Tough conditions in Lakeland events

Calder Valley Fell Runners – 4^th October 2021

Hodgson Brothers Relay.

Held in Patterdale every year the Hodgson Brothers Relay is one of the most prestigious relays in the Fell Running year. As it is also a couple of weeks before the British Fell And Hill Running relays, it’s a good preview to see which teams are running well and gives the captains a chance to fine tune their teams. It is a four leg, paired relay running out of Patterdale at the head of Ullswater visiting Angle Tarn, High Street, Kirkstone Pass, Red Screes, Cofa Pike and St. Sunday Crag before returning to Patterdale.

Giant Chris and tiny Andy at Hodgson relay

Calder Valley Fell Runners entered a men’s and women’s team, the first time in a few years a women’s team has been gathered. The men’s pair of Martin Howard and Alex Whittam were in 4^th place after the first leg, with Chris Holdsworth and Andy Worster gaining a place to put them in third by Kirkstone Pass. However, by the finish CVRF were in 4^th place, nine minutes behind winners, Keswick, Ambleside and Carnethy.

A very happy ladies team after completing a tough Hodgson Relay

The CVFR women’s team were 8^th with Helm Hill taking the win, Natasha Butterfield and Jill Convey putting in a good time on the first leg for Calder.

Read More

English Schools Fell Running Championship

Seven CVRF junior members represented their schools at the prestigious 13th English Schools Fell Running Championships held on 26th September 2021 at Sedbergh School Cumbria. Fell runners from across the country competed in this keenly contested championship race. The course including a challenging steep ascent were runners could be seen winding up the open fell above Sedbergh.

Clare McKee (Calder High) ran a fantastic race and stormed into first place winning both the Year 7 and Year 7 girls race. Joseph Stone (Ryburn School) came 10th Noah de Wit (Calder High) came 39th and Ted Parker (Ryburn School) came 71st in the Year 7 race.

Thomas McKee came in 13th and Wynn Standish came 62nd in a competitive field of 131 runners in the year 8/9 race. Year 11/12 saw James Aitken have a solid run.

The prizes were presented by well-known fell runner Nicky Spinks.

Castle Carr

One of the few AL fell races in the Pennines, the Castle Carr Fell Race takes in 15 miles of some of the Calder Valley’s less visited moorlands and wooded valleys. The route includes running twice through the grounds of the Castle Carr estate, past the famous fountain and the ruins of the old hall. The private estate allowed access for the race thanks to the generosity of the farmers, the Scholefields. Thanks are due to all the local landowners for their helpfulness, particularly the resident who noted that some of the bamboo canes used to guide the runners through some of the enclosed fields had been removed. He took it on himself to guide the runners on the correct course.

Winning team with RO Bill Johnson smiling in the background

Calder Valley’s Gavin Mullholland won the race, despite a last minute entry. He completed the course in 2 hours 23 minutes and 33 seconds. The unattached Oliver Barnes was second, some nine minutes behind Mullholland, followed by Calder’s Kevin Hoult in third. Phil Wells was third counter for winning team .

The only other local race of similar difficulty is the always popular Tour of Pendle. Castle Carr gives a much purer fell running experience with a smaller field and the opportunity to run in areas that are usually out of bounds.

Turner Landscape

This race was rescheduled from the summer when it was postponed because of the risk of thunderstorms. The race starts in the Duddon Valley at Turner Hall Farm. It’s an exhilarating route climbing up to the fells of Grey Friars and over to Swirl How before a level(ish) run to the Old Man of Coniston, standing at 803m. Runners then cover some rocky ground over Dow Crag to the final high point, White Pike, before dropping to the finish fields.

The clag was down, the rain was heavy and the wind was high throughout the race last Saturday meaning careful navigation and good fell sense were needed.

Calder’s Andy Ford was joint winner in a time of 2 hours and 14 seconds with William Reed (unattached). Andy said “Will had sped off from the start Reservoir and I figured I could stop him opening a gap without going too hard. He kept looking back so I thought I had the legs to get him.

I caught him by Seathwaite Reservoir then dropped him going up Grey Friar. I had to stop to get the map out in the clag which slowed me (plus hanging on to the map in 40 to 50mph winds) and I slightly overshot the checkpoint. I’d taken a wrong turn and he’d come down quickly and seen me, shouted me back and had all the lines as he’s a local. After Swirl How we opted to stick together and just get round as the weather was so bad; the race organiser did say afterward he probably should’ve run the bad weather route.

Around Dow Crag we discussed crossing the line together and sharing it given the conditions and we had a big lead over anyone else. He’d had a couple of falls too and bashed himself up so he did the navigation and I did the ‘keeping us moving well’. After Dow Crag we had a steady run in and jogged it over the line, still with a good lead over the next group.”

British Orienteering Championships

Two Calder Valley Fell Runners won national Orienteering prizes last weekend. Alistair Pedley won the U21 British Long Championship running for his Edinburgh University Club. Jonathan Emberton won the M60 British Long Championship running for East Pennine Orienteering Club, followed by winning the M60 National Middle Distance race on Sunday. Jonathan was also 6th V60 in the four races of this year’s English Fell Running Championships. The orienteering courses were set on sand dunes at Braunton on the Devon coast, proving the runners’ talents on various terrain.

Calder Valley Fell Runners

The home of fell running in Calderdale

– CALDER VALLEY NEWS REPORTER: tim brooks