Race 5 of the Tod Harriers Grand Prix was this local gem of a race – a deceptively short and simple lap of Midgley Moor starting and finishing in Booth. However the large navigational element meant that you needed to have done your homework to know where you were going. (Naming no names, but see full results for the “dog ate my homework” culprits coming in suspiciously close behind a fellow clubmate…)
How to describe conditions on Sunday? Well, when a near-river was pouring down the track into the cricket club car park, and a similar torrent down the field next to the start, it was clear those runners who were avoiding the puddles whilst warming up were just delaying the inevitable. Indeed several sections of the moor would have been better traversed by boat.
With Martin Howard and Andrew Worster battling it out up front, the Toddie tussle was for 3rd place…and what a tussle it was. Dom Leckie was first to Sheepstones Trig, but then wandered off course allowing Duncan Cannon and Dan Taylor to steal a march heading off Dimmin Dale. After the drop down to Wood Lane and climb back up to the moor at Ferney Lee, all three were neck-and neck. The threesome fanned out for the last navigation stretch across the moor, choosing their lines, until Dan Taylor made a move for control, finding another gear to leave Dom and Duncan in his wake with no let-up down the fields to the finish. A great 3rd place for Dan and not a gurn in sight.
Notable mentions also go to Dave Garner and Michelle Fuller as 1st male and female V50 (1st V50 couple?) and really for all 20 runners for splashing round the course and making it back in one piece.
Full Toddie results:
3rd Dan Taylor 48:30 (1st V40)
4th Dom Leckie 48:43
5th Duncan Cannon 49:19
9th Chris Goddard 51:06
11th Dave Garner 53:23 (1st V50)
12th Aaron Hargreaves 53:32
15th Ricky Parrish 54:35
16th Chris Dewhirst 54:43
19th Dave Weedon 56:34
22nd Mick Cooper 61:00
23rd Stuart Wolstenholme 61:04
29th Joe Mountain 63:01
32nd Mark Tempest 64:50
36th Richard Butterwick 66:19
37th Sam Lund 66:40
38th Chris Pickens 66:46
47th Heather Rostron 75:23
52nd Michelle Fuller 77:32 (1st WV50)
62nd Andrew Bibby 89:57
65th Helen Tipping 105:18
