With most of the snow melting away from the surrounding moorland last week this year's fell racing calendar began in earnest and a large number of Calder Valley's hardy fell runners celebrated the thaw by turning out to race in a couple of local events.
First off was Saturday's Hebden race, which as a Long Distance Walker's Association event caters for runners and walkers alike. The race is also run over two distances with participants able to choose between a tough 22 mile course and a slightly eas
ier 14 mile route.
In the long race the first Calder runner home and first lady overall was club captain and local girl Jo Waites who covered the hilly off-road circuit in a fantastic 3:40, just seven minutes behind the first man.
Paul Biddulph was next Calder runner to complete the long challenge in an excellent 3:47. Clare Kenny, Jon Underwood, Stephen Grimley, Charlie Boyce and Linda Murgatroyd were the other Calder Valley runners who chose to tackle the longer running event. All the Calder runners that did compete certainly made the most of the unseasonable sunshine as none of them elected to compete in the shorter event!
On Sunday 300 runners braved very wet conditions underfoot in the annual Soreen Stanbury Splash Fell Race, which starts in Haworth's Penistone country park and ends in a prize-giving where the lucky race winners are rewarded with huge quantities of malt-loaf to take home.
This seven-mile race goes over Haworth moor to Stanbury and back via a few stream crossings, which gives the race its "splash". Local hero Ian Holmes of Bingley Harriers continues to rewrite the history books with an astonishing 14th victory in succession (43:17), just out-sprinting Pudsey and Bramley's ever-improving Graham Pearce (43:34), with third-placed Ilkley runner Tom Adams two minutes adrift in third.
First lady was Keighley and Craven's Helen Glover, with Pudsey's Karen Pickles second and Calder Valley's Anne Johnson third lady and first V40.
CVFR Results: Ben Frechette (54:05), Kevin Hoult (54:58), Anne Johnson (57:38), Martin Huddlestone (58:55), Jim Mosley (59:57),Matt Flanaghan (60:06), Martin Whitehead (63:02), Mick Banks (71:19), John Nunn (71;21), Graeme Cowling (76:32)
