Ilkley Harriers news archive 2024
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 29 Jan
Mon 29 Jan 2024
From Jean Sullivan…
A first place finish for Ilkley Harriers this week!
This weekend saw the staging of the Meltham Tough 10km road race. As the name indicates, this is a challenging route with 650 ft of climbing, including several very tough hills where runners are exposed to the elements. Runners circumnavigate Blackmoorfoot reservoir, before a great one-mile, mainly downhill, finish back to Meltham. Christos Tzelis was the only Harrier to take part and in a nail-biting finish he won the race, just one second ahead of the second placed finisher, with Christos beating his own 2023 time by over 3 minutes. Christos’s time of 33:18 means that he is one of only six runners who have managed a sub-35 minute finish in this race in the last twelve years. His result is even more impressive as Christos had also raced the previous day at the Northern Cross Country Championships.
The 2024 Northern XC Championships were held in Sedgefield, County Durham. The races were held on a large undulating common next to Hardwick Park, with the fast course providing lots of potential for good times. Rachel Carter led the Ilkley ladies home in the senior women’s race, followed by clubmates Alison Bennett and Petra Bijsterveld. Dan McKeown flew the flag for the Ilkley men in the senior men’s race, finishing high in the field of over 400 runners.
Great results also from the U17 males, with Archie Budding finishing in a superb sixth place overall and fellow Harrier Sam Bentham finishing in fifteenth place. In the junior men’s race Christos Tzelis finished in twelfth place, with Harrier Beth Rogers finishing in sixth place in the junior women’s race. Great news also for Beth this week, as she was selected to run for England at the Diest International cross country race in Belgium on the 11th February.
With cross country season in full swing, race number four of the PECO cross country series took place this weekend. The race was held at Middleton Park in Leeds and hosted by Wetherby Runners and assisted by Nidd Valley. In the ladies’ race, Ruth Kitchen had an excellent race, finishing in a very impressive tenth place overall. Sarah Hayes was the second Ilkley lady over the line, with Catherine Glaister the third Ilkley lady to finish. Helen Jacques, Kate Lofthouse and Sarah Lambert also had great performances at this event.
In the men’s race, Forrest Hamilton led the Harriers home, in a great time of 30:25. Hot on his heels was Dave Foyston, with Jaysson Sawyer the third Ilkley man to finish, with Gavin Lamb finishing just one second behind Jaysson. Harriers David Singleton, Alan Travis and Roar Leijssen also had great runs at this event.
Another impressive turnout of Harriers this week at the weekly timed 5km parkrun events. A first-place finish for James Horrex at the Cliffe Castle parkrun, with James over a minute ahead of the second-place finisher. Lister Park in Bradford was the parkrun of choice however, with eight Harriers completing the three-lap circuit. Paula Reynier brought her total number of parkruns run up to 300 by completing this parkrun; a very impressive tally. Mark Hall was the first Harrier over the line, and second finisher overall in a time of 18:33. A second-place finish for Samesh Chotai at the Skipton parkrun, with Samesh clocking a PB on this course of 17:43, with Jane McCarthy the first lady to finish at the same parkrun, Also at the Skipton parkrun, Alex Foyn finished in an impressive fourth place overall. Well done to Vince Gibbons and Harry Sime who achieved PB’s at the Robert’s Park parkrun and to junior Harrier Esme Stoney who was the third female over the line at the Chevin Forest parkrun!
Ilkley Harriers rounded off the week with their annual celebration night, held at the Olicana Cricket Club, to toast the Harriers’ successes of 2023. A great night was had by all!
Meltham Tough 10k – Sun 28 Jan
Sun 28 Jan 2024
From Neil Chapman…
Christos had a great run at Meltham on Sunday less than 24 hours after finishing 12th in the U20 race at the Northern XC Championships. In the aptly named Meltham Tough 10k he stuck with Nigel Hockin of Slaithwaite Striders all the way, outsprinting him at the finish to win by one second.
This race is just a mass of hills, which is born out by the fact only six runners have got under 35 minutes in the last 12 years, so 33.18 for Christos is a fantastic result, particularly given the headwind at the most exposed part of the course. What was key in this race was how he dealt with the downhill sections of the course which have been a bit of an achilles heel in the past, and this race has a steep one mile of descent in the latter part of the race, which he attacked all the way and even pulled back a small gap that opened up. A great result!!
Northern XC championships Sedgefield – Sat 27 Jan
Sat 27 Jan 2024
From Petra Bijsterveld…
Photo credit: Mick Hall photos
A small but keen Ilkley contingent made its way up the A1 to Sedgefield for the 2024 Northern XC championships. A new venue for this race, which proved a success. Very accessible, good and easy parking at the race course, then just a short walk to the race which was on a large undulating common next to Hardwick Park. The entire event was cheerfully marshalled by members of Sedgefield Harriers. My day was already completely made when my car was waved to its parking spot by Gary Thwaites from the Tea and Trails podcast! A fast course with very little mud, at the pointy end of the race this will have benefited the road and track specialists, there were some very fast times as a result. Some excellent placings from our younger Harriers, especially Archie Budding and Beth Rogers who were in the top 10 in their respective races. Great to see Neil Chapman there, thanks for the support!
U17 men (5.7k)
(1 18:08 Jonson Hughes, Rotherham Harriers)
6 18:33 Archie Budding
15 19:10 Sam Bentham
60 21:02 Callum Dow
70 21:25 Alexander Wolfenden (junior club)
90 ran
Junior Men (8.1k)
(1 26:19 Josh Blevins, Gateshead Harriers)
12 27:47 Christos Tzelis
45 31:18 Josh Beevers
53 ran
Junior Women (5.7k)
(1 20:09 Amelie Lane, Wharfedale Harriers)
6 Beth Rogers 21:28
37 ran
Senior Women (8.1k)
(1 28:35 Lauren McNeil, Hallamshire Harriers)
95 37:29 Rachel Carter
149 42:25 Alison Bennett
182 44:43 Petra Bijsterveld
236 ran
Senior Men (12.1k)
(1 37:55 Calum Johnson, Gateshead Harriers)
167 48 :13 Dan McKeown
442 ran
Harriers celebration night – Fri 26 Jan
Fri 26 Jan 2024
Fantastic to see so many of you at our annual celebration night.
Many thanks to Nick Kealey, Kate Archer, Jean Sullivan and Becky White for organising the whole event – and all those who helped them, especially the ‘Burley’ kitchen crew.
Olicanian Cricket Club proved a great venue and they were very welcoming hosts.
For those of you who couldn’t make it, the winners and those shortlisted are below – congratulations to all.
Thanks for the nominations for the new ‘fun awards’, which will become an increasingly important part of this night going forward – the two photos sum that up; check out the Facebook page for the full album from Will Worboys.
And fantastic entertainment from Dan McKeown again with his Harriers Race League presentation – the final standings are here.
WINNERS and shortlists
Male runner of the year – BEN ROTHERY
Tom Adams, Jack Cummings, Nathan Edmondson, Ed Hobbs, Matthew Thackwray, Christos Tzelis, Jack Wood
Female runner of the year – SALLY ARMITAGE
Kate Archer, Petra Bijsterveld, Hilda Coulsey, Catherine Crawley, Ruth Kitchen
Most improved female runner – MARIE WATSON
Sally Armitage, Petra Bijsterveld, Ruth Kitchen
Most improved male runner – ANDREW SMITH
Vince Gibbons, Jaysson Sawyer, Christos Tzelis
Female endurance runner – KATE ARCHER
Petra Bijsterveld, Hilda Coulsey, Ann Marsham, Jann Smith
Male endurance runner – ANDREW MERRICK
Tom Adams, Paul Carman, Nathan Edmondson, Simon Richardson, Ben Rothery, Peter Shelley, Ritchie Williamson, Jack Wood
Emerging male talent – CHRISTOS TZELIS
Sam Bentham, Archie Budding, Ed Hobbs
Emerging female talent – BETH ROGERS
Helena Coy, Katie Poulter, Marie Watson
Over 50 male – JEFF GREEN
Mark Hall, Geoff Howard, Andrew Merrick
Over 50 female – HILDA COULSEY
Alison Bennett, Petra Bijsterveld, Beth Massey, Jane McCarthy, Jann Smith, Helen Waddington
One-off perforrmance – NATHAN EDMONDSON for Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon
Tom Adams, Sally Armitage, Petra Bijsterveld, Hilda Coulsey, Dom Coy, Jack Cummings, Mark Hall, Geoff Howard, Jane McCarthy, Andrew Merrick, Christos Tzelis, Jack Wood
One-off contribution – NICK HELLIWELL for galvanising the relays in 2023 and taking on two captaincy roles
Neil Chapman and Vince Gibbons for getting the Pete 10k race in motion, the Gazette team of Jean, Jill and Will, Dan McKeown for Harriers race league, Peter Roll for IMFR
Male captain’s pick: JAYSSON SAWYER
Female captain’s pick: PETRA BIJSTERVELD
Contribution to club female – BERNIE GIBBONS
Petra Bijsterveld, Jill Ezard and Jean Sullivan, Caroline Tong, Helen Waddington
Contribution to club male – NEIL CHAPMAN / JONATHAN TURNER
Nick Helliwell, Peter Roll, Will Worboys
Finish photo of the year: Rumana Chowdhury and Sarah Hayes (closely followed by Adam Gerrish and Sally Armitage) – nominated by Jean Sullivan
Don’t take yourself too seriously award: Gavin Lamb – nominated by Ben Sheppard
Who knew runners could be funny: Dan McKeown – nominated by Rumana Chowdhury
Longest serving member not to win an award: Steve Newell – nominated by Will Worboys
SPECIAL THANKS TO…
COACHES: Neil Chapman x3 (and Mark Iley for Wednesday track)
MAIN RUN LEADERS: Andrew Overend and Emma Barclay, Nick Kealey, Peter Roll, Dawn Turner, Bernie Gibbons, Jane Guillard, Jo-Ann Pattinson, Antonio Cardinale, Jane McCarthy, Becky White, Helen Waddington and Iain Young
RUN LEADER ASSISTANTS: Jeremy Greenwood, Alex Hyde, Andy Barker, Sue Verspcyk, Carolyn Stone, Caroline Tong and Paul Sugden
Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 22 Jan
Mon 22 Jan 2024
From Jill Ezard…
Photo credit Montane Spine Race
Spine tingling performance on the 268 mile Pennine Way!
A virtual standing ovation for Ritchie Williamson this week for completing the brutal Montane Winter Spine. A few facts to explain this frankly mind blowing achievement: a 268 miles endurance race starting in Edale in the Peak District, completing the full length of the Pennine Way ending in Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders; over 10,000 metres of climb through some of the toughest terrain in the UK including the Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland National Park, Hadrian’s Wall and the Cheviots; only 168 hours, or seven days, non-stop to complete it; and all that whilst battling the full force of the British Winter including deep snow, storm force winds and driving rain. Ritchie set off on his challenge on Sunday 14th January at 8am and completed the event well ahead of the cut off in 155 hours, 48 minutes and 41 seconds. In a race where almost half of participants didn’t finish, and having experienced real highs and lows, and no doubt some sleep deprivation induced hallucinations along the way, Ritchie’s achievement is all the more incredible. In his own words Ritchie said “Lots of highs, lots of lows, want to go back to the Spine”! We’ll wait a couple of days and see if the enthusiasm for another go wears off! Well done Ritchie!
Continuing on the fells, Dave Robson took on his first fell race of the season at the Hoof Stones event near Todmorden. At eight miles and 430m of ascent it’s a tough challenge, taking competitors onto Stansfield moor and up to the Hoof Stones Height trig point and back. 67 hardy souls braved the wintry conditions and Dave had a fantastic run, taking 10th position overall in a time of 1:13:57.
Continuing off road, two of our promising young Harriers, Ed Hobbs and Beth Rogers, were selected to run in their respective Northern Athletics teams in the Cross Country Challenge in London on Saturday. Taking place at Parliament Hill the tough 2km loop course provided some challenging and fast racing for the teams. Both athletes had great runs placing in the top 15 in both their races: Ed, completing an 8km race, finished in 13th place in 26:51; and Beth, completing a 6km race finished in 15th place in 24:07. A fantastic experience for both runners and great results on the day.
With less mud and practically no hills to contend with seven Harriers ventured over to York to take part in the iconic Brass Monkey Half Marathon. The ever popular, super flat and fast course has potential for some great times and this year didn’t disappoint: Dave Foyston was the first Harrier home in 1:19:27; Steve Coy was next over the line in 1:23:22, securing an impressive top ten age category place; next up was Jonathan Turner in 1:26:13; Marie Watson was the first female home for the Harriers in 1:43:23; Michael Ho completed in another great time of 1:48:48; and Bess and Paddy Sturman completed the roll call coming over the line together in 1:51:45. Well done team!
And finally, the challenging underfoot conditions meant only ten Harriers braved the parkrun events this week. Ever popular, five Harriers took on the Roberts park event with top 50 finishes for Tony Pye, Andrew Smith and Gawain Moore. Samesh Chotai was just pipped at the post at the Skipton event and was second finisher in 18:21, setting a PB in the process. And Tom Lambe completed his 100th parkrun in style at the Leicester Victoria event securing a PB by finishing in 19:53.
Hoof Stones fell race – Sat 20 Jan
Sat 20 Jan 2024
From Dave Robson…
Hoof Stones was my first fell race of 2024 and a new one for me. At just over 8 miles and around 430m ascent the course was surprisingly runnable despite some wintry conditions.
The race starts at the Staff of Life pub near Todmorden and on the day consisted of:
– a well flagged, icy first climb up to CP1 and onto Stansfield Moor.
– a ‘quickish’ section to CP2 followed by a snowy slog up to Hoof Stones trig (CP3).
– from here you could take whatever route you think is best diagonally back down to CP1, before a fast descent down to the finish line.
A recce would have helped for the navigational section but with a bit of help from Tom (Otley AC) I still made decent time and managed to finish in 10th place overall (and I think 3rd V50)
Definitely worth another go in future.
Results
1st D Clarke (Todmorden Harriers)58:17
10th D Robson (Ilkley Harriers)73:57
Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 15 Jan
Sun 14 Jan 2024
[Photo: Jack Cummings, winner of the Stanbury Splash, credit: Dave Woodhead]
From Will Worboys…
Jack Cummings dominant on the fells again
Ilkley’s Jack Cummings stormed to a decisive victory in this year’s ‘Stanbury Splash’ fell race. The race is one of the old ‘Woodentops’ series and is now organised by the Wharfedale Harriers. Based at Penistone quarry near Haworth and taking in the moors made famous by the Bronte sisters, the participants enjoyed a bracing 6.7 miles, including 1,200 feet of climbing and several water crossings.
The conditions were good but very cold after an overnight frost, and Cummings managed to navigate the tricky moorland terrain to finish nearly three minutes ahead of the second-placed runner. The next Harrier to finish was Nick Kealey who came home in 25th place. There were also excellent runs from Ilkley’s ladies with Jann Smith and Katie Poulter finishing as 12th and 13th females respectively, followed by Catherine Crawley in 17th and Nicky Liptrot in 21st. There were plenty of other runners from Ilkley and strong performances were noted from Tom Mountain, Robert Green, Jim Ryder, Charles Wain and Nick Helliwell, all appearing in the first 50 of the 202 finishers.
Also in the Pennines there have been several Harriers taking part in the epic Montane Winter Spine Race. There were several different options for the hardy endurance athletes with events ongoing all week including the full length race; an incredible 268 miles and taking in the full Pennine Way from Derbyshire to the Scottish borders, with Ritchie Williamson representing Ilkley. There were also slightly shorter North and South versions which are 160 and 108 miles respectively. Shorter still was the ‘sprint’. Although conjuring images of Usain Bolt hurtling over the tops, this ‘sprint’ race is still 46 miles long and any actual sprinting would presumably be confined to the final couple of metres so long as the legs are still intact and in any case would probably not be advisable. This race starts at Edale and finishes at Hebden Bridge and two Harriers took part. Ann-Kristin Marsham brilliantly finished as 8th female in a time of 12hr 41 and Deborah Nicholson was 14th in 15hr 24. Usain Bolt has however not yet reportedly crossed the finish line.
In Lancashire, the veteran club record hoarder Mark Hall managed another hugely impressive performance to finish third overall in the Garstang 10K. It almost goes without saying that Mark was the first in his V60 age category. His time of 36.52 is all the more impressive when taking into account the hilly nature of the two-lap course. Although not breaking the club record on this occasion, the 10K mark is already his. In fact the only V60 club record that hasn’t been broken by Hall in the past few months is the marathon distance, with an 11-year record held by Nick Pearce perhaps tempting him to make it a clean sweep!
There were again some cracking displays across the nation’s 5K parkruns on Saturday from Ilkley athletes. James Horrex continued his excellent recent form with a first place finish at Pendle parkrun in Colne. Oscar Street was the standout performer in a large field of 471 at Lister Park, finishing 25th. Lizzie Reilly was 2nd female at Harrogate and Junior Harrier Heather Crolla was 5th female at Skipton. James Lee was 3rd finisher at Chevin Forest and Tom Worboys 5th at Bowling Park. Meanwhile at Roberts Park Andrew Smith was the fastest Harrier again with both him and Vince Gibbons on an upward trajectory and surely closing in on PB times in the near future.
Garstang 10k – Sun 14 Jan
Sat 13 Jan 2024
From Mark Hall…
After a half marathon in Lancashire last week it was a return to the Preston area for the Garstang 10k. The event uses 2 laps, a 2mile loop followed by a longer one. The first circuit has a long climb back to the start point with lots of undulations for the final circuit, so not ideal for quick times. I was on a good day and managed to finish 3rd in the race. My time was 36.52 in a field of around 200 runners. I was also 1st V60.
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 8 Jan
Mon 8 Jan 2024
From Jean Sullivan…
Two more club records broken by an Ilkley Harrier this week!
Mark Hall continued his fine form to break two more existing club records this weekend. Mark headed over to Lancashire to compete in the Central Lancashire Half Marathon, a road race which starts in the village of Lea Town near Preston. Marks blistering pace, which saw him complete the not entirely flat course, in 1:19:44, means that he has added two more Ilkley Harriers’ club records to his name. Mark beat the existing M55 record for a half marathon by over a minute and the existing M60 record by over three minutes.
John Hayes and Dan McKeown took part in a race with a difference this week in Leeds. Known as ‘The Drop’, participants are blindfolded, bused to an unknown point 15-miles from the race HQ, with the challenge being to find their way back to race HQ without any navigational aids. Definitely not one for the faint-hearted and definitely one for the very fit, with plenty of energy reserves required to deal with any route errors.
It transpired that they were dropped in the Pontefract area, with John and Dan deciding to take different routes back to Leeds; John opting for the Leeds Road option and Dan opting to follow the more scenic route, along the River Aire. John’s route choice meant that he finished in second place overall, returning to Race HQ in 2:30, with Dan hot on his heels to finish in third place, reaching the finish just eleven minutes behind John.
This weekend saw the staging of the West Yorkshire Cross Country Championships, at Lightwater Valley, near Ripon in North Yorkshire. There was a great turnout of Ilkley Harrriers at this event.
Harrier Beth Rogers came a superb fourth place in the U20’s women’s race, while four Harriers took part in the U20 men’s race all of whom achieved top twenty placings; Edward Hobbs was fourth overall, Christos Tzelis fifth, Nathan Coy tenth and Josh Beevers nineteenth in a very competitive field. This meant that Ilkley Harriers won the first team prize in this category. Great running also by Stephen Coy and Harry Brook-Dobson in the senior men’s race.
Four Harriers took part in the U17 men’s race, all of whom achieved top twenty placings; Sam Bentham was fourth overall, Archie Budding sixth, Samesh Chotai sixteenth and Alexander Wolfenden nineteenth in a very strong field, meaning the U17 men got the third team prize. Great news also for Archie Budding who was selected to run for Yorkshire.
Ilkley Harriers excellent attendance at the weekly timed 5km parkruns continued this week, with 28 Harriers taking part in various parkruns in the UK and overseas. James Horrex completed his first parkrun at Temple Newsam, finishing in a superb sixth place overall with a sub-20-minute finish. Still in Yorkshire, Natalie Gravett-Foyn was the third lady over the line at the Skipton parkrun. The Robert’s Park parkrun remained as popular as ever this weekend, with Andrew Smith leading the Harriers home, completing the course in a great time of 21:49. Lisa McDonell and Clare Boyle also ran at this parkrun, both achieving PB’s on this course. Success also for Harrier Archie Budding at the Robert’s Park Parkrun, with Archie finishing 2023 by matching clubmate Edward Hobbs age category record of 16:16 which had been standing since January 2023. Overseas in Japan, Simon Lorimer flew the flag for the Ilkley Harriers, with Simon finishing in the top ten at the Tsujido kaihin koen parkrun in Japan.
More great news also for the Ilkley Harriers this week, with Harrier Beth Rogers being selected to run for England in Cross Country, with Beth making her debut in Elgoibar in Spain this weekend (which unfortunately she couldn’t compete in due to her flight being cancelled). Further to their brilliant running at the Liverpool Cross Challenge in November (which was the trial for the European Cross Country Championships), Beth and fellow Harrier Edward Hobbs, have also been selected to run for the North of England. They will be racing in the Home Countries International at Parliament Hill on 20th January, where they will be competing against teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Central Lancashire Half Marathon – Sun 7 Jan
Sat 6 Jan 2024
From Mark Hall…
In my last year in the 60-64 category my target time for the year was sub 80mins. This in mind I entered the above event. The course description said it was flat(ish). The (ish) part translated to lots of short inclines and throw in a few patches of ice and not ideal for quick times. I was lucky to run with a small group and get pulled to a good time for an ancient!
(Editor’s note: this is a new club record for the M60 (previously 1:23:12 Dave Matthews) as well as the M55 (previously 1:21:31 Henry Heavisides) categories).
Mark Hall 1.19.44. 14th place. 414 finished
The Drop – Sat 6 Jan
Fri 5 Jan 2024
From Dan McKeown…
Saturday was the renewal of ‘The Drop’ in Leeds: contestants are put on a bus, blindfolded and ditched 15 miles from race HQ, with no navigational aids, and tasked with finding their way back. The organisers don’t set dogs on you, taser you or physically attack you, but I suppose there’s only so much they can lay on for the price.
After coming second last year, I had unfinished business with this event (you may read that as taking the overall victory or – more probably – getting very badly lost).
Joining me on this escapade was John Hayes, who had clearly been insufficiently daunted by my report of the previous event.
As was the case last year, we could get a pretty good idea of which way we were heading from the sunlight filtering through our blindfolds on the bus journey. The bad news was, it wasn’t going to be our dream drop of Swinsty / Fewston, but it wasn’t going to be the Mordor-esque nightmare realm of Cleckhuddersfax either. We were heading pretty much directly towards the sun, which meant Pontefract-ish direction and, so long as we had wit enough to follow our own shadows, finding our way back in the general Leeds direction shouldn’t be beyond us.
The bus eventually belched us out into a large puddle on an unprepossessing lane. Last year’s winner, Kristofer Collier, shot off like a scalded cat while John and I were having a wee in a bush, so following him seemed to be out of the question. We joined another group heading down a bridleway, then splintered off to follow a road to Pontefract.
At this point, I gave John a bit of a refresher on the rules of pub cricket (see last year’s report) and he opted to bat first. I was a bit worried about playing against a lawyer, and anticipated several heated arguments about what constituted a leg. I needn’t have worried – a career scrutinising small print has rendered John incapable of spotting anything written in a font larger than 6pt. A couple of very eligible scoring pub signs passed unremarked.
We went past Pontefract Racecourse, and headed for Castleford. We were still locked at 0-0 in the pub cricket and we were faced with a decision: follow the Leeds Road out of town, or head north and join the River Aire.
I thought I’d rather go home and tell my better half about the delights of running through RSPB St Aidans than regale her with tales of the A639. John was more intent on taking home the story of a famous victory, so we wished each other luck (with tolerable sincerity) and went our separate ways.
The River Aire path was sloppier than a pig’s breakfast in places, but did afford a few bird sightings, as well as the Mountain Rescue Team who were doing exercises in the river, just in case they get redesignated as a Valley Rescue Team, or something. Always good to have a side hustle.
Eventually, I made it under the M1 bridge (4 miles to go), past Thwaites Mill (2.5 miles to go), Leeds Dock (less than a mile) out onto Boar Lane and a sprint back to Race HQ at Up & Running, where I wasn’t tremendously gruntled to find not only Kristofer waiting for me (AGAIN) but also John, who had made good on his route choice and come second. His time of 2:30 was quicker than last year’s winning mark, but Kristofer, familiar with the locale, had smashed out a 2:12 to win in very fine style.
John, to his credit, did stand me a MacDonalds lunch. Less nobly, he tried to claim runs for a pub he’d seen *after* we parted. Out of breath though I was, I was still able to tell him:
a. It didn’t count
b. ‘The Three Horseshoes’ don’t have legs – they have nails.
John Hayes adds…
The Drop was an excellent, if a little bizarre, experience. For anyone wondering, I should clarify just a few things arising from Dan’s race report:
1. Everyone on the bus was blindfolded except the driver.
2. Although Dan and I pondered running back keeping the blindfolds on, the hazards of road crossings, rivers, pedestrians, dogs and getting over the M62 made that idea untenable.
3. When Dan and I went our separate ways near Castleford, it was an entirely amicable split. Being British, we didn’t hug one another. But we shook hands and headed off in different directions. Dan’s parting words to me were, “the race is on” or something similar.
4. For anyone who doesn’t know the rules of “pub cricket”, I had to score “runs” by spotting pubs with names of animals with legs. I accept (begrudgingly) Dan’s ruling about the Three Horseshoes. But when I got home I made a discovery whilst poring over the track of the route I took. Strava maps have pub names on. So I messaged Dan claiming runs for The Brown Cow, The Mad Ox and The Old Red Lion (among others) all of which I’d run past. However, Dan bluntly replied that I was too late!
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1. Kristofer Collier 2h12
2. John Hayes 2h30
3. Dan McKeown 2h41
Selection for Beth Rogers and Ed Hobbs
Mon 1 Jan 2024
From Sally Malir…
From a brilliant run at Liverpool Cross Challenge in November (which was the trial for the European Cross country Championships), where Beth placed 9th Junior Woman.
Beth has been selected to run for England in Elgoibar, Spain on Sunday 7th Jan. This is her debut running for England in Cross Country. More here.
Beth has also been selected to run for the North of England together with Ed Hobbs, again from their excellent runs in Liverpool. They will be competing in the Home Countries International at Parliament Hill on 20th Jan, where they will compete against England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland teams.
Ilkley Gazette Report – combined Christmas weeks
Mon 1 Jan 2024
[Photo: Jack Cummings, winner of the 2023 Daleside Auld Lang Syne race on New Year’s Eve, credit: Dave Woodhead]
From Jill Ezard…
Christmas relay fun and successes on road and trail
Tis the season to go racing and there were plenty of opportunities for Ilkley Harriers to shine over the festive season. The ever popular Chevin Chase on Boxing Day saw an outstanding 51 Harriers shake off the excesses of the season and battle seven miles of deep mud and steep climbs up and down Otley Chevin. This is a tough multi terrain course and there were some great performances: Dominic Coy was the first Harrier home taking third place overall in a blistering 38:42, with Nathan Edmondson only ten seconds behind in fourth place; Jack Cummings and Jack Wood also placed in the top 15; and there were a clutch of age group top five placings for Gawain Moore, Nick Kealey, Dave Robson, Jim Ryder, Rachel Carter and Kate Archer.
Staying with the fells, six Harriers took on the Auld Lang Syne race on New Year’s Eve. At just under seven miles and 1000ft of climb the race starts from Penistone Hill Country Park and heads towards Top Withens, the upper reaches of Ponden Clough and Stanbury Moor. Warmed up from his Chevin Chase outing Jack Cummings stormed to the win in a fantastic time of 44:14. Next over the line were Neil Wilson and Thomas Mountain who finished in the top 50 with only five seconds between them – Neil just ahead in 56:31 . Kate Archer was the first lady home of the Harriers coming in just over the hour in 1:00:46.
New Year’s Eve was a busy race day as there were two more opportunities for the Harriers to shine. Geoff Howard and Jaysson Sawyer ventured over to Ripon to take part in the Jolly Holly Jog, a scenic, multi-terrain course of approximately 10k, following an undulating route mainly on footpaths & through Studley parkland. Jaysson was on fine form finishing the race in 44:41 taking 39th place in a very competitive field of over 750 runners. Geoff had a fantastic run picking up another age category win coming over the line in 52:56.
And it wasn’t all trails, with 23 Harriers taking to the road in the Ribble 10k, the race incorporating the Northern 10k road championships and therefore attracting a competitive field. Starting at the Roefield Leisure Centre in Clitheroe, this traffic-free course gives an opportunity for some great times and the Harriers didn’t disappoint. Christos Tzelis had an amazing run and was the first Harrier over the line in 31:21 taking 28th place overall and second in his age category. Jack Wood was next taking 31st place overall in 31:25. Moving into a new age category Bernie Gibbons had a fantastic run taking first place in her age category in 1:02:02. There were also top ten age category placings for Ed Hobbs, Steve Coy, Jonathan Turner, John Hayes and Alison Weston.
Leaving 2023 behind three Harriers strode into 2024 starting their year off with two very different races. Hilda Coulsey was in Northern Ireland taking part in the Race Over the Glens in Glenariff Forest Park in County Antrim. A hilly, technical and therefore challenging 10k route, Hilda had a fantastic run completing the course in 1:11:00 and taking her first, no doubt of many, age category win of the year. In contrast, Samesh Chotai and Fiona Schneider took part in the much more pleasant-sounding Silsden New Year Resolution Fun Run. Now in its 40th year and with fancy dress encouraged this run sees runners of all ages start the year off with a bang, running an out and back 3 miles from Silsden. Samesh was the first Harrier home in a great time of 18:16 with Fiona finishing in 30:03.
Of course it isn’t always about racing. There was a fantastic turnout for the annual Ilkley Harriers Christmas Relays with some pretty impressive fancy dress. Teams of four tackled the 1.4mile (run) or 0.8mile (run/walk) route competing against their team mates. With prizes both for running and fancy dress, and a trip to the Vaults for a social event afterwards, there was something for everyone. With teams making a voluntary donation to take part, the event also raised £180 for the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association.
And finally, Harriers were out in force for all of the festive parkrun events. Christmas Day saw 30 Harriers prepare for their Christmas lunch taking part in events across the country: Top of the list was junior Archie Budding who was not only first finisher at Roberts Park parkrun but his time of 16:16 matched the JM course record of fellow Harrier Ed Hobbs. There were also some impressive top ten finishes for Harry Stead at Woodhouse Moor, Danny Thompson at Lister Park, Alison Bennett at Skipton, Jacqui Foster at Myrtle Park and Dave Foyston and Steve Coy behind Archie Budding at Roberts Park. And three Harriers achieved Christmas PBs: Jaysson Sawyer at Roberts Park; Carole Cunningham at Chevin Forest; and Tom Worboys further afield at the St Helens event. Although there were less Harriers out on New Year’s Day the performances were almost as impressive: James Horrex was the second finisher at the Gladstone event; Jonathan Turner, John Hayes, Nathan Coy and Steve Coy all had top ten finishes; and it was a great start to the year for Gaenor Coy who celebrated with her 50th parkrun.