Todmorden Harriers fielded four teams at the Calderdale Way Relay on Sunday, with the men’s team improving on their performance of the previous year to finish third.
Sale Harriers posted a winning time of 6:15:46 from Clayton le Moors with 6:28:03.
Todmorden’s A team were started off by Paul Hobbs and Steve Pullan, before Dwane Dixon and Andrew Wrench set the fastest leg time of the day for the second leg fromCragg Vale to Todmorden to move the club into fourth.
Trevor Davis and Rob Gray kept the club in contention on the mainly uphill leg three and Craig Stansfield and John Lloyd reduced Clayton’s lead over them to just over two minutes as they moved into third place.
Andy McFie and Dan Taylor, on leg five, reduced the deficit to under a minute and handed over to Robin Tuddenham and Nick Barber, who kept up the pressure for a well earned third place in 6:29:02.
The men’s B team finished 21st in 7:30:13 after a strong final leg by Dave Collins and Michael Harper.
The ladies were sixth, recent recruits Nerys Rolinson and Maddie Rolinson-Lord gaining several places on leg three before relay team captain Elise Milnes and Issy Pollard brought the team home in 8:53:59.
The mixed ‘All Stars’ team finished in 9:17:47 for 62nd afterJonothan Wright and Mick Craven had made a fine start.