The Pennine Bridleway Relay, starting & finishing from Fearns High School, Waterfoot took place last Sunday on a glorious Winters day, bright & sunny after a sharp overnight frost. Low temperatures and rain for a few days prior, also contributed to a number of dangerous icy patches especially for the earlier leg 1 and leg 2 runners. Visibility was excellent and Preston Harriers fielded four teams, including, for the first time, a Ladies team, who were mostly from the clubs enthusiastic Wednesday night running fitness group. 95 teams overall were entered.

Leg 1 to The Long Causeway, saw a solid start for the A team with Mark Lee & Alex Fowler taking 1:06.16 for the 8½ mile route with 1,361` of climb. They were 22nd but would have been higher but for an error that made them run half-a-mile longer than they should have done! The vets pairing of Michael McLoughlin & Dave Large took 1:13.53 whilst Sarah Gohil & Steve Jackson for the B team were out for 1:16.52 and 55th. Dolly Capstick & Charlotte Rawcliffe were cheered loudly home in 1:29.18.

Gethin Butler, despite a fall, and Jon Green for the A team, blasted round leg 2 to just outside Hebden Bridge, posting the 5th quickest time of a really tough 12½ miles & 1560` in 1:24.24; they gained a huge 11 places for 11th position at the end of the leg. Phil Walsh & John Rainford took a fine 1:38.27 & Darren McDermott & Ben Swindlehurst pulled back 8 places for the B team. Nikki Roberts and Robyn Anderson for the ladies ran well, even enjoying the long climb to finish in 2:04.54.

Dave Barker & Dave Parkington, picked up the baton for the A team on leg 3, which runs under Stoodley Pike to Summit and posted 1:04.35 for the 9 miles & 1570` of climbing. Alan Appleby & Roy Parkinson (vets team) were 30th quickest on the leg whilst B runners Pete Carter & Rachel Syed worked hard for their 1:22. Ever smiling Karlyn Forrest & Mandy Ingham for the ladies team posted 1:29.53.

Leg 4, the shortest at 5½ miles with a climb of 753` goes to Lobden Golf Club, with Lee Kings & Ray Kenny finishing in 43.18 for the A team, who were now 17th. Vets Jim Doherty & John Bradley were timed at 48.55, B pairing Gordon Thompson & Lindsey Berends at 46.52 and ladies pair, Gemma Coupe & Ruth Schofield were determined to break the hour, which they did in 59.35.

Attention turned to cheering the teams in at the finish and the last leg sees a climb up to Top of Leach, the highest point on the relay and a route of 9½ miles. The strong pairing of Steve Bamber & Will Garner brought the A team to finish overall in 13th in a very good team total of 5:30.40. Horwich RMI won in 4:53.47, just ahead of Salford Harriers` 4:54.46. Vets runners John Griffiths & Dave Muncaster showed the pain when they finished in 1:18.05, meaning the vets team were 28th. B pair Steve Mort, feeling a bad chest infection, and Claire McDermott ran 1:25.07 and enabled a final placing of 51st.

The ladies pair of Shirley Hunt & Anna Moir sprinted in to finish in 1:35.22, gaining 5 places to ensure the ladies were 79th overall to bring the curtain down on a memorable days running, and the excellent organisation by the hosts, Rossendale Harriers.