Calder Valley runner Brooks navigates the moors to lead the club’s challenge
FOUR CALDER Valley Fell Runners travelled to Saddleworth for the fourth and final race in the Kong Mini-Mountain Marathon series last weekend.
With the controls ranging across the featureless moors south and east of Dovestones, there was plenty of route choice and accurate navigation was essential.
Tim Brooks was the first Calder runner in 31st place overall with 471 points, finishing just ahead of Rob Rawlinson in 33rd with 460.
Although Rawlinson was back within the four-hour time limit, Tim pushed to six minutes over time to get an extra 20 points with a nine-point penalty. This result also gave Brooks second place in the V40 series.
Neil Talbot, of Ambleside, amassed 758 points to take victory.
Simon Fisher registered 297 points in 131st place after struggling to find a couple of 40-point controls.
Prizes for the longest run went to Jim Mosley who covered nearly 19 miles going for the big points around the Crowden Valley. Unfortunately, the terrain and miles of tussocks caught him out and he lost all of his 510 points by returning one hour and 38 minutes late.
The second race of four in the Peak Raid 3 series of three-hour score events also took place last Sunday.
Setting off from Great Longstone in Derbyshire, the controls were across the fields and limestone valleys of the Peak District, including Cressbrook Dale and Monsal Dale.
Eight Calder runners took part and Iain Powell had a superb run coming in seventh place and second V40 with 395 points.
Ben Frechette also had a cracking run in eighth place with the same number of points as Powell but 38 seconds behind.
In what turned out to be a fiercely competitive race, Loughborough’s Philip Vokes was first with 490 points.
Jim Mosley will have been much happier with this week’s result, having finished 29th and nearly four minutes inside the three-hour limit.
Linda Hales represented the Calder Valley women with 220 points and third place in the V60 ranks.