HOST club Halifax Harriers put up £1,800 for leg-times close to the all-time records in Sunday’s CALDERDALE WAY RELAY.

Closest to winning the prize were Claire Cooper and Amy McKechnie, who missed out by just three seconds. Their 80min 3sec was 18th fastest overall on the final leg from Shelf to West Vale, an off-road 10.5 miles.

Cooper and McKechnie took ten places to bring Keighley & Craven Ladies home third in the women’s race. Holmfirth Ladies beat Calder Valley for the team prize. Caroline Thomas and Haworth resident Jo Buckley ran an excellent fourth leg for Calder Valley.

The closest male pair to winning the bounty were Wharfedale duo Nick Charlesworth and Sam Watson on the penultimate fifth leg from Wainstalls to Shelf. Their 51min 13sec for the 7.55 mile leg was two minutes above the time required.

The race was won by Calder Valley, with the new Barlick Fell Runners club second. Wharfedale Harriers were fifth, recovering from a 30th place on the opening leg from Greetland to Cragg Vale.

Airedale Athletics were tenth, Keighley & Craven 18th, Pudsey Pacers 21st, Queensbury 27th, Dewsbury 39th, Spenborough 42nd and Skipton 55th among the men’s teams.

Baildon’s mixed team performed well, with Gareth Holme and Jennie Guard on the final leg not far behind Cooper & McKechnie, running 81min 52sec.

Eighty eight teams competed, which was down on the 110 when the race took place in mid-December, with some notable fell-running clubs absent, including Bingley and Ilkley.

Last Wednesday’s second JOHN CARR 5K at Esholt saw Marc Fenwick from Tyne Bridge Harriers win in 15min 41sec. Otley duo Scott Harrington and Zack Whitehead came second and fourth (15:53 and 15:59 respectively).

Sandwiching the pair was Saltaire’s Pete Hopson who smashed his personal best with 15:57. It was 22 seconds better than his record at Esholt in 2014.

Keighley & Craven’s Craig Shearer knocked over 20 seconds from his official best, in exactly 16 minutes, placing fifth.

Helen Singleton (Wakefield; 17:28), Hannah Oldroyd (17:46) and Sarah Cumber (Halifax, 18:10) were the fastest three women.