Ilkley Harriers news archive 2023

Meltham ‘Tough’ 10k – Sun 29 Jan

Sat 28 Jan 2023

From Neil Chapman…

Two Harriers took on the aptly named Meltham ‘Tough’ 10k at the weekend. A tough course where runners rarely get under 35 minutes, made more difficult by the windy conditions on the day. Christos Tzelis led the race from the start and was just pushed back to second place at the finish with a time of 36.32, seven seconds behind the winner Mark Holden of Dewsbury RR.

Christos’ run was particularly noteworthy as he has not been running much recently, whilst concentrating on his cycling.

Sally Armitage had an equally impressive run, finishing not just first lady but 15th overall with a superb time of 40.46, which was over five minutes faster than when she last ran the race in 2019. Two brilliant Harriers results.

From Sally Armitage…

Today I drove over to Meltham, the other side of Huddersfield, for the Meltham ‘Tough’ 10k.

This was my second attempt at this horrifically hilly, callously cold 10k road race. I ran it in 2019 previously, it was one of the league races that year. Having experienced it in all its glory once once already I knew what to expect.

I think it was slightly warmer today than last time but there was an icy wind to make up for the slight rise in temperature. The wind was most noticeable once the major climb was done and we were on the tops, and lucky for me I was running in the middle of a group of taller males so was quite shielded.

The race finishes with a rapidos 1.5 mile downhill run back to the start, at this point the wind was actually behind us, I was just hoping and praying to stay on my feet!

Christos Tzelis joined me in representing Team IH and he led the race all the way round and was then pipped to the post in the final 100 metres by a more experienced Dewsbury Runners athlete. We discussed tactics afterwards!

Results

1st Mark Holden (M40) Dewsbury Road Runners 36:28

2nd Christos Tzelis (MJ) 36:32

15th Sally Armitage (F40) 40:46

229 ran

St Annes 10-mile road race – Sun 29 Jan

Sat 28 Jan 2023

(L to R) David Ibbotson, Alison Weston, Dave Foyston and Mike Williams

From Dave Foyston…

On Sunday four Ilkley Harriers took the annual trip to a very windy Lytham St Annes to take part in the officially measured 10-mile road race.

The race is an out-and-back course starting by the beach huts on the promenade, then heading south towards the Spitfire at Fairhaven Lake. You then head towards the windmill along the seafront before turning just after it on Lytham Green at the 8km markk.

The weather was dry but with a very strong wind.

I started the race with the front runners and got into a good pace hitting the 10k point at about 36 minutes and felt good. From there on the wind picked up and I was running into the strongest headwind I have encountered in a race. I put my head down and did the best I could trying to keep my time to sub 1hr.

As I turned back onto the finishing straight I could see the clock had just turned 59 minutes so there was a sprint in, crossing the line in 59:44 seconds.

Well done to all the other Harriers who took part. This is my favourite race of the year and very well organised – would definitely recommend.

Results:

1 Ian Lawton (unattached) 52:13

10 Dave Foyston 59:44 (2nd age cat)

64 Mike Williams 1:16:28 (4th age cat)

97 Alison Weston 1:23:35 (3rd age cat)

174 David Ibbotson 1:37:09 (11th age cat)

Northern XC Championships – Sat 28 Jan

Sat 28 Jan 2023

From Petra Bijsterveld…

Photo credit Mick Hall Photos

The Northern Cross Country Championships returned to Witton Park in Blackburn where they were last held in 2016, having been staged in Pontefract, Harewood and Bedale in the intervening years. An excellent venue with easy parking, a large flat field and a substantial hill which had to be tackled 3 times, by the senior runners at least. By XC standards the course wasn’t particularly muddy, save for one area at the bottom of the descent which was an absolute quagmire where it was easy to lose a shoe (or two, as one woman running near to me did!), which made for a good spectator experience at least. The weather forecast had been for a dry day, this did not turn out to be entirely true and as the day progressed there was some drizzly rain, but on the whole it was pleasant enough for January, unlike 2016 when we were running in snow and hail.

We (the Budding family and I) arrived early and pitched the tent in a suitable corner right next to the course, for easy spectating and cheering. The day’s racing started at 11 with the U20 women, where Emily Gibbins ran extremely well to achieve fourth place.

After that the junior Harriers raced in their respective races: Archie Budding, Oscar Shinn, Ollie Holden, Erin Doyle, Beth Rogers and Helena Coy. A number of them will be joining the senior club later this year so look out for them.

Ed Hobbs ran at 13:40 in the U20 Men’s race placing a very nice 19^th in a competitive field, after this at 14:10 it was the Senior Women’s turn, i.e. Sarah and Anna Pickering and myself. The hill, despite being only around 130 ft of climb, felt vicious enough and I was proud of myself to still be running up it all the way on the third time around, as quite a few of the women around me (some decidedly younger than I am) were forced to walk. But I stuck to my maxim of only walking up hills in ultras, not in a XC race, whatever it takes! Obviously I had long since been lapped by the first dozen or so runners, who flew past like gazelles leaving a stranded hippo behind. Former Harriers Jemima Elgood and Georgia Malir were a splendid 5^th and 7^th respectively.

After putting my layers back on and eating a good snack I headed out for my cool down jog, combined with cheering on Dan McKeown and Dave Westhead who were now out on the course, as well as our second claim Harrier Nuno Cesar de Sa. Like the Senior Women they ran 3 laps but this had an extra loop built in to account for the extra distance. Great also to see the runners at the pointy end give a masterclass in running form, one of the nice things about XC is that you get plenty of chance to spectate outside of your own race, and at this event you really see many of the best runners the northern running scene has to offer, from clubs like Salford, Sale, Rotherham, Hallamshire, Leeds City, Morpeth and Gateshead to name just a few.

A good day out, collectively we wrestled the by now very wet tent back into its bag and I was kindly given a lift home by Dave. Now just one more major XC event this season, the National XC at the end of February. Entries close tonight (Sunday 29/01). Please do consider giving these races a chance (West Yorkshires, Yorkshires, Northerns and Nationals) for next season, especially if you have never tried them before. They are definitely NOT only for fast runners.

Results

U20 Women (5.9 km)

(1 22:16 Ella Greenway, Cleethorpes AC)

4 23:03 Emily Gibbins

49 ran

U20 Men (7.4 km)

(1 24:34 Matthew Ramsden, Blackburn Harriers AC)

19 26:35 Edward Hobbs

67 ran

Senior Women (7.4 km)

(1 27:11 Philippa Williams, Hallamshire Harriers)

63 33:03 Sarah Pickering

208 43:09 Petra Bijsterveld

246 48:58 Anna Pickering

270 ran

Senior Men (11.5 km)

(1 36:17 Joe Steward, Salford Harriers AC)

156 43:33 Dan McKeown

354 50:56 David Westhead

497 ran

Northern XC Championships – Sat 28 Jan

Fri 27 Jan 2023

From Petra Bijsterveld…

Photo credit Mick Hall Photos

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Results

U20 Women (5.9 km)

(1 22:16 Ella Greenway, Cleethorpes AC)

4 23:03 Emily Gibbins

49 ran

U20 Men (7.4 km)

(1 24:34 Matthew Ramsden, Blackburn Harriers AC)

19 26:35 Edward Hobbs

67 ran

Senior Women (7.4 km)

(1 27:11 Philippa Williams, Hallamshire Harriers)

63 33:03 Sarah Pickering

208 43:09 Petra Bijsterveld

246 48:58 Anna Pickering

270 ran

Senior Men (11.5 km)

(1 36:17 Joe Steward, Salford Harriers AC)

156 43:33 Dan McKeown

354 50:56 David Westhead

497 ran

Ilkley Harriers awards – Fri 27 Jan

Thu 26 Jan 2023

Congratulations to all our winners and everyone who was shortlisted.

Thanks to our race organisers…

Neil Chapman – Trail Race and HDSRL

Steve Weston* / Peter Roll – Fell Race

Jack Wood – Addingham Gala

Caroline Howe – Incline

*a decade of organising and now handing over to Peter

Our coaches…

Jane Bryant** and Neil Chapman

**15 years and now taking a well-deserved break

Our run leaders…

Tuesdays – Nick Kealey, Mike AC, Peter Roll, Jayne Norman, David Ibbotson, Bernie Gibbons, Jo-Ann Pattinson, Antonio Cardinale, Jane McCarthy, Becky White

Saturdays – Helen Waddington, Sally Armitage

[And to all those who have covered the groups when needed]

Runner of the year – Male

Ben Rothery

Runner of the year – Female

Sally Armitage

Most improved runner – Male

Nigel Illingworth

Most improved runner – Female

Helen Waddington

Best Endurance runner – Male

Andrew Merrick

Best Endurance runner – Female

Jane McCarthy

Best over 50 – Male

Jeff Green

Best over 50 – Female

Alison Bennett

Emerging Talent – Male

Ed Hobbs

Emerging Talent – Female

Emily Gibbins

One-off stunning performance

Dom Coy (Commonwealths and Chevin Chase)

One-off contribution to the club:

Jo-Ann Pattinson (jeffing group)

Contribution to the club – Male

Neil Chapman

Contribution to the club – Female

Petra Bijsterveld

Captains’ Awards – Mark Iley (track session) and Petra Bijsterveld (outstanding running year)

Dan McK will update on the IH race league winners and final results

The full shortlists were as follows…

Runner of the year – Male

Tom Adams, Dom Coy, Jack Cummings, Nathan Edmondson, Jeff Green, Ed Hobbs, Oli Murphy, Cameron Reilly, Ben Rothery

Runner of the year – Female

Sally Armitage, Alison Bennett, Petra Bijsterveld, Jill Ezard, Emily Gibbins, Ruth Kitchen, Jane McCarthy, Helen Waddington, Lucy Williamson

Most improved runner – Male

Mike AC, Kyle Bethell, Archie Budding, Dave Foyston, Jeff Green, Ed Hobbs, Nigel Illingworth, Justin Pierce, Tony Pye, Pete Shelley, Christos Tzelis, Iain Young

Most improved runner – Female

Sally Armitage, Rachel Barnicoat, Petra Bijsterveld, Rumana Chowdhury, Steph Fox, Ruth Kitchen, Claire McLoughlin, Marie Watson, Helen Waddington, Becky White

Best Endurance runner – Male

Tom Adams, Jeff Green, Matthew Kennedy, Andrew Merrick, Dave Reynier, Ben Rothery, Pete Shelley, Colin Williams, Ritchie Williamson

Best Endurance runner – Female

Kate Archer, Petra Bijsterveld, Jane McCarthy

Best over 50 – Male

Jeff Green, Geoff Howard, Mark Iley, Andrew Merrick, Mike Williams, Colin Williamson

Best over 50 – Female

Alison Bennett, Petra Bijsterveld, Hilda Coulsey, Jann Smith, Helen Waddington

Emerging Talent – Male

Archie Budding, Kyle Bethell, Dom Coy, Jack Cummings, Ed Hobbs, Justin Pierce, Cameron Reilly, Christos Tzelis

Emerging Talent – Female

Emily Gibbins, Ruth Kitchen, Claire McLoughlin, Brit Tate

One-off stunning performance

Tom Adams, Alison Bennett, Rumana Chowdhury, Hilda Coulsey, Dom Coy, Jack Cummings, Lynn Donohue, Dave Foyston, Steph Fox, Jane McCarthy, Ruaridh Mon-Williams, Jayne Norman, Jaysson Sawyer, Alison Weston, Mike Williams, Ritchie Williamson, 3Peaks winning men’s team of Ruaridh/Michael/Simon/Jeff Green and also the Yorkshire team at Inter-Counties of Nathan/Ben/Jack/Kieran

One-off contribution to the club

Neil Chapman, Dom Coy & Rhys Jones, Jill Ezard, Nick Helliwell, Caroline Howe, Mark Iley, Dan McKeown, Organsiers of the Christmas relays, Jo-Ann Pattinson, Justin Pierce, Peter Roll, Paul Stephens

Contribution to the club – Male

Antonio Cardinale, Neil Chapman, Nick Helliwell, Mark Iley, Dan McKeown, Peter Roll, Jonathan Turner, Mike Williams

Contribution to the club – Female

Petra Bijsterveld, Hilda Coulsey, Sally Malir, Jayne Norman, Jo-Ann Pattinson, Jean Sullivan & Jill Ezard, Helen Waddington

Peco XC #3 West Park – Sun 22 Jan

Sat 21 Jan 2023

From Alison Bennett…

The venue for the third race in the Peco series is usually a reliably muddy cross-country. However, the recent cold temperatures had turned the previously churned mud into small hard, solid mounds with the benefit of not being quite icy. The course comprised plenty of variety with a mixture of laps of playing fields and undulating trails through the woods. The 341 ladies set off 10 minutes ahead of the 467 men but it seemed that we were soon being caught and passed by fastest of these.

The first Ilkley Harrier male was Edward Hobbs in a fantastic seventh place followed by Dan McKeown, Steve Gott and Danny Tompson all in the top 100.

Alison Bennett was the first Ilkley Harrier Lady in 102nd (1st VF60), followed by Jo Foster, Helen Jacques, Sally Wright and Sarah Lambert.

Brass Monkey – Sun 15 Jan

Sat 14 Jan 2023

From John Hayes…

There was a great turnout from the Harriers at this classic York half marathon with some excellent results all round. It had seemed a little ominous when the wind and rain lashed down overnight before the race. Fortunately, by morning the weather eased and the sun came out. But it still felt cold. This created endless choices: Hat or buff or both (or neither)? Vest or long sleeve top or both (but not neither)? Gloves or no gloves? etc. etc. I dithered so much over these I’m surprised I had any emotional energy left for the race. But I had a good run and enjoyed it. At the finish there was one more choice to make: Freddo Bar or Curly Wurly? I could not decide that one either. So I took them both.

Results

‘The Drop’ – Sun 8 Jan

Sat 7 Jan 2023

From Dan McKeown…

I signed up for the inaugural Leeds edition of ‘The Drop’ where competitors are taken blindfolded on a coach to somewhere 15 miles from race HQ, then turned loose with no navigational aids and a four-hour time limit to make it back. It’s 15 miles as the crow flies, so that could translate into any distance as the runner rambles.

Having done very minimal work on potential drop points, I reckoned I’d be OK if we got dropped somewhere between Halifax and Knaresborough, otherwise the organisers would most likely be filling out a missing persons report. All competitors had to sign disclaimers stating – among other things – that we would have to pay for our own repatriation if the need arose.

When we set off on the coach, the little sun filtering through my blindfold (and whispered conversations from the other hostag- er, runners) informed me that we were heading south, which meant my ideal drop point of Swinsty / Fewston wasn’t looking likely. After a bit, we seemed to head west, then it got a bit confusing. Someone behind me was muttering darkly about ‘Cleckhuddersfax’ (wherever that is), but I thought we might be heading north again. My second favourite dropoff option would be anywhere in the Aire Valley, where I could just get on the canal and pound out the miles back to town, so I was starting to feel a bit more relaxed about not having read that disclaimer in more detail.

After ditching the 10-mile runners, the coach lumbered on for a bit, then came to a stop and disgorged the blinking and disoriented 15-milers into a leafy neighbourhood in what appeared to be a small village. There was a signed roundabout at the bottom of the hill, but most of the runners immediately hared off in the opposite direction with unnerving confidence. I went along with one other lad to have a look at the sign, which gave us Haworth to the left, Keighley straight on, or Bingley to the right.

This, I felt, was about the best result I could have hoped for: a couple of miles to Bingley, then a pan-flat, no-danger-of-wrong-turns trot down the canal and maybe even get back in time for lunch.

(For those who know the area, I later discovered we’d been dropped off in Cullingworth. Wherever that is.)

The pair of us set off at a decent clip. I introduced myself to my companion and asked if he knew how to play pub cricket. He didn’t, so I explained the rules: I would bat first and could claim runs for pubs where the name was something with legs (eg The Black Horse = 4 runs). He would be looking out for pubs with no legs (eg The Railway Tavern). If he got one, he could claim my wicket and it would be his turn to bat. I always play ‘Head’ (eg The King’s Head) or ‘Arms’ (The Devonshire Arms) as a dot ball, but that’s entirely personal preference.

I got off the mark as we went past The George (2 runs) but was soon out when we went past The Golden Fleece in Harden (wherever that is). On the descent into Bingley, we went past The Brown Cow (4 runs to him), crossed onto the canal by Damart (a welcome familiar sight from the Winter Fools relays) and continued together to the Fisherman’s Inn (another 2 runs to him).

When we got to Saltaire, the other lad said he needed to walk for a bit and that I should carry on. This might have been his tactful way of saying that he didn’t trust my navigation, or that he was just sick of my waffle and my asinine pub cricket game.

On I went, hopeful that I might catch up with some of the other runners who would surely be joining the canal at some point closer to Leeds. However, as mile after mile went by, I didn’t see anyone other than some back markers from the 10-mile race who’d stopped at a tea shop en route. Clearly, my decision to buck the trend and head to Bingley at the start had either been a navigational masterstroke, or something else entirely. I consoled myself with the fact that, even if I was an hour behind the winner, I’d come up with my own route and not just followed everyone else.

Eventually, I popped off the canal by Leeds station and scuttled along Boar Lane back to Race HQ (Up & Running), to find that there was only one runner there from the 15 miler. I was then informed that he’d only been there for about 20 seconds. At this point, I reflected ruefully on the minute or so I’d spent trying to get a photo of a heron at Aire Valley Marina (the photo didn’t even come out).

It turned out the winner had come an entirely different route, via Rodley, that never came along the canal and crossed it into Kirkstall (wherever that is). Hats off to the lad – he managed to get the whole thing done in just under 19 miles (I was closer to 20).

So, second best at pub cricket and second best at The Drop. I could console myself with the fact that the first place finisher simply got the same prize as everyone else: a mug, appropriately enough.

Presumably The Drop will return to Leeds next year, although I imagine they’ll choose a different drop point to keep it fresh. In the meantime, I’ll try to brush up on Cleckhuddersfax.

Yorkshire XC Championships – Sat 7 Jan

Fri 6 Jan 2023

From Petra Bijsterveld…

Photo credit Geoff Thompson (Wharfedale Harriers)

For the 2023 Yorkshire XC Championships we returned to the familiar location of Lightwater Valley, after the 2022 event was held in Sheffield. I think everyone was pleased to be back at what is a great venue for these races. The day started with torrential rain, the drive up was unpleasant enough, requiring full concentration, and huge puddles covering the roads did not bode well for the day. Rob Budding and I managed to get the tent up whilst the rain had actually eased a little, but as we were sitting inside it waiting for the juniors to arrive there was another veritable cloudburst and the prospect of a day of (shared) marshalling on the course became decidedly unattractive. Thankfully by the time we had to get out there to take up our position for the start of the junior races the rain started to ease and as the day went on the weather got better and better and we even had lots of sunshine in the afternoon for the senior races.

It was no surprise that the going underfoot was very muddy, with various waterlogged patches, on what is normally a relatively dry course, at least by XC standards. I have had years there where you could have got round on light trail shoes if you wanted. Not this year! I changed my spikes to 15mm which definitely helped, especially getting up THAT hill (if you know you know….) 4 times. Some women were literally sliding backwards. I found the race hard going and my time was several minutes slower than in previous years, but so was everyone else’s when looking back at results from earlier years. I got a psychological boost at the start of the last lap when I passed the marshal who records all race numbers every lap, he was standing next to Sally Malir who cheered me on, in reply I gasped something like ‘it’s such hard work’ and the marshal said ‘she’s doing alright, she’s overtaking people’. That was lovely and provided some counterbalance to the depressing effect of being lapped by the faster runners, which is unavoidable on a 4 lap course if you are a steadier runner like me in a fast field.

Excellent results for all who ran, and at the pointy end Emily Gibbins (see photo) came second in the junior women’s race, Edward Hobbs and Nathan Coy were in the top 10 of the junior men, and Nathan Edmondson came 11^th in the senior men’s race. Nice to see former Ilkley Harriers Jemima Elgood and Georgia Malir (now both running for Leeds City) come second and third in the senior women’s race. Thanks again to everyone who came to run, support and help to marshal on the course.

It’s not too late to get some true XC excitement in your life this season: entries for the Northern Championships close on Friday January 13^th enter here, and for the English National Championships enter here by Friday January 27th. You can take part regardless of whether you have run in the West Yorkshire or Yorkshire XC races, and, as we stress each year, these races truly are open to runners of all ages and abilities.

Results

U20 women (6350m)

(1 26:07 Eve Whitaker, Harrogate Harriers)

2 26:40 Emily Gibbins

10 ran

U20 men (8250m)

(1 29:15 Ewan Wheelwright, Salford)

6 31:07 Edward Hobbs

10 34:17 Nathan Coy

16 ran

Senior women (8250m)

(1 31:12 Phillipa Williams, Hallamshire Harriers)

37 39:14 Sarah Pickering

90 50:24 Petra Bijsterveld

105 61:53 Anna Pickering

108 ran

Senior men (10150m)

(1 34:47 Angus McMillan, City of York)

11 38:09 Nathan Edmondson

98 47:15 Tim Ashelford

125 50:06 Jonathan Greenwell

160 53:58 Mark Iley

182 ran

Ilkley Gazette report w/c 30/01

Sun 1 Jan 2023

From Jill Ezard…

REPORT: Road, trail and cross country – a mix of everything for the Harriers this week.

It was a fantastic weekend of racing for the Harriers with some great performances on road and trail. On Saturday two Harriers took part in the Kirkstall Calverley Cutter, a 16km race on both trail and road taking in the sights of the Leeds Liverpool Canal, the River Aire and Calverley Cutting. Starting and finishing near the Kirkstall Bridge Inn on the canal side, Peter Tapper and Scott Armitage had great runs coming 3rd and 4th in their age category in 1:40:18 and 1:40:19 respectively.

Saturday continued to provide some excellent results at the North of England Cross Country Championships at Whitton Park in Blackburn. There was a great turnout for the races and conditions were predominantly good with the ground not as muddy as anticipated. Each race covered at least three laps of the course, giving three opportunities to tackle the challenging hill mid-lap. The U20 women’s race was first with Emily Gibbins taking an impressive fourth place completing the three-lap, 5.9km course in 23:03. After the Junior races, where there was a great turnout for the Harriers, 17-year-old Ed Hobbs represented the club in the U20 men’s race. In a very competitive field, Ed finished the 7.6km course in an impressive 26:35, taking 19th place. In the Senior women’s race Sarah Pickering was the first home in 33:03, followed by Petra Bjisterveld in 43:09 and Anna Pickering in 48:58. Finally in the Senior Men’s race, Dan McKeown was first home in 43:33 followed by David Westhead in 50:56.

On Sunday it was all about the roads with both podium and age-group successes. Four Harriers travelled to Lytham St Annes to compete in the St Annes 10 miler. A flat straight course, the race runs along the promenade and round the lake to the windmill and back. There were tough conditions, with participants battling into the wind on the return route. Despite that there were great results with Dave Foyston the first Harrier home in 59:44, taking a fantastic 10th place overall and second in his age category. Mike Williams was next over the line in 1:16:28 taking fourth place in his age category. Alison Weston completed the course in 1:23:35 taking third place in her age category, with David Ibbotson crossing the line in 1:37:09.

Two Harriers travelled south of Huddersfield to take on the Meltham (Tough) 10k. A race description that warns about previous cases of hypothermia and covers nearly 200m of climb, it certainly deserves the ‘Tough’ title! Christos Tzelis had a fantastic race leading from the front and completing the course in 36:32, just being pipped in the last sprint over the line and having to settle for a fine second. Sally Armitage tackled the tough course head on coming over the line in 15th place overall and winning the women’s race in 40:46. Superb runs for both of them!

Our great performances continue in the weekly parkrun events around the country. 18 Harriers braved the chilly but glorious conditions for the events on Saturday with some great top 10 finishes: Beth Massey was the first female finisher at the Bradford event in 20:16; Michael Abrams-Cohen took on the Wetherby event this week, coming in as first finisher in 19:08; Jacqui Foster had a great run at the Myrtle event, finishing second female in 25:42; Steve Gott was second finisher at Chevin in 19:36 with Adam Gerrish finishing in seventh in 21:17. Further afield the Cunningham family were representing Ilkley at Druridge Bay in Northumberland. All four completed the course in under 30 mins but Yasmin was the first home in 22:41 pipping Rob at the line by one second. Over in York, Rhys Jones was the seventh finisher at the Heslington event in 18:39.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page on this website and then come along to our main club night at 7pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Ilkley Gazette report w/c 23/01

Sun 1 Jan 2023

[Ed Hobbs at the PECO XC. Photo credit: Nigel Pepper]

From Jean Sullivan…

REPORT – Great results from the Ilkley Harriers at the PECO XC event

This weekend saw the staging of the third race in the PECO cross country series, a series of races organised in and around Leeds, in which clubs affiliated to the League compete across men’s and ladies divisions. Each race covers a distance of four to five miles.

Conditions were tough for this weekend’s race, very cold, with very hard ground to contend with. The race was held at Leeds’ West Park, hosted by Horsforth Harriers and assisted by Nidd Valley Runners. The course was variable and consisted of running through fields, undulating trails and through woods.

Thirteen Harriers took part in the men’s race. Ed Hobbs was the first Harrier home, finishing in a fantastic seventh place overall in a time of 23:33. Dan McKeown was the second Harrier home in a great time of 25:34. He was followed by Steven Gott in 26:47.

Five Ilkley Harriers took part in the ladies race, with Alison Bennett leading them home in a superb time of 34:32, with Alison finishing first place in her age category. She was followed by Jo Foster in 36:44, with Helen Jacques the third Harrier in 43:13.

There was success in the junior races too with Ilkley Harrier Archie Budding winning the two-mile junior U16 race in an impressive 10:49. Alexander Wolfenden also managed a top ten finish in this race, finishing in seventh place in a great time of 11:53. More success for Ilkley Harriers in the one-mile junior U11 race with Benjamin Richardson finishing in third place overall in a time of 6:10.

Despite the chilly conditions this weekend, it didn’t deter the Harriers having a great turnout at the weekly timed 5km parkrun events, with a total of 14 taking part in various events around the country.

Another great run for Ed Hobbs saw him the first finisher at the Roberts Park parkrun, completing the course in a very impressive 16:16. In-form Dave Foyston was the fourth finisher at this parkrun in a rapid 16:45, the first time he’s broken the 17-minutes mark.

Other notable performances included Beth Massey being the second female finisher at the Barnsley parkrun in 22:36 and Jane McCarthy being the third female finisher at the Roundhay parkrun in 22:26. Mike Abrams-Cohen also had a great parkrun this weekend being the fourth finisher at the Stewart parkrun in Middlesbrough in 19:03.

Ilkley Gazette report w/c 16/01

Sun 1 Jan 2023

[Oli Murphy at the Stanbury Splash. Photo credit: Woodentops]

From Jill Ezard…

REPORT: Podium success on the fells continuing the great start to 2023

The 2023 winning streak has continued for the Harriers this week with some impressive results on road and fell. It was a first-place finish and a course record for Ben Rothery on Saturday at the SOB, the third of five races in the Kong Winter Fell Series in the Lakes. The race saw competitors tackle a tough five-mile route with 500 metres of climb taking in the three fells of Stile End, Outerside and Barrow (SOB) near Brathwaite in the North Lakes. Ben and Abbie Rothery both tackled the race with Ben securing first place in a new course record of 37:07 taking over a minute off the previous best. Abbie completed the event in 1:09:36.

It was the turn of the road runners on Sunday 15th with 13 Harriers taking part in the highly competitive Brass Monkey Half Marathon in York. This is a flat and fast course starting and finishing at York Racecourse and attracting over 1600 participants. Aptly named this year, it was a dry but chilly morning for the race. Nick Kealey was the first Harrier home in 01:21:05 closely followed by Sally Armitage in 01:22:59. There were also top 20 age group placings for Steve Newell and Kate Archer, completing the race in 1:28:19 and 1:31:34 respectively.

Harriers were also out on the fells on Sunday, with podiums and prizes galore at the Stanbury Splash, another challenging fell race taking in 365m of climb over the 6.7 mile-route. Starting from Penistone Hill Country Park and circuiting the upper reaches of Ponden Clough and Stanbury Moor the runners tackled bogs, knee-high streams and tricky ascents. Oli Murphy had a great run and was the first Harrier over the line in 47:59, taking second place in the race. He was followed by Jeff Green in 54:18 in ninth place overall, securing him first place in his age category. Harry Brook-Dobson was third home in 1:02:19, giving the Harriers’ men the overall team prize. There were other outstanding performances: Adela Reperecki took third place in her age category in a time of 1:28:05; and there were top 10 age category finishes for Peter Shelley in 1:03:14, Rachel Carter in 1:05:45 and Catherine Crawley in 1:14:31.

Finally, likely as a result of the busy race calendar it was a quieter weekend for the parkrunners. 19 Harriers took part in events across the country with some excellent top ten finishers: The biggest turnout was at the Roberts Park event where Ed Hobbs continued his excellent run of form finishing first in a blistering time of 16:48 followed by Dave Foyston who was the fifth finisher in 17:25; Jonathan Turner was the sixth finisher at the Halifax event in 19:40; Jacqui Foster was the seventh finisher at the Myrtle parkrun in 26:58; and Mike Abrams-Cohen was the seventh finisher at the Chevin Forest event in 19:59.

Ilkley Gazette report w/c 09/01

Sun 1 Jan 2023

From Jean Sullivan…

REPORT – A great start to the New Year for Ilkley Harriers with a win on the fells

Ben Rothery was certainly the king in the YHA King’s Challenge fell race held in Cumbria. This 1.6-mile uphill-only race, with 650ft of climbing starts from the YHA hostel at Borrowdale and involves an ascent of Castle Crag, the smallest of the Wainwright series. The first to reach the war memorial at the top of Castle Crag is the winner.

Ben stormed to the finish to win this fell race in an impressive time of 11.38, placing him joint third on the leaderboard of fastest-ever times for this race and just eleven seconds off the record.

Lightwater Valley was the venue for this year’s Yorkshire 2023 XC Championships held over the weekend. Conditions were tough for those racing due to lots of heavy rainfall resulting in very muddy conditions underfoot.

Emily Gibbins had an excellent run and finished in second place in the junior women’s race. Edward Hobbs and Nathan Coy were in the top ten finishers of the junior men. In the senior men’s race, Ilkley Harrier Nathan Edmondson finished in 11th place, with Tim Ashelford, Jonathan Greenwell and Mark Iley also having great runs in this race. Sarah Pickering led the Ilkley ladies home, followed by Petra Bijsterveld and Anna Pickering

This weekend saw the staging of the popular Temple Newsam 10, organised by St. Theresa’s Athletic Club, described as ’10 and a bit miles of beautiful road and off-road running’. It is held in the Temple Newsam Estate in Leeds. Ilkley Harrier Kay Pearce took part in this undulating multi-terrain race, with Kay finishing first in her age category, completing the course in an impressive time of 1:20:56.

Another beautiful setting for a race; the Harewood House half marathon took place this weekend, organised by Wild Deer events. This race starts from the Harewood House Estate and follows a traffic-free course on a mix of muddy trails and off-road paths. Ilkley Harrier James Batterley finished in a superb fourth place in a great time of 1:33:50.

The weekly timed 5km parkrun events were popular with Ilkley Harriers this week with 23 Harriers taking part in various events around the UK. Notable performances included Dave Foyston’s second-place finish at the Robert’s Park parkrun, with Dave completing the course in a great time of 17:10 and Michael Abrams-Cohen’s runner-up spot at the Bowling Park parkrun in a time of 18:39. Other top ten placings included; Jonathan Turner who was fifth to finish at the Bradford parkrun, Steve Newell who was the sixth finisher at the Monsal Trail parkrun and Adam Gerrish who was the seventh to finish at the Chevin Forest parkrun.

Ilkley Gazette report w/c 02/01

Sun 1 Jan 2023

From Jill Ezard…

REPORT – Podium success on fell, trail and road over Festive period

Shaking off the excesses of Christmas, Harriers were in action on road and trail on Tuesday 27th December. Four Harriers took part in the Jolly Holly Jog near Ripon, a scenic, multi-terrain course of approximately 10k, following an undulating route mainly on footpaths through parkland. It was a great set of results for the Harriers team with all four taking top-three places in their age categories. Paul Howard was the first over the line in 40:06 and third in his category, followed seconds later by Emily Gibbins in 40:12 and second in her category. Sally Malir was next in 50:22 taking second position in her category followed by Geoff Howard taking a commanding first position in his age category in 53:44.

On the road, 12 Harriers turned out for the Ribble Valley 10k race, a fast, traffic-free route which incorporated the North of England 10k championships. As a result there was tough competition with the first 100 of the 1100 runners all completing the course in under 35 minutes. Jeff Green was the first Harrier home in a chip time of 36:08 and there were some fantastic age category placings for four of the team: Alison Weston was fifth in her rankings in 49:21; Petra Bjisterveld was second in a 10k PB for her of 49:32; Hilda Coulsey was also second in 53:14 and; Bernie Gibbons was fourth in 58:53.

New Year’s Eve took Harriers off road again in the Daleside Auld Lang Syne Fell Race. Three Harriers took part in the rather wet and soggy race, starting in traditional style to the sound of the bagpipes. A 6.7-mile race with 1000ft of climb, the race sets off from the quarry in Penistone Hill Country Park and heads towards Top Withens, and the upper reaches of Ponden Clough and Stanbury Moor. Harriers dominated the podium this year: Jack Cummings took second place in 42:30; and Oli Murphy took third in 43:27. Adela Reperecki completed the challenging course in 1:17:31, taking fourth place in her age category.

Starting 2023 with some more podium finishes, the first day of the year saw success at opposite ends of the race distances. At the podium 5k event in Barrowford three Harriers took part in each of the three races available: In the A race, Ruaridh Mon-Williams finished sixth in a blistering 15:19; in the B race junior Harrier Archie Budding took first place in 16:00; and in the C race Dick Waddington finished second in his age category in 20:28. Meanwhile, in the 34-mile Punk Panther North Leeds Greenway event, Petra Bjisterveld came joint second female and first over 50. This is a little-known trail that unites the parks and public green spaces around Leeds. Despite taking runners close to the city centre, the race remains substantially off-road with much of the return route taking in the Meanwood Valley. Petra had a fantastic race completing the course in 7:13:22, finishing joint seventh overall.

Finally, parkrunners were out in force this weekend with events taking place on both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. On Saturday there were some great turnouts from the club with the Chevin Forest event attracting eight Harriers and the Roberts Park event attracting 12. Steve Gott was the first Harrier home at Chevin Forest finishing third in 19:49, followed by John Hayes in sixth position in 21:04 and Nicola Budding in eighth position in 27:37. At Roberts Park, Adam Bennett was the first Harrier home in 16th position in 19:48. Elsewhere Adam Gerrish was the third finisher at the Colwick event in 20:27 and Beth Massey was the first female finisher at Bradford in 20:49. Mike Abrams-Cohen was the first finisher at the Rothwell event in 18:15, Tom Lambe was the second finisher at the Horton event in 19:55 and Tom Worboys was the fourth finisher at the Cliffe Castle run in 21:06. On Sunday, the great results continued: It was a family affair at the Skipton event with Junior Harrier Robert Carter finishing ninth in 21:05, followed by Julian in 11th in 21:18 and Rachel in 21:38 and first female finisher; at Horton, Mike Abrams-Cohen was first finisher in 18:51; and there were some great top ten finishes elsewhere with Michael Odell fifth finisher at Holkham in 18:42, and at Chevin Forest Adam Gerrish fifth and Robin Nicholson ninth in 21:49 and 22:35 respectively.