Calder Valley Fell Runners’ Joe Crossfield was a clear-cut winner of Sunday’s annual Mytholmroyd Fell Race run by Halifax Harriers.
A field of 108 runners completed the six mile course over very muddy and wet terrain.
Crossfield clocked 48 minutes 46 seconds and finished 53 seconds clear of Pudsey and Bramley’s Ian Nixon with Wharfedale’s Christian Holmes seven seconds further back. Sally Newman made it a double for Calder Valley. She won the women’s race in a time of 58:34 and finished 25th overall. She was chased home, at a respectable distance, by Jan Smith from Ilkley (62:58) with another Calder Valley runner, Jackie Scarfe, in third.
Valley packed seven men in the top 22, with Mark O’Connor, Robert Paradise, Lee Shimwell, Jonathan Emberton, Simon Giles and Bill Johnson following Crossfield over the finish line. However, that still wasn’t enough to stop Wharfedale taking the men’s team prize . Calder Valley were not to be denied in the women’s equivalent, however.
Calder Valley results: 1: J.Crossfield 48.46; 8: M.O’Connor 52.35; 15: R.Paradise 54.48; 16: L.Shimwell 55.07; 19: J.Emberton 56.39; 20: S.Giles 56.43; 22: B.Johnson 57.04; 25: S.Newman 58.34; 45: N.Bolton 62.45; 60: M.Wardle 65.15; 61: J.Scarfe 65.24; 62: P.Taylor 66.23; 66: A.Thorpe 68.23; 67: D.Culpan 68.42; 70: J.Nunn 68.16; 76: R.Sutcliffe 70.27; 81: R.Johnston 71.53; 82: T.Sydes 72.11; 88: T.Murgatroyd 75.37; 93: A.Meek 78.06; 96: G.Davy 78.42; 98: L.Hayles 80.49; 100: C.Whetton 80.58