Harriers thrive in gruelling weekend of racing
THE Harriers were spoilt for choice over the weekend with both fell, road and trail races on offer and some even took up the opportunity to compete on all three surfaces in the Rochdale Harriers Three Day Event, a gruelling weekend of running.
Several Harriers went over to Barnoldswick to take part in the Weets fell race, a fixture that dates back to 1971, although the course has changed over the years and it’s now run over 5.5 miles with 1804 feet of ascent.
It’s also the fifth race in the Burnley & Pendle Grand Prix this year so it attracted a field of 130 runners. Will Curry has been training and racing well recently and on Saturday it paid off as he finished second to Barlick’s Tom Corrigan, an impressive result for the youngster.
Stephen Corbishley was fourth just over a minute behind Curry and Joe Hopley just made the top ten a further minute and a half later.
Thornton Taylor was first MV65 and Jo Wells and Hannah Goldswain were sixth and seventh ladies in 56th and 60th places.
Andy Mellor has made an impact since joining Rossendale from Bury less than a year ago and on Sunday he took his first win as a Harrier in the
Edgworth 10K Reservoir Challenge after 37mins 10secs of running and
with almost a minute and a half to spare.
The Rochdale Harriers Three Day Event offers three six mile races, a road race on Friday evening, a multi terrain race on Saturday and a fell race on Sunday.
Friday evening’s race starts in Norden and climbs for almost two miles up to Ashworth reservoir before descending down the Ashworth Valley and then follows an undulating route back to Norden.
Jon Cleaver ran impressively to take third place and first veteran behind Prestwich athlete Martin Clark and Salford’s Joe Bailey.
Alex Frost had a good run to finish in 18th place in a field of 72 runners and Anne-Marie Hindle was second lady in 21st place followed by Jo Wells and Andrew Lee in 25th and 26th positions.
Four Harriers turned out on Saturday in the second race of the series, the Naden Valley six miler and Anne-Marie Hindle, finishing an impressive fifth overall in a field of 30, almost all of them veterans, was the best of Rossendale’s runners. Andrew Lee was 12th, Peter O’Gorman 21st, and Davina Raidy 28th.
After Sunday’s Knowl Hill fell race Anne-Marie Hindle, Davina Raidy and Andy Lee were the only Harriers to complete all three in the series and all claimed their veteran categories and in AnneMarie’s case the overall female title.
Both male and female team awards went to the Harriers with Ashley Holt sixth, Ian Duffy seventh, Paul Young 14th and for the women Anne-Marie Hindle 25th, Michelle Young 59th and Davina Raidy 70th.
Earlier in the week on Thursday evening in the Clowbridge 5K Ben Kirkman cruised around the course to take an easy win but for the juniors it was a much more serious occasion as their races were part of the Junior Burnley & Pendle Grand Prix.
In the U11 and U13 race Charlie Dobson finished in third place, Harry Hopkinson was first U11 in fourth spot, Alice Carr was fifth, Holly Nicholls sixth, Ruby Cleaver ninth, Iona Bell 15th, Harry Walker 17th, Arthur Grenfell 18th, Evie Halliwell 27th, Millie Ellison 33rd, Rosie Bacon 38th and Toby Steel 39th.
In the U15 and U17 race Alfie Walker was second U15 boy and third overall.