Ilkley Harriers news archive 2026

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 27 Apr 2026

Tue 28 Apr 2026

From Caroline Howe & Nicola Budding…

Jack Cummings smashes marathon debut in history-making London race

The 2026 London Marathon will live long in the history books, following the annihilation of the world record and first sub-two-hour marathon by Sabastian Sawe – a feat many thought we would never witness. While the elites were breaking all sorts of records, it was also a day that will live long in the memories of the several Ilkley Harriers who took on this iconic world major.

Jack Cummings ran the race of his life to finish in a scintillating 2:27:48 – in what, remarkably, was his first full marathon. Having excelled across all terrains and distances over the past few years, Jack was bang on form for the event, setting a blistering pace of around 5:12 min/mile pace for the first 13 miles and crossing the finish line in an outstanding 129th position out of a record 59,000 competitors. Simply superb!

Two other Harriers also broke the magical three-hour mark – Edwyn Oliver-Evans crossing the line in 2:56:00, with Steven Bysouth third Harrier home on 2:58:10 – both spectacular performances.

Other Harriers to experience the wonderful atmosphere of the world’s biggest marathon include seasoned marathoners Dave Reynier in 3:29:09 and Derek Oliver in 3:37:18; Lucy Lowe in 4:40:47; Lis Merrick in 5:22:27; new Harrier Lizzy Moyce completing her debut marathon in 5:46:45; and Claire Macina in 6:30:32. Well done to all who took part in what must have been one of the warmest London marathons in recent years!

While perhaps not quite as famous, there was at least one other marathon taking place on the same day… Martin Hartley, Sally Armitage, Paul Sullivan and Ritchie Williamson all took on the Blackpool Marathon. Martin was unlucky to just miss out on the sub three-hour goal, finishing in a very quick 3:01:44. Sally, despite several challenges, crossed the line in an impressive 3:12:53 in what was her third Blackpool and fourth marathon. Paul finished in 3:45:21 and Ritchie in 4:19:28. Well done to all!

And it wasn’t just a weekend for road racing… on Saturday the iconic Three Peaks fell race took place in hot and hard conditions. So challenging was the weather, that over 150 runners didn’t finish this year’s race, but it was a mightily successful day for Ilkley Harriers.

There were some particularly outstanding results for Ilkley Harriers ladies, who took the first ladies prize with Kate Archer and Jane McCarthy finishing fourth and fifth females in 4:12:09 and 4:16:41 respectively. Jane was first in her F50 age category, and Kate third in the F40 category. Rachel Carter was the third team member, finishing in 4:46:35. Kate Archer and Katie Poulter also won the first F40 team prize, and Jane McCarthy and Rachel Carter won the F50 team prize. Alison Weston was second F60.

Sandwiched between Kate and Jane was Fraser Arnott in 4:12:25, while Robert Green was the other Harrier to make the top 100 finishers, in 4:19:35. Charlie Kay and James Lumb both ducked under five hours with Ash Winter just over.

There were plenty of debutants too, all performing fantastically, including Emma Sheppard, Nea Weston, Colm McCann, George Whittlestone (who won the prize for youngest finisher at age 18), and Simon Jenkins – all making the cut-offs and completing the race, with plenty of Harriers support en route.

Earlier in the week the Evensplits 5k took place at the Brownlee track in Leeds. Harriers taking part were Michael Odell (17:48), Kyle Bethell (18:28), Jonathan Turner (19:24 and first M55) and Georgina Hamill (22:02) – great performances!

And staying with the 5k distance, the weekend’s parkrunning saw Dan McKeown finish first at East Holmes Field in 18:47, Samesh Chotai first at Roberts Park in 16:42, and Lerryn O’Neill, a junior harrier in the JW10 category, finish first female in 24:01 at Cliffe Castle.

Staying with our juniors, a dry and warm evening greeted runners participating in the final event of the Bunny Run series, with some great results including a first place finish for Alex Wolfenden. In the overall standings for the series, Milena Morgan was second female overall and first GU16 with ollie Holder seventh male overall and second BU18.

Finally, a huge congratulations to Ben Rothery who has been selected to represent the GB & NI team at the European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships in Slovenia on 5-7 June. Congratulations also to Sam Bentham and Ed Hobbs who both received call-ups to the Yorkshire County U23 team for the Inter County Mountain Running Championships at Sedbergh on 3 May – a great testament to their excellent recent form and hard work!

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.

London Marathon – Sun 26 Apr 2026

Mon 27 Apr 2026

From Lucy Lowe…

Having done the London Marathon with a charity place and a chest infection in 2024 I was desperate to do it again

I assumed with the Harriers draw that if I entered every year (unlike the main ballot) I would eventually get drawn out maybe in several years time so was shocked when I got the email from Hilda saying I’d been picked out at the 2nd attempt.

Training had gone well however as the week went on the forecast went from cool and cloudy to blazing sun and quite hot.

I don’t run well in the heat! I am amazed at the people who pb or can go their normal pace. Getting off the tube at Greenwich I realised I needed to put on a hat as the sun was so strong and after the first 5k which I had decided to try and pace myself for, I decided to slow down and enjoy the moment and get round.

I overtook Daddy Pig and Joe Wicks around 8 miles, all round the course there were noticeably more children all with signs for Daddy Pig, I think there should be some children’s character every year.

Saw the O Looneys at 9 miles which gave me a boost, they were very enthusiastic even more than at parkrun!

Then from Tower Bridge, which was glorious (the sun really brought out a lot of extra supporters) people started keeling over all around me, I definitely made the right choice instead of joining them, I high-fived kids, took oranges, and pushed signs for power up – there was little shade which would have actually given me a power up!

Then with 12k to go I started jostling for position with a rhino which I realise now was captured on tv! Slowing down meant I spotted the Tower of London, Big Ben and most importantly Buckingham Palace which I didn’t clock last time. So whilst it was nowhere near a pb I had a good time not a fast time.

Results

Blackpool Marathon – Sun 26 Apr 2026

Sun 26 Apr 2026

From Sally Armitage…

This was my fourth marathon and my third one at Blackpool. Conditions were fairly good, there was some cloud cover and a definite breeze. My goal was to run at the same average pace as my two fastest previous marathons, but rather than start fast and fade away after 20 miles, as I’ve done on every marathon so far, my plan was to set off slower and run the entire marathon with even splits. I really thought this was a realistic goal, but a combination of stomach cramps from around the halfway point and a stitch followed immediately by a hamstring cramp between 22-24 miles, put paid to that. I was disappointed but will try again at Chester in the autumn. I also have Windermere in seven weeks but I think I’ll just focus on enjoying that one before I completely fall out of love with the marathon distance!

Results

(1st male Peter Mackrell Salford Harriers 2:36:30)

(1st female Lizzie Polgreen Portobello RC 3:08:22)

42 Martin Hartley 3:01:44

70 Sally Armitage 3:12:53

221 Paul Sullivan 3:45:21

401 Ritchie Williamson 4:19:28 (looked to be on pacing duties)

672 ran

Yorkshire Three Peaks Race – Sat 25 Apr 2026

Sat 25 Apr 2026

From Alison Weston…

A beautiful, blue cloudless sky greeted the runners this year at Horton in Ribblesdale for the 71st Three Peaks race (won last year by the Harriers’ own Ben Rothery).

Sixteen harriers set off at 10.30 am for the gruelling 24-mile course over Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough with loads of supporters en route to cheer us on. There had been the usual pre-race dilemmas about how much water and food to take, which shoes to wear, had we done enough training and would we meet the stringent cut-offs. After 24 previous Three Peaks races you would think I would have it sussed by now, but that’s certainly not the case!

It’s a fast start along the road and then up the stony track to Pen-y-ghent, the top runners flying down as most of us are still ascending. I was feeling quite good and enjoying the first climb, catching Nea up just before the summit, but then realised I was already two minutes down on last year’s time and Liz caught my despair on camera!

Round the nice grassy loop from the top to meet the path again and then the start of the long section to Ribblehead, trying to avert my eyes from the rather too distant views of Whernside and Ingleborough and keep them on my watch. It’s quite a nice undulating route really and I’m always impressed by how fast everyone else seems to be able to run this bit compared to me. When you finally hit the road, you think you’re nearly there, but don’t be fooled – it’s still quite a way. Everyone around me started looking at their watches as they approached Ribblehead checkpoint, with our names read out over the loudspeaker from the commentary box. Great to grab more water and see familiar faces but now three minutes down on last year’s time.

I’d been looking forward to the river crossing to douse myself with water before the long climb up Whernside. The relay pairs have increased the numbers, and we were heel to toe, single file for quite a bit of the way – if you overtook someone you had to continue overtaking until there was a gap to get back onto the path (a bit energy sapping!). The climb gets significantly steeper toward the top of Whernside and cramp was setting in for many runners – myself included. I have experienced cramp in calf muscles a few times before but not in my quads too. Keep your heels down, I remember Jann telling me once, which did seem to help. Most of us crawled the last 50m or so, on all fours. Quick dib at the top, appreciate the fantastic view, then off again, now almost four minutes down and not a lot of time in hand.

Unfortunately, the quad cramp returned if I tried to stride out or lift my legs more, so it was a rather unpleasant and cautious descent. I simply didn’t have the time to trip up or fall over which I’d already seen a few runners do. So, I pretended that Hill Inn was the finish on the rise past the snack shop to the checkpoint at Hill Inn, greatly encouraged on by Helen and Dick. Then through the checkpoint, delighted to have made it with 7 minutes in hand. I needed a few moments to recover though (physically and mentally) and saw Emma by the porta loos – a good a place as any to have a quick rest and pull myself together!

It was difficult to motivate myself to run rather than walk towards Ingleborough and it suddenly looked incredibly steep. As with the last few years I struggled to eat anything and just sipped on water. Delighted to see Jacqui and Steve marshalling near the top and Emma looking strong running along the summit plateau.

Now just the final descent, although a lot of it doesn’t feel like downhill. All nimbleness long gone, just a matter of picking the best line on the path and keeping going. The first sighting of the finish field with about 1.5 km to go is a real high point, and then the run into the finish field is just amazing – a mixture of relief and elation, and probably the reason why I have kept returning for more.

I ran my first 3 Peaks race aged 24, running for Holme Pierrepont club in Nottingham, before moving to Yorkshire some years later and discovering Ilkley Harriers. I spent years chasing a sub four-hour time (when the route was shorter) which I never achieved, the closest I got was 4:10, followed by 4:14 on the way back from my honeymoon! And now I chase the cut-offs instead. But it doesn’t matter, it’s the trying that motivates me and above all it’s fun (well afterwards at least!).

I’m super proud of Nea today running her first 3 Peaks race with not a lot of training (she will agree!) and wearing new shorts, new vest and new shoes on the day. She borrowed my analogue watch with no second hand, speeding down Whernside to make the cut-off, unsure if she had made it or not. In fact, she was 30 seconds outside, but unbeknown to Nea the organisers had decided to extend the cut-offs due to the heat, so she was able to carry on. I thought Nea may be cursing me for encouraging her to take part, but her face said it all running into the finish, and I have a feeling she will be back for more…

From Nea Weston…

My mum has done the Three Peaks almost every year I can remember, so I always thought one year I would do it too, and this was the year. My mum’s 25th and my 1st (and probably only!) I couldn’t believe the number of runners and the atmosphere – when the track dipped near the start you could see people stretching out for miles, and running up Pen-y-ghent felt like a spectator sport as the fastest runners came down. I was surprised by how many other runners were around me for the whole route, and how lovely and encouraging everyone was – both the runners and supporters. Crawling up Whernside was probably a high point as everyone went from two feet to all fours and back to two feet again in unison. Having only ever been up the peaks individually and over many years, it was amazing to do the whole route as part of such a joyful race, and I probably will be back to try it again, though definitely not 24 times – a feat that only seems harder now I’ve experienced the race!’

Alison’s round-up of the other Harrier results…

Hot and hard conditions for the 3 Peaks race on Saturday with over 150 runners not finishing the 39km course. Ilkley Harriers didn’t have their top male runners out this year but we had some outstanding results from the ladies, particularly Kate and Jane, coming 4th and 5th overall, with Kate also 3rd V40 and Jane 1st V50.

Ilkley ladies also won 1st team, including Rachel, 1st over 40 team including Katie and Kate, and 1st over 50 team including Rachel and Jane. Emma completed her first 3 peaks looking incredibly strong and Alison was 2nd V60.

George received a prize for being the youngest competitor, aged 18, and Fraser and Rob easily made the top 100. Charlie and James got round in under 5 hours, and Ash just over. Colm, George, Nea and Simon looked very happy to complete their first 3 Peaks, cheered in by lots of Harriers.

A big thanks to all supporters along the way – it makes such a difference and is very much appreciated.

Results

(1st male Tom Evans, Lewes AC 3:02:17)

(1st female Helen Leigh, Inverness Harriers 3:49:13)

Kate Archer 4.12.09

Fraser Arnott 4.12.25

Jane McCarthy 4.16.41

Rob Green 4.19.35

Rachel Carter 4.46.41

Charlie Kay 4.53.24

James Lumb 4.58.55

Ash Winter 5.09.49

Katie Poulter 5.09.50

Emma Sheppard 5.19.55

Alison Weston 5.22.07

Colm Mccann 5.44.49

George Whittlestone 5.50.49

Nea Weston 5.55.11

Simon Jenkins 6.04.04

Ben Rothery named in GB/NI squad for Euros

Thu 23 Apr 2026

UK Athletics have announced the first athletes selected to represent the Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland (GB & NI) team at the European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships in Ljubljana-Kamnik, Slovenia from 5-7 June.

And following victories at the Middle Distance Trail Running Championships, Ben Rothery (club:Ilkley, coach:Sarah McCormack) and Scarlet Dale (Ambleside AC, Mark Croasdale) have earned selection and will return to the world stage.

They are joined by second place Eve Pannone (Ambleside AC, David Roche) and Bertie Houghton (Hallamshire, Lewis Moses). The men’s team is further strengthened by experienced international Luke Grenfell-Shaw (Lonely Goat RC, Lewis Moses) and Alexander Chepelin (Carnethy Hill RC, Sophie Dunnett).

On the women’s side, Scottish athlete Kirsty Oldham (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers) and Emily Cowper-Coles (Rotherham Harriers/Dark Peak) will compete in a strong squad selected for the demanding trail discipline.

The trail race will take place over 52km in the mountains of Slovenia with a 2450m ascent and descent. Starting in the town of Kamnik, athletes will follow the Kamniška Bistrica River, passing the Eco Resort en route to Stahovica. The final kilometre and a half will guide runners through the town park and across a narrow bridge over the Kamniška Bistrica River to the finish line.

Congratulations to Ben from all at the Harriers.

Boston Marathon – Mon 21 Apr 2026

Wed 22 Apr 2026

From Forrest [and Bob] Hamilton…

Qualifying for the Boston Marathon carries a certain amount of cachet and I’d wanted a piece of that since I started running. The fact we have family there and I spent childhood holidays in and around Boston only made the pull stronger. I’d happily qualified at the second attempt and, not content with inviting himself to come along and watch, my Dad had qualified (much more easily) himself.

[My lad somehow thinks it’s easy to go sub 4 hours at my age. To be fair, though, there is some extra dispensation for age in qualifying – perhaps a reward for still being able to run at all at this ancient stage of life.]

Logistically, the whole experience is far easier if you have a family willing to feed you and drive you to the start to avoid sitting on a cramped bus for an hour. For someone who struggles with crowds (the worst was to come) and has only done marathons where you could walk to the start from home, this was a relief.

To their credit, the BAA and the 9,000 volunteers (!!!) who put on the race have clearly learned a thing or two in the 130 years it’s been running, because the whole thing ran pretty seamlessly.

[Ditto that. Having abandoned the idea of ever again doing a big city marathon after running the very first London – when a field of 8,000 felt like madness – Boston was incredibly slick. The only glitch – for us – was being separated at the security check before the final shuttle, getting on different buses, and then never seeing each other again. We both soon gave up any hope of finding the other. I actually suspect my lad was seeking some peace and quiet for his final mental preparation, not wanting me wittering away in his ear.]

I was a little concerned about being boxed in at the start as you’re seeded based on qualifying time (2.49) and there was a rather large disparity between that time and the 2.36 I was hoping to run in order to get a London Championship entry. Despite plenty of reports online suggesting the crowds would thin out within a mile or two, helping you not go out too fast, I did not find this to be the case. The first 6 miles of the race were spent overtaking thousands of runners, mainly running in the gutter and narrowly avoiding collisions. I managed to run target pace in these first downhill miles, but the energy cost was far greater than it should have been.

[Like Forrest, I was surprised at how conservatively people were running in my wave through the first few miles, although in my case it was hundreds rather than thousands that I was overtaking. For me, it wasn’t so problematic and I quite enjoyed the distraction of weaving between runners trying to find space to run at what felt like a relaxed pace. Slower than that never feels comfortable.]

Training for a marathon with an ambitious time goal is a tricky thing. You walk a fine line between injury, illness and overtraining. With the benefit of hindsight, I may have overcooked it slightly, striving for that extra percent or two of fitness. My hamstrings and glutes had that giveaway heavy feeling from the beginning and felt downright angry by mile 8. By this point, I had more or less given away the chance to hit 2.36 and instead focused on running a solid race I could be proud of, running strong to the end.

[It’s a fine line indeed and I’d erred the other way, sacrificing some conditioning to make sure I arrived on the start line without any niggles. My taper had worked and I felt great through the first ten miles, possibly too great because I was thinking I might be good for 3.40 something, way beyond any expectations I had at the beginning of last year, when sub 4 seemed ambitious.]

You hit the famous Wellesley scream tunnel just before the halfway point and it provided an ironically unhelpful boost to morale. I glanced down at my watch as I had unconsciously surged to 5.30 minute mile pace, not ideal.

[As someone who easily loses concentration, having hundreds of young women from Wellesley College (annual fees just shy of $100,000) suddenly screaming at me was a welcome boost to engage with the race again and check in on my form. I’d been warned but expected them to have lost their voices by the time I came through. I still can’t believe they waited for me. The noise was extraordinary. And my form was still okay too – half-marathon in 1.47.25.]

It’s a pretty rough feeling crossing the halfway point, with your pace already fading and legs starting to burn, knowing you have to do that all over again. Instead I thought only of reaching the next water station (every mile) to dump water over myself to stay refreshed. You reach a big downhill just before the infamous Newton Hills and I made a concerted effort not to surge (although still dropped my fastest mile since the opening downhills). Boston is a real rollercoaster of a course and it’s mostly very enjoyable (if you like downhill running) as it keeps you engaged.

The first two – of three – hills were pretty gradual and were survived in decent shape, helped by knowing my wife was waiting for me in between them. Seeing her gave me another boost, which, again, might have been unhelpful as I cheerfully powered on towards Heartbreak Hill feeling quite full of myself. I’ve never done a race with such a swing in emotions, swapping between feeling horrendous and delirious about twenty times.

I ran Heartbreak the day before on my shakeout and it made me nervous. By Yorkshire standards it’s barely a lump, but I knew how much I’d be hurting. And so it proved. My hip flexors, working overtime to compensate for my hamstring tightness, started screaming at me and I started to find people overtaking me for the first time in the race.

[I’m clearly more naive. Forrest and I took a gentle run together the morning before the race to recce the Newton Hills and it was hard to fathom what the fuss was about. They’d barely qualify for a hill back home. I felt my power dropping in the lead up to them in the race, but they didn’t present a problem except for slowing my pace. But things started to go wrong once past the crest. It wasn’t the hill that broke my heart but its aftermath. I soon began to understand.]

The received wisdom at Boston is that you need to reach the top of Heartbreak Hill ready to take advantage of the nearly all downhill final 10k to the finish. I wasn’t. The marathon is almost impossible to get right, in training and on the day, and I made a few mistakes which meant the final miles were more about survival than anything else. Seeing Boston city centre, it felt like a long way away and I discovered how far five miles is when you’re hurting. I saw the Citgo sign and it still felt far to the finish. Only when I turned right onto Hereford did I allow myself the cathartic release that I’d done it. Turning left onto Boylston, I tried to put in a final surge to dip under 2.39 but my hamstrings defiantly rejected that assertion of will.

[As with my lad, the last five miles felt like a very long way. My calves were cramping badly, going into spasm mid-stride, almost having me on the deck a couple of times. I slowed down and tried to get back to my previous rhythm but each time I picked up the pace the calves started to twitch. I reset my ambitions and thought I’d still be on to beat the time I did in my very first marathon, all the way back in 1977. The support in the last few miles is amazing, and the noise almost too much, but I wasn’t able to enjoy it all as much as I’d have liked. I was running in my own bubble, simply keeping going as fast as I dare.]

Despite my suffering, I made sure to enjoy the crowds of the final miles and the iconic scenery.

It’s amazing how quickly your brain shuts your body down after you’ve crossed the line. Within ten minutes I was shivering uncontrollably ‘like a fish out of water’ on the grounds of Boston Garden. My wife dressed me as I was unable to even remove my vest. At least I could say with some certainty, I couldn’t have run any faster.

[Forrest had a long wait for me, not least because I started a whole hour behind him. I lost a lot of time in the last few miles and failed to beat my revised goal, albeit by only a handful of seconds. I’ll take that as an incentive to do better next year, when it will be 50 years on from that first run, in the ‘Masters & Maidens’, the only marathon then where women were allowed to compete, and also where the time-keepers stayed around long enough to record the efforts of old men – or a young man who’d become addicted to running without a clue as to what he was doing. That race was completed in a pair of cheap Woolworth plimsolls.]

The loveliest part of the day was sitting in Boston Garden after the race, waiting for Dad and getting to enjoy some tense dot watching amongst trying to reply to an overwhelming amount of kind messages. We were surrounded by people celebrating the achievement of a lifetime, plenty of tears, bear hugs and screaming.

[Once over the line, slightly disappointed to have collapsed in form so badly but nonetheless proud of a time I’d have taken before the day, the first thing I did was reach for my phone to check on Forrest. I was thrilled to see that he’d got under 2.40. I never believed I had that kind of time in me at his age. He might have missed his ambitious target but I knew he’d be happy enough with that. It’s far easier for things to go wrong than for everything to go right – as I discovered. The legs were in a delicate condition on the short walk to the park to meet up with our party and then to get to where the car had been left. Thankfully the sun was out and it felt warm, so I didn’t feel cold, although my daughter-in-law was in hysterics when we had to climb a flight of steps and the calves went into spasm again. Why do people find cramps so funny? That said, I was laughing myself at that point. I was keen to know which was the better performance on age-adjusted terms and to Forrest’s surprise (but not mine), it turned out to be his (81% to 78% according to Gemini). I think we’re likely to renew this contest next year. I’m also thinking now that I have quite a lot of room for improvement, possibly more than my son. That’s laying the gauntlet down, young man.]

Results

(1 John Korir 2.01.52)

231 Ruaridh Mon-Williams 2.27.52

1100 Forrest Hamilton 2.39.10

20110 Bob Hamilton 3.52.00

29023 finished

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 20 Apr 2026

Mon 20 Apr 2026

From Peter Shelley & Nicola Budding…

A major record tumbles amid individual and team successes for Ilkley Harriers on road, fell and trail.

The Manchester Marathon is a major spring fixture in the road running calendar. The flat course combined with Sunday’s unusually favourable running conditions of low wind, cool temperatures and sun offered excellent pb potential. Step up Matthew Thackwray, road running specialist with a record of race victories and fast times at 5k, 10k and half-marathon, now running in an England Masters MV40 vest. Anyone who has run a kilometre under or close to 3:30 will know the training and effort required. Matthew reeled off 42.2 such kilometres with great consistency to run not only his personal best marathon in a stunning 2:26:41 but to take 24th place of 27,977 finishers and England Masters M40 silver. In so doing he broke an MV40 Ilkley Harriers marathon club record that has stood for 35 years. Congratulations Matthew on a fantastic performance!

Next Harrier was Phil Joyner who had a great day to finish 3,064th and MV45 252/1572 in 3:18:34. Lucy Kay ran a strong 3:37:04 to 6,090th and FV40 92/1088.

Outright men’s victory went to Yohan Lidove (France) in 2:15:19 and women’s to Naomi Robinson (GB) in 2:36:56.

There was similar excitement on the other side of the pond with three outstanding performances at the Boston Marathon. One of the seven major world marathon events, Boston 2026 attracted 30,000 competitors and took place in similarly cool conditions. Ruaridh Mon-Williams ran an immensely impressive 2:27:52 to finish 231st. Father and son team Bob and Forrest Hamilton were next up, motivated by some friendly intergenerational rivalry. Continuing his fine run of form, Forrest ran a personal best marathon time of 2:39:10 in pursuit of one of his Dad’s many personal records. Not content to let it lie, Bob ran 3:52:00 to set new M65 and M70 club records!

John Korir and Sharon Lokedi successfully defended their Boston titles in 2:01:52 and 2:18:51 respectively.

Temperatures were rather higher in the sun of South-Eastern Europe as four intrepid Harriers successfully took on the Istanbul Half Marathon. Jacqui Weston finished in 1:57:49 and was 11th in her age category, Anna Nolan in 2:04:51 and 39th in age category, Jane Bryant in 2:04:59 and 21st in age category and Helen Horton 2:07:28 and 13th in age category.

The Blackstone Edge Fell Race took place on Saturday and was the third counter of six in the 2026 English Fell Running Championship. This brought a high turnout and intense competition with 369 completing the race including a strong Harriers contingent.

Categorised AS (for short distance on steep technical terrain), the race covers 5.6km including an initial 366m moorland climb heading east from Littleborough to the Pennine Way. Here it briefly follows Blackstone Edge before a fast but challenging descent to the finish.

Sam Bentham finished 8th and 1st MU23 in 28:45. Oli Murphy was 14th in 29:49, Kate Archer 162nd and 5th F45 in 39:02, Jane McCarthy 176th and 4th F50, Rachel Carter 233rd and 11th F50. Next were Dave Norris 234th, Katie Poulter 243th, James Bentham 258th, Sacha Jones 267th and Alison Weston 292nd. These results earned Ilkley 2nd place in both the F40 and F50 categories. The race was won by Finlay Grant of Dark Peak FR in 26:46.

There was fell action on a wider scale in Cumbria on Sunday at the Newlands Valley races. 163 runners tackled the Newlands Valley Fell Race which covered six summits in the north-western fells near Keswick. Categorised AM (Alpine/Medium), the route covers 18.5km with 1,200m of elevation in an anticlockwise circuit which visits the summits of Robinson, Dale Head and Catbells. Fellow Harriers reporter Luke Watkeys acquitted himself very well in his first Lakeland fell race acquiring valuable mountain race craft in mixed conditions to finish 96th in 2:37:53.

103 runners braved the even greater challenge of the Teenager with Altitude (AL, Alpine/Long) which adds five westerly summits to the fell race route including Causey Pike, Grasmoor and Whiteless Pike. Among the finishers was Charles Wain who navigated his way to great effect through bogs and low visibility to 80th place in 4:33:48.

Ultra specialist Matthew Kennedy made short work of the Chiltern Ridge Classic 50K while still managing to enjoy the scenery finishing in 4:31: 24, 13th place of 305 finishers and 2nd MV50.

Ilkley Harrier juniors were strongly represented at the second of three Bunny Runs taking place on consecutive Tuesdays in April. At the end of a lively scramble around a moorland circuit above Haworth Samesh Chotai placed 2nd place in 16:29. Oscar Shinn was 8th in 17:52, Ollie Holder 10th (BU18) in 18:05, George Whittlestone 24th in 18:53, Milena Morgan 39th (GU16) in 20:34, Rachel Carter 64th and 1st LV50 in 22:16.

Andrew Overend ran a pb of 21:07 at East Holmes Field parkrun. Tim Ashelford was first MV60 in 22:05. Hugo Haigh (JM10) ran 22:11 and Henry Hirst (JM11) 21:27. Millie Houlbrook ran 24:33 to finish 1st JW11-14. Nura Allen and Mariam Allen followed Millie to make it a 1-2-3 in the JW11-14 category. Alice Gardner was 1st JW15-17.

Maintaining his pace from the Bunny Runs, Samesh Chotai finished 1st in the Lister parkrun with a new pb of 16:55. Steve Murray was fastest MV55 in 20:22. Second and third in category were his contemporaries John Hayes and Jonathan Turner, two and five seconds behind respectively. At Roberts Park Michael Moore (JM11) and sister (JW10) both set new pbs in 19:25 and 22:54 respectively.

Further afield, Steve Coy achieved an 80.5% age grading at Cusworth Hall while Oscar Stapleton finished 2nd at Highbury Fields. Max Hebbron finished 1st JM10 in 23:52 in Denbighshire.

The juniors made their mark in the first meeting of the West Yorkshire Athletics Track & Field League in Cleckheaton. Rosa Crolla (U14) and Heather Crolla competed in the 100 metres, shot put and long jump.

Teenager with Altitude and Newlands Memorial – Sat 18 Apr 2026

Sun 19 Apr 2026

From Charles Wain and Luke Watkeys…

Charles and Luke flew the flag for Ilkley Harriers in the Lake District this weekend. We’d originally both planned to tackle the Teenager with Altitude, a beast of a race covering 24.7 km across the Northwestern fells with 2,300m of elevation. Sadly, a mid-week bug meant Luke wasn’t on top form, so he made the executive decision to drop down to the Newlands Memorial. Taking place at the same time, it’s a more accessible but still challenging 18.5 km route with 1,100m of climbing. Here’s how our respective days on the fells unfolded:

Charles (Teenager with Altitude)

The route kicks off with a steep pull straight from the gun, climbing quickly into thick clag on Causey Pike. Early race enthusiasm got the better of me, and I pushed too hard on that opening climb — something I’d end up paying for later.

From there, navigation became the main challenge, threading a line up towards Grasmoor via Coledale Hause with visibility down to around 20 metres on the tops. The terrain between Grasmoor and Robinson is relentlessly steep, both on the descents and the climbs, and this is where the early effort really caught up with me. Progress became more about hanging on and staying accurate in the clag than moving quickly.

Thankfully, things turned around after Robinson onwards. As the cloud began to lift, my legs came back and the running opened up towards Dale Head and on to Cat Bells. With views returning over Buttermere, Derwent Water, and across the Western and Central Fells, it was a welcome lift after the earlier grind.

I was pleased to bring it home in a little over 4:30, and the promise of a well-earned chilli and beer at the finish capped off a cracking day out in the fells.

Luke (Newlands Memorial)

This was my first Lakeland fell race and, despite feeling under the weather, I was itching to get it under my belt. It’s a different game in the Lakes compared to Yorkshire; the scale of the mountains surrounding the start line was both exciting and imposing.

The race began at 11:30 am. Unlike Charles’ immediate vertical ascent, I had a gentle 5 km warm-up through Little Town and along the valley parallel to Scope Beck. However, the honeymoon period ended abruptly at the foot of Robinson. The climb is relentless, gaining 500m in just over a kilometre to reach the 737m summit. As I neared the top, the field thinned out, and the clag descended. With visibility down to a few metres, it became a matter of follow the leader, hanging onto the runner in front. From there, it was a lovely bit of Lakeland top-hopping across to Hindscarth and Dale Head.

The real drama started after Dale Head. It was a precipitous drop down to Dale Head Tarn, and with no clear path, you were left to choose your own line. Emerging from the mist, I spotted the tarn and decided on a fairly direct line, only to realise too late that I’d committed to a section of hidden cliff edges and knee-deep peat bogs. After a few moments panicking and traversing sideways to find safer ground, I finally hit the bottom, a bit rattled. I then managed one further bad decision, making a wrong turn before finally rejoining the main line.

From the tarn, it was the second major haul of the day up to High Spy. By this point, the sun had begun to break through, and we shared the ridge with plenty of tourists enjoying the views. This was the most runnable stretch of the day, moving fast across Maiden Moor before hitting the final trig point at Cat Bells. The descent off the top was great, even for tired legs – nippy, technical, and a total quad-killer – leading us right back down into the valley for the finish.

I crossed the line in 2:37:53, finishing 96th out of 163. I was over the moon just to have finished. It was a proper introduction to Lake District racing; bring on the next.

Summary of results:

Newlands Memorial:

1st: William Robson (1:41:10)

96th: Luke Watkeys (2:37:53)

163 finished, 2 DNF

Teenager with Altitude:

1st: Jose Concha (2:50:36)

80th: Charles Wain (4:33:48)

103 finished, 6 DNF

Blackstone Edge – Sat 18 Apr 2026

Sat 18 Apr 2026

From Alison Weston…

Good results for the Harriers in the third English Champs Fell race of the year. Sam was 8th and Oli 14th and great races for Jamie and Dave too. Kate, Jane, Rachel, Katie, Sacha and Alison all helped towards top 3 female teams for vet 40 and vet 50.

Results

8th Sam Bentham 00:28:45

14th Oli Murphy 00:29:49

162nd= Kate Archer 00:39:02

176th Jane McCarthy 00:39:43

233rd Rachel Carter 00:42:50

234th Dave Norris 00:42:53

243rd Katie Poulter 00:43:27

258th James Bentham 00:44:07

267th Sacha Jones 00:44:38

292nd Alison Weston 00:46:05

Chiltern Ridge Classic 50K – Sat 18 Apr 2026

Sat 18 Apr 2026

From Matthew Kennedy…

An old friend who lives in London suggested we run this race together, then when he had to pull out due to injury, I decided to make the journey south anyway, having never been to the Chilterns.

Starting at Berkhamsted Castle and finishing in Wendover, the route mostly followed sections of the Ridgeway on rolling, flinty paths. With a similar amount of climbing to the Rombalds Stride (about 3,300ft), spread over 50% more distance (almost 32 miles), the race was potentially runnable throughout, but an over-enthusiastic start left me nursing my legs and hiking some gentle hills towards the end.

In perfect cool, sunny weather, it was great fun nonetheless – the scenery rotated between open views, picturesque villages and bluebell woods (but with a noticeably different flavour to the Dales), and the logistics were spot on (thanks to organiser Runaway Racing and a small army of volunteers). All in all, definitely worth a look for anyone interested in running somewhere new, or on some flatter, faster trails.

Results

(1 Richard Loader 3h38)

13 Matthew Kennedy 4h31 (2nd MV50)

316 starters, 305 finishers

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 13 Apr 2026

Tue 14 Apr 2026

[Ben Rothery (left), winner of the 2026 British 50K Trail Championship race, Photo credit: RunThrough events]

From Jill Ezard & Nicola Budding…

Ilkley Harriers dominate at the Baildon Boundary Way Half Marathon

Dubbed by organisers as “possibly the greatest multi terrain ‘half marathon’ in the country”, the Baildon Boundary Way has always been a race the Harriers love, and 2026 was no different with 15 members taking on the challenge. Run through a mix of woodlands, moorlands, and rolling countryside, the race provides fantastic views and challenging hills. And it was a great year for the Harriers. Jack Cummings won back his title this year having previously won in 2023 and 2024 but missing out in 2025 by just 15 seconds. He took no risks on Sunday leading the field home in 1:19:21 over four minutes ahead of team mate Oli Murphy who took second place in 1:23:53. In fifth place overall, Nick Kealey finished first in his age category in 1:35:40. Finn Maxwell finished in 1:40:36, a time that saw him take a place in the top twenty. Jane McCarthy had a fantastic run taking third place in 1:47:38, comfortably placing first in her age group. Other age group successes were Alex Lewis who took second place in 2:25:51 and Mark Judkowski and Matthew Kennedy both taking third place in their categories in 2:14:26 and 1:43:54 respectively.

And there was more podium success at the Lakes Festival of Running ultra event in Keswick on Saturday. Two Harriers braved less than ideal conditions to tackle the normally 53k route which had to be reduced to 48k, skipping the summit of Scafell Pike due to below freezing temperatures, snow and high winds. Despite the change, competitors still had to tackle an eyewatering 2,200m of elevation over the course. The event had also been chosen for the British 50k Trail championships and was a selection race for the European Trail championships so the field was stacked with elite runners. All the more reason to celebrate Harrier Ben Rothery winning the race in a blistering 3:56. Jann Smith fought hard in the conditions to secure first place in the British Championships in her age category in 7:14. Well done to both for fantastic results.

Elsewhere in the UK five more Harriers braved the ups and downs of trail marathons. Heidi Hoad, Lucy Lowe and Mel Cashmore travelled to Redcar to take on the romantic sounding Charm Bracelet Marathon. Heading south from Redcar following the King Charles III England Coast Path, participants made their way to Whitby, passing the Circle sculpture affectionately known as The Charm Bracelet, the inspiration for the marathon. Taking in high cliff views and beach running, the race is definitely hilly! And as Heidi, Lucy and Mel found out, definitely not a tightly measured marathon, as they clocked up 28 miles! All three finished the event sliding under the six hour mark in 5:59.

The final two Harriers headed to the Isle of Man to take on the Manx Mountain Marathon, again, definitely not a marathon at over 30 miles. Having survived the somewhat turbulent ferry crossing, the conditions at the start of the race were promising. With several summits to climb with steep ascents and descents the race is challenging and with the conditions worsening over the course of the race there was a high drop out rate. Harriers Dan McKeown and Dave Rees were not to be put off however and both had great races: Dan finished the race in 33rd place in 6:59:31; and Dave finished in 8:21:45.

Several Harriers made their way to Bramham Park for the Will Deer trail runs with routes over 5k, 10km, and Half Marathon distances. The 5km and 10km runs are perfect for first-time trail runners, while the half marathon offers a longer challenge through the scenic estate. The 10k race attracted seven Harriers with our Run/Walk group taking on the race with some great results. Robin Ashe was the first home in 1:10:44 securing first place in his age category. Christine Ashe and Becky Taylor were just behind in 1:15:07 and 1:16:20 respectively, followed closely by Paul Sugden in 1:20:01. Gill Iley and Jo Pattinson came over the line together in 1:20:52. In the Half Marathon, Esmail Zadeh, another regular at the run walk group, had a fantastic run completing the event in 2:07:32. Well done to all our run/walkers.

Distance was not the only driver this week though with several Harriers taking part in much shorter races. It was the first of the Bunny Runs on Tuesday, a fun series of three mile races over the three weeks of Easter, with Easter Eggs the prizes to aim for! Five Harriers set out on the course with Juniors Ollie Holder and Milena Morgan having great races. Ollie was the first over the line taking third place in his age category in 18:31, while Milena was first in her category in 20:30. Rachel Carter was the first senior to finish taking first place in her age category in 22:19, followed by Roy Ruddle who also secured first place in his category in 24:03. Rachel Holder was just behind Roy in 25:36. The final race will be on 21st April.

There was some action on the track as well with three Harriers travelling to the University of York Sport Village Cycle Circuit to take part in the third race of the Evensplits York 5k series. The races are held monthly from February to November and are designed to enable people to challenge themselves to improve their 5k time on a fast and flat course over the course of the events. And there were some fast times for the Harriers. Alexander Wolfenden was the first to finish in 15:22 taking a top 10 spot. Oscar Shinn and Beth Rogers were neck and neck finishing just seconds apart in 17:20 and 17:25 respectively, with Beth’s time securing her third place in her age category.

And finally, parkruns keep on attracting lots of Harriers each week with 47 turning out for the friendly weekly events aimed at runners of all abilities. Our juniors were in action across the country: After her success at the Bunny Runs, Milena Morgan was at the Greenwich Peninsula event and was second female overall and first in her age category; Lerryn O’Neill was at Cliffe Castle and was second female and first in her age category; and at East Holmes Field, Sisters Nura and Miriam Allen took first and second positions in their age categories, with Daisy Lowe finishing in 55:58. A big congratulations to everyone getting a Personal Best time at an event this weekend – Andy Shinn, Mariam Allen, Jacqui Foster, and Owen Parker. In addition, Geoff Howard, Samesh Chotai and Hilda Coulsey all hit age gradings over 80% this week. Well done to everyone who took part.

Baildon Boundary Way – Sun 12 Apr 2026

Mon 13 Apr 2026

[Main photo credit: Woodentops]

From Will Worboys…

After an 11-year hiatus since my one and only other attempt and following a move to the area, it felt rude not to have another go at the Baildon Boundary Way Trail Half Marathon.

My memories from the last time I did this race in 2015 were pretty hazy, but after being marched 10 minutes down the hill from the HQ to the start, it all started coming back to me. This being my first half marathon and longest race since 2018 I started with some trepidation, but a nice easy first mile with plenty of downhill lulled me into a false sense of security… Until the first climb into Esholt Woods, which was frankly ridiculously steep and with my legs feeling suddenly very tired just 1.5 miles into 13 plus miles, I knew I was in for a tough morning. After this there was a reprieve for a while as we took in the fragrant (but flat) delights of the vast water treatment works, then onto the canal.

Things became a blur after this but I did work out that the route has changed slightly since the last time I partook. A mean little extra climb into Thackley wasn’t included in 2015 according to my strava, meaning that the run is now around half a mile longer. That is only a tiny part of my excuse for being around 45 minutes slower in 2026 than previously. The other excuses include; lack of hill training, lack of fitness, getting old, and just not being very good at running.

None of these un-attributes can be pointed at the other Harriers who absolutely excelled in this event. Jack Cummings led the way winning the race again, followed in second by Oli Murphy and Nick Kealey in fifth. Not forgetting Jane McCarthy who was third female despite telling me she was using it as a training run for the 3 Peaks!

Anyway, as we left the canal to head up into Shipley Glen at around 9 miles, what had been tough but just about runnable became a not very leisurely uphill hike over technical terrain towards the moors above Baildon. The rest of the race was an uncomfortable Jeffing session while being constantly overtaken by a steady stream of people running, walking and crawling, who then disappeared into the far distance ahead of me.

The views however were excellent, with the skyscrapers of Leeds in the distance, not to mention the chance to pretend to be a racehorse on the section that follows trainer Sue Smith’s gallops. I didn’t feel like a thoroughbred racehorse in any way by then, but I was very grateful not to have a little man with a whip sitting on my back. This thought gave me the lift I needed to see me home for the last mile or so mostly downhill to the finish (I’m choosing not to re-live the trauma of the last hill). As I crossed the finish line I decided that I may do it again, but probably not for at least 11 years!

Big respect and mentions to the other Harriers who finished what is a really tough but rewarding race; Finn Maxwell, Matthew Kennedy (3rd MV50), Andrew Overend, Ashley Winter (4th MV45), Adam Gerrish, Mark Judkowski (3rd MV55), Mary Fairclough (5th FV45), Paul Atkinson, Alexandra Lewis (2nd FV55) and Nigel Illingworth (thanks for the lift).

Results

The Charm Bracelet Marathon – Sun 12 Apr 2026

Sun 12 Apr 2026

From Heidi Hoad, Lucy Lowe & Mel Cashmore…

The Charm Bracelet marathon is a trail race which follows the coastal path from Redcar to Whitby.

With 994m of elevation I think this surpasses ‘undulating’ into ‘hilly’.

We were shivering on the start line with a very strong head wind pushing us in entirely the wrong direction, however once we got going found the wind to be not nearly as bad as we feared and the sun came out.

We were lucky with the weather the whole way round. Apart from the occasional gust it couldn’t have been better. And the views were spectacular – the British coast at its very finest.

As notoriously bad navigators it was a small miracle we didn’t get lost. We passed through a multitude of seaside towns Marske, Saltburn, Skinningrove, Staithes, Runswick Bay and Sandsend, and there were several checkpoints with great food choices (pickle anyone?).

We had a low point at mile 17 when we realised we probably needed to hydrate and fuel better but apart from that we were remarkably cheerful.

We were delighted when the end was in sight but very confused when instead of turning right to the finish line we were directed down for a short tour of Whitby town centre. As we were already at 26 miles this frankly seemed cruel. Furthermore it was quite humbling when a 70 year old man skipped past us on the final (steep) hill casually mentioning he’d done a 50 miler the day before.

Eventually we did make it to the end and limped back to the town for salty fish and chips.

What a wonderful day. A super event and certainly one of the prettiest routes. Highly recommend!

One small point – it claims to be 26.5 mile route however this is a blatant lie – we clocked up 28 miles – and so feel justified in claiming that we have now completed an ultra!

British Trail Running Championships 50K – Sat 11 Apr 2026

Sat 11 Apr 2026

From Jann Smith…

Run Through Trails hosted this race which was a grand tour of the Lake District Fells starting in Keswick, running over to Wasdale and back with four big climbs and descents .

We woke to snow and torrential rain and the course was shortened with Scafell Pike being avoided due to adverse weather conditions of minus 10 degrees on the top. So 53km became 48km and 8,000 feet of climb reduced to 7,200 feet .

The race played host to the home countries trail running international, the British 50KM Trail Championships and was a selection race for the European Trail champs.

So there was a stacked elite field at the front with Ilkley’s Ben Rothery winning overall in an eyewatering time of 3hr56mins. I staggered in much later in 7hr15mins, 21st lady securing 1st place in the British Champs for my age category of F55 and F50.

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 6 Apr 2026

Mon 6 Apr 2026

[First Harrier Oscar Shinn flying to finish fourth overall in Sunday’s Guiseley Gallop 10K, Photo credit: Philip Bland]

From Nigel Illingworth & Nicola Budding…

Harriers shine through Easter despite the storm

On one of the flattest courses in our area, Jack Cummings took second place in the Halifax 10k with 32:21.

Over in Lancashire, Rachel Carter claimed first F50 and fifth female with 1:44:14 in the Darwen Rollercoaster Half Marathon. True to its name, the course is famous for being “undulating”, with views as far as Pendle Hill and the Lake District fells.

Oli Murphy was eighth with 18:21 in the Rivington Pike Fell Race, one of the oldest and most historic fell races in England.

Andrew Wilson was third V40 in the Half Marathon at Roundhay Park’s Leeds Running Festival with 1:33:28.

On Sunday, the Harriers’ 2026 club Race League brought out 24 Harriers in the 29th Guiseley Gallop 10K event – an undulating multi-terrain two loop course starting and finishing in Guiseley and running through Esholt Woods. Runners persevered as Storm Dave brought mud, hailstones and occasionally sunshine.

We saw top ten finishes for Oscar Shinn (fourth with 40:01), Nick Kealey (fifth and first M50 with 40:41) and Lucy Hayes (tenth female and fifth senior female with 52:32).

There were further category wins for John Hayes (M55 with 44:33), Alison Weston (F60 with 54:25) and Rachel Holder (F50 with 55:46).

Also on the category podium were Jonathan Turner (second M55 with 44:48), Richard Joel (third M55 with 45:49) and Ash Winter (third M45 with 46:39).

Earlier in the week, we had a great turnout for the annual Brian Sweet Predictor, with 58 finishers. Closest to their predicted time was Alan Travis who was just 11 seconds away. Second was Jill Roberts (+24s) and third was Geoffrey White (+25s). Vince Gibbons presented the prizes afterwards in the Ilkley Tap, explaining why this event is so important to ensure Brian Sweet’s legacy is remembered by the club.

In the weekly Saturday morning parkruns, Harriers were truly global with junior Millie Houlbrook at Brooklyn Bridge (US), Chris and Carole Cunningham at Pirrama (Australia), and Daniel Paterson and Sarah Marsden at East Coast Park (Singapore).

Back in the UK, Samesh Chotai claimed first finisher at Blyth Links and 81% age grade with 16:12. Finn Maxwell was second at Cliffe Castle with 19:28. Harriers junior Milena Morgan was fourth female at Roberts Park with 21:12, and Harry Brook-Dobson was sixth overall at York with a 16:48 PB.

At Ilkley’s own East Holmes Field parkrun, James Horrex was third with 19:21, Kyle Bethell eighth with 20:30 and junior Nura Allen was tenth female with 25:48. Other juniors were Elwyn Bullock with a PB of 21:06, Miriam Allen with 27:41 and Narae Williamson with 28:37.

There were more parkrun event PBs for Jaysson Sawyer at Brooklands (18:06 and 81% age grade), Nathan Coy (19:21) and Gaenor Coy (25:40) at Fountains Abbey, and junior Archie Halworth (27:25) at Chevin Forest.

Geoff Howard was at Minehead securing another outstanding 88% age grade with 25:11.

Darwen ‘Roller Coaster’ Half Marathon – Sun 5 Apr 2026

Sun 5 Apr 2026

From Rachel Carter…

I spotted this race advertised on Facebook and decided to enter as thought it would be good training for both the 3 Peaks Race and Leeds Marathon. Entry was a reasonable £28 which included a goody bag, a medal and a T-shirt and there was also a children’s 1.5 mile fun run!

Darwen is a market town in the just south of Blackburn and is surrounded by the West Pennine Moors – about an hour’s drive away.

The race starts and finishes at Blacksnape playing fields, just above the town, nicely exposed to the tail end (strong winds and hail showers) of Storm Dave on Sunday morning! Only about 3 minutes before the start did anyone make their way from the sheltered side of the sports club to the start line for a short briefing before we were off. The race had a down hill start and a down hill finish, and a climb and descent in the first half but mile 7-12 was a pretty unrelenting combination of tough climb, head wind or both!. Having managed to hold steady early on in the race I was able to pick a few people off in the last few miles to finish 5th lady and first in my category. Meanwhile my daughter, took part and won in the junior fun run – winning a selection of goodies and a very nice hand made trophy!

Overall, I’d highly recommend this race – very low key compared to bigger events but this comes with lots of benefits in my view! It was very well organised by Darwen Dasher’s running club and had a real community feel. I’m sure their other events would be just as good!

Results

Guiseley Gallop – Sun 5 Apr 2026

Sun 5 Apr 2026

From Ash Winter…

Someone said something about spring being here, but standing outside Argos in Guiseley on Sunday morning it somehow didn’t quite feel like it. Wind, rain and hailstones greeted the 24 Harriers looking to improve their race league standing at the Guiseley Gallop. This two lapper with a hill to finish promised plenty of undulations, with the full knowledge of the lactate filled legs that await you on the second loop and finishing stretch.

There was a brief trot down the start in Esholt Woods, with some of that lovely, slippery but not too deep mud. Sliding down it with pre-race giddiness was fun, grinding up it in the last kilometre was a different order of fun. We gathered for a Harriers photo, the mood was cold but jovial, race league counters are delightfully social affairs. A brief race brief and off we went, thundering along the first kilometre.

A trip down through the woods, then some decent trail and tarmac, familiar to Rombalds Striders and HDRSL participants. After the trail and tarmac, a turn uphill and back into the woods. An extremely slippery turn, where Tony Pye and his son had positioned themselves to witness the chaos as the churn increased. If I was marshalling, I too would have picked that spot.

At the Predictor on Tuesday night, Steve Murray and myself had a lovely conversational run around Ilkley. No such friendship during this race, he was just ahead of me for the whole thing and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t catch him. Came close on Tony Pye Hill the second time around, but Steve drew away from me again with leaving me with a devastating certainty that he would indeed be waiting with an already secured Easter Egg at the finish. However, my time of 46:39 and 3rd MV45 was still very pleasing, as part of a strong Harriers showing.

Oscar Shinn’s tilt at being the youngest ever winner (probably) of the race league continued with a superb fourth place. Nick Kealey was fifth overall and first MV50, picking up those age category wins while Ritchie Williamson watches on, brooding. First Harrier lady home was Lucy Hayes in 10th with an excellent 52:32. John Hayes, Jonathan Turner, Richard Joel and Steve ‘You won’t catch me Ash’ Murray picked up a 1-2-3-4 in the MV55 category, strong showing from those four as ever. Alison Weston was first in the FV60 category and gave me a lift home so gets a further award as an all-round good egg, Rachel Holder was first FV55 and Jean Sullivan third, completing the top honours.

Honourable mentions for every Harrier who contributed to a great day, Oliver Holder, Iain Young, Andrew Overend, Luke Watkeys, Geoffrey White, Andy Shinn, Will Worboys, Esmaeli Zadeh, Alex Lewis, Vicky Rutherford, Sarah Hayes, Owen Parker and Nigel Illingworth.

Results

Manx Mountain Marathon – Sat 4 Apr 2026

Sat 4 Apr 2026

[Photo credit: Moddey Dhoo Media]

From Daniel McKeown…

We had two Harriers at the Manx Mountain Marathon on Easter Saturday: Dave Rees and I had braved the vomitous ferry crossing to the Isle of Man and were ready(ish) to face 30-plus miles of Manx fells, navigating from Ramsey in the northeast of the island to Port Erin in the southwest, with Storm Dave (no relation) also awaiting us.

Although none of the summits were too high (the highest on the island being just proud of 600m), the climbs were steep, plus we were starting from sea level.

Coming over the brow of the first hill, we were greeted with the sight of the island’s peaks laid out in succession before us, each rich with misty promise.

Then the weather closed in, we were buffeted with storm winds and spells of horizontal rain, visibility went down the toilet, and a quarter of the field DNFed.

While conditions were – to put it mildly – suboptimal, the race had a lot to recommend it. The fells tended to be green rather than rocky, someone had very kindly trimmed a line through the one descent that went through gorse, and there were plentiful entrants from the local club, Manx Fell Runners, so you could generally latch on to someone who knew the way.

I buddied up with one such runner for the latter portion of the race, who was combining his fell running with a spot of geocaching – he had stores of energy gels and whatever squirreled away in dry stone walls along the course. Apparently his wife would ordinarily be providing support and handing out the jelly babies, but she had chosen this year, of all years, to have a crack at the race herself.

For my own sustenance, I’d brought along a bottle of squeezy honey, a hot cross bun and a Tesco BLT. While this may not sound like a great deal, my energy levels were good throughout the race and I was even able to pick up a couple of places in the last few miles.

Coming down the last major descent and seeing Port Erin and the Irish Sea was a rare treat. All the more so, because the bad weather fallback route had excised one last sharp climb, which would have had runners picking their way round a narrow cliff path in gale-force winds.

Despite the race’s high attrition rate, Dave and I finished with a bit to spare: I was a hair’s breadth inside seven hours, Dave – even with no proper fell shoes to speak of – was home in 8h 20ish. Neither of us had any major difficulties with cold, nav or nutrition, or any particularly nasty falls. I may not make the Mountain Marathon a regular thing, but I’d love to go running on the island again – in better weather, if possible.

Results

33 Dan McKeown 6:59:31

76 Dave Rees 8:21:45

(113 finishers of 157 starters)