Harriers Show that Variety is the Spice of Life

The week ending 26th July 2026 saw Rochdale Harriers members competing across trail, track, road and fell races, with a personal ultra run thrown in – proving the idiom that variety is the spice of life.

Two Rochdale Harriers made their way last Wednesday evening over to Daisy Nook, Ashton-under-Lyne for the Black Knight Charge 6-mile trail race. This was a challenging trail race, taking in the surroundings of the Medlock Valley, following the tracks and paths of Daisy Nook. A strong turnout of 184 participants competed in the race. Phil Lockett was first back for Rochdale Harriers, in a time of 41 mins 54 secs, finishing in a very creditable 24th position in the race overall. Jenny Grindrod finished in 1 hour 5 mins 54 secs, as 50th lady. The race’s frankly daunting Black Knights name takes its cue from the badge of East Cheshire Harriers, the race organisers.

The weekend then saw club members competing across track, road, and fell events – showcasing the variety in disciplines on offer and the platform the club gives to individuals to pursue their interests.

For RHAC Ladies Captain Juliet Smith it was a busy weekend of Track events. On Saturday, Juliet represented her second claim club (Northern Masters Running Club, “NMRC”)) at the Mid Lancs League at Bury Athletic. In a field of six Senior ladies, Juliet finished 2nd in the 3,000m in a time of 12 mins 13.1 secs, in what were humid and windy conditions. The following day Juliet represented Rochdale Harriers in a ‘NMRC Members only’ Track and Field Championship event in Stretford. In a field of 3 ladies running the 1,500m race, Juliet placed 2nd, and 1st FV50, posting a time of 5 mins 38 secs. Such a strong representation from Juliet over the two days, and again, facing windy conditions on the Sunday.

Onto the road and Michael Williams travelled over to Lincolnshire on Saturday to race in the Heckington 10 Mile Road Race, which is one of the oldest road races in the Midlands region. Michael achieved a time of 1 hr 38 mins 35 secs, in what were undoubtedly warmer conditions than on the western side of the Pennines.

On Sunday, Sean Farnsworth competed in his first 10-miler, the West Cheshire 10 mile race in Chester. Sean’s target was to finish in a time below 1 hr 30 and he achieved this with time to spare, finishing in 1 hr 27 mins 54 secs.

In the fell running calendar, Saturday saw the Saddleworth village of Greenfield play host to a ‘counter’ race in the prestigious English Fell Running Championships, namely Alderman’s Ascent. This race is a testing and technical 5-mile route with what can only be described as memorable ascents and descents. The route really packed an awful lot into its 5 miles, not least more than 1,600 ft of climbing! A classic fell race course, the route takes in the iconic ‘Pots and Pans’ monument, Shaw Rocks and Alderman’s Hill. As a counter in the national championships, the race attracted the best fell runners from around the country. Such an occasion affords us more modest runners a glimpse into the performance of the very best. Pete Butterworth and Chris Gee represented Rochdale in the race, with Pete coming in at 1 hr 2 mins, placing 235th and Chris coming in at 1 hr 12 mins, placing 274th in a top-quality field of 301.

Away from racing, three Harriers embarked on a seriously impressive personal challenge on Saturday to complete the Welsh 3000s unsupported. This was a 32.8 mile run with 14,114 ft of elevation. Kay Welsby, Dave Parton and Jake Warwick were up before first light on Saturday morning to start this challenge in Snowdon, North Wales at 5.30am. The challenge involves reaching the summit of all 15 mountains in Wales that reach 3,000ft or higher within a 24-hour time window. Kay, Dave and Jake started the route at Pen Y Pass and finished at the summit of Foel Fras. A bright start to the morning rewarded our three ultra runners with superb views of the Snowdon landscape. The weather then decided to turn, as it so often does on mountainous terrain, as clouds and rain swept in, making visibility almost non-existent at times. You can imagine the challenge of scrambling over wet rock in pouring rain. Such a formidable prospect and an amazing achievement. Kay, Dave and Jake completed the peak-to-peak section (Snowdon to Foel Fras) in 11 hr 09 min 53 sec. You can read the full report here.