maria Prescott 1:35:27; 59 Chris Drinkwater 1:38:50; 60 Elise Milnes 1:40:01; 61 Simon Galloway 1:40:20; 66 John Preston 1:43:55; 67 Richard Butterwick 1:44:44; 68 Chris Preston 1:45:00; 72 Helen Wilson 1:48:44; 75 David Wilson 1:51:06; 77 Helen Hodgkinson 1:51:38; 78 Graham Milnes 1:54:29; 84 Louise Abdy 2:05:21.


A trio of Harriers were in Wales for the Snowdon International Mountain Race, with Andrew Wrench finishing in 59th and second v45 completing the 10 mile route to the mountain summit and back to Llanberis in 1:24:00.

Paul Hobbs finished in 117th with a time of 1:32:02, with Lucy Hobbs completing the course in 1:58:58 to take her to sixth v40.

Snowdon Race highlights on S4C... expires 26 August


At the Ian Terry Memorial 5k in Littleborough on Tuesday, Martin Stork continued his return from injury with 5th place, finishing in a time of 18:54.

Paul Alexander finished in 20th in 20:14 with Maria Prescott winning the ladies v45 prize in 41st place overall with a time of 22:30.

Chris Drinkwater crossed the line in 23:58 for 64th, with Myra Wells in 117th in 30:45 and Ian Stansfield’s time of 34:56 taking him to 132nd place.

Steve Bateson's Ian Terry Photos...

Eccup 10 | Royton Trail Race

Todmorden Harriers Road Championship continued with the Eccup 10 mile race on Sunday, in fine conditions.


John Lloyd led the way for the club in 12th position, consolidating his lead in the club standings, with Paul Brannigan in 67th position.

Sarah Glyde ran a strong race to finish in 162nd, strengthening her lead in the ladies standings.

Todmorden Results: 12th John Lloyd 59:45; 67th Paul Brannigan 1:05:49; 162nd Sarah Glyde 1:12:42; 386th Fiona Armer 1:25:05; 413th Julie Wyant 1:26:47; 427th Peter Ehrhardt1:27:21; 571st Louise Abdy 1.39.07.



A quartet of Harriers enjoyed some evening sunshine at the Royton Trail Race last Wednesday, a 5.5 mile multi terrain loop around Tandle Hill Country Park.

Paul Alexander completed the course in 38:34 for 51st, with Mark Anderton stopping the clock at 38:59 and Simon Anderton finishing in 39:19 for 57th and 62nd places respectively.

Ian Stansfield finished in 182nd place in 1:06:11.

Stoodley Pike Fell Race | Helen Windsor 10k | Heptonstall Festival Fell Race | Arrochar Alps

The Stoodley Pike Fell Race on Tuesday attracted a field of 165 runners to the 5km course, with Ian Holmes of Bingley Harriers winning in a time of 19:46 despite wet conditions.


Andrew Wrench was the first Todmorden runner in sixth place, closely followed by Ivan Gee in eighth place, with Trevor Davis finishing in 46th position.

Gemma Kendall was the first Todmorden lady in 67th overall, followed by Hatty Nylan and Sarah Warburton.

Todmorden Results: 6 Andrew Wrench 20.47; 8 Ivan Gee 21.21; 46 Trevor Davis 25.23; 67 Gemma Kendall 27.03; 81 Garry Quested 27.41; 82 Hatty Nylan 27.45; 99 Sarah Warburton 28.55; 114 Peter Clarke 29.34; 117 John Medcalfe 29.41; 124 Maria Prescott 30.12; 132 John Preston 30.52; 136 Kevin Coughlan 31.17; 151 Peter Marshall 33.44.



The following evening saw drier but humid conditions for the Helen Windsor 10km road race at Greetland.

John Lloyd led the way for the club in fourth position, followed by Paul Brannigan and Trevor Davis.

Sarah Glyde finished fifth lady, taking home the v35 prize and Maria Prescott was sixth lady, winning the v45 prize. Mel Robertson held off a challenge from Elise Milnes as they finished second and third v50 respectively.

Todmorden Results: 4 John Lloyd 36:08; 17 Paul Brannigan 39:28; 19 Trevor Davis 39:39; 44 Darren Tweed 42:55; 52 Richard Butterwick 43:48; 54 Paul Alexander 43:57; 57 Sarah Glyde 44:26; 65 Andy Glyde 45:42; 69 Maria Prescott 46:14; 89 Phil Cook 48:15; 114 Richard O'Sullivan 50:21; 119 Melanie Robertson 50:58; 126 Elise Milnes 51:30; 136 Fiona Armer 52:30; 143 Julie Wyant 53:28; 148 Ray Poulter 55:01; 155 Moyra Parfitt 56:06; 169 Peter Ehrhardt 58:19; 177 Graham Milnes 59:09; 207 Ian Stansfield 1:14:39.

The Heptonstall Festival Fell Race on Saturday was blessed with blue skies and sunshine.

Andrew Wrench was first Todmorden runner back in fifth position, with Dave Collins in 23rd position ahead of close battle between Joe Daniels and Clive Greatorex who finished 32nd and 34th respectively.

Kath Brierley was the sole Todmorden lady, finishing fifth lady on the day.

Todmorden Results: 5 Andrew Wrench 54:03; 23 Dave Collins 1:01:20; 32 Joe Daniels 1:04:33; 34 Clive Greatorex 1:04:59; 56 Garry Quested 1:11:09; 65 Kath Brierley 1:12:59; 85 Paul Cruthers 1:18:37; 109 Reg Czudek 1:38:18.



Further afield several Harriers were in attendance at the Arrochar Alps Fell Race in Scotland, the latest round of the British Fell Championships, with Lauren Jeska keeping her medal hopes alive with a third place in the ladies race.

Cragg Vale Fell Race | Skiddaw Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers joined 119 runners last Wednesday evening for the Cragg Vale Fell Race.


The race started at Cragg Vale Church and climbed Bell House Moor and Dicks Lane. The route then descended via Sunderland Pasture and Swan Bank.

John Lloyd finished first Todmorden runner in 10th place, with Paul Hobbs in 15th place. Joe Daniels was next over the line in 42nd position, with Mark Whitaker in 58th.

Sarah Warburton was 10th lady followed by Issy Pollard as 15th lady. Becca Marshall just edged out Elise Milnes as they finished 18th and 20th ladies respectively.

Paul Cruthers in 96th and Graham Milnes in 107th position completed the Todmorden turnout.

Todmorden Results: 10 John Lloyd 30:08; 15 Paul Hobbs 32:12; 42 Joe Daniels 37:21; 58 Mark Whitaker 39:57; 62 Sarah Warburton 40:20; 79 Issy Pollard 42:08; 87 Becca Marshall 43:12; 89 Elise Milnes 43:38; 96 Paul Cruthers 44:01; 107 Graham Milnes 46:13.



On Sunday a quartet of Todmorden runners were in attendance at the Skiddaw Fell Race, a 9 mile up and down race from Keswick up to the mountain summit, which was shrouded in cloud.

Paul Hobbs finished in 30th in 1:27:20, with Nick Barber a minute behind in 35th place.

Lucy Burnett was 5th lady, and 75th overall, in 1:37:45, and Simon Anderton finished in 1:39:12 for 81st place.

Midsummer Madness - Whicken Hill Whizz | Reservoir Bogs | Tom Tittiman

Todmorden Harriers were in local action at the weekend at the appropriately named Midsummer Madness three day race series organised by Calder Valley Fell Runners.

The first race on Friday evening, the Whicken Hill Whizz Fell Race, was a steep up and down race from a soon to be flooded Mytholmroyd.

Dwane Dixon was the first Todmorden man to finish in 6th place, followed by John Lloyd in 8th position.

Issy Pollard finished 3rd lady, with Maria Prescott 5th lady and EliseMilnes 6th lady as the club claimed the ladies team prize.

On Saturday the race HQ moved to the Hare and Hounds at Old Town for the Reservoir Bogs race, a navigational test that saw several runners go astray and miss checkpoints.

First Harrier to finish was Ben Crowther in 8th, followed by Trevor Davies in 10th and Dave Collins in 12 place.

Elise Milnes, Issy Pollard and Maria Prescott crossed the line in quick succession for 6th, 7th and 8th placed ladies to win the team prize again.

On Sunday, the final race was the Tom Tittiman Fell Race, a 4 mile route up to High Brown Knowl and back.

Jon Wright finished in 4th place for Todmorden, with Trevor Davies in 14th and Ben Crowther in 17th place.

The ladies narrowly missed out on a third team prize to Keighley and Craven, with Lucy Hobbs in 5th, Elise Milnes in 8th and Sue Roberts finishing 9th lady.

Three Todmorden men successfully completed the series with Ben Crowther 8th, Trevor Davies in 9th and Dave Collins in 10th. Elise Milnes finished 3rd lady for the series.

Great Lakes Run

Todmorden Harriers were faced with testing conditions at the Great Lakes Run, which formed the third round of this year’s English Fell Championships on Saturday.


With driving rain, raging rivers to cross and summits shrouded in cloud runners were faced with considerable additional challenges, to that of the tough 21 kilometre course that crossed several Lakeland peaks including Scafell and Scafell Pike totalling over 2000 metres of ascent.

Lauren Jeska seemed little affected by the conditions as she not only finished first lady, but broke the course record as well, completing the course in 3:28:38 and 40th overall of the 273 finishers.

Sean Carey was the first Todmorden man over the line in 71st with Geoff Read in 112th place.

Lucy Burnett finished 10th lady, and 118th overall, and Jane Leonard finished 14th lady to lift the ladies into 2nd place on the day.

Todmorden Results: 40 Lauren Jeska 3:28:38; 71 Sean Carey 3:52:10; 112 Geoff Read 4:17:45; 118 Lucy Burnett 4:19:49; 126 Nick Barber 4:24:36; 126 Dwaine Dixon 4:24:36; 128 John Lloyd 4:24:38; 147 Phil Hodgson 4:33:41; 150 Jane Leonard 4:37:23; 177 Mark Whitaker 5:02:28; 210 Sue Roberts 5:39:06; 229 Helen Hodgkinson 5:49:15; 247 Fiona Armer 6:03:51; 247 Mandy Goth 6:03:51.

Hebden Bridge Fell Race | Naden Valley Trail

The Hebden Bridge Fell Race was held under heavy rain on Thursday evening, with the number of runners vastly down on last year’s record turnout.


For race organiser Andrew Bibby it capped a busy week, after he had successfully completed the Joss Naylor Challenge the previous weekend.

Joss’s challenge involves climbing 30 Lakeland peaks, crossing some 48 miles of mountain terrain and ascending nearly 17000 feet within a set time limit. The run starts in Pooley Bridge, Ullswater and finishes at Greendale Bridge, Wasdale.

Back in Hebden, Andrew saw off 51 hardy runners taking on the 9.6 kilometre rain lashed route, which started and finished in Calder Holmes Park and included over 350m of climb as it looped around Erringdon Moor to the highest point at Stoodley Pike.

Calder Valley’s Ben Mounsey led the way to finish in 44:35, two minutes clear of team mate Alex Whittem.

Todmorden’s Dwane Dixon claimed third place, with Ivan Gee in sixth position and Marcel Ellison in 13th.

Jane Leonard led in a trio of Todmorden ladies for 5th, 6th and 7th ladies respectively, with Maria Prescott and Sue Roberts following her across the line after Julie Field of Stainland Lions had claimed the ladies win in 60:49.

Todmorden Results: 3 Dwane Dixon 46.5; 6 Ivan Gee 48.46; 13 Marcel Ellison 52.1; 20 Dave Collins 56.44; 22 Clive Greatorex 58.33; 27 Joe Daniels 61.12; 33 Jane Leonard 67.19; 34 David Leslie 68.59; 36 Maria Prescott 70.33; 38 Sue Roberts 73.1; 40 Peter Ehrhardt 74.19; 42 Fiona Armer 76.04.



In equally wet conditions, the Naden Valley 6 mile trail race at Norden formed the latest round in the club’s Trail Championship on Saturday.

The route featured over 300 metres of ascent across a variety of terrain from roads, tracks, fields and woodland paths, much of which were covered in water. With stiles and slippery wooden bridges to also contend with, runners had to keep their minds alert to stay on their feet.

John Lloyd showed no signs of tiredness following his recent performance at the Cork Marathon to finish in second place behind race winner Danny Walsh of Rossendale Harriers.

Paul Brannigan ran a well paced race to snatch third place on the last corner with Paul Hobbs finishing in 8th place, a result that makes him favourite to claim the crown of club trail champion, with two races remaining.

Dave Collins was the next Harrier to finish, winning the v55 prize in the process with Peter Ehrhardt also claiming first in the v65 category.

Todmorden Results: 2 John Lloyd 40:42; 3 Paul Brannigan 41:53; 8 Paul Hobbs 43:37; 22 Dave Collins 47:24; 28 Richard Butterwick 48:50; 37 Simon Galloway 51:10; 39 Phillip Cook 51:53; 51 Chris Drinkwater 58:12; 53 Peter Ehrhardt 58:38.

Wadsworth Jubilee Fell Race | Burnley parkrun

The Wadsworth Jubilee Fell Race suffered the worst of the weekend weather on Sunday, but that didn’t stop over 50 runners taking to the hills above Hebden Bridge.


The 5 mile course followed an anticlockwise loop up and around High Brown Knoll.

Calder Valley’s Tim Black won in a time of 30:54 ahead of Holmfirth’s Alistair Rees.

Ivan Gee was the first Todmorden runner in third place, with Paul Hobbs in fifth place.

Calder Valley’s Holly Page was the first lady in 34:47, with Todmorden’s Sue Roberts finishing fifth lady.

Todmorden Results: 3 Ivan Gee 32.50; 5 Paul Hobbs 34.22; 23 Lee McCluskey 40.24; 31 Phil Cook 42.05; 36 David Leslie 44.57; 42 Sue Roberts 48.35; 43 Peter Ehrhardt 48.40; 50 Reg Czudek 51.25.



In the earlier junior races, two Todmorden runners Jack Crummett and Henry Antemes enjoyed a close battle in the U14 boy’s race with Jack eventually crossing the line ahead of his team mate.

Wadsworth Photos by Sally Baines...



On Saturday, eight Harriers attended the first Burnley parkrun event in Towneley Park. The venue is the latest addition to the parkrun family of free 5k runs that take place every Saturday at 9am.

First Harrier to finish in third place in a time of 17:17 was Robin Tuddenham, who then added a first place at the Jubilee parkrun at Wythenshawe Park on the Monday.

Dan Taylor was next to complete the distance in 16th, with Richard Butterwick in 22nd and Keith Parkinson in 40th position.

Andrea Marshall was the first of three Todmorden ladies, finishing in 75th place, ahead of Louise Abdy in 81st and Myra Wells 107th place.

Ian Stansfield finished in 110th of the 120 runners to complete the club’s contingent.

Saddleworth Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers enjoyed a taste of summer at the Saddleworth Fell Race on Sunday.


The 3 mile race quickly climbed from Greenfield up to the summit of Alderman Hill. A welcoming breeze provided some relief to the high temperatures on the traverse across the hill tops to the Pots and Pans stone.

Runners then plunged down a steep grassy bank to rejoin the upward route which they reversed back to the finish line at Tanners Mill.

Nick Barber led the way for the club with John Lloyd hot on his heels as they finished in 2nd and 3rd places respectively, behind winner Joe Crossfield of Halifax Harriers.

Dave Collins crossed the line in 12th place, with Richard Butterwick in 40th.

Helen Hodgkinson was the first Todmorden lady in 47th place, ahead of Helen Wilson in 52nd position.

Peter Marshall completed the turnout from the club with 56th position.



In the earlier junior races, Jack Crummett finished in 4th place in his age category, with Joseph and Jack Willis also running well in their races.


Woodentops Saddleworth Fell Race Photos... and here...

Wadsworth Jubilee Fell Race

Calderdale Way Relay | Pinhaw Trail race

On Sunday, Todmorden Harriers fielded three teams in the Calderdale Way Relay with the men’s team finishing in an excellent 4th place and the ladies team finishing 6th ladies team, just ahead of the mixed all stars team.


The 50 mile loop is split into six legs, each run by a pair of runners.

The men’s team got off to a solid start with Sean Carey and Nick Barber handing over in 5th place. Dwane Dixon and Andrew Wrench then moved the team up to 3rd position at the change over at Todmorden Sports Centre.

Trevor Davies and Paul Brannigan then edged the team up to 2nd place behind eventual winners Wharfedale Harriers on the mainly uphill leg 3 to Blackshawhead.

Paul Hobbs and Marcel Ellison on leg 4, and Ben Crowther and Dave Collins on leg 5, then faced stiff competition as Leeds City and Bingley Harriers posted fast times to relegate the club down to 4th position.

John Lloyd and Ivan Gee reduced the deficit on leg 6 as they finished in a total time of 6:36:01 and 4th overall.

The all stars team had held the advantage over the ladies team for the first three legs, before Lucy Hobbs and Hatty Nylan reduced the deficit by 12 minutes on leg 4 so that only a few seconds separated them.

Helen Wilson and Mandy Goth then overhauled the all stars on leg 5 to move the ladies ahead.

Ladies team captain Elise Milnes and Fiona Armer ran the final leg to take them to 60th overall in 8:46:25, with the all stars just one place behind in a total time of 8:57:55.


On Friday evening, the Pinhaw Trail Race featured in the club’s Trail Championship. The 5 mile multi terrain route started off on a farm track before crossing moorland. A short road section then led runners to the final moorland climb to Pinhaw Beacon, before returning the reverse route back to the finish.

Paul Hobbs was the first Todmorden runner to finish in 12th place, a minute ahead of Paul Brannigan in 16th. Dan Taylor won a close battle with Darren Tweed as they finished 24th and 27th respectively, separated by just 11 seconds.

Simon Galloway finished in 52nd place, holding off a late charge by Richard Butterwick who finished just 9 seconds behind in 54th position.

Richard Blakeley finished first v65, in 83rd place overall, followed by the first Todmorden lady Helen Hodgkinson with Julie Wyant completing the course in 100th position.

Todmorden Results: 12 Paul Hobbs 34:43; 16 Paul Brannigan 35:44; 24 Dan Taylor 36:32; 27 Darren Tweed 36:43; 52 Simon Galloway 40:03; 54 Richard Butterwick 40:12; 83 Richard Blakeley 44:11; 92 Helen Hodgkinson 47:27; 100 Julie Wyant 49:49.

Flower Scar Fell Race | Pendle Cloughs | Cake Race | Bluebell Trail

The Flower Scar Fell Race last Wednesday evening saw 130 runners tackle the 4 mile course, in fine and dry conditions, with Todmorden’s Lauren Jeska adding another course record to her collection.
 Calder Valley's Tim Ellis won in 29.33 comfortably ahead of clubmate Jason Stevens, with Todmorden's Andrew Wrench in third place.
 Despite a change to the start that lengthened the distance slightly, Lauren Jeska reduced the ladies course record by over a minute to 31:58. Calder's Helen Fines was second lady in 34:54 with Sarah Sarginson of Bowland Fell Runners in third position.


Todmorden Results: 3 Andrew Wrench 31.30; 5 Lauren Jeska 31.58; 8 Ivan Gee 33.07; 14 John Lloyd 34.08; 20 Marcel Ellison 35.14; 21 Paul Brannigan 35.37; 24 Darren Tweed 36.35; 28 Dan Taylor 36.53; 29 Robin Tuddenham 36.55; 34 Rob Gray 37.54; 35 Ben Crowther 37.55; 41 Dave Collins 39.26; 48 Michael Harper 40.07; 49 Simon Galloway 40.11; 52 Paul Alexander 40.39; 57 Derek Donohue 41.11; 58 Lee McCluskey 41.15; 70 Phil Cook 42.50; 76 Bev Holmes 43.23; 80 Richard Butterwick 43.54; 84 Andy Glyde 44.07; 89 Guy Whitmore 44.19; 94 Maria Prescott 45.04; 95 David Leslie 45.11; 97 Mick Howard 45.41; 98 Helen Hodgkinson 45.55; 99 Richard Blakeley 45.56; 101 Chris Drinkwater 46.46; 103 Ray Poulter 47.04; 105 Cath Shanley 47.24; 108 Andy Brookfield 48.21; 109 Peter Ehrhardt 48.22; 112 Sue Roberts 48.35; 114 Fiona Armer 49.13; 119 Peter Marshall 49.56; 120 Andrea Marshall 50.04; 125 Louise Abdy 54.14; 126 Julie Wyant 54.45; 129 David O'Neill 58.42.

On Saturday, Todmorden’s runners headed in different directions.



Marcel Ellison finished in 13th place in a time of 2:30:19 at the Pendle Cloughs Fell Race, a 14 mile race that requires runners to navigate themselves through 9 checkpoints in order.


Kevin Booth finished in 50th place, just ahead of Bev Holmes in 58th, and 5th lady.


Chris Drinkwater finished in 62nd, with Peter Ehrhardt completing the Todmorden contingent in 70th place.


Heading to the Saddleworth hills, a trio of Todmorden runners tackled the 10 mile Cake Race from Diggle, which attracted a record entry of 153 runners.


Dave Collins finished second v55, and 30th overall in 1:21:02 with Darren Graham just behind in 1:23:04 for 47th position.


Lucy Hobbs finished 5th lady with a time of 1:31:51.


On Sunday, the Bluebell Trail race attracted almost 400 runners to the outskirts of Halifax.


The course followed a 10.3 mile undulating route along trails, tracks and minor roads including a tough climb up Trooper Lane and a unique river crossing to finish.


Paul Hobbs led the way for the Harriers finishing in 21st position in 1:14:41.


Michael Harper completed the course in 72nd, with Mel Blackhurst in 126th and Paul Cruthers in 150th position.

Flower Scar Fell Race - FREE ENTRY

The Flower Scar Fell Race takes place on Wednesday 2nd May 2012.

Registration on the night is FREE - at the Hare & Hounds, Burnley Road, Todmorden.

The race starts at 7pm across the road at Todmorden High School.

The well flagged 4 mile route starts with a dash across Todmorden High School’s playing field before beginning the relentless climb up to Flower Scar Hill on grassy paths, muddy tracks and open moorland.

On turning at the summit the route takes a tussocky line down into the valley and then traverses a woodland path back, with a short sting in the tail climb above Robinwood to test tiring legs.

After hurdling the school wall, there's a final sprint across the field to the finish.

Flower Scar Route Map (Brown Line clockwise)

Further details on the Tod Harriers website.

Three Peaks Fell Race | Manchester Marathon

Todmorden Harriers faced two very different long distance challenges at the weekend.


On Saturday, five Harriers completed the classic Three Peaks Race. The 24 mile route took in the iconic Yorkshire peaks of Ingleborough, Pen Y Ghent and Whernside.

Nick Barber led the way for the club with Dwane Dixon keeping the pressure up all the way round as they finished in 3:38:13 and 3:46:51 respectively.

Peter Bowles completed the course in 4:13:51 with Andy McFie and Ben Crowther following over the line just seconds behind.



Almost 5000 runners braved the heavy rain and strong winds as the Manchester Marathon made a return on Sunday.

John Lloyd finished his first attempt at the marathon distance of 26.2 miles in a time of 2:55:31 for 38th position.

It was also a first marathon for Kevin Coughlan who completed the course in 3:40:41 with Mel Robertson finishing not far behind in 3:41:58, beating her London Marathon time from a year ago by over 30 minutes, to claim 5th vet50 female.

London Marathon | Boston Marathon | Ras Y Moelwyn

Two Todmorden Harriers joined the thousands at the London Marathon at the weekend.


John Medcalf and Jayne Williams both ran well paced efforts to finish in 3:34:55 and 3:45:21 respectively.



The previous Monday, Robin Tuddenham had undertaken the Boston Marathon in high temperatures that forced thousands of runners to drop out.

Robin showed great determination as he completed the course in 3:04:08.



Lauren Jeska continued her current record breaking pace this spring at the Ras Y Moelwyn Fell race, where she finished the 17km course in 1:28:31 to claim another ladies course record by 3 minutes.



Mel Siddall was also in fine form as she won her age group and finished 4th female overall at the Stonyhurst Triathlon, near Clitheroe, on Sunday. Lying in 6th position after the swim, Mel rode a strong cycle section to move up the standings, and finished with a solid run.



Also adding to the Todmorden club’s successes recently, were Mandy Goth and Sue Roberts who won the ladies score class at the two day Highlander Mountain Marathon.

London Marathon Live Tracking and Results 2012

Follow runners progress live, and results, from the Virgin London Marathon 2012  at the following link http://results-2012.virginlondonmarathon.com/2012/index.php?pid=start

Coledale Horseshoe | Wardle Skyline | Steve Rothwell Memorial 4

Lauren Jeska claimed a course record breaking victory, in the British and English Fell Running Championships, for Todmorden Harriers at the Coledale Horseshoe Fell Race on Saturday.


The 9 mile circular route from Braithwaite near Keswick featured over 3000’ feet of ascent.

Lauren reached the top of the main climb to Grisedale Pike, with just Sarah O’Neil of Hunters Bog Trotters for company.

After a brief respite with a short downhill section, the two runners then reached the highest point of the course at Crag Hill.

The pair stayed clear of the field on long descent back to the village, before Lauren was finally able to extend a winning lead on the final climb over Barrow, to complete the course in 1:22:40. That time was well inside the former course record and over half a minute ahead of second placed O’Neill, with Catriona Buchanan of Ochil heading the rest of the challengers a further three minutes behind.

Lucy Burnett was Todmorden’s next finisher in 31st with Jane Leonard in 70th position.

Todmorden Ladies results: 1 Lauren Jeska 1:22:40; 31 Lucy Burnett 1:39:01; 70 Jane Leonard 1:51:10; 77 Becca Marshall 1:52:34; 83 Melanie Blackhurst 1:55:19; 95 Helen Hodgkinson 1:59:47; 98 Fiona Armer 2:01:43; 119 Helen Wilson 2:13:13.



In the men’s race, Sean Carey had a fine run to finish in 71st position and 5th under 23 runner.

Dwane Dixon was the next to complete the course in 91st with John Lloyd in 132nd position.

Todmorden Men’s results: 71 Sean Carey 1:20:51; 91 Dwane Dixon 1:23:09; 132 John Lloyd 1:27:40; 192 Marcel Ellison 1:34:00; 211 Dave Collins 1:36:38; 251 Phil Hodgson 1:41:00; 310 Richard Leonard 1:51:21; 352 Chris Drinkwater 2:02:06; 358 Richard Blakeley 2:05:44; 371 David Wilson 2:21:26; 375 Peter Ehrhardt 2:23:46.



Closer to home on Saturday, a number of Harriers tackled the 7 mile Wardle Skyline Fell Race.

Todmorden Results: 33 Clive Greatorex 57:11; 40 Rob Gray 57:59; 55 Michael Harper 59:45; 60 Geoff Read 1:00:04; 75 Mick Craven 1:01:44; 98 James Riley 1:03:58.



On Wednesday evening, the focus was on the club’s Road Championship with the Steve Rothwell Memorial 4 mile road race near Rochdale.

John Lloyd set the pace from the off eventually finishing in 3rd place, with Nick Barber in 6th and Robin Tuddenham in 10th place.

Helen Wilson was the first Todmorden lady, followed by Mandy Goth.

Todmorden results: 3 John Lloyd 21:36; 6 Nick Barber 21:54; 10 Robin Tuddenham 22:37; 21 Paul Brannigan 23:52; 29 Darren Graham 24:39; 48 Joe Daniels 26:10; 51 Richard Butterwick 26:41; 72 Simon Galloway 28:16; 89 Richard Blackley 29:27; 105 Helen Wilson 31:47; 107 Nigel Hanson 32:02; 117 David Wilson 32:53; 124 Mandy Goth 33:42.

Caldervale 10 | Pendle Fell Race

Todmorden Harriers’ John Lloyd finished in second place for the second successive year at the Caldervale 10 mile road race, despite an impressive four minute improvement on his previous time.


The undulating race, near Garstang, formed the latest round of Todmorden Harriers’ Road Championship on Good Friday.

Last year’s winner Robin Tuddenham also improved his time but had to settle for 6th place on this occasion.

Trevor Davies finished in 22nd position, with Dan Taylor 50th and Joe Daniels in 74th place.

Simon Galloway bettered last year’s time by eight minutes for 85th place, with Peter Ehrhardt in 137th position.

Helen Wilson completed the course in 1:27:12 for 144th place, with Julie Wyant also recording a notable advance of three minutes on last year, for 154th position.

Todmorden Results: 2 John Lloyd 58:46; 6 Robin Tuddenham 59:55; 22 Trevor Davis 1:05:01; 50 Dan Taylor 1:11:09; 74 Joe Daniels 1:14:48; 85 Simon Galloway 1:16:45; 137 Peter Ehrhardt 1:25:49; 144 Helen Wilson 1:27:12; 154 Julie Wyant 1:30:38.



On Saturday several Harriers made the trip to Pendle Hill for the 4.5 mile short fell race.

Starting from Barley, the route takes runners part way to the summit, before a steep descent and a second climb back up the steep side of Big End, finishing with a fast descent back to the village.
Marcel Ellison led the way for the club with 48th place in a strong field as many used the race as a sharpener for next week’s British Championship race.

Dan Taylor shook off his efforts from the previous day for 131st just ahead of Mark Whitaker in 153rd.

Jane Leonard was the first Todmorden lady in 187th with Louise Abdy crossing the line for 250th position.

Todmorden Results: 48 Marcel Ellison 39:23; 131 Dan Taylor 46:34; 153 Mark Whitaker 48:02; 187 Jane E. Leonard 51:12; 250 Louise Abdy 1:01:53.

SportSunday Pendle Photos...

WhiteFlyer Photo's...

Bent & Bongs 10k | Midgley Moor Fell Race | Llantysilio Fell Race | Liver Hill Fell Race | Vera Hirst 5k

The arrival of Spring left Todmorden Harriers spoilt for choice with club members in action on many fronts.

The club's 2012 Trail Championship continued on Sunday with a new race at Astley, the Bent and Bongs 10k.

A four way battle to be the first Todmorden runner quickly developed with Simon Galloway heading the closely grouped quartet for the first 3 miles.

Richard Butterwick then took up the lead position, before Paul Brannigan made a decisive move at the 5 mile mark developing a significant gap to cross the line first from the club, and 27th overall.

Richard then held off a late challenge from Michael Harper as they finished 31st and 33rd respectively, with Simon Galloway in 40th position.

Helen Wilson was the only Todmorden woman, finishing in 84th place, just over a minute ahead of Peter Ehrhardt in 94th place.

Todmorden Results: 27 Paul Brannigan 42:33; 31 Richard Butterwick 43:23; 33 Michael Harper 43:37; 40 Simon Galloway 44:25; 84 Helen Wilson 50:49; 94 Peter Ehrhardt 51:55.

Myra's Bent and Bongs photos...

Steve Bateson's Bent and Bongs photos...

On Saturday, several Harriers tackled the Midgley Moor Fell Race organised by neighbouring Calder Valley Fell Runners.


Dave Collins and Clive Greatorex ran a close race, with Dave eventually edging ahead for 40th place in 47:11, and Clive following him over the line 13 seconds later.

Mick Craven finished the five mile course in 50:27 for 51st place followed by Richard Leonard in 69th.

Jane Leonard was the first Todmorden lady, ahead of Helen Hodgkinson.

Todmorden Results: 40 Dave Collins 47.11; 41 Clive Greatorex 47.24; 51 Mick Craven 50.27; 69 Richard Leonard 54.11; 83 Jane Leonard 56.14; 102 Helen Hodgkinson 60.03.


Lauren Jeska won the women's race and set a new course record by 3 minutes at the Llantysilio Fell Race in Wales.

On Tuesday several Harriers enjoyed a sunny evening at Marl Pits for the Liver Hill Fell Race.
Marcel Ellison finished in 11th place in 35:34, with Darren Graham a minute behind in 17th position.

Robert Gray completed the up and down course in 48th, with Simon Galloway in 68th position.
Elise Milnes crossed the line in 132nd and Graham Milnes was 162nd.

Todmorden Results: 11 Marcel Ellison 35:34; 17 Darren Graham 36:31; 48 Robert Gray 39:36; 68 Simon Gallaway 41:53; 132 Elise Milner 49:47; 162 Graham Milnes 57:23.


John Lloyd led the way for the Harriers at Vera Hirst 5k in Littleborough on Wednesday with his time of 17:01 taking him into 7th place, whilst Paul Hobbs finished in 14th position with 18:23.

Dan Taylor finished in 20:29 for 59th place, with Andy Glyde stopping the clock at 21:39 for 77th and Andrea Marshall in 128th with a time of 26:28.

Thirsk 10 | Wilmslow Half | Rivock Edge | Edale Skyline

Todmorden Harriers were in peak form with three personal bests recorded at the Thirsk 10 mile road race in North Yorkshire.


The race attracted a strong field of over 500 runners, and John Lloyd put in an excellent performance for 12th place and a new best time of 57:38.

Sarah Glyde was the first Todmorden lady in 200th place, also recording a new personal best for the distance of 1:12:40.

Lucy Hobbs was next over the line in 1:17:24, just ahead of Mel Robertson who stopped the clock at 1:18:23 for another personal best.

Nigel Hanson completed the Todmorden entry with a time of 1:26:08.



A pair of Harriers were in Wilmslow for the English Half Marathon Championships, with Robin Tuddenham recording 1:16:38 for 51st place out of over 4000 entrants.

Lauren Jeska finished 5th lady, and first v35, with a time of 1:19:32



Mick Craven was the lone Harrier at the Rivock Edge Fell Race, finishing the 6.5mile course in 41st place in 1:07:08.



Fiona Armer was also a sole Todmorden runner, this time at the Edale Skyline Fell Race where she recorded 5 hours 15 minutes for the tough 21 mile route.

Lads Leap [English Champs] | Heptonstall Fell Race | Cowm Reservoir 5k

Todmorden Harriers were out in force for the first race in the 2012 English Fell Championships on Saturday. The six race series began with the 6 mile Lad’s Leap Fell Race in the Peak District.

Lauren Jeska put up a strong start to the defence of her ladies title but had to settle for second place behind Bingley’s Emma Clayton.

The pair had quickly opened a gap to the rest of the field by the start of the first climb, and Emma held a small advantage until the halfway point.

Lauren then managed to take the lead on a steep descent but on the long climb back to Lad’s Leap rocks Emma regained the upper hand and pulled back in front.

Despite a strong final descent by Lauren to the finish at Crowden, she was unable to catch her rival.

The ladies team suffered a blow to the defence of their team title, as Chris Preston was forced to retire injured and Jane Leonard and Kath Brierley stopped to assist.

Lucy Burnett in 38th place and Sarah Warburton in 61st place were Todmorden’s other team counters as they were still able to score what may prove to be valuable points.

Todmorden Ladies Results: 2 Lauren Jeska 52.51; 38 Lucy Burnett 65.07; 61 Sarah Warburton 71.02; 66 Melanie Blackhurst 71.47; 91 Sue Roberts 79.26; 93 Helen Hodgkinson 79.43; 99 Moyra Parfitt 84.2; 100 Clare Duffield 84.2; 107 Jane Leonard 89.06; 108 Kath Brierley 89.06.

In the separate men’s race, Jon Wright led the way for the Harriers in 48th position. Dwane Dixon finished in 58th, with Sean Carey in 68th and John Lloyd in 78th position.

Todmorden Men’s Results: 48 Jonathan Wright 50.39; 58 Dwane Dixon 51.5; 68 Sean Carey 52.24; 78 John Lloyd 52.57; 156 Marcel Ellison 59.28; 209 Dave Collins 63.05; 220 Dan Taylor 64.07; 224 Phil Hodgson 64.19; 254 Mick Craven 68.34; 255 Mark Whitaker 68.39; 269 Richard Leonard 71.43; 285 Richard Blakeley 76.45; 288 Chris Drinkwater 78.45; 298 David Wilson 81.22; 302 Peter Ehrhardt 84.23.

Twelve Todmorden runners took on a more local challenge in the shape of the Heptonstall Fell Race on Sunday.

The race which is co-organised by a group of Todmorden Harriers and Calder Valley Fell Runners attracted over 170 runners to its 15 mile course.

Andy McFie was the first Todmorden runner back in 26th position in a time of 2:22:22, with Trevor Davies completing the route in 2:30:42 for 38th place.

New member Becca Marshall was the first Todmorden lady to finish just past the 3 hour mark to claim 9th lady finisher, with Hatty Nylan, 11th lady, a few minutes further back.

Todmorden Results: 25 Andy McFie 2:22:22; 38 Trevor Davies 2:30:42; 54 Darren Graham 2:35:39; 61 Darren Tweed 2:37:05; 75 David Baldaro 2:40:16; 88 Joe Daniels 2:45:32; 89 Dan Taylor 2:46:14; 123 Duncan Ritchie 2:57:23; 127 Phil Cook 2:59:04; 132 Becca Marshall 3:00:33; 135 Paul Cruthers 3:02:41; 138 Hatty Nylan 3:06:38.

SportSunday's Heptonstall photos...


Also enjoying the sunny conditions on Sunday were a quartet of Harriers at the Joe Ashcroft Memorial Cowm Reservoir 5k.

Richard Butterwick was the first Harrier to finish in 20:42 for 29th place, just ahead of Sarah Glyde in 33rd position, who was 5th lady on the day, in a time of 21:00.

Ray Poulter stopped the clock at 24:37 for 65th place, with Myra Wells finishing first v50 lady, and 92nd overall, in 28:52.

Steve Bateson's Cowm Photos...