Ilkley Harriers news archive 2025

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 24 February 2025

Mon 24 Feb 2025

[Photo courtesy of Dave Woodhead – Sam Bentham was crowned 2025 Yorkshire under 23 Fell Running Champion]

From Peter Shelley & Nicola Budding…

A great week for Ilkley Harriers with early season wins, titles and personal bests on the roads, trails and fells

Following competitive showings in the Northern Cross Country Championships a number of Harriers headed to London for the English National Cross Country Championships taking place at Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath on an iconic course with panoramic views of the capital. Running against professional athletes and club runners from across the country on a route that became ever muddier and churned up under thousands of runners’ feet, the Harriers held their own across several race categories; Alexander Wolfenden was an impressive 57th of 319 in the under 17 men’s race. Ed Hobbs claimed an outstanding 9th of 191 in the junior men’s race. In the senior women’s race Rachel Carter placed 228th, Diane Kitchen 631st and Alison Bennett 697th of 830. Charlie Kay was Ilkley’s sole representative in the men’s senior race finishing 920th of 1,781.

Saturday saw the running of the Flower Scar Fell Race. The incorporation of the 2025 Yorkshire Senior and under 23 Fell Running Championship in the race ensured good attendance and a highly competitive field. Starting in Todmorden town centre, the route covered 13km of moorland including tracks and unmarked technical sections climbing and descending 660m in an anticlockwise circuit. Oli Murphy was first Harrier home in 5th followed by Sam Bentham. Sam’s 6th place was enough to crown him under 23 champion and add to a prodigious run of recent fell successes. Jim Ryder finished 72nd, Kate Archer 80th and James Bentham 97th of 184. The race was won outright by Doni Clarke (Todmorden Harriers) and with it the men’s Yorkshire Senior Champion title.

The Snake Lane 10 proved popular with those seeking an early season road fixture. 1,573 runners took to 10 miles of closed roads north of Pocklington in East Yorkshire on a flat route conducive to personal best times. Ilkley Harrier Jack Cummings converted his dedicated training program into a fabulous win in 52:04. A new personal best at this distance, Jack’s time is just 15 seconds outside Ilkley Harriers’ 10-mile club record which stands from 1990. Harry Brook-Dobson finished 55th, Jaysson Sawyer 58th and Sally Armitage 408th.

Penny Coulthard took on the North Downs Ridge Ultra completing 50km with 900m of ascent in the Surrey Hills in a time of 7:50:00, raising valuable funds for Ilkley and District Good Neighbours.

A number of juniors started their weekend at 9am on Saturday morning by taking part in one of the local parkruns – Harrogate, Skipton, Chevin Park and Roberts Park being the locations of choice this week.

Samesh Chotai continued his excellent form as first finisher at Skipton parkrun with a time of 17:32. In Harrogate Heather Crolla finished first in her age category JW11-15 with a time of 25:44. James Lee ran at his local parkrun – Chevin Forest – finishing in a fabulous 4th place in a time of 20:26. Michael Moore and Ethan Pickwoad ran at Roberts Park with Michael finishing 14th in a time of 20:39, followed by Ethan in 22:35.

Among the seniors Mark Hall, fresh from his five-mile club record at Wombwell the week before, continued to feature at the top of his age category and close to the top of the timesheets in an 18:48 run to third place at Crichton. Jaysson Sawyer also topped his age category finishing 5th in 18:36 first VM45-49 at Fountains Abbey.

If you have been inspired by any of our achievements this week, why not take part in the Ilkley Moor Junior or Senior Fell Races next Sunday, 2nd March 2025. The races are very friendly and loads of fun. Details on the IH website.

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 at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

English National XC Championships – Sat 22 Feb 2025

Sat 22 Feb 2025

[Photo courtesy of Graham Smith – Ed Hobbs claims 9th place in the Junior Men’s race]

From Rachel Carter…

This event is the oldest National Cross Country Championships in the world, having first been run in 1876 and is open to all athletes who are members of registered running clubs. I’ve run at the Nationals a couple of times before but never at the iconic Parliament Hill venue so decided to make it a family outing at the end of half term. Other Ilkley entries included Alison Bennett who had had her arm twisted by Diane Kitchen to ‘make a weekend of it’, Dan McKeown (who sadly couldn’t run due to injury but came to provide great support (quietly!), first time ‘cross-countrier’ Charlie Kay, and Ed Hobbs in the Junior Men.

The course is hilly and this year was very muddy everywhere – the only saving grace was that it wasn’t cold or raining! In the U17 men Alex Wolfenden finished a credible 57th of 319, and Ed Hobbs had a great race in the Junior Men’s race – working his way up the field over the laps to finish an amazing 9th of 191. Having clocked 17,000 steps walking the course and chasing around supporting my kids, my actual warm up was a bit lacklustre. Alison said she’d warmed up well but then realised a bit too early by thinking the senior women’s race started 20 mins earlier than it did! Di, Alison (who succumbed to the mud twice) and I all had a good race finishing in 631st, 697th and 228th respectively of 830. Results aren’t broken down by age category but the bias towards the more youthful senior women is apparent on the start line which can be un-nerving!

We stayed to watch the start of the men’s race which is a sight and sound to behold as nearly 1,800 men make their way up the start hill. Charlie Kay, having never run a cross country before, had a good taste of muddy conditions and finished in 920th.

So all in all a good time was had a by all – it’s a great atmosphere, the support on the start hill and at the lap changeover points was like something out of the Tour de France. So would I go to London again for the Nationals in the future? Yes probably, though I would feel very unlucky if the conditions were as tough going again!

Results

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 17 February 2025

Mon 17 Feb 2025

[Photo courtesy of Dave Woodhead – Martin Hartley and Peter Shelley at the Gathering Fools Winter Relay]

From Jill Ezard & Nicola Budding…

Fell race podium finishes and age category successes

After a couple of quiet racing weeks the Harriers were back in action on the track, fells, trails and road this week with some impressive results. Two Harriers enjoyed a Valentines night with a difference running a 5k round the University of York race track. It was the first of the 2025 5k race series with the opportunity to set some personal best times on the flat and fast course.

Charlie Kay was the first Harrier over the line in a great time of 19:20 followed by Harry Sime in 20:13 securing second place in his age category.

It was a huge win on Saturday for Sam Bentham in the fifth race in the Kong Winter Series – the BB Kong. The five mile and 2500ft ascent race is billed as “not for the faint-hearted” with a tough climb up the stunning Doddick fell to reach Blencathra summit, super-fast ridgeline running to Blease Fell then a steep technical descent back. Sam led from the front reaching the summit of Doddick fell first, and came over the line nearly a minute ahead of the second place finisher in 45:50. James Bentham, wearing the Ilkley vest for the first time, was the next over the line in 1:12:53 with Alison Weston, taking sixth place in her age category, finishing in 1:19:28.

Closer to home on Saturday, eight Harriers took part in the delayed Gathering Winter Fools Relay. Normally held in December, but cancelled due to the weather, this informal social race sees four pairs tackle legs of varying lengths on paths and lanes around Keighley. The attraction for the “Ilkley Inclined to madness” team may have been the changeover points outside pubs but they seemed to manage to stay focused taking sixth position overall! Well done to Kate Archer, Colm McCann, Peter Shelley, Martin Hartley, Alison Bennett, Paul Stephens, Nicky Liptrot and Wendy Lockwood.

Staying on trails, on Sunday two Harriers ventured to the outskirts of Leeds to take part in the Temple Newsam Ten, a race over ten (and a bit) miles of beautiful on and off road running on the Temple Newsam Estate. Kay Pearce was first over the line in 1:20:41 taking fifth place in her age category followed by Charlotte Smithson in 1:46:37. In contrast on the roads around Salford on Sunday, two Harriers were taking part in the Media City Half Marathon. The route features two scenic laps, around Salford and Eccles and on footpaths around Salford Quays and is a closed road race. Steve Newell was first over the line in a great time of 1:31:20 taking fourth place in his age category. Rachel Streets was only a few minutes behind finishing in 1:37:21 in the top ten of her age category. Well done to all.

If you’re not sure about taking part in more competitive events but fancy soaking up the atmosphere why not try one of the weekly parkrun events held across the country. This week saw 28 Harriers and Junior Harriers join the events with some great results. There were several Harriers and Juniors finishing in the top ten: Jayne Norman at Cliffe Castle; Sally Armitage at Lister Park; Steve Gott and Junior Isobel Moore at Roberts Park; Alex Foyn at Roundhay; and at Skipton, Samesh Chotai was the first finisher with Robert, Julian and Rachel Carter also all finishing in the top ten! There were also a clutch of Personal Best times: Junior Harrier Ethan Nicholson and Emma Moore at Roberts Park; Maddie Moore at Woodhouse Moor; and Samesh Chotai and Robert Carter at Skipton. Some fantastic personal results all round! Congratulations to all who took part in an event.

Gathering Winter Fools Relay – Sat 15 Feb 2025

Sat 15 Feb 2025

From Paul Stephens and the whole team…

“Ilkley Inclined To Madness” was our Team Name for the 2024 Gathering Winter Fools Relay postponed from last December when Storm Darragh hit the UK. In fact the forecast wasn’t much better apart from the wind. It was a cold, grey and damp day, but that didn’t dampen our enthusiasm or commitment.

Superb running by each of our four teams saw Ilkley finish 6th out of the 21 teams competing and each pair finishing their leg before the cut-off and mass start. We would have been first mixed team home and we did have 4 men and 4 women. But the rules state that each pair has to be mixed and ours weren’t. How fair is that!

It was a relay so we had to have a baton and ours was a tube of Love Hearts. Appropriate given the date.

So, 4 legs starting and finishing at Carlton Academy with a mix of footpath, moor, canal towpath and road. Legs 2, 3 and 4 start at a pub. I was tempted by the Goose Eye in the Busfield Arms at East Moreton, but wisely I resisted. Thankyou to Kate for organising our team, and to Keighley and Craven AC for the event.

Here’s a summary of each leg:

Leg 1. Carlton Academy to White Lion, Kildwick – 8.6m (Kate and Colm). Colm writes:

The day started with a few positives. The forecast sleet and snow didn’t happen. The sign-in area was inside Carlton Academy, the same place as the track sessions, which was warm and spacious.

As soon as the race leaves the school grounds, it’s straight into a hill, which is a common theme for the next four miles, through some cracking little villages like Laycock and Goose Eye. We cracked on through bogs and muddy lanes but unfortunately the fog obscured the views of this part of Aire valley.

The route took in some great trails heading towards Sutton which we found out has a lovely stone arch. We followed a scenic path along a beck to Cross Hills, which itself is nothing to write home about. At this stage my legs were starting longing for the end but Kate who was carrying the team baton, wasn’t slowed down by the weight of a packet of love hearts.

When we got to Kildwick we were greeted by the smiles of Peter and Martin who set off with love hearts on board. Kate and I jogged on to catch a bus pretty much back to the start. Then into the school for a brew with pie and peas. Great finish to a great morning.

Leg 2. White Lion, Kildwick to Busfield Arms, East Moreton – 9.6m (Peter and Martin). Peter writes:

Leg two wasn’t any easier on the second acquaintance (I ran it with Jeff Green in 2019). The route profile is like a reclining ‘P’ shape – 3km on a canal towpath followed by 300 metres of ascent, a muddy traverse of Rombalds moorland and plantation ending in an exciting descent to East Morton at 15km. That’s quite a demanding route for a leg that starts and ends in a pub but otherwise fails to live up to most people’s concept of a pub crawl.

With apparently little effort on the canal section Martin set a lively pace which my wheezing told me was somewhere between demanding and unsustainable. We caught and passed a Bingley ladies pair, one of whom I recognized as Jo Buckley, a fell runner not to be underestimated as became clear when I started to struggle and the pair came back past us. A cautious approach was needed on Murder Mile which proved true to its name, levelling out a few times only to turn a corner and resume climbing. Hats and gloves removed earlier on the flat section were put back on as we hit the tops. The temperature was around zero, but no wind thankfully. The only evidence of the ‘freezing rain’ suggested by the weather forecast was on the stone stiles which a pair of male Skipton runners warned us were slippery. Somewhat to my surprise I was feeling more lively at this stage so we thanked the Skipton pair by taking a place off them and set about trying to catch the Bingley ladies who were just about visible ahead in the low cloud. Irritatingly, they sped up in much the same way we did. They may have been better handling farm gates with cold hands (maybe they practised it). Despite our best efforts converting gravity into momentum on the slippery rocky bridleway (at the cost of control in a few places, it should be said) we couldn’t quite reel them before reaching the Busfield Arms.

We didn’t eat any of the sweets in the tube of Love Hearts which served as a baton. Nor did I remember the baton was in my pocket as we raced to the line. Our handover to Alison and Paul was less than slick as a result (sorry!). We enjoyed the leg and were pleased to come in slightly quicker than our estimated time and contribute to a strong team performance. Top marks to Ilkley Harriers and to Martin for relay partnering!

Leg 3. Busfield Arms, East Moreton to Fisherman’s Arms – 5.7m (Alison and Paul). Paul writes:

The short leg, and not much climbing (which didn’t suit me – that’s my excuse). I certainly had to be committed to keep up with Alison on the flat and downhill. It was as hard as the Saturday morning efforts. A mix of footpath, track and road to Micklethwaite and round the edge of Eldwick. A little muddy over some of the footpaths but nothing horrendous. A long downhill – the length of Shipley Glen and then a fast 2km along the canal from Saltaire towards Bingley.

Leg 4. Fisherman’s Arms, Bingley to Finish – 7.1m (Nicky and Wendy). Nicky writes:

Wendy and I enjoyed a leisurely cuppa in the Bingley rugby club bar after registration, then took a gentle jog down to the start at the Fisherman’s Inn. Luckily for us the rain had just about stopped by the time we started, for which we were grateful! Leg 3’s Alison and Paul sped round and handed over 5 minutes earlier than we were expecting and before the mass start, so there was a flurry of us grabbing the baton (a pack of love hearts), taking off our waterproof jackets and stuffing them in our packs while setting of running. The leg started with a nice flat mile along the canal, but then we had a rude awakening with the brutal climb up Altar Lane through the woods coming out of Bingley. Getting that out of the way was a good feeling and after that we were treated to a mile or so of downhill and a bit of nice scenery to enjoy. The rest of the leg is relatively flat, so we were able to motor on and then meander through the scenic streets of Keighley to our final destination, Carlton Academy. Hot pies and another cup of tea awaited. Wendy and I thoroughly enjoyed the day!

Results

Blencathra and Blease Fell race – Sat 15 Feb 2025

Sat 15 Feb 2025

[Photo courtesy of Alison Weston: Sam receiving one of his many prizes!]

From Alison Weston…

Sam Bentham had an amazing race, leading from the start to win the Blencathra and Blease Fell race in an incredible time of 45 minutes and 50 seconds. The route goes up via Doddick fell with a ridge run along to Blencathra summit and then on the Blease Fell. It was a bit misty but very atmospheric with the summit ridge covered in snow and verglas. The descent was a bit tricky with plenty of slipping and sliding (at least for me) to finish along a narrow footpath with steep stone steps but everyone got down safely and enjoyed the hot drinks at the end.

Sam won first under 23, winner overall and fastest up to the top!

Jamie Bentham has a great run and finished in 1:12:53 wearing his Harriers vest for the first time and I finished in 1:19:23.

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 10 February 2025

Mon 10 Feb 2025

[Photo courtesy of Nigel Pepper – Diane Kitchen amongst the runners winning her category at Roundhay]

From Will Worboys & Nicola Budding…

Ilkley runners going well at Cross Country

The main running event of the weekend was race number four in this year’s PECO Cross Country series. Taking place at Roundhay Park in Leeds and hosted by Chapel Allerton, the senior race was an approximately 4.3 miles course around the scenic park; attracting a good number of Ilkley Harriers.

Amongst some excellent performances, Diane Kitchen headed the way, being the only one of 13 travelling Harriers to win their category. Diane won the veteran F65 category in good style finishing in a time of 38:27. The quickest Ilkley lady overall, as is often the case, was Rachel Carter. She had another superb run to finish 16th overall of a total 336 runners and 3rd in her category (F45) in a time of 30:28. Sally Malir also put in a very good showing to finish 4th of the F60 runners.

In the Men’s race, the first Ilkley athlete to finish was youngster Oscar Shinn, 29th overall (of 412) in a superb 25:57. Next came Gawain Moore who came 2nd of the M45’s in 26:14. He was followed by Steven Gott who was sixth in the same category in a time of 28:03. Race 5 of the series is scheduled for March 2nd at Stockeld Park and will be hosted by Wetherby Runners.

In the junior PECO, Michael and Isobel Moore both took part in the one mile race; Michael finishing in 3rd place with a time of 6:56 followed by Isobel with a time of 8:00. Amelia Nichols ran in the 2 mile event finishing in 15:34.

Meanwhile in Lancashire, Ilkley’s Sally Armitage excelled in the Williamson Park half marathon. A challenging route through the Lune Valley, incorporating 452 metres of climb in addition to strong winds, was no deterrent to the Harrier finishing 2nd lady and 5th overall in a brilliant time of 1:34:38.

Harriers were also busy on Saturday morning at the 5K parkruns. Jack Wood was the only first finisher this week, which he managed in a time of 17:50 at Hockgraben in Southern Germany. James Horrex ran well a little closer to home in Sheffield and came 4th in 18:14. At Myrtle Park in Bingley, Nicola Budding was 5th female home; while Gaenor Coy was 12th at Cliffe Castle. The highest age grading was Hilda Coulsey who posted an impressive 82.15% while getting a time of 27:33 at Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Many Harriers were busy doing their own thing this weekend with spring marathons and half marathons on the horizon; plus of course the Ilkley Moor Fell Race which is now less than three weeks away, taking place on Sunday 2nd March and starting at 11:30, with the shorter junior races getting underway at 10:30.

Williamson Park Half Marathon – Sun 9 Feb 2025

Sun 9 Feb 2025

From Sally Armitage…

Yesterday I drove over to Lancaster for a hilly road half marathon, part of the Lancaster Race Series of events. I needed to use some race vouchers I’d won early last year that were due to expire soon, and this race coincided well with where I’m at with my training right now (trying to claw back some fitness after a rest spell throughout December!) I love the events from this race organiser because you can enter any of their races on the day, the downside is that they’re never on closed roads which can often be a little scary, a number of cars whizzed past me less than an arms length away yesterday.

Starting in Williamson Park and winding through (and up and down!) the beautiful Lune Valley countryside before returning to finish back at the park. I’d looked at the elevation profile and was well aware it was hillier than I’ve ever raced before over the half marathon distance, 452m in total, which, in hindsight, made me run the first half a little over cautiously, though this paid dividends in the second half when I still had plenty of kapow in the bank. The second half was also wind powered which made it even more fun after fighting a gale head-on AND ridiculous climbs in the first half! My prize was more race vouchers! Which are actually really useful, I’m planning on using them for Trimpwell 20 in 4 weeks time, wish me luck!

Results

[1st female – Belinda Houghton, Flyde Coast Runners, 1:28:08]

[1st male – Stuart Atkinson, N/A, 1:29:11]

5th – Sally Armitage (2nd female), 1:34:38

80 ran

Brian Sweet Predictor results – Tue 4 Feb 2025

Tue 4 Feb 2025

Well done to everyone who took part in the Brian Sweet Predictor, great to see pretty much all the different groups represented.

The results are in and congratulations to our three winners:

1st Martin Campbell

2nd Andrew Overend

3rd Mark Gill

Name / Actual Time / Predicted Time / Difference

1 Alex Wolfenden 36:20:00 38:30:00 2:10

2 Samesh Chotai 36:38:00 37:17:00 0:39

3 Alex Foyn 38:30:00 39:00:00 0:30

4 Jonny McKenna 39:21:00 40:00:00 0:39

5 Jon Denniss 40:41:00 43:27:00 2:46

6 Rob Cunningham 43:05:00 41:10:00 1:55

7 Justin Phillips 43:16:00 47:00:00 3:44

8 Julian Carter 43:17:00 50:30:00 7:13

9 Oscar Smyth 44:17:00 44:44:00 0:27

10 John Jackson 45:34:00 44:45:00 1:11

11 Luke Watkeys 45:36:00 45:00:00 0:36

12 Andrew Overend 45:41:00 45:30:00 0:11

13 Peter Ferguson* 46:31:00 59:00:00 12:29

14 James Driver 47:21:00 54:36:00 7:15

15 Sacha Jones 47:38:00 51:15:00 3:37

16 Martin Stubbs 49:02:00 50:00:00 0:58

17 Mark Gill 51:07:00 51:30:00 0:23

18 Ash Winter 51:09:00 51:34:00 0:25

19 Matilda Irvine 51:25:00 55:00:00 3:35

20 Wendy Lockwood 51:36:00 53:00:00 1:24

21 Richard Inman 51:47:00 55:00:00 3:13

22 Lisette Dupre 51:58:00 62:00:00 10:02

23 Sue Westerman* 52:14:00 60:07:00 7:53

24 Karen Thornton* 52:15:00 65:00:00 12:45

25 Lucy Hayes 52:28:00 51:00:00 1:28

26 Geoffrey White 52:37:00 54:00:00 1:23

27 Christine Airey* 52:40:00 71:00:00 18:20

28 Jackie Hammond* 52:40:00 70:00:00 17:20

29 Alan Travis 53:25:00 53:53:00 0:28

30 Andrew Smith 54:19:00 57:44:00 3:25

31 Martin Campbell 54:27:00 54:30:00 0:03

32 Louise Nash 54:53:00 56:00:00 1:07

33 Simon Jenkins 54:54:00 57:00:00 2:06

34 Keith Wood 54:56:00 59:00:00 4:04

35 Jean Sullivan 55:06:00 56:45:00 1:39

36 Sophie Cromack 55:40:00 57:00:00 1:20

37 Vicky Rutherford 57:01:00 57:35:00 0:34

38 Daniel Inman 57:43:00 58:58:00 1:15

39 Paul Stephens 58:05:00 58:48:00 0:43

40 Gaenor Coy 58:17:00 58:49:00 0:32

41 Alice Hewitson 58:19:00 70:00:00 10:41

42 Emma Haggas 58:29:00 66:00:00 7:31

43 Jill Roberts 58:30:00 70:00:00 11:30

44 Paul Sugden* 58:33:00 70:15:00 11:42

45 Esmaeil Zadeh* 58:34:00 65:00:00 6:26

46 Shadi Nezhad* 58:35:00 68:00:00 9:25

47 Rachel Dawson* 58:42:00 68:00:00 9:18

48 Jo-Ann Pattinson* 58:44:00 57:00:00 1:44

49 Ashley Hargreaves 58:47:00 50:00:00 8:47

50 Tom Lally 59:27:00 60:00:00 0:33

51 Emma O’Looney 68:17:00 75:00:00 6:33

52 Carolyn Stone 68:19:00 75:00:00 6:31

53 Alessandra La Via 69:25:00 75:00:00 5:35

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 3 February 2025

Mon 3 Feb 2025

[Photo is Tom Adams on his way to an emphatic victory at the Rombalds Stride]

From Peter Shelley & Nicola Budding…

Ilkley Harrier victories on and offroad in an active weekend of racing for seniors and juniors alike

On Saturday 40 Harriers took part in the Rombalds Stride, a popular midwinter fixture organised by the 15th Airedale Scout group and now in its 43rd year. Runners and walkers took on a 35km clockwise route with over 1,000m ascent from St. Oswald’s School in Guiseley via Esholt, Baildon Moor, Rombalds Moor, Menston and Otley Chevin before returning to school for pie, potato and peas.

Ilkley Harrier Tom Adams came home first, ten minutes ahead of second place, in a time of 2:32:31 which (subject to confirmation) is a new course record.

Michael Odell finished fourth in 2:47:42, Nick Kealey 12th and first MV50 in 3:05:00 and Forrest Hamilton 22nd in 3:16:05. Robert Green was next up, 24th in 3:20:50. Kate Archer was 32nd, 3rd lady and first FV45 in 3:23:39. Alison Weston was 1st FV55 in 4:19:15 and Adela Reperecki first FV60 in 4:40:36. 33 further Harriers made it to the finish all comfortably within the 10-hour limit.

Over in Lancashire the Pendle Way in a Day ultras took place. Runners had a choice of 48k and 70k routes. Martin Hartley opted for the latter, which took him over 2,000m of ascent including Pendle Hill which is saved until the final 10km. The weather was relatively benign, but the terrain challenging and muddy in places. Martin managed the conditions and pacing well to come home in 8:42:13, 21st of 113 and first MV45.

Dewsbury’s annual 10k took place on Sunday on a flat course conducive to fast times. Jo Sagar of Leeds City Athletics Club won in 30:06. Ilkley Harrier Jack Cummings was 4th for the third year in a row in a time of 31:09. Mark Hall finished 206th and first MV65 in a remarkable time of 36:21, two minutes ahead of his nearest age category competitor in what was a new club record. Also finishing in the top 10 of their age categories were Helen Waddington (7th FV55) and Sally Malir (7th FV60). Nine further Harriers featured among the 2,650 finishers.

Another Sunday event was the Loughrigg Silverhow Fell Race. Starting and finishing in Ambleside, the race climbs 879m over rough terrain in just 14km visiting Loughrigg and Silverhow summits before returning via Lily Tarn. Sole Harrier representative in a field of 120, reigning English Fell Champion Ben Rothery made it count, winning in 1:06:10.

Wharfedale Harriers staged Runners and Riders, an 8km offroad event climbing 270m over the fields and moors to the north of Appletreewick. Competitors choose whether to compete on a mountain bike, gravel bike or on foot. The event was won by a cyclist, Sam Watson of Hope Factory Racing, with Tom Bell the first runner home in 4th. Iain Gibbons was first Harrier home, 9th cyclist and 15th overall. Oscar Shinn finished 7th runner and 16th overall. Having run the event before, Jeff Green opted to ride it this time and stayed upright to finish 15th cyclist and 28th overall. Junior George Whittlestone ran to 33rd place, Martin Peace rode to 52nd and Alastair Barlow ran to 83rd respectively.

Ilkley Junior Harriers were out in force on Saturday representing either their school or District. The fourth race in the Wharfedale Primary Schools Cross Country League took place at Ben Rhydding Primary School with runners up to Year 6 competing for individual and team places.

Having already been selected through previous cross-country performances, some of the older juniors (Years 7 to 13) were competing for their District (either Bradford or Leeds) in the West Yorkshire Schools XC Championships at Leeds Grammar School. There were some outstanding performances and as a result several of our juniors will now represent West Yorkshire in the English Schools Athletics Association Championships in March.

Unsurprisingly, with so many Juniors occupied by the XC’s on Saturday, just three took part in the weekly parkruns. Samesh Chotai had another good run at Skipton finishing in 2nd place with a time of 17:40. Roberts Park was Ethan Pickwoad’s choice this week finishing in 24:16 whilst Harry Leijssen opted for Chevin Forest finishing in 24:53.

Among the seniors, Steve Gott finished fifth in the Chevin parkrun while Jaysson Sawyer finished 9th at Fountains Abbey. Alex Foyn was 2nd in Harrogate, Harry Brook-Dobson 4th at Lister Park and Stephen Coy 6th at Queen’s in Glasgow.

Notice of the club’s 2025 AGM

Sat 1 Feb 2025

As is required in our Club Constitution we must hold an AGM within two months of the end of our financial year, which is now 31st December. This year our AGM will be at Ilkley tennis club at 8.30pm on Tuesday 25th February.

We must have an AGM with a quorum of members and the committee would appreciate it if as many of you as possible could attend to hear what we and others in the club have undertaken on your behalf, to question us and to input your ideas as well as get to see fellow members.

The draft agenda, with links to the minutes from the last AGM (Sept 2023) and last year’s EGM (Sept 2024), was emailed to all members on Monday 3rd February. If you would like to to raise any points to go on the agenda, please get in touch via the address on that email.

Over the next few weeks we will prepare reports and audited accounts for both the seniors and juniors and these will be circulated with the final agenda the weekend before.

And please remember that the committee is open to – and represents – everyone so if you are interested in joining us then please let me know.

We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.

Kind regards,

Jonathan and the committee

Annual Harriers Awards – all the winners!

Sat 1 Feb 2025

Thankyou to Nick Kealey, Kate Archer and Jean Sullivan for organising a fantastic awards evening.

Congratulations to all the winners and everyone shortlisted!

(Winners in CAPITALS and bold)

Female runner of the year – Kate Archer, Sally Armitage, Alison Bennett, Petra Bijsterveld, Rachel Carter, Hilda Coulsey, Jacqui Foster, Sarah Hayes, Diane Kitchen, Sally Malir, JANE McCARTHY, Alison Weston

Male runner of the year – Tom Adams, Jack Cummings, Nathan Edmondson, Mark Hall, Ed Hobbs, Geoff Howard, Oli Murphy, BEN ROTHERY, Ritchie Williamson, Jack Wood

Most improved female runner – Sally Armitage, Petra Bijsterveld, Helena Coy, Sarah Hayes, Ruth Kitchen, SARAH LAMBERT, Claire McLoughlin, Emma Sheppard, Helen Thurston, Jacqui Weston

Most improved male runner – Sam Bentham, Harry Brook-Dobson, Archie Budding, Forrest Hamilton, John Hayes, Nick Helliwell, Ed Hobbs, Nigel Illingworth, TONY PYE, Peter Shelley, Harry Sime, Matthew Thackwray, Alan Travis, Christos Tzelis, Ritchie Williamson, Iain Young

Female endurance runner – Kate Archer, Rachel Carter, PETRA BIJSTERVELD, Jane McCarthy, Jann Smith, Alison Weston

Male endurance runner – Forrest Hamilton, Gavin Lamb, Richard Joel, Oli Murphy, Ben Rothery, Peter Shelley, RITCHIE WILLIAMSON

Emerging male talent – SAM BENTHAM, Archie Budding, Ed Hobbs, Oscar Shinn, Matthew Thackwray, Christos Tzelis

Emerging female talent – Helena Coy, KATIE POULTER, Beth Rogers

Over 50 male – Jeff Green, MARK HALL, John Hayes, Geoff Howard, Peter Shelley, Marc Westerman, Ritchie Williamson

Over 50 female – Alison Bennett, Petra Bijsterveld, Hilda Coulsey, JANE McCARTHY, Jann Smith, Alison Weston

One-off stunning performance (joint winners):

Ruth Kitchen – sub-18 at Cheshire

GEOFF HOWARD – Top ranked MV80 in UK thanks to Abbey Dash display

FRA LV40 WINNING TEAM (Katie Poulter, Rachel Carter/Kate Archer, Alison Weston/Jann Smith, Helen Thurston)

Alison Weston – Valencia Marathon

Alison Bennett – parkrun league winner

Ritchie Williamson – Winter Spine

Ed Hobbs – Guy Fawkes record

Dave Foyston – sub 3hr Leeds Marathon

Nathan Edmondson – 10k club record

Kate Prior – Three Peaks

Forrest Hamilton – Abingdon Marathon

Jack Wood – Malaga Half

Archie Budding – Scottish U20 2000m steeplechase champ

One-off contribution:

NEIL CHAPMAN – Pete Shields 10k

Vince Gibbons – Pete Shields 10k

Jeff Green – Christmas Relays

Peter Roll – Ilkley Moor Fell Race

Caroline Tong – New run group

Newbie writing team for the Gazette

Contribution to club female:

Petra Bijsterveld

Jill Ezard

Jean Sullivan

CAROLINE TONG

Dawn Turner

Helen Waddington

Rebecca White

Contribution to club male:

NEIL CHAPMAN

Vince Gibbons

Nick Helliwell

Dan McKeown

Jonathan Turner

Dick Waddington

Will Worboys

Iain Young

Male captain’s pick: WILL WORBOYS

Female captain’s pick: RACHEL CARTER