Sunday also saw several CVFR runners compete in the 8km race ‘The Stoop’. Whilst the elite athletes were mostly taking a well-earnt rest & many of the Calder Valley fell runners who might have raced otherwise opting for the winter score event over a race famous for its Santa hats & bogs in equal measure, the weather did not stay away.
For the 180 runners who squared up to the elements, it really was a bleak mid-winter: with swirling fog, pouring rain & the grounds of Stanbury Quary & the surrounding Bronte Moors as hard as iron and peppered with knee-deep ice-filled bogs. Given this context, the race was shortened for the first time since 2010, but despite all this, there was plenty of good cheer amongst the runners – decked out in their obligatory Santa hats, and some even braving full fancy dress, in the hope of winning the coveted chocolate-filled stocking prizes.
It was down to CVFR’s juniors in, their shorter races, to show the seniors how it should be done, and the red & white junior hoops were all over the podiums (plus extremely happy with their chocolate haul of prizes).
It was 1st, 2nd & 3rd for Calder Valley in the boys U13 category, with William Hall storming home again to finish first (and fourth overall) at 6 :44, team mate Alex Duffield coming in second U13 at 6 :59 and James Duffy taking 3rd U13 at 7 :11. In the U9 age category, Sam Annison took first, in his last race before going up an age group, at 2 :46, and absolutely loved the race. There were also strong performances from Lucas Greenwood & Edvinas Adomavioius who finished 2nd & 3rd in the older age category. Other noteworthy performances included Harry Cliff, Edward Chrisanthou, and Ted Parker who finished 4th, 5th & 6th in the boys U9s and Finley Canning who placed in the top 15 in the U11 boys category.