Calderdale Way Relay Race and more, 2023
24th May 2023
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THE WEEKEND OF 20/21st May, 2023 was definitely a busy weekend for the Harriers, as 24 of them ran the Calderdale Way Relay race on Sunday in two teams of 12, a mixed team (half men, half women) and an open team. The Calderdale Way Relay is billed as Britain’s biggest club run off road event. It is 51.39 miles in length, split into six legs of varying length from 4.92 miles (leg 3), up to 10.6 miles (leg 6). Two runners from each team, run one leg each, handing over a baton at each leg changeover point.
The race starts at West Vale near Elland, finishing at the Spring Hall Athletics track in Halifax, with a total of 100 teams competing in the race. So it’s a credit to Harrier’s two organisers, John Mayall and Mark Walker, getting two teams together to run in the event. It can be extremely nerve wracking organising teams for such an event, starting off with loads of volunteers and then slowly losing people due to injuries etc, until the night before, when panic sets in, you are down to the exact number required and you hope everybody turns up the next day. So well done guys.
The two Rochdale Harriers teams and their results were as follows:
Mixed Team No 57 (8:46:31, 43rd)
Leg 1 Richard Stirzaker and David Parton (1:28:18, 27th)
Leg 2 Kay Welsby and John Bramwell (1:17:01, 24th)
Leg 3 Molly Howell and Jennie Ransome (1:00:53, 60th)
Leg 4 Jenny Brown and Juliet Smith (1:40:30, 41st)
Leg 5 Jeff McCarthy and Andrew Martin (1:18:34, 1:18:34, 39th)
Leg 6 Jill Butterworth and Brian Moore (2:01:15, 71st)
Open Team No 58 (9:42:01, 58th)
Leg 1 Mark Walker and Nick Walsh (1:52:54, 62nd)
Leg 2 Chris Gee and Claire Dignan (1:42:05, 68th)
Leg 3 Bryony Sherry and Declan Harrison (1:05:36, 69th)
Leg 4 Jonathan Lupton and Leon Aston (1:43:39, 47th)
Leg 5 Matt Cox and Dan Merlo (1:30:02, 62nd)
Leg 6 David Bull and John Mayall (1:47:45, 53rd)
The mixed team finished in 43rd position and the open team in 58th position.
Meanwhile another group of Harriers headed to Manchester to run in the Manchester Great Run 10k and Half Marathon. Both races starting in Portland Street and finishing on Deansgate in Castlefields. The 10k heads out to the Imperial War Museum, returning via the Old Trafford Football Stadium, back down the Chester Road to the city centre. The Half Marathon follows the same route, then heads out to the Etihad Stadium, before returning to the city centre. A total of seven Harriers took part, five in the 10k and two in the Half Marathon.
First Harrier home in the 10k was Isabel Brandon, in a time of 43m 44 secs, followed by Sean Lindsey, 45m 32s, Megan Hooson, 57m 48s, Tom Mitchell, 58m 05s and Jane Walton in 1hr 15m 22s.
In the Half Marathon, Kevin Holland finished in 1hr 29m 19s, with Julie Smith taking 2hrs 30m to complete due to having a bad knee injury.
Finally one Harrier travelled to the beautiful city of Chester to run the Chester Half Marathon. A wonderful course starting at Chester Racecourse and finishing outside the Town Hall and Cathedral. Danny Bennett, said Harrier, finished in a very creditable 1hr 18m 33 secs, in 55th position, being the 4th VET50 home.