Sunday saw the return of the increasingly popular West Yorkshire Winter League Cross Country series. The league has eight races this year and completing five will earn qualification and a buff! We had a record number of toddies sign up this season, twenty-three in total and a strong team of sixteen Harriers turned out for the season opener hosted by Baildon runners.
There was a rumour that the chairman lost his race number in the car park before even getting to the start, though this was dismissed as ‘fake news’ when he arrived. Apparently he’d just gone for a really good warmup (Yeah right). The forecast was for heavy rain, but the weather held off as a field of over five hundred giddy runners took off beside the 18th fairway of Baildon golf course heading to the top of the Baildon moor. Once up, a fast undulating course circumnavigated the moor. Plenty of mud and clay kept the runners focused for eight kilometres before the finish on a speedy, hardpacked and waterlogged trail. The first tod vest to cross the line was worn by Andy Ford finishing strong in fourth position. New Toddy Richard Smith, Robin Tuddenham and Aaron Hargreaves were all in the top 100. But it’s a team game and the Harriers sit 14th overall, 9th in the Male category, 14th Female, 8th in the Vets and 10 in the Super-vets.
Full individual results :
Position
4 Andy Ford
47 Richard Smith
85 Robin Tuddenham
99 Aaron Hargreaves
161 Stuart Wolstenholme
165 Richard Butterwick
177 Robert Halstead
184 Mar Anderton
191 Dave Collins
270 Neil Bailey
305 Simon Anderton
314 Katie Samuelson
337 Peter Kerridge
340 Tracey Kerridge
456 Jodie Smith
459 Darren Gilman (injured)
by Stuart Wolstenholme