Veterans from Calder Valley Fell Runners and Todmorden Harriers got among the honours at Saturday’s Pendle Fell Race.
Valley’s Shaun and Sharon Godsman won over 40s medals in a race awarded Lancashire championship status while Harriers took both veterans’ team prizes.
A 340-strong field took part in the short, sharp 4.5k blast from the pretty Lancashire village of Barley and among the favourites were Rob Hope of Pudsey & Bramley and Ian Holmes of Bingley.
Calder Valley elite runners Tim Ellis and Godsman both reside in Lancashire, making them eligible for the championships.
The first mile is run uphill on a road/lane before veering left onto the open fell and continuing to climb for almost another mile. With the summit on the horizon the route suddenly drops 300 ft to the bottom of the ‘Big End’ leaving an almost vertical 500 ft climb to the Trig point.
From there it is two miles of the best downhill running to the finish.
In a close finish Hope took first place and the Lancashire gold medal with Holmes second and Darren Kay, another Pudsey & Bramley athlete, third.
In the Calder Valley elite battle, experience triumphed over youth with Godsman showing Ellis that he’s not quite top dog at Calder yet!
Godsman was sixth overall - just out of the prizes - but the Todmorden fireman was rewarded with a Lancashire vet40 gold medal and a bronze medal in the overall Lancashire championships. Keeping it in the family, Sharon claimed vet40 bronze in the Lancashire champs.
The ladies race winner was Victoria Wilkinson of Bingley in 14th overall while under 18 sensation Annabel Mason of Wakefield was second and 17th overall.
Team prizes were won by Rossendale men and Burnden ladies.
Todmorden were set on their way by Alex Duffield, who won the under eight race, and Jack Willis, who was 18th in the under 10s.
Jon Wright finished in 13th place for the club, followed by Ivan Gee in 18th just ahead of Craig Stansfield in 20th position.
Clare Duffield was first Todmorden lady, and third v40, with Kath Brierley in 185th and Issy Pollard in 204th place.
Todmorden results: 13, Jon Wright 35:12; 18, Ivan Gee 36:11; 20, Craig Stansfield 36:24; 38, Paul Brannigan 38:00; 55, Robin Tuddenham 39:59; 57, Dan Taylor 40:03; 78, Darren Tweed 41:33; 85, Dave Collins 42:03; 105, Michael Harper 44:14; 138, Andrew Bibby 46:47; 157, Claire Duffield 48:09; 180, Jonathan Daniels 49:32; 183, Mick Craven 49:46; 185, Kathleen Brierley 49:53; 204, Issy Pollard 51:22; 226, Wayne Morrison 52:43; 228, Jane Leonard 52:47; 230, Keith Parkinson 52:53; 231, Clare Kenny 52:59; 238, Elise Milnes 53:40; 265, Graham Milnes 55:51; 277, Richard Blakeley 56:48; 284, David Wilson 57:25; 287, Ray Poulter 57:40; 290, David Leslie 57:47; 307, Peter Ehrhardt 1:00:29; 321, Louise Abdy 1:03:36.
CV men: 6, Shaun Godsman 33:24; 10, Tim Ellis 34:29; 27, Mark Goldie 37:11; 30, Stephen Smithies 37:24; 50, Rob Dobson 39:21; 51, Robert Paradise 39:32; 61, Ben Frechette 40:21; 74, Ashley Sharp41:25; 102, Mark O’Connor 43:41; 149, Jim Mosley 47:23; 171, Richard Ingram 49:05; 188, Nathan Kennaugh 50:15; 191, Nicky Bolton 50:33; 222, Toby Sydes 52:25
CV women: 13, Trudi Entwistle 46:27; 22, Sharon Godsman 50:36; 50, Charlotte Wetton 56:26; 60, Ruth James 58:51.
Next weekend sees the start of the British Fell Running Championship with the first round in the Mourne Peaks of Northern Ireland. Also on Saturday is the Wardle skyline race and on Sunday the Boulsworth Hill race takes place.