Ilkley Harriers news archive 2023
Pete Shields Ilkley Trail Race – Mon 29 May
Mon 29 May 2023
Report to follow.
1 Tom Adams 00:39:16
2 Nathan Edmondson 00:40:03
6 Jack Wood 00:42:27
11 Michael Odell 00:45:22
14 David Foyston 00:46:49
17 Michael Abrams-Cohen 00:47:22
20 Forrest Hamilton 00:47:45
21 Gavin Lamb 00:48:21
24 Justin Pierce 00:48:58
26 Dave Robson 00:49:29
27 Andrew Marshall 00:49:42
28 Rob Cunningham 00:50:03
29 Adrian Hall 00:50:05
30 Owen Parker 00:50:06
35 John Hayes 00:51:21
39 Ruth Kitchen 00:51:46
42 Jim Ryder 00:52:54
45 Adam Gerrish 00:54:04
48 Steve Newell 00:54:22
51 Nick Helliwell 00:54:33
55 Tony Pye 00:55:10
57 Jonathan Sinclair 00:55:39
58 Robert Budding 00:55:43
69 Sarah McLean 00:57:45
72 Bethany Wright 00:58:04
73 Dick Waddington 00:58:21
74 Jeremy Greenwood 00:58:54
76 Catherine Crawley 00:58:58
80 Tracey Watson 00:59:13
84 Keith Wood 00:59:35
96 Bob Hamilton 01:01:38
97 Peter Chippindale 01:01:42
102 Michael Duffield 01:02:03
117 Geoffrey White 01:04:39
120 Michael Ho 01:05:18
128 Sarah Hayes 01:07:35
137 Hannah Osieku 01:09:00
144 David Howe 01:09:53
145 David Lewis 01:10:16
150 Carole Cunningham 01:11:50
152 Laura Tapper 01:12:02
155 Chris Cunningham 01:12:46
156 Fiona Schneider 01:12:51
158 Andy Picken 01:14:18
162 Sheena Pickersgill 01:16:28
169 Alex Stanley-Hyde 01:21:13
172 Laura Dawes 01:23:02
Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 29 May
Mon 29 May 2023
From Jean Sullivan…
Photo credit Marc Westerman
Huge success for the Ilkley Harriers at the Pete Shields Ilkley Trail Race
Bank Holiday Monday saw the inaugural staging of the Pete Shields Ilkley Trail Race, a fitting tribute to Pete Shields, a former Ilkley Harriers coach and friend to many who sadly passed away in 2020. Formerly called the Ilkley Trail Race, this event now bears Pete’s name to remember this much-loved man, who was a gifted runner and an outstanding coach, leading training sessions for athletes at club, national and international levels over many years.This 11km race, with spectacular views over the Wharfe valley and across to Ilkley Moor had a great attendance by Ilkley Harriers, with over 40 taking part, a fitting tribute to Pete. And appropriately there was a home winner in Tom Adams, finishing below 40 minutes in 39:16, with team-mate Nathan Edmondson – who landed the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in fantastic style a fortnight before – hot on his heels to finish in second place in 40:03. Jack Wood was the third Harrier over the line, finishing in sixth place overall, in 42.27. Ruth Kitchen led the Ilkley ladies home, completing the course in 51:46. Sarah Mclean was the second Ilkley lady over the line, followed by Bethany Wright. These fantastic results meant that Ilkley men won the first team prize. And they also swooped lots of the age category prizes, with Dave Foyston taking the first M45 prize, John Hayes the first M55 prize and Jonathan Sinclair the first M60 prize. Sarah Hayes was the first F50 to finish, with Tracey Watson the first F55 to complete the course. All profits from the race will be shared between Marie Curie, the UK’s leading charity for terminal illness, and the Revival Centre and Orphanage in Matugga Uganda.
Also in Yorkshire, this weekend saw the staging of the popular Epilepsy Action Bradford 10km road race, with all monies raised going to support the national charity, Epilepsy Action. The race starts and finishes at Bradford’s Centenary Square with the majority of this out and back course going along Canal Road. Harrier Danny Thompson led the Harriers home, finishing in a great time of 36:43, with Danny 21st place overall. Kyle Bethell was the second Harrier over the line, in another sub-40 time, with Dave Westhead the third home in 40:23, taking third prize in his age category. Harriers Paul Sullivan, Leo Graham, Tom Lambe, Ian Davis and Mike Williams all managed sub-45-minute finishes, with Mike taking second prize in his age category. Karen Lambe, Jo Pattinson and Sue Westerman also had great runs at this event.
On the trails, the second race in the Harrogate and District Summer Race League took place this week, with an impressive turn out of Ilkley Harriers. Eighteen Harriers took to the start line of this race, organised by Harrogate Harriers. The route starts at Cardale Park and takes an anti-clockwise loop through Beckwithshaw and the lanes to the south west of Harrogate. Two Harriers finished in the top ten, with Matthew Thackwray leading them home, finishing in fifth place overall in 34:31. Hot on his heels was Dave Foyston, finishing in ninth place overall and taking first place in his age category. Michael Abrams-Cohen was the third Harrier home, in a time of 38:18. Jonathan Turner also had a great run at this race, taking first place in his age category, as did Alison Bennett in her category.
This week also saw the staging of another 5km race in the Leeds Evensplits series, monthly 5km races held at the University of Leeds Brownlee Centre. David Foyston was the first Harrier home, finishing the course in 17:26 and first in his age category. Forrest Hamilton was the second Harrier over the line just behind Dave, in 17:33. He was followed by Michael Abrams-Cohen in 18:34. Adam Gerrish, Pete de Sanctis and Rachel Barnicoat also had great runs at this event.
On the fells Dave Robson took part in the interestingly named ‘That’s so Hebden Bridge’ fell race. This race, organised by Todmorden Harriers, is described as “a delightful 10K fell race run over trail and open moorland starting in Hebden Bridge, with a steep climb up to Stoodley Pike and back”. Dave had a great run, finishing in 13th place overall and finished first in his age category, with Dave completing the course in 52:50.
Also on the fells, in Scotland, mum and daughter, Alison and Nea Weston took part in the Isle of Jura fell race. This tough 27km course, with 2370m of ascent, involves summiting seven peaks. It took place in challenging conditions with lots of rain and clag to contend with. Alison completed the course in an impressive time of 5:33:34, with Nea running it in 6:21:17.
This week, Harrier Geoff Howard had a go at achieving a ‘good for age’ London Marathon qualifying time at Kempton Park Racecourse, along with 73 others. This attempt involved running eight laps of the racecourse and 79-year-old Geoff achieved his aim in an outstanding 4:15:07.
The lovely sunny weather encouraged lots of Harriers out to take part in the weekly timed parkrun series, with a total of 27 Harriers taking part in various events around the country. Jack Wood was the first finisher at the Myrtle parkrun, with Jack finishing in a very impressive time of 17:11. Beth Massey was the first female home at the Bradford parkrun, Beth completing the course in a great time of 20:41. Sarah Hayes completed the Fountains Abbey parkrun and achieved a personal best time for this course in 25:08. The Carter family were out together at the Robert’s Park parkrun, with brothers Robert and Alexander finishing in fourth and tenth places respectively, Dad Julian in 16th place and Mum Rachel finishing in 23rd place, impressive results for this family!
Bradford 10k – Sun 28 May
Sat 27 May 2023
From David Westhead…
A select group of Harriers turned out for the postponed Bradford 10k on Sunday 28th May. Good running conditions brought some excellent times with just a light head wind holding us back on the ‘out’ of the ‘out-and-back’ along Canal Road. Joe Wilkinson’s winning time of just outside 31 minutes was excellent, but somewhat eclipsed for me by the fantastic 34 minute run of MV55 Andrew Leach (North Herts.)
(1 00:31:22 Joe Wilkinson, Bingley Harriers AC)
22 00:36:43 Danny Thompson
52 00:39:36 Kyle Bethell
73 00:40:23 David Westhead (3rd MV55)
86 00:41:28 Paul Sullivan
104 00:42:00 Leo Graham
107 00:42:16 Tom Lambe
130 00:43:07 Ian Davis (2nd MV60)
133 00:43:23 Mike Williams (3rd MV60)
680 01:01:06 Karen Lambe
829 01:08:50 Jo Pattinson
Kempton Park Marathon – Sun 28 May
Sat 27 May 2023
From Geoff Howard…
A bit rusty regarding all things marathon, but I had a go at achieving a ‘good for age’ London Marathon qualifying time on Sunday at Kempton Park along with only 73 others. A somewhat idiosyncratic eight lap course, I’d planned to run at 35mins/lap pace giving 4h 40s (25mins within the target time). As it turned out, 30m/lap proved comfortable early on but with the inevitable nagging doubt about it being too quick. Up to the six lap, three quarter, mark things felt fine but in lap seven my legs made it very clear they took a dim view of being asked to go way beyond their usual outings resulting in something of a ‘go slow’ and a 34m lap. Faced with an all out strike on the last lap we came to a compromise involving occasional ‘lamp post distanced’ walks. These worked wonders, actually diminishing towards the end, occasioning a 41min finale finishing 43rd in 4h 14m 52s – so job done. No clubs were given in the results but first home was v40 Neil Pollard in 2h 42m 18s and second was first lady Gaby Reynolds 2h 49m 59s.
Jura Fell Race – Sat 27 May
Fri 26 May 2023
From Nea Weston…
Alison and I took part in the Jura fell race this weekend. With 7 summits and 2,370m of climbing over 27km, it was an adventure of a day, mainly experienced in rain and clag!
It was a great course, largely consisting of bog and scree with steep gradients in between! We emerged into the sun as we slid down from Pap 3, to finish the race in lovely Scottish sun!
Finlay Wild won the race in a time of 3:07, and the first woman was Eleanor Johnstone with a time of 4:18.
It was a fantastic day, rounded off with a ceilidh to local tunes.
Alison Weston: 5:33
Nea Weston: 6:21
That’s so Hebden Bridge Fell Race – Thu 25 May
Thu 25 May 2023
From Dave Robson…
This year’s plan to run a previously untried race each month continued in May with the ‘That’s so Hebden Bridge’ Fell Race. It is organised by Todmorden Harriers and is described as “a delightful 10K fell race run over trail and open moorland starting in Hebden Bridge, with a steep climb up to Stoodley Pike and back”. Prior to the race I thought that ‘delightful’ was an unusual adjective for a fell race so decided to give it a go and find out.
The race started with a steep, but runnable path up through the woods, followed by a short but even steeper, ‘heather scramble’ onto the open moor. After an initial ‘tussocky’ section it was onto good paths up to Stoodley Pike. The turn point is a loop of the pike, where you get a feel for your race position. I was about 15th at this point but had a decent gap to make up on the group in front. I knew there was a fast downhill section towards the end so thought if I could stay close enough to the group in front, I might be able to grab a couple of places on the way down.
The group ahead spread out across the return moor section but I managed to keep the next place runner in sight and as we hit a boggy section I seemed to be closing the gap. Next was the fast decent down a combination of steep wooded paths, titled “the mental descent” on Strava. I managed to pick up a couple of places and pushed along the short canal section to finish in 13th place and to my ‘delight’ first M50!
So on reflection it turned out that the race description was pretty accurate. I would definitely do this one again and would recommend it to others.
1st Joshua Holgate Blackburn Harriers 44:27
13th (1st M50) Dave Robson Ilkley Harriers 52:50
Harrogate and District Summer Race League #2 – Tue 23 May
Tue 23 May 2023
From Paul Stephens…
The Harrogate Harriers race from Cardale Park takes an anticlockwise loop through Beckwithshaw and the lanes to the South West of Harrogate. A couple of climbs which for some reason people seem to struggle with (I enjoyed them – honest) and a short section off-road, but mainly quiet country lanes. A good showing by Ilkley with 18 Harriers competing. In a field of 458 we had 2 in the top 10 and 3 top of their age categories – with Dave Foyston 9th overall and 1st M45 home. Jonathan Turner was 1st V50, and Alison Bennett 1st FV60. Credit to Jaysson Sawyer who despite his health completed the course in a good time when most people wouldn’t have contemplated running.
I managed a reasonably respectable 51.21 which was 3 minutes slower than I ran in 2019. Tom Lally was 40 seconds behind me that year, but 1m 40s in front this year. Nice one Tom.
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 22 May
Mon 22 May 2023
From Jill Ezard…
Success on fell, trail and road with three Harriers representing England in Chester.
It was a beautiful if challenging weekend of racing for the Harriers who tackled events on road and trail in the warmest weather of the year so far.
Three Harriers represented England in the Age Group Masters race on Sunday at the Chester Half Marathon, a fast and flat race starting in the heart of the Roman city but taking in rural closed roads before finishing back in the city. The Age Group Masters competition recognises and rewards the significant contribution that runners aged over 35 make to the sport. To earn themselves an England vest runners must complete a qualifying event at or under the standard time set. Jane McCarthy, Hilda Coulsey and Sally Armitage had great races early in the season and achieved the necessary times. Sally was the first Harrier home in 01:23:14, taking third place in her age category and 12th place overall. Jane completed the race in 1:34:46 securing a top 20 finish in her age category. Hilda sadly had to retire from the race.
Saturday saw three Harriers taking part in one of the Up the Odda trail races. Offering a 10k and 5k route the races take in the trails and woods of Hawksworth and Menston with the 10k requiring two laps of the course. Ed Hobbs had a great run out on the 10k event taking second place in 39:29. Sue Williamson completed the event in 1:17:39. Lucia Stoney took on the 5k event and finished second in a fantastic time of 30:45. Continuing on the trails on Saturday, Lucy Lowe completed the 20 mile event of the Beautiful Bluebell Bash at Temple Newsam. Requiring three laps of the hilly and challenging 6.7mile route, Lucy had a great run completing in 2:15:23.
It was off to the fells for Ritchie Williamson, Paul Carman, Kate Archer and Ben Sheppard who took on the Old County Tops Fell Ultra covering 37 miles and around 10,000 feet of ascent, the exact distance and amount of ascent being dependent on the route competitors choose. The Race starts in Great Langdale and takes in the tops of Helvellyn, Scafell Pike and Coniston before returning to Great Langdale. The race is run in pairs who must stay together throughout the race. All four Harriers completed the race.
Sticking with the fells on Saturday, two Harriers took part in the Cave Rescue Organisation Ingleborough fundraising events. Rachel Carter took part in the 12 mile event, The Clapham Circuit while Adrian Hall tackled The Ingleborough Marathon, in which he came second. Both routes started and finished at Clapham and took participants along less well known footpaths and tracks taking in some of the most attractive areas of the Ribble Valley.
Two very different events attracted Harriers on Sunday. Helen Waddington and Clare Boyle took to the roads around Manchester to compete in the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run 10k. Starting and finishing in the city centre the route is out and back with a loop around Salford Quays taking in Old Trafford, the Imperial War Museum and Albert Square. Helen was the first home in a fantastic time of 47:31 taking third place in her age category. Clare had a great run completing the race in 54:52.
In contrast, 12 Harriers took on the hilly and challenging Calderdale Way Relay, starting at Clay House in Halifax and finishing at Halifax Harriers HQ at Spring Hall. This is a pairs relay event, with each of the six legs posing different terrain, distance and elevation challenges. The team were entered into the open event (no restrictions on gender or age mix) and got off to a flying start with Leg One runners handing over in second place. The team had some great runs, despite the somewhat relentless heat, and finished in 7:40:03, 17th out of 84 teams overall and 12th out of the 46 teams in the open category. Well done to all the leg runners: Jack Wood, Tom Adams, Jenny Roberts, Helen Thurston, Tracey Watson, Sally Malir, Gavin Lamb, Kyle Bethell, Nick Helliwell, Tom Lally, Nick Kealey and Simon Bell.
The great weather encouraged 20 Harriers to take on the timed 5k parkruns across the country this weekend: Beth Massey, Steve Coy, Ruth Kitchen, and Jack Wood were all first finishers in their races; Beth completed the Barnsley run in 22:03; Steve finished the Myrtle event in 19:25; Ruth the Chevin Forest event in 21:34; Jack clocked 16:17 for his event at Roberts Park; and in other events, Nicola Budding finished the Malahide event in eighth place in 24:21, Mark Mon-Williams was fifth place at Chevin Forest in a PB of 20:32, and Mike Abrams-Cohen finished the Bramley event in fourth place in 18:54.
Chester HM / England Athletics Age Group Masters HM Championship – Sun 21 May
Sat 20 May 2023
From Sally Armitage…
This race was possibly one of my most enjoyable to date. My first time wearing the England vest & everything went to plan. No niggles & no primary school viruses, a win in itself! The course was slightly undulating, most noticeable in the first mile and also the last mile, which was uphill.
I set off at my usual pace, managed to avoid the temptation to speed up when people passed me, and felt strong throughout. It was amazing to run with such a huge field of fast veteran athletes, in fact, in the ladies race there were only 2 non-veteran runners in the top 20 finishers. An F35 won the race.
I spent most of the race running alongside two F45s, one who finished a couple of seconds before me and the other a few seconds behind. Sadly it was not Hilda’s day, she withdrew at 2 miles due to injury. Jane finished but also struggled with injury.
(1st M Andrew Heyes, Hallamshire Harriers 1:05.51)
(1st F Tracy Barlow Thames Valley Harriers 1:15:17)
110 Sally Armitage 1:23:14
374 Jane McCarthy 1:34:46
4041 ran
Ingleborough Challenge – Sat 20 May
Sat 20 May 2023
From Rachel Carter…
Two friends and I took on the 12 mile Ingleborough Challenge organised as the main annual fund raiser by the Cave Rescue Organisation based in Clapham. Around 200 entrants took part in a 12 or 26 mile walk or run in beautiful sunny conditions that showed the Dales off to their best on Saturday. The 12 mile route climbs out of Clapham on Long Lane and the limestone tracks beyond before heading East towards Horton and then cutting back down through fields and walled paths towards Austwick. Having got most of the climb out of the way in the first few miles, there was a slight sting in the tail at mile 10 involving a climb towards the Norber Erratics before dropping back down into Clapham. We finished in 2hr 25 min and then headed home via the Tearooms at Feizor for tea and cake!
Highly recommended as a low key, well organised event supporting a great cause. Next year’s event is on Sat 18th May if you fancy it!
From Adrian Hall…
Having met Rachel and friends at the very sunny start line I began to question why I had entered the full 26 mile challenge event. The longer route heads out on the same track as the 12 mile event, before separating at Sulber and heading up Ingleborough. The views from the top were fantastic, however the descent towards Chapel-le-Dale was made very challenging due to the constant stream of 3 Peaks walkers heading up from the Hill Inn. Eventually, the course leaves the 3 Peaks route near Douk Gill and heads around the northern flanks of Ingleborough to Colt Park before continuing past Selside to Gill Garth and the 13 mile checkpoint. From there it follows pleasant footpaths to head northwest to the Ribble Way and Pennine Way before descending down to Horton-in-Ribblesdale and the 19 mile checkpoint. From there an unwelcome climb heads back up towards Ingleborough but at Sulber joins the 12 mile route to eventually descend into Crummackdale passing Wharf on the way to Austwick and a very welcome finish back at Clapham. On a hot day, I finished second (of 40 entrants) completing the 26 miles and 1200 m ascent in 4 hr 38 mins, 45 minutes behind the first runner. This is an excellent event taking in areas of the Dales not often visited and was well organised with plenty of friendly marshals. For those interested in supporting our local fell rescue team, the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association challenge event takes place on Saturday 24 June 2023 from Kettlewell with 4.5, 13.5 and 18 mile courses and can be entered here
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Ingleborough Challenge – Sat 20 May
Fri 19 May 2023
From Rachel Carter…
Two friends and I took on the 12 mile Ingleborough Challenge organised as the main annual fund raiser by the Cave Rescue Organisation based in Clapham. Around 200 entrants took part in a 12 or 26 mile walk or run in beautiful sunny conditions that showed the Dales off to their best on Saturday. The 12 mile route climbs out of Clapham on Long Lane and the limestone tracks beyond before heading East towards Horton and then cutting back down through fields and walled paths towards Austwick. Having got most of the climb out of the way in the first few miles, there was a slight sting in the tail at mile 10 involving a climb towards the Norber Erratics before dropping back down into Clapham. We finished in 2hr 25 min and then headed home via the Tearooms at Feizor for tea and cake!
Highly recommended as a low key, well organised event supporting a great cause. Next year’s event is on Sat 18th May if you fancy it!
From Adrian Hall…
Having met Rachel and friends at the very sunny start line I began to question why I had entered the full 26 mile challenge event. The longer route heads out on the same track as the 12 mile event, before separating at Sulber and heading up Ingleborough. The views from the top were fantastic, however the descent towards Chapel-le-Dale was made very challenging due to the constant stream of 3 Peaks walkers heading up from the Hill Inn. Eventually, the course leaves the 3 Peaks route near Douk Gill and heads around the northern flanks of Ingleborough to Colt Park before continuing past Selside to Gill Garth and the 13 mile checkpoint. From there it follows pleasant footpaths to head northwest to the Ribble Way and Pennine Way before descending down to Horton-in-Ribblesdale and the 19 mile checkpoint. From there an unwelcome climb heads back up towards Ingleborough but at Sulber joins the 12 mile route to eventually descend into Crummackdale passing Wharf on the way to Austwick and a very welcome finish back at Clapham. On a hot day, I finished second (of 40 entrants) completing the 26 miles and 1200 m ascent in 4 hr 38 mins, 45 minutes behind the first runner. This is an excellent event taking in areas of the Dales not often visited and was well organised with plenty of friendly marshals. For those interested in supporting our local fell rescue team, the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association challenge event takes place on Saturday 24 June 2023 from Kettlewell with 4.5, 13.5 and 18 mile courses and can be entered
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Ilkley Gazette report w/c 15 May
Mon 15 May 2023
From Jean Sullivan…
Ilkley Harriers dominated the front of the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon as well as the half marathon, with wins in both events, though obviously the day was about so much more than that.
Rob Burrow, a former Leeds Rhino player was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2019, with funds raised from this inaugural event being used to support the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Appeal, as well as the MND Association. The race starts and finishes in Headingley, passing through Adel, Bramhope and Otley, before returning to Headingley via Bramhope and Lawnswood.
Ilkley Harrier Nathan Edmondson won this marathon outright, completing this challenging hilly course in an incredible 2:29:14, with Nathan a full ten minutes ahead of the second finisher, notching an all-time club record in the process.
Dan McKeown was the next Harrier home, in a speedy 3:06, with James Lumb the third in 3:14:50.
Steven Bysouth, Rob Cunningham and John Hayes all managed sub-3:30 finishes, with Steve Murray, Michael Ho, Tony Pye, Tom Worboys and Rebecca Shaw all managing sub-4-hour finishes. Marc Westerman, Mark Judkowski and Simon Stokes had sub 4:30 finishes with Alan Travis and Fiona Schneider going under five hours on a special day for all.
The popular Leeds half marathon also took place at the same time, with Harrier Edward Hobbs winning this race outright in an impressive time of 1:12:38. Stephanie Fox was the second Harrier home in 1:53:05, with Lucy Lowe also managing a sub-2-hour finish in 1:59:44. Jonathan Nelson and Amanda Newham also had great runs at this event.
Following last year’s inaugural event, this week saw the return of the Rudding Park 10km trail race, with funds raised also going to the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease. This race takes place in the parkland of Rudding Park in Harrogate, with participants getting the opportunity to run a route on private land, the route created specifically for the event. And local triathlon legend and Olympic gold medallist Jonny Brownlee was present for the prize giving.
Another win for the Harriers too, with Tom Adams winning this race, crossing the line in an impressive 35:13. Clubmate Michael Abrams-Cohen was the next to finish in a great time of 42:10, with Tim Ashelford the third Harrier across the line in 45:13, Tim finishing second in his age category. Jane McCarthy was the first Ilkley lady to finish, with Jane completing the course in 48:40 and taking first prize in her age category. Other notable performances included Sally Malir who took first place in her age category, and Hilda Coulsey, who took first place in both the FV60 and FV70 categories.
Another weekday race took place this week with the first race of the Harrogate District Summer Race league taking place in Knaresborough. This series of five races is only open to club runners and races take place in various locations across Yorkshire, the series culminating in a handicap race. Each race is approximately 5-6 miles in distance.
Matthew Thackwray was the first Harrier over the line, with Matthew finishing in fourth place in a time of 32:42. Just under a minute behind was Harrier Dave Foyston, completing the course in 33:40 and taking second prize in his age category. Jonathan Turner was the third Harrier home with Jonathan taking first prize in his age category. Jane McCarthy was the first Ilkley lady home in a great time of 43:26. She was followed by Alison Bennett in 45:00, with Dawn Turner the third Ilkley lady to finish.
A week of busy evening running continued, with the staging of the Jack Bloor fell race, with all monies raised going to the Jack Bloor memorial fund. The race began in 1985 to commemorate the life of Jack Bloor, who was renowned for encouraging young people to engage in outdoor adventurous sport. The Jack Bloor Fund was started to carry on his legacy.
Sam Bentham (junior) was the first Ilkley Harrier to finish, with Sam completing the course in 43:07. Next was Simon Bell in 44:27, followed by Steven Gott in 47:15. These excellent results meant that Ilkley were the second men’s team overall. Alison Weston also competed in this race with Alison taking the first FV50 prize.
Also on the fells, the popular Fairfield Horseshoe took place in Cumbria, this year’s race being the second counter in the FRA English 2023 championships. This race, which has been running since 1966 and is one of the oldest fell races in the country, requires excellent navigational skills. Runners leave Rydal Hall in Ambleside to reach five checkpoints over a distance of 14.5km with a total ascent of 914m, before the final trail back to Rydal Hall where the race finishes.
Harrier Ben Rothery came third overall in 1:18:21, with Ben just ten seconds behind the winner. Alison Weston finished in a great 2:10:36, with Abbie Rothery the third Harrier to finish in 2:29:33.
Petra Bijsterveld continued her fine form to complete the Dales High Way, a 90-mile ultra run, with 14,000ft of climbing, going from Saltaire to Appleby-in-West Morland in Cumbria the route roughly runs parallel to the Settle and Carlisle Railway and takes in iconic Dales locations such as the Ribblehead Viaduct, Ingleborough, the market towns of Settle, Dent and Sedbergh, as well as traversing the majestic Howgills.
Petra was the second female to finish, as well as finishing first in her age category completing the Dales High Way in an impressive time of 28:48:00.
On the trails, Mary Fairclough completed the Montane Howgills 26-mile trail race, which starts and finishes in Sedbergh. Mary completed this tough course in a time of 5:26:10. Mary had a superb run, finishing eighth out of 36 in her age category and 17th lady out of almost 100 women who took part.
The next race in the York Evensplits Series, 5km races that take place monthly from February to November at the University of York Sport Village Cycle Circuit, took place this week. This flat and fast circuit offers runners a great opportunity to achieve a 5km PB time. Dave Foyston led the Harriers home, completing the circuit in 17:04, finishing first in his age category. He was followed by Mike Abrams-Cohen in a great time of 18:04, with Beth Massey the third Harrier home in 20:00, with Beth finishing first in her age category. Mark Iley, Dick Waddington and Helen Waddington all had great runs at this event, with Helen finishing first in her age category.
Not surprisingly given the race calendar there were fewer Harriers taking part in the timed weekly 5k parkrun events this week, with 13 turning out across the country: Tom Adams was the first finisher at the Conyngham Hall event in 16:29; Adam Gerrish was the eighth finisher at the Roberts Park event in 19:00; Steve Newell completed his 25th parkrun at Bradford finishing in the top 20 in 20:06 with Mike Williams setting a PB at the same event in 21:14; and Clare Boyle and Vince Gibbons both achieved PBs at the Roberts Park event finishing in 26:49 and 29:31 respectively.
Congratulations to all!
Weston Park Sprint Duathlon – Sun 14 May
Sun 14 May 2023
From Neil Chapman…
On 14th May Christos Tzelis took part in the Weston Park Sprint Duathlon which was a qualifying event for the 2024 European Sprint Distance Duathlon Championships.
It was a mixed-age race so Christos was competing against many much older competitors in an event which consisted of four laps of the cycle course either side of a 2.5k and 5k run. Christos won his age category and incredibly finished third overall in 1.08.57, just 21 seconds behind the winner, and missing second by just seven seconds.
A brilliant result, which means Christos has qualified for the 2024 European Sprint Distance Duathlon Championships Event, the date and location has still to be confirmed by Europe Triathlon. A superb achievement from one of our young Harriers, well done Christos.
Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon – Sun 14 May
Sun 14 May 2023
From Fiona Schneider…
Back in February 2021, I was admitted to the cardiology ward with multiple persistent ectopic beats and begging for a pacemaker. I was often feeling faint and the unpredictability of it made me a very bad patient. I was ashamed how badly I took it. I sat and cried after a real struggle walking on the moor. After an MRI scan I was on the waiting list for an ablation.
As time drew on I realised I felt much better. No therapy. No drugs.Just a plea to the almighty.
So when our, son’s ( Jonathan) firm Clarion we’re backing the inaugural Leeds Marathon, well, here’s to you cardiac muscle! Would the ticker oblige ?
Jonathan and I knew it was going to be tough with the gentle climbs and the steeper Otley to Dyneley Arms stretch so we recce’d a fair stretch . Of course, that hill was still a mountain on the day.
It was so much more than running. To see so many people running on a tough marathon course to raise money for MND . To see Kevin Sinfield push Rob Burrow around that course and Rob to be able to take the ride, was something to remember and be in awe of. It shamed me to remember my heart wobbles. What incredible heroes! What a very special day.
Thank you everyone who came to cheer us on and make the atmosphere so encouraging.
A fantastic first place for Nathan Edmondson (Edit: this is a new club record)
1 2:29:14 Nathan Edmondson
83 3:06:27 Dan McKeown
162 3:14:50 James Lumb
168 3:15:21 Steven Bysouth
181 3:16:18 Rob Cunningham
226 3:21:21 John Hayes
551 3:36:37 Steve Murray
1175 3:56:19 Tony Pye
1309 3:59:16 Michael Ho
1405 3:55:59 Tom Worboys
1621 4:03:40 Marc Westerman
1829 3:58:15 Rebecca Shaw
2222 4:07:34 Mark Judkowski
2801 4:28:21 Simon Stokes
3374 4:30:20 Alan Travis
4067 4:37:07 Fiona Schneider
4497 4:53:02 Lucy Elliott
Half Marathon
1 1:12:38 Edward Hobbs
611 1:53:05 Stephanie Fox
958 1:59 44 Lucy Lowe
1286 2:04:29 Jonathan Nelson
2390 2:33:50 Amanda Newham
Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon – Sun 14 May
Sat 13 May 2023
From Fiona Schneider…
Back in February 2021, I was admitted to the cardiology ward with multiple persistent ectopic beats and begging for a pacemaker. I was often feeling faint and the unpredictability of it made me a very bad patient. I was ashamed how badly I took it. I sat and cried after a real struggle walking on the moor. After an MRI scan I was on the waiting list for an ablation.
As time drew on I realised I felt much better. No therapy. No drugs.Just a plea to the almighty.
So when our, son’s ( Jonathan) firm Clarion we’re backing the inaugural Leeds Marathon, well, here’s to you cardiac muscle! Would the ticker oblige ?
Jonathan and I knew it was going to be tough with the gentle climbs and the steeper Otley to Dyneley Arms stretch so we recce’d a fair stretch . Of course, that hill was still a mountain on the day.
It was so much more than running. To see so many people running on a tough marathon course to raise money for MND . To see Kevin Sinfield push Rob Burrow around that course and Rob to be able to take the ride, was something to remember and be in awe of. It shamed me to remember my heart wobbles. What incredible heroes! What a very special day.
Thank you everyone who came to cheer us on and make the atmosphere so encouraging.
A fantastic first place for Nathan Edmondson (Edit: this is a new club record)
1 2:29:14 Nathan Edmondson
83 3:06:27 Dan McKeown
162 3:14:50 James Lumb
168 3:15:21 Steven Bysouth
181 3:16:18 Rob Cunningham
226 3:21:21 John Hayes
551 3:36:37 Steve Murray
1175 3:56:19 Tony Pye
1309 3:59:16 Michael Ho
1405 3:55:59 Tom Worboys
1621 4:03:40 Marc Westerman
1829 3:58:15 Rebecca Shaw
2222 4:07:34 Mark Judkowski
2801 4:28:21 Simon Stokes
3374 4:30:20 Alan Travis
4067 4:37:07 Fiona Schneider
4497 4:53:02 Lucy Elliott
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-GB
X-NONE
X-NONE
Half Marathon
1 1:12:38 Edward Hobbs
611 1:53:05 Stephanie Fox
958 1:59 44 Lucy Lowe
1286 2:04:29 Jonathan Nelson
2390 2:33:50 Amanda Newham
Fairfield Horseshoe – Sat 13 May
Fri 12 May 2023
From Alison Weston…
Brilliant day for this popular race (14.5km + 914m) in the Lakes and even more runners than usual as it was an English champs race.
Ben Rothery had an excellent run to come 3rd overall in 1:18:21 and only 10 seconds behind the winner, with Abbie 2:29:33:and myself 2:10:56
Dales High Way – Sat 13 May
Fri 12 May 2023
From Petra Bijsterveld…
The Dales High Way is a Punk Panther ultra event along the long distance walking route of the same name, which roughly runs parallel to the Settle and Carlisle Railway. 90 miles and 14,600 ft take you from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmorland via Skipton, Settle, Dent and Sedbergh. As well as being beautiful and at times quite remote the route is distinctly hilly, especially when compared to the more well known Dalesway, with the major climbs being Ingleborough and the Howgill Fells. For runners who particularly wish to do a 100 miler there is an option to do an additional 14 miles looping over High Cup Nick. I had no such desire, especially as it goes past the finish which is a big psychological challenge.
Four Harriers have done this race in recent years: Jane McCarthy, Andrew Merrick (both ran the 104 miles) and Ritchie Williamson ran it in 2021 in very wet conditions and Matthew Kennedy ran in 2022, setting the FTK on the 90 miles, completing it in 19 hours 37 minutes.
Ritchie spontaneously and very kindly offered to support me during my race, an offer I gratefully made use of. Whilst it is totally possible to take part in any PP event without crew, as there are well-stocked checkpoints with the best marshals, and you can use drop bags for kit, it is actually really nice to have someone looking after you when it comes to long events which go on through the night. It also means you have a car to sit in and keep warm whilst you change your clothes, shoes or eat your pot noodle, not something I had considered until Ritchie pointed that out. Although it’s May it gets pretty chilly once it’s dark. Ritchie even provided a blanket!
I had reccied the entire route in March and April, walking it in sections with my friend Gill Myers over 5 separate days (and travelling on the brilliant Settle to Carlisle train). The recces really helped me feel confident about the navigation, which isn’t particularly hard with a gpx file on your watch anyway, but I expected (and this turned out to be true) to run on my own as the field would be small and I did not want to come unstuck in remote areas, especially not at night.
The weather forecast was better than anyone could have hoped for and I kept fearing it would change to more typical Yorkshire conditions (as we had certainly experienced on our recces), but I lucked out with bright sunny weather, a little warm on the Saturday (but nothing compared to the Dalesway last August when it was 30 degrees), no wind to speak of, at least not in low lying areas, a clear night and zero rain.
15 runners lined up by the Victoria Hall in Saltaire for the 6 am start. I was very grateful to Hilda who had given me a lift there and waved me off. At least she was now up in time for the Saturday efforts! The first section is to Addingham via Ilkley Moor, and I was pleased to meet Jane and Andrew McCarthy above White Wells and Jill Ezard a little further on. By the time I reached CP1 in Addingham just after 9am the sun was out and my windproof came off (and stayed off until Ingleborough). Nice to see fellow Harrier Simon Stokes on the CP. I reached Skipton around 10.30 and quickly manoeuvred my way through a busy market with too many people in the way, I was glad to leave it behind and head for Sharp Haw and then the next CP at Hetton (25 miles). Not the Angel, just the standard PP fold-out table in a lay-by! But very welcome it was. Being in a competitive mood I checked when the leading female runner had come through and was told she was already an hour in front of me, so that straight away told me she likely was in a different league to me which was good to know (she ended up winning the 90 mile race, finishing 4 and a half hours before me). Onwards to CP3 at Feizor at 42 miles where Ritchie would be. Quite a long section taking in Weets Top, Malham Cove and Settle. If you are not into crowds of people Malham is definitely not the place to go on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon in May. I fought my way through the ice cream queue and past painfully slow (and it’s not even as if I was running in any literal sense of the word, it’s uphill!) moving walkers, including crotchety parents and complaining children. I was glad to move on to the open moor and admire Attermire Scar before descending into Settle. On this steep descent my quads first started to make themselves known and express with signals of pain that they were not happy. Like having early onset muscle soreness instead of the familiar DOMS. This was about 35 miles in and as I have done a number of ultras and never had this issue it was an unwelcome surprise. Still, at this point it was manageable. Through Settle to Feizor where there was a warm welcome from the CP3 marshals and Ritchie. A brief stop and I was off again to tackle Ingleborough, it was now about 17:30. Having had quite bad weather for this section on my recce I was pleased to now climb it in glorious sunshine. It was busy with walkers coming down off the top having done the 3 Peaks walk, they were all nice and encouraged me, they must have met some other PP runners ahead of me as they all seemed to know which event I was in. I found the climb OK, and enjoyed the view from the trig point and the lovely early evening light for a moment before descending towards Chapel-le-Dale. This is the path the 3 Peaks race runners come up and it is very steep. I am a very poor descender and hopeless on this kind of terrain. I had hated it on the recce and I hated it even more now. I longed for a nice track session instead. Utterly alone I had to be especially careful. I pondered how all the fell runners in the club would laugh (in a kindly way I am sure) at my pitiful progress here. At least it was dry and a lot warmer than on the recce, but my quads were now really complaining loudly. Took my own sweet time on the steep section and at least once I reached the flags I could run again though the hard surface gave my quads another pounding and I was glad to reach the grass. At Chapel-le-Dale Ritchie was waiting for me, by now it was chilly and I sat in the car for a few minutes whilst swapping over my soft flasks and putting on another layer of clothing. The next CP was Broadrake only a couple of miles away where no support was allowed so I would next see Ritchie at Dent. I pushed on quickly to reach Broadrake in the last of the daylight around 21:00. Here PP provided hot food, I chose veggie lasagne and a cup of tea, I then donned my head torch and set off for Dent. Initially I liked this section, I loved seeing the Blea Moor signal box beyond Ribblehead lit up from miles away, but the climb and descent became tedious on rocky paths which made for slow going. A brief meet-up with Ritchie at Dent (and the toilets were open, bonus!) just after midnight and I pressed on to Sedbergh via Longstone Fell. Only 5.4 miles, initially climbing on a minor road, but once on the moor it becomes very boggy. I did not really remember the bogginess from the recce, I think we had a dry spell then, because looking now at the guidebook it does mention the soggy underfoot conditions. Having kept my feet more or less dry so far, my shoes and socks soon became beyond soaked and I found it a miserable section. I guess the time of night now also impacted my mood a bit. I managed to run again once I reached the road in Sedbergh and opted to change my shoes and socks, deal with a surprise blister (I never get blisters! There’s a first for everything) as well as donning my long leggings, thick jacket and winter mittens ready for the Howgills. Ritchie had made one of my pot noodles which I wolfed down after which I set off for the next and last major climb. By now it was 02:30 and 67 miles into the race.
I am sure the gods had added height to the Howgills since my recce a few weeks ago. That’s how it felt anyway, it was so tough going up with the mileage already in my legs. Still, I loved every single minute of the Howgills. On my own, in the dark, but with the knowledge that the first glimpses of light would appear very soon. I was happy with my navigation, it is easy with the gpx of course but still, we had made a couple of small errors in the recce on those vague grass tracks which we then corrected and I remembered them all. Take the right fork, not the left, at the spot where we talked about the recipe for a ‘weetabix cake’. Funny how those snippets of conversation stick in your head. There are also points where your Garmin will bleep ‘off course’ but actually the tracks soon converge again and you can ignore the alert. It’s knowing which ones to ignore and here the recce paid its dividend again. As I climbed up the sky started to have a faint glimmer of orange and pink in the east, even though it was only 3:30, with a small orange crescent moon above it. I knew sunrise would be at 5:10, it’s amazing how early you start seeing some light appear. By the time I reached the trig point on the Calf it was 4:20, there was quite a lot of light and the birds were singing. It was an amazing place to be by myself. The sun rose above the hills as I travelled the long descent and I looked down on a beautiful inversion in the valley. Perfection only marred by the pain emanating from my quads which were now threatening full on industrial action. Not even working to rule, but a complete strike. By the time I reached the Wath CP and Ritchie I couldn’t really run at all anymore. Stiles had become complete torture, especially stepping down from them. Still, only about 14 odd miles to go, which is walkable. I had another pot noodle, some hot tea with sugar, swapped my cold weather clothes for the cap and sunglasses and set off for Newbiggin-on-Lune via the road, turning off onto the moor towards Great Kinmond, a last (1200ft) sting in the tale of hills in this route. Passing through fields along Great Asby Scar, which is a lesser known but fine limestone pavement, and descending towards the final CP at Great Asby. Just above the village lies a decidedly messy and indeed unsanitary looking working farm which had not won a beauty prize when I saw it on the recce. The public footpath goes through the farmyard, and this Sunday morning it was filled to bursting with cows and their calves eating hay. Twice I opened the gate to try and go through and several of them came towards me. And they didn’t look as if they wanted to discuss the merits of ultra running with me over a hay bale. They looked as unfriendly as the entire farm did. Now what? I wasn’t going to risk life and limb but had to get through. I knew another runner had been only just ahead of me, how on earth had he gone through? Was he good with cows, or had they only just been released into the yard? Anyway, pondering that didn’t help me here. Tried to find a way round, walked along the stone walls, nothing scalable. Certainly not with my barely functioning legs. Tried to shout in case the farmer was around, no joy. I was getting cold now too. It was a low moment in the event. Already reduced to walking, now I had ground to a complete halt. I knew there were runners behind me but a long way away. But hey, I had support, and thank goodness the checkpoint was down the road, my brain kicked in and I rang Ritchie and in due course he appeared in the car at the other end of the farmyard with one of the CP marshals, Emily who is also a PP runner, and unbeknownst to me, really good with cows! With one or two ‘shoos’ they all scarpered. It’s all in the arm signals, making yourself big! Ritchie knew exactly where I was due to the tracker, thanks to technology. And of course the tracker had accurately recorded the time I had waited there (37 minutes!) and Punk Panther RD Ryk Downes kindly adjusted my finishing time.
Cow crisis over I visited the last CP and kept on walking the remaining 6 miles to Appleby which I managed in an hour and a half. Completely unable to run, certainly not downhill, I could still walk at a good marching pace. I was delighted to touch the Moot Hall in Appleby. Whilst I will never run a Bob Graham and touch that most famous of Moot Halls in Keswick, this did feel like a very special moment to me. My time, adjusted for the cow-induced delay was 28 hours and 48 minutes and I was the 2nd female out of 5 as well as 1st (and only) F50. This was a tough event, even tougher than I had expected, but I loved (almost) every single minute of it.
With thanks again to Ritchie who did a fantastic job supporting me and gave up most of his weekend including a night’s sleep, and who also drove me home from Appleby. And to Jane McCarthy and Andrew Merrick who shared their experiences of this event with me, which inspired me to enter it.
York Evensplits 5k – Fri 12 May
Thu 11 May 2023
From Helen Waddington…
A good turnout from IH at this month’s race which was held on a dry evening which, despite a bit of chilly breeze, produced some good times and placings.
(1 Joseph Wilson, North East Project 15:03)
19 Dave Foyston 17:04 (1st v45)
36 Michael Abrams-Cohen 18.11
59 Beth Massey 20:00 (1st v50)
61 Mark Iley 20:10
67 Dick Waddington 20:47
71 Helen Waddington 21:47 (1st v55)
79 ran
Harrogate and District Summer Race League #1 – Thu 11 May
Wed 10 May 2023
From Alison Bennett…
The first race of the season in this friendly summer league was organized by Knaresborough Striders. A dozen Ilkley Harriers congregated in Horseshoe Field for a squidgy start across the grass before heading out towards the main Conyngham Hall entrance and turning onto a 2 mile stretch of the Beryl Burton Cycleway. After a short stretch along a lane there was a turnaround loop at Bilton before retracing the outward route to finish in Horseshoe Field.
Matthew Thackwray was in the leading pack and the first Harrier home finishing in 5th place, followed by David Foyston, 9th and 2nd MV45. Jonathan Turner had a great run, coming back from injury to finish 1st MV50. Jane McCarthy was 138th and the first female for Ilkley.
There are a further 4 races in this league and it’s not too late to enter. The races are approximately 5 to 6 miles usually incorporating some trail and tarmac. They are suitable for everyone and there’s always a great atmosphere. Supper is provided at some of the events.
(1 31:42 Chris Ovenden, Skipton AC)
5 32:42 Matthew Thackwray
40 37:40 Jonathan Turner 1st M50
73 40:06 Nuno Cesar de Sa
91 41:14 David Singleton
100 41:40 Matthew Snow
138 43:26 Jane McCarthy
165 45:00 Alison Bennett
168 45:07 Tom Lally
256 50:09 Roar Leijssen
296 52:19 Dawn Turner
301 52:38 Amelia Miles
413 ran
Rudding ParkRace 10k – Tue 9 May
Tue 9 May 2023
From Hilda Coulsey…
This is an unusually well rewarded trail/ cross country race. The grounds of Rudding Park Hotel and Golfclub are delightful and, with some 130m of elevation and several quite muddy sections on mostly parkland, the race is a challenge particularly noticeable in the last section uphill having already run a little more than10k 🙂 The weather was kind as 10 Harriers lined up with some 400 other runners. The atmosphere was very friendly/social and facilities were excellent. I’d forgotten what it was like to race a 10k however I wasn’t the only one to find it tough, although to be fair most of the course elevation is after 5k. After recovery from the final uphill we had the further delights of an extensive goody bag, prosecco or beer, hog roast/veggie option and ice cream.
Although pricey for a cross country, IH do receive a £10 discount and I’d say it was more than excellent value. Lots of prizes for IH too, see below. And for me a bonus Jonny Brownlee handshake! One for the diary for next year.
1. 35.13 Tom Adams and 1st v40
(5. 40.54 Georgia Malir, Leeds City 1st Lady)
8. 42.11 Michael Abrams-Cohen
19. 45.16 Tim Ashelford 3rd v50 prize, 2nd v55 cat
42. 48.40 Jane McCarthy 2nd v40 prize , 1st v45 cat
47. 49.07 Jonathan Turner
65. 51.32 Emma Sheppard
76. 52.55 Sally Malir 1st v50 prize, 1st v55 cat
187 61.06 Hilda Coulsey (1st v60), 1st v70 prize
218 63.26 Dawn Turner
250 66.20 Rachel Barnicoat
405 ran
Jack Bloor Race – Tue 09 May
Mon 8 May 2023
From Paul Stephens…
14 Harriers enjoyed a warm spring evening (no midges yet) for the Jack Bloor races. I have been helping for the last few years, but was able to run this year and really enjoyed it. Only my second fell race since before Covid, but also my second this month. I do like the course and particularly the long uphill to start! Ilkley Harriers were the second men’s team with Sam Bentham (junior) the first Harrier home in 5th place. Alison Weston was the first V50 F home, and surprisingly the only women Harrier running. I was last Harrier and a tad slow.
I first ran the Jack Bloor in 1994 before I moved to Ilkley when the Ilkley College team was the first team home. In a similar sized field I could then manage 53 minutes. A year later I managed just under 49 minutes. So, 28 years on and 20 minutes slower. I guess I can cope with that! A great race, excellent organisation, including the weather.
(1 39:52 Nathan Lawson, Dark Peak Fell Runners)
Sam Bentham (junior) 5th 43.07
Simon Bell 9th 44.27
Steven Gott 19th 47.15
Danny Thompson 31st 50.51
Adam Gerrish 49th 54.44
Nick Helliwell 52nd 56.12
Dylan Shinn (junior) 60th 57.17
Steve Ladhams 63rd 57.24
Jeremy Greenwood 75th 59.48
Duncan Cooper 78th 60.10
Alison Weston 79th 60.16
Geoffrey White 100th 63.15
Paul Stephens 115th 67.07
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 8 May
Sun 7 May 2023
From Jill Ezard…
It was an uphill start in May for the Harriers with trail and fell races offering the challenges.
It was a bumper week for Ilkley Harriers with several members representing the club at National and County level. Friday saw a tough challenge on the trails for Nathan Edmondson who took part in the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships Uphill Only Race, a trial to be part of the British Athletics team for the 2023 championships in Innsbruck in June. The race saw competitors tackling a climb of Skiddaw, starting in Dodd Wood and running 6.4km uphill, a staggering total ascent of 905m. Nathan had a great run in a tough field and came 12th in 41:54.
Despite tackling the uphill trials on Friday, Nathan also took part in the Inter Counties Fell Running Championships on Sunday, having been selected for the Yorkshire team. Three of the five Yorkshire men’s team were Harriers with Ben Rothery and Jack Cummings joining Nathan to tackle the two lap course with 760m of climb around the Howgills in Sedbergh, taking in Winder and Arant Haw. It was a scorching day for the 14 km race with a very strong field. Ben Rothery was the first Harrier home in 58:29, achieving a superb ninth place overall, followed by Jack in 1:01:31, taking 18th place, with Nathan being forced to pull out. The team placed fifth overall out of 20 teams. A great result!
Continuing on the fells, two Harriers took part in the Coiners Fell race in Mytholmroyd on Monday 1st. Jo Foster and Jim Ryder tackled the tough 6.7 mile race which saw them taking in Erringden Moor, Stoodley Pike & Bell House Moor, a total of 1000ft of climb. The route offers spectacular views of Cragg Vale & passes by the old coiners cottages of Bell House & Keelam. The bogs were challenging across the moorland but both Harriers had great runs with Jim coming in first in 1:01:23 and Jo in 1:15:10.
On Sunday 12 Harriers joined in the fun of the Addingham Gala to take on the Fell Race, a tough six mile course to the top of Beamsley Beacon and back, a total of 1000ft of ascent! Sam Bentham, a member of Junior Ilkley Harriers was the first home in second place in 42:00 with Christos Tzelis the first senior home in fourth place in 42:40. He was closely followed by Simon Bell in fifth in 43:45 and Dan McKeown in sixth. Mark Mon-Williams was first in his age category finishing in 48:21 and Rebecca Mon-Williams was third lady home and took first place in her age category in 59:03.
Coming down from the fells, two Harriers took part in the Cookridge Community 10k. A flat, scenic, multi-terrain course containing one grass hill half way round, the route took in Paul’s Pond and Golden Acre Park before returning to the start at the Scout Hall. Tracey Watson had a fantastic race finishing the course in 49:14 and taking first place in her age category. Fresh from his London Marathon success, Colin Williams was next over the line in 56:20.
25 Harriers took advantage of the good weather to take on the timed 5k parkruns across the country this weekend: Beth Massey and Mike Abrams-Cohen were the first finishers in their races in Barnsley in 22:11 and Wetherby in 19:01 respectively; there were top five finishes for Rachel Carter at Conwy in 23:22, Fiona Schneider at Cliffe Castle in 28:12, Dave Foyston at Roberts Park in 17:42 and Mark Mon-Williams and Adam Gerrish at Chevin Forest in 21:00 and 21:42 respectively; Matthew Snow and Simon Lorimer finished in the top ten in their events. And finally, one Harrier went to great lengths to take on the most northerly parkrun in the UK at Bressay in Shetland, Diane Kitchen finishing in sixth position in a time of 29:29. Congratulations to all!
Cookridge Community 10k – Sun 7 May
Sun 7 May 2023
From Colin Williams…
Some months back I booked a place in the Cookridge Community 10k, that was well before I picked up an ankle injury, as it was improving I decided to take part, be it taking it steady.
I’ve not run the Cookridge Community 10k previously, it is a good course a with a lot of support and friendly marshals.
I finished in a time of 56:30
1 Freddie Roden, Abbey Runners 35:43
62 Tracey Watson 49:24 1st FV55
152 Colin Williams 56:30
359 ran
Addingham Gala Fell Race – Sun 7 May
Sun 7 May 2023
From Petra Bijsterveld
Photo credit Colin Williams, Jack Wood
The Addingham Gala is normally held in July but was moved forward this year to coincide with the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend. The fell race made a welcome return after absences due to COVID (2020 and 2021), in 2022 the Gala was not staged after the committee had spent all its available time and energy on the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. And being there again yesterday I was reminded what a tremendous effort it must be for the Gala committee, they did put on an excellent event for all the village and surrounding area. Helped by lovely sunny and warm weather the Gala field was filled with happy families taking part in traditional pursuits such as egg and spoon and three legged races, tug of war, and eating vast amounts of ice cream. Unfortunately the general enthusiasm did not quite translate into massive entry for the race, only 39 runners signed up to run the 6 mile route up to Beamsley Beacon and back, despite the wonderfully retro £1 entry fee.
The race was won by Andy Norman from Altrincham AC in 41:16 and Emma Clayton from Bingley Harriers in 46:23. Junior Harrier Sam Bentham led the Harriers home in second place.
Thanks to RD Jack Wood, summit team leader Neil Chapman, sweeper Hilda Coulsey and to all the marshals on the course and volunteers at the start/finish.
The results will be posted on the Addingham Gala Fell Race webpage but for now are posted below.
Position Name Time Summit Time Age Cat Club
1 Andy Norman 41:16 23:59 (1) M40 Altrincham
2 Sam Bentham 42:00 24:50 (3) MU23 Ilkley Harriers
3 Lee Athersmith 42:19 25:30 (4) M40 Wharfedale
4 Christos Tzelis 42:40 24:33 (2) MU23 Ilkley Harriers
5 Simon Bell 43:35 25:38 (5) M Ilkley Harriers
6 Dan Mckeown 44:39 26:36 (6) M40 Ilkley Harriers
7 Andrew Collier 44:56 26:36 (7) M U/A
8 Emma Clayton 46:23 27:58 (8) F Bingley Harriers
9 Mark Mon-Williams 48:21 28:10 (9) M50 Ilkley Harriers
10 Aaron McConkey 48:54 29:00 (10) M Saltaire Striders
11 Justin Pierce 50:22 30:25 (12) M40 Ilkley Harriers
12 Owen Parker 50:33 29:53 (11) M Ilkley Harriers
13 Michel Czewejlo 52:15 31:14 (14) M40 York
14 Tom Razazan 52:32 31:10 (13) M Ilkley Harriers
15 Almanzo McConkey 52:50 32:26 (18) M Saltaire Striders
16 Paul Targett 52:55 31:33 (15) M50 Holcombe
17 Rogan Ashton 53:08 31:40 (16) M50 Otley
18 Chris Drake 54:11 31:51 (17) M U/A
19 Adam Gerrish 55:07 33:38 (21) M Ilkley Harriers
20 Sean Robinson 55:46 33:02 (19) M40 Howgill
21 Catherine White 57:14 33:33 (20) F40 Wharfedale
22 Andrew Carruthers 58:13 35:23 (24) M60 Baildon Runners
23 Jonathan Law 58:38 35:00 (23) M50 U/A
24 Rebecca Mon-Williams 59:03 35:24 (25) F50 Ilkley Harriers
25 Alison Eagle 60:42 36:10 (26) F60 Wharfedale
26 Becky Weight 61:54 37:36 (27) F60 Bingley Harriers
27 James Bentham 62:27 37:38 (28) M40 U/A
28 Louise Nash 64:24 37:40 (29) W50 Saltaire Striders
29 Tony Pye 65:39 34:24 (22) M40 Ilkley Harriers
30 Colin Best 66:09 39:00 (30) M60 Otley AC
31 Richard Masson 66:57 40:16 (32) M40 U/A
32 Denise Tunstall 67:06 41:20 (33) F50 Durham
33 Jean Sullivan 67:26 39:30 (31) F50 Ilkley Harriers
34 Zoe Robinson 68:26 41:44 (35) W40 Howgill
35 Tom Duffy 70:40 41:55 (36) M50 Barlick
36 Alice Davis 72:45 45:00 (38) F U/A
37 Nicholas Kendal 72:45 41:25 (34) M40 Barlick
38 Graham Schofield 76:07 44:30 (37) M70 Chorley
39 Antonio Cardinale 107:20 61:55 (39) M70 Otley
Conwy parkrun – Sat 6 May
Sat 6 May 2023
From Rachel Carter…
We had a full family turnout for the Conwy parkrun whilst holidaying in North Wales for the Coronation Weekend. The parkrun starts and finishes at the Conway RSPB reserve before going out along the River Conwy Estuary with Conwy’s beautiful castle as a backdrop. The course was on good paths – tarmac or gravel, and flat except for a climb up and over a pedestrian bridge (ramped not steps) in each direction. I ran with my youngest daughter which made for an enjoyable 5k!
Dick Hudson’s Fell Race – Thu 4 May
Thu 4 May 2023
From Jenny Roberts…
Photo credit Petra Bijsterveld
First time doing the Dick Hudson’s – definitely a learning experience… Started at the back – didn’t even know the race had started until the people in front started running! Almost removed myself from the race before it began by running headlong into the barrier.
Barrier navigated, spent the track section fighting to get through the crowds. Up the waterfall – was this the right way? Reassured by seeing Jeremy Greenwood – he always knows the way to go!
Up and over the top. Felt energised after seeing Petra cheering us on. Down the other side, quite boggy underfoot. Great atmosphere as everyone cheered on the fast men who were already on their way back – Jack Wood and a few other Ilkley vests well up there. Felt good – even managed to get my way to 3rd F. Short-lived. We turned around at the bottom and was immediately overtaken.
Laboured back up to the 12 apostles – wasn’t there a headwind on the way out?! Saw Rob Cunningham fall into a bog – sorry Rob!
Flying down the flagstones. 3rd F still in sight. Successfully down the steep steps to White Wells. Look up. Fall flat on face. Hobble to the finish feeling rather embarrassed.
Well done to all runners – particularly those who stayed upright! Thanks to all those who came out to support us.
Dick Hudson’s Fell Race – Thu 4 May
Wed 3 May 2023
From Jenny Roberts…
Photo credit Petra Bijsterveld
First time doing the Dick Hudson’s – definitely a learning experience… Started at the back – didn’t even know the race had started until the people in front started running! Almost removed myself from the race before it began by running headlong into the barrier.
Barrier navigated, spent the track section fighting to get through the crowds. Up the waterfall – was this the right way? Reassured by seeing Jeremy Greenwood – he always knows the way to go!
Up and over the top. Felt energised after seeing Petra cheering us on. Down the other side, quite boggy underfoot. Great atmosphere as everyone cheered on the fast men who were already on their way back – Jack Wood and a few other Ilkley vests well up there. Felt good – even managed to get my way to 3rd F. Short-lived. We turned around at the bottom and was immediately overtaken.
Laboured back up to the 12 apostles – wasn’t there a headwind on the way out?! Saw Rob Cunningham fall into a bog – sorry Rob!
Flying down the flagstones. 3rd F still in sight. Successfully down the steep steps to White Wells. Look up. Fall flat on face. Hobble to the finish feeling rather embarrassed.
Well done to all runners – particularly those who stayed upright! Thanks to all those who came out to support us.
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Coiners Fell race – Mon 1 May
Mon 1 May 2023
From Jo Foster…
Jim and I were the only senior Ilkley Harriers at Coiners Fell Race on bank holiday Monday. After a half hour delayed start due to more than double the usual numbers turning up, we headed off on a varied route that, I think, showcases the best of Calderdale. The highlight is always reaching Stoodley Pike and sneaking a look at the view.
You know you’re in for a tough outing when the race announcer suggests you might need a snorkel out there. I’m blaming those bogs for being considerably slower than last time I did it or I could just be getting older!
We both ‘enjoyed’ it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic moorland running.
Jim Ryder 1:01:23 47th
Jo Foster 1:15:10 127th
206 finished
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 1 May
Mon 1 May 2023
From Jean Sullivan…
This weekend saw the staging of the 68th Three Peaks fell race, one of the oldest and most prestigious events in the UK off-road running calendar. This route, of almost 40km, goes across the Yorkshire Dales mountains of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. Conditions on the day were good; dry and still with a comfortable temperature.
Ruaridh Mon-Williams led the Harriers home, finishing in a superb ninth place overall, with Ruaridh completing the course in a time of 3:11:08. Hot on his heels was Tom Adams who finished in tenth place, in 3:12:10. Simon Bell was the third Harrier over the line, with Simon completing the course in 3:43:42. James Battersley also had a great race, finishing in 4:28:38.
Ann-Kristin Marsham led the Ilkley ladies home, with Ann completing the course in a impressive time of 4:57:27. Alison Weston, who has completed the race over 20 times was next home in 5:07:13, and Sacha Jones was the third Ilkley lady in another great time of 5:08:30.
Also on the fells, this weekend saw the staging of the Fellsman, a high-level traverse, covering more than 60 miles over hard moorland in the Yorkshire Dales. The event climbs over 11,000 feet and navigational skills are required as the route does not follow well defined footpaths. The race starts at Ingleton and takes runners up Ingleborough, Whernside, Gragareth, Great Knoutberry, Snaizeholme, Buckden Pike, eventually finishing in Threshfield. Dick Waddington and Andrew Merrick had a great run at this event, crossing the finish line together in an impressive 18:18.
The last race in the Bunny Run series took place this week, a relay race with the baton being an egg! 64 teams took part and Archie Budding, the overall winner of the series, along with clubmates Oscar Shinn and Alex Wolfenden, were the fifth team (‘Archie’s Disciples’) in the relay. Ilkley Harriers’ second team (All R’s No Elbows), comprising Rob Budding, Rachel Carter and her son Robert came in 20th place overall.
This week saw the staging of another race in the Leeds Evensplits series, 5km races held at the Brownlee centre. David Foyston had a superb run, completing the 5km course in an impressive 16:45 and finishing in sixth place overall, taking first place in his age category. Hot on his heels was Mike Abrams-Cohen, with Mike finishing in 18:10. Kyle Bethell was the third Harrrier over the line, very close to Mike in 18:28. Ruth Kitchen finished in another impressive time of 18:40 as second lady.
On the roads Helen Waddington took part in the Hartlepool Marina 5-mile road race, organised by Burn Road Harriers. Helen managed to beat her own club LV55 record time for a 5-mile race by 32 seconds, completing the course in an impressive 36:11 and finishing first in her age category.
Sally Malir was back racing this weekend, with Sally running the Melmerby 10km. This undulating road race along country lanes saw Sally also take first place in her age category, with Sally completing the course in a great time of 44:50.
David Foyston continued his fine form on Friday evening, when he took part in the mid-Cheshire 5km, one of the fastest 5kms in the country, set in the heart of the Cheshire countryside. Dave crossed the line in an excellent time of 16:25, achieving his aim of a sub-16:30, 5km.
Overseas, Harrier Matthew Kennedy took part in the Madeira Island Ultra Trail, a 115km race, with 23,200 ft of ascent. The race starts at Porto Moniz on the north west coast of the island and finishes in the south eastern town of Machico. Matthew finished in a superb 54th position out of a field of almost 900 who started the race. Matthews impressive finish time of 18:48 meant that he took third place in his age category.
Also overseas, there was silver medal success for Harrier Brit Tate at the World Aquathlon Championships in Ibiza. This event consists of two legs, a 1km swim, followed by a 5km run, with Brit completing the event in a total time of 38:30 and earning herself a podium place.
The Harriers continued their great attendance at the weekly timed 5km parkrun series. Mike Abrams-Cohen was the first finisher at the Potternewton parkrun, Mike completing the course in a great time of 18:42. Success for Ilkley ladies also, with Ruth Kitchen the first lady to finish at the Roberts Park parkrun in a superb time of 19:58. Alison Bennett was the second lady at the Dinton Potter parkrun and Beth Massey the second lady to cross the line at the Bradford parkrun.
There were plenty of top ten finishing places, including for Jack Wood at the Myrtle parkrun, David Foyston at the Roberts Park parkrun, Justin Pierce at the Bradford parkrun, Patrick Wardle at the Land’s End parkrun, Tim Ashelford at the Skipton parkrun, and Rob Budding at the Chevin Forest parkrun.