Runners braved wind and rain for first ever Todmorden Parkrun

The runners braved the wind and rain on Saturday morning which saw the first event take place at Centre Vale Park.

Read: See 10 of the most expensive homes that are currently for sale in CalderdaleThe 5km course takes in several laps of the park including a small steep uphill section into the woods and was well marshaled throughout by 17 cold but cheerful marshals.

The first finisher Alex Whittem of Calderdale fell runners finished in an impressive 17:58, while 50 minutes later Estelle Brown of Todmorden was cheered home by the enthusiastic volunteers in a time of 67:43.

The first lady was Rebecca James of Todmorden Harriers in 23:51 in a field that included runners from 35 different clubs.

Will Worboys, one of the people who set up the Todmorden Parkrun, said: "This wide gap between first and last sums up parkrun’s welcoming philosophy; it is free to attend and everyone is encouraged to come along whatever their pace.

"The idea is to get people out doing exercise, with Todmorden becoming just the latest of over 540 events in the UK and with more than 5 million registered participants worldwide it is a public health phenomenon and the core team is proud to be able to bring it to the people of upper Calderdale."

Read: Halifax projects hit the jackpot as the National Lottery celebrates 25 years of changing livesCentre Vale Parkrun will take place every Saturday morning at 9am.

To register, visit www.parkrun.org.uk/register or visit www.parkrun.org.uk/centrevale/futureroster to sign up as a volunteer.