There are three long distance relay events which take place in the West Yorkshire area each year:
- Calderdale Way Relay – May
- Bradford Millenium Way Relay – June
- Leeds Country Way – September
The club regularly takes part in each of these, with a mixture of men’s, women’s and mixed teams, covering a full range of abilities.
Calderdale Way Relay
The Calderdale Way Relay is a 6-stage relay run in pairs. Each leg is between 6 and 11 miles in length and the terrain is a mixture of fell and trail, with plenty of hills and spectacular views. The relay itself is classified as an FRA event. However, many of our participants are not experienced fell runners. This event usually takes places in May.
The route starts in West Vale, south of Halifax. Leg 1 travels west to Cragg Vale, where the leg 2 runners take over and continue west to Todmorden. The leg 3 runners then travel north (and up!) to Blackshaw Head and from there the leg 4 runners work their way east towards Wainstalls. Leg 5 runners travel east to Shelf and the leg 6 runners travel back south towards Halifax. The entire route encircles around the towns of Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge.
Bradford Millenium Way
The Bradford Millenium Way is a 5 stage relay, run in pairs, with legs between 8 and 12 miles in length. The terrain is mostly trail with some moorland and plenty of hills. The June date means conditions are usually good. The route takes in the stunning scenary of Oxenhope, Howarth, Silsden, Ilkley and more.
The first Bradford Millenium Way Relay took place in 2002 and has taken place every year since, except during the 2020 lockdown. Valley Striders have had at least one team in every race. Full Valley Striders results, including all participating teams, plus club course and leg records for each category, can be found here.
Leeds Country Way
The Leeds Country Way Relay is a 6 stage relay, run in pairs, with legs between 9 and 12 miles. Together teams cover the full 60 mile route around the outskirts of Leeds and with five teams and sixty runners, plus many supporters, the LCW is one of the biggest events on the Valley Striders calendar. Teams include men’s, ladies, vets, super-vets and mixed teams, and offer the opportunity for the whole club to get involved, whatever their age or ability.