It was over the M62 to Marsden for the Ian Roberts Memorial fell race, the fourth counter in Tod Harriers’ fell championships. Conditions were good with firm ground on a sunny day making this a very runnable 6.5-miler, the only real steep bit being the ascent of Pule Hill.
There were 18 Harriers running, with Dom Leckie first home in 7th overall. You sometimes hear people hear “he’s fast – has he got a train to catch?” in jest, but actually Dom did have a train to catch, at 12:09. With the race starting at 11am, and the station a mile past the finish line, this added an element of jeopardy which no doubt spurred him round, finishing in just over 52 minutes, to give him a leisurely 16 minutes to grab his bag and jog across to the station – easy.
Coming home just behind Dom was Chris Kay in 9th in a really impressive performance, probably his best in a Tod vest. Dave Garner was 2nd V50 in 20th overall and there were good performances throughout, including Michelle Fuller who has completed 8 from 8 Grand Prix races and so becomes the first person to qualify for the club’s Grand Prix this year – well done Michelle!
Full Todmorden results:
7 Dom Leckie 52:20
9 Chris Kay 52:55
16 Dan Taylor 56:08
17 Chris Goddard 56:25
20 Dave Garner 57:08
23 Chris Dewhirst 57:42
32 Pete Rolls 61:08
37 Stuart Wolstenholme 62:37
39 Dave Collins 63:11
40 Richard Butterwick 63:22
44 Dave Weedon 64:02
46 Joe Mountain 64:26
56 Chris Pickens 68:43
76 Simon Anderton 74:34
87 Heather Rostron 76:42
92 Michelle Fuller 79:39
104 Katy May 87:15
116 Mark Wisbey 103:08
(Photo: Dave Garner, Chris Goddard – from “Mozzy Steve Frith” on Flickr)