Tigger happy Hebden’ers

Calder Valley Fell Runners – 29 January 2024

Tigger Tor

On Sunday the 28th of January the Tigger Tor Fell race took place with Rebecca Di-Luzio 7th woman and Cass Chisholm 9th woman. The race starts in Ringinglow on the edge of Sheffield and dives straight into some classic Dark Peak peat bogs and gritstone terrain. Both women had fantastic runs and Rebecca once again “Bloody loved it”.

Rebecca and Cass battle it out. Credit Totley AC

The race is based at the Norfolk Arms in Ringinglow, and the start and finish are along Houndkirk Road (the roman road). As a result the whole of the course is now on off-road tracks and fell. The race involves reaching 11 checkpoints in order via an un-marked route over Houndkirk Moor, Burbage Moor and Hathersage Moor. Landmarks include Burbage Edge, Higger Tor, Winyards Nick, Toad’s Mouth (at the top of Padley Gorge near Fox House) Carl Wark & Houndkirk Hill providing some of the most beautiful scenery the Peak District has to offer. On race day the race has exclusive use of the Norfolk Arms heated marquee for registration and results. The Tigger Tor race is not only a relatively ‘tough’ fell race with some difficult terrain, but it is also subject to the winter weather. Temperatures on the day have regularly been well below zero on the moors and this is even before the effects of the wind chill. The course is unmarked so there is also an element of navigating using a map and compass.

Pos Name Cat Time    
9th woman Rebecca Di-Luzio 4th WV40 1.24.42    
11th woman Cass Chisholm  5th WV40 1:25:33    

Hebden 15 and 22

The weekend also so the ever popular Hebden 15 and Hebden 22 which is a stunning tour of the Upper Calder Valley which you can walk, run or race. Raymond Kelly gives us a runner eye view in this report, ‘As with most races I take part in I turned up to the Hebden feeling slightly underprepared; and a bit worried because my last long race (which was two miles shorter than this) almost killed me. But all went well. There’s always a great atmosphere on the Hebden – everyone seems to be quite relaxed in their approach.  Due to a fallen tree in recent storms a route change saw 500 people politely waiting their turn to cross a style at Brearley. It turned out to be quite an effective way of stretching out the pack, as after that there was plenty of space on the route for everyone. The weather was ideal and I was particularly pleased to arrive at the 11-mile checkpoint to find copious amounts of home made brownies and other treats on offer: just what I needed. It was the perfect fuel for the last third of the 15-mile route. A great day out and brilliantly organised.

The turbo twin and Maxie enjoying the ’22

Hebden 22 CVFR results

Pos Name Time
3rd Kevin Hoult 3:29:41
4th James Mountain 3:32:41
33rd Phil Wells 4:02:33
45th Natasha Butterfield 4:11:31
46th Susannah Richardson 4:11:37
52nd Helen Buchan 4:17:16
70th Fiona Lynch 4:27:31
85th Stuart Russell 4:37:05
99th Emily Ledder 4:49:06
107th Toni Bradley 5:03:13
110th Francis Wooff 5:10:00
129th Lee Jackson 5:38:51
142nd Genevieve Thompson 6:10:20

Raymond at the Hebden 15. Credit James Williams

Hebden 15 CVFR Results

8th Mark Taylor 2.41.59
11th James Cooke 2:48:19
17th Maxie Scheske 2:57:16
27th Christina Turner 3:13:42
28th Ian Davies 3:13:46
34th Ben Dunning 3:23:12
51st Kate Pope 3:30:39
52nd Gloria Ayuso 3:30:42
72nd Raymond Kelly 3:41:59
74th Michael Brown 3:46:46
75th Iain Conley 3:47:08
78th Elina Eady 3:50:02
87th Liz Lloyd 3:59:13
88th Carolyn Shimwell 3:59:19
119th Tamsin Cooke 4:29:44
127th Dominic Camponi 4:31:40

CALDER VALLEY NEWS REPORTER: toby sydes

Spine tingling successes

Calder Valley Fell Runners – 22 January 2024

Calder Valley runners celebrate all the fun of the fells and enjoy a strong start to the year in races across the UK

From racing in West Yorkshire and beyond, to Spine bothering Dougie, the ultra-legend, and partying at the CVFR Awards presentation CVFR have successfully turned the January winter blues red and white by taking on races country wide. This included the UK’s most brutal ultra race and enjoying success in other fell races. The week culminated in a fabulous celebration of all that’s great about CVFR with the awards presentation evening at Vocation in Halifax: the winners, adventurers, wallys and nav cock-ups of 2023 were celebrated fondly and proceedings were washed down with lashings of booze, pizza, friendship and frivolity on Saturday evening – a lot of time was spent together this weekend!

Club members celebrate the achievements of 2023 at Vocation in Halifax. Credit George Kettlewell and Marc Collett

Dougie digs deep for fourth place at The Spine

Following the exceptional runs by CVFR members Paul Haigh, Oliver Beaumont and Paul Taylor at Britain’s most brutal “fun runs,” the Spine Challengers, CVFR ultra legend Dougie Zinis completed longest of the Spine winter series races: The Spine.

Dougie Zinis completes the Spine. Credit Wild Aperture Photography

This endurance event offers 268 miles of non-stop, expedition style racing along the Pennine Way and attracts many big names from the ultra running world. This year was exceptional and saw a strong field of runners smash previous finish times by over ten hours. Known as a Spine legend far and wide, CVFR member Dougie Zinis maintained a strong sense of purpose throughout the race, climbed 14,579 meters of ascent and achieved a finish time of 87:48:47, taking fourth place. Of his achievement Dougie commented afterwards, “Over a 9 hour personal best in a line-up that made me think top ten would be good. I’m one happy man.”

Marc Collett pips all the runners to the pike in his first ever win

In his first ever win at any running race, Marc Collett took first prize at the winter handicap on Saturday 20 January. The lure of storm conditions, 50mph winds and a potent mixture of ice, snow, partially thawed bogs and horizontal rain ensured a high turnout for the annual club winter handicap: a 5 mile dash to Stoodley Pike and back.

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The Spinal Countdown

Calder Valley Fell Runners – 16 January 2024

It’s mid-January, everyone’s favourite time of year to pick two far-flung points somewhere in the Pennines and navigate between them across hill, bog and ice.

Perhaps you’d choose the 21-mile Trigger race, crossing the Peak District from Marsden to Edale? Or maybe to really stretch your legs, the 108-mile Spine Challenger South? Read on to discover how various CVFR adventurers got on in each of these events.

Still too easy? There’s always the full 268-mile Spine Race, where at the time of writing Dougie Zinis is pressing on amid rapidly deteriorating weather conditions – look out for news of his progress in next week’s report.

Spine Challenger South

The Spine Challenger South is a non-stop, 108 mile race along the Pennine Way. Competitors have a time limit of 60 hours to get from Edale in the Peak District to the finish at Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. The challenging and technical route is physically and psychologically demanding, not least when attempted in the depths of winter with only 8 hours per day of daylight, and carrying around 7kg of kit.

CVFR’s Paul Haigh, Paul Taylor and Oliver Beaumont all completed this year’s event.

Paul Haigh is becoming something of a specialist in 100-mile ultras, having completed the Lakeland 100 last summer. He went into the Spine Challenger event feeling strong off the back of a rigorous winter training regime, and his efforts were rewarded with a podium finish, taking joint third place in a time of 29 hours, 51 minutes.

Paul spills the secrets of his success:

“I knew if I could set a fast pace at the start and just keep my rhythm going, I should be able to hold my own. The weather was practically perfect. The ground had dried out and the sharp frosty nights had frozen whatever bogs remained. The course was very runnable. So obviously I set off like a house on fire – I couldn’t help it!

A lovely guy on the start line called Jamie Pond told me how fast he could go. So I zoomed up Kinder and had a lovely run to myself all the way to the first road crossing, about an hour in. That was when Jamie and Daniel Weller, the eventual winner, caught me up. The pace Daniel was moving at, I made an instant decision to let him go – it was either that or ending up face first in a bog. If Jamie thought otherwise, losing a shoe to a bog quickly changed his mind. And that’s how it stayed for the next 28 hours. Just the two of us running along paving slabs, tip-toeing through bogs and cursing our feet.

Running through Calder Valley was amazing – thank you everyone who lined the way. It meant the world to me and definitely spurred me on.”

Paul Haigh keeps up the pace on the Spine

The Spine event includes a dedicated category for Mountain Rescue teams. Paul Taylor (a member of both CVFR and Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team) finally gave in to a long-held ambition to take on this challenge, and recounted his exploits:

“Conditions were nigh on perfect – a little cold, a bit of fog, a flurry of snow and a thin frost glazing the route with adventure. I finished in 34 hours, 27 minutes, far surpassing my greatest expectations – 2nd in the Mountain Rescue Team category and 17th overall. I realised that I was within 3mph average speed along the entire route, way quicker than I had thought might be possible for me.

The last leg from Horton to Hawes was a case of self-administered first aid, managing the pain game. Blistered soles bruised feet all masking a sprained ankle. Torture? Pah! Brutal? That just about sums it up. All sparking from the urge to get it done, who knows why?

I had numerous supporters, ‘dot-watching’ the tracker or cheering from the hillside. Their faces in the fog, icy sunlight or in pitch darkness are now forever etched in my memory of it all.”

Paul Taylor contemplates the miles ahead from Pen-y-Ghent

Alongside their running endeavours, both Pauls have used the event to raise huge sums for charities close to their hearts. Paul Haigh is fundraising for Abbie’s Army and Paul Taylor for Calder Valley Search & Rescue.

Oly running strong through the night

After getting a taste for Spine racing in last year’s 46-mile ‘Sprint’, Oliver Beaumont’s ultra running continues to go from strength to strength. Upgrading to the Challenger South event this year, Oly finished in 39 hours, 58 minutes.

Trigger   

A linear race of 21 miles with around 5,400 feet of climbing, the Trigger requires runners to navigate from Marsden to Edale, visiting the three trig points of Black Hill, Bleaklow and Kinder. 

Well aware of the race’s fearsome reputation, CVFR’s Catherine Holden, Stella Chrisanthou and Francis Wooff were prepared for the worst – but in the end, Sunday’s dazzling sunlight was the most surprising weather hazard they faced.

CVFR’s Trigger-happy trio

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No Christmas hangovers as Howard takes Giant bite out of Tooth record

Calder Valley Fell Runners – 1 January 2024

Jingle Fells

As the mean-spirited, miserly old miserable winter takes hold, Christmas bustles in with plenty of running cheer up on the fells. Runners don flamboyant seasonal outfits normally reserved for parties around roasting fires and head out into the storm. This revelry provides hallucinogenic fun for any unsuspecting folk walking off over indulgence. Famous and the flagship of Christmas ‘funning’ Auld Lang Syne rightly made it in to the Guardian Newspaper this year.

Ailsa, George, Cass and Tamsin in fancy dress. Credit Woodentops

Wilkinson’s Whinberry Wonderland 

The first post prandial run is at Whinberry Naze with lots of ‘Christmas dinner’ themed fancy dress outfits trotting around Rawtenstall amidst the ‘wild ponies’ on Boxing Day. Max Wilkinson set the pudding alight completing the course in a flaming 27.19 and finishing 10th over all. Stephen Smithies obviously avoided second helpings home in 21st a few minutes later. Cooking on gas mark 9 were the Cookes either side of Christmas fairy Helen Buchan with Peter Heywood sliding in under the hour. Runners were rewarded by Santa stopping off on his busy schedule to hand out smarties at the top of the hill.

Max enjoying the festivities at Whinberry. Credit Stephen Fish

Results:

10th Max Wilkinson M 27.19
21st Stephen Smithies MV55 30.16
45th Jim Cooke MV40 32.56
77th Helen Buchan FV45 35.22
141st Tamsin Cooke FV40 44.33
179th Pete Heywood MV55 56.54

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