Ilkley Harriers news archive 2025
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 29 Jul 2025
Tue 29 Jul 2025
From Jill Ezard and Nicola Budding…
Quiet racing week as holidays start!
The start of the summer holidays saw limited racing. Wednesday saw the sixth race in the Evensplits Leeds 5k series at the University of Leeds Brownlee Centre. The races take place monthly from February to November and, with chip timing, allow participants to measure their improvement month by month. Four Harriers entered the race with some impressive results. Matthew Thackwray took second place, first in his age category, in 15:02, hitting a superb age grading of 89.4%. James Horrex was the second Harrier to finish in 18:01 followed by Kyle Bethell in 19:21. Harry Sime completed the event in 20:20 taking third place in his age category.
On the fells on Sunday Adela Reperecki was the only Harrier to take on the Denholm Doddle. The Doddle is a challenge walk and trail running event formerly known as the Harden Hard’un. It follows almost the same 27 mile route but now starts and finishes in the village of Denholme. Half of the route is on open moorland with outstanding views. It passes Top Withins (Wuthering Heights) and other well-known beauty spots in the Brontë Country. There are three distances that both walkers and runners can tackle: 27 miles, 21 miles or 17 miles with a generous time limit for all distances of 11.5 hours. Despite being injured Adela tackled the 17 mile event and completed in 5:14.
Further afield, Jaysson Sawyer took on the Northumberland Coastal Run. This c14 mile run goes through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty along the Northumberland coastal path from Beadnell Harbour to Alnmouth Estuary, keeping as close to the coast as possible. The route starts on sand, then onto road, sand, trail, road and finishes on sand at Alnmouth. A challenging race, which seemed to suit Jaysson who completed the race in 1:29:14 taking ninth place overall and first in his age category!
At least our parkrunners were still out in force and clearly taking no rest on their holidays with events as far flung as Gdansk in Poland, Hockgraben in Germany and Malmö in Sweden. And there were some notable personal achievements. Several Harriers top ten finishers including Steve Bysouth fourth at Chevin Forest, Jane McCarthy fourth at Harrogate, Mark Hall second at Lister Park, Steve Coy fifth at Nostell, Caroline Howe seventh at Skipton and Jaysson Sawyer fourth at The Pastures in Northumberland. There was clearly something in the air at Roberts park were Sam Angus, Junior Harrier Harry Leijssen, Maddie Morris and Roar Leijssen all achieved Personal Bests. And some eye watering age gradings for Jane McCarthy (80.74%) and Mark Hall (88.63%). And clearly the conditions were just right for Jack Wood in Germany where he achieved the hattrick of being the first finisher, achieving a PB and hitting an over 80% age grading! Well done to all that took part particularly our other juniors Max Hebbron, Lily and Pippa Singleton and Megan Snow who we look forward to seeing continue to grow with the club.
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 21 Jul 2025
Mon 21 Jul 2025
From Peter Shelley and Nicola Budding…
Action on the fells, trails and in triathlon
The Harrogate and District Summer Race League concluded on Wednesday evening with a handicap race organised by Wetherby Runners staged on the quiet lanes around Sicklinghall. Runners were set off at 30 second intervals based on their finishing positions in previous races in the series, in theory challenging early starters to maintain their advantage and faster late starters to gain as many places as possible.
Ilkley’s leading contender Matthew Thackwray battled his substantial handicap to overtake most of the 312-strong field to claim 11th place and retain his title as overall series winner. Matthew’s efforts combined with those of Ilkley Harriers’ other top finishers earned them the Elite team prize.
On Saturday two Harriers ventured to Eryri for the Snowdon Mountain race. As the name suggest, this race scales the heights of Wales’ tallest peak on a 15km out-and-back route from Llanberis. The field of 406 runners included a highly competitive international contingent. Nathan Edmondson confirmed his credentials with a 1:18:22 run to 20th place while Alison Weston took the FV60 category by 15 seconds finishing in 232nd place. The race was won by Italian Luca Magri in 1:06:11.
Ingleborough Mountain Race follows an 11km out-and-back route from Ingleton with the 723m summit of Ingleborough as its turning point. Ilkley Harriers’ sole representative at this year’s event Kate Archer added to her recent strong performances by finishing 32nd of 146 runners, 4th lady and 1st FV40.
The 8th race in the BOFRA Fell Championships took place in Cracoe on Saturday. With a trailer and wall to negotiate on the out and back route, this race has a deceptively gentle start followed by a steep ascent to the summit. After last week’s Half Marathon, Oscar Shinn was back on the fells and had a good run to finish the U17B race in 2nd place with time of 25:59; Robert Brooks finished 7th in the U14B race; and in the U13 race Michael Moore finished 2nd with a time of 08:39 followed by Isobel Moore who was 7th U14G in 10:03. Iain Gibbons finished 13th of 56 runners in the seniors event which covered 4km and 273m of ascent.
The Kentmere Horseshoe fell race took place on Sunday. Classified as a medium distance race with high difficulty by the FRA (Fell Runners Association) the route covers 20k and 1,000m of ascent. Starting from the remote and beautiful Cumbrian village of Kentmere, the race heads north climbing steeply on grassy ridges following a clockwise circuit of Ill Bell, High Street and Kentmere Pike before a rapid descent back to the village. Ben’s Sheppard’s legs were in good working order propelling him to 27th. Paul Carman finished 59th and Charles Wain 115th. 202 ran.
Skipton parkrun saw Samesh Chotai finish in 2nd place with a time of 17:56 while Dom Coy ran an extremely rapid 15:28 at Cosmeston Hall in Glamorgan. Alex Foyn ran 19:58 at Chevin Forest Parkrun while junior Michael Moore finished in 23:25. Juniors Harry Leijssen and Max Hebbron ran Roberts Park in 21:26 and 27:05 respectively.
Congratulations are due to Dom’s sister Helena Coy who competed for Team GB in the European Sprint Triathlon Championships in Spain this weekend. She was 9th in the Junior Women’s individual event and, together with her fellow triathletes in the Junior Mixed Relay Team, won the Bronze Medal.
Kentmere Horseshoe Fell race – Sun 20 Jul 2025
Sun 20 Jul 2025
From Ben Sheppard…
Returning to the Kentmere Horseshoe fell race 11 years after my only other time, it was another thoroughly enjoyable day trip with fellow Harriers Paul Carman and Charles Wain. A long established classic lakeland fell race (next year will be its 50th edition) over 12.3 miles and 3,300 feet of ascent, it is said to be the longest of the ‘medium’ category lakeland fell races. It offers panoramic views of Windermere, the Eastern Fells and further afield – provided the clag is not down (it wasn’t) and you remember to look up and around you (I occasionally did). From Kentmere village you head up Buck Crag and skirted around Yoke to the first checkpoint on Ill Bell were I was reminded just how runnable this race is with its grassy trods along the ridgeline. Uncharacteristically, I managed not to go the wrong way, as a few runners ahead of me followed the main path via the summit of Froswick whereas the racing line skips around it. You then have a fast trod up to High Street (CP2), the highest point on the race at a height of 2,718 feet, followed by a descent to Nan Bield Pass and an undulating and exhilarating the run to Kentmere Pike (CP3). A mile or so of more technical descent and then a final mile on road/tracks brings you to the finish and the lure of sandwiches, cakes and tea in the village hall. A thoroughly enjoyable fell race with all three Ilkley Harriers finishing without mishap. I was surprised to finish only one minute behind my 11 years younger self.
Snowdon Mountain Race / Ras yr Wyddfa – Sat 19 Jul 2025
Sat 19 Jul 2025
From Alison Weston…
It was the Snowdon Mountain race on Saturday 19th July. 10 miles up and down Snowdon from Llanberis on the busy tourist route – needless to say the descent is made more technical with the need to avoid colliding with walkers and the other runners coming the opposite direction.
It has the feel of a busy road race all the way up with loads of marshalls, spectators, walkers and of course the train.
It is an international and an open race and was won by one of the Italian team in 1:06:11 with Nathan Edmondson finishing 20th and 4th counter for England in an amazing time of 1:18:22!
I was way back in 232nd position out of 419, but pleased to get under 2 hours (1:58:54) and 1st in my age category (60+).
Highly recommended event!
HDSRL #5 – Handicap and Presentation Evening – Wed 16 Jul 2025
Wed 16 Jul 2025
From Alison Bennett…
The final race in the HDSRL was hosted by Wetherby Runners. The course started and finished in a field before heading onto the lanes around Sicklinghall.
This is the climax of the previous 4 races and run in a handicap format. The start times are calculated from the previous races with the slowest runners starting first. The rest of the field are fed into the race at 30 second intervals and if all goes to plan, everyone should reach the finish line together. Although this wasn’t quite the case, there was a definite closing of the gap as runners converged in the final stages. Of 312 runners taking part, Matthew Thackwray was the last to set off. He kept his form and overtook almost everyone to finish Ilkley’s highest place runner in 11th position.
After the excitement of the race, the next sprint was to the food. Geoffrey White was the first to emerge from the Cricket pavilion with his supper plate, followed closely by Roar, Ritchie and Harry.
The gorgeous summer evening meant the presentation could be held outdoors. Matthew Thackwray maintained his title as the Overall Champion. A superb result in this competitive series. Ilkley also won the Elite Team trophy. This is a great achievement, especially as this is the first time Ilkley’s name has appeared on this trophy. The Elite team is calculated on the cumulative totals of the first 3 runners for each of the 4 races. The Ilkley Harriers who contributed over the 4 different races were Matthew Thackwray, Tom Adams, Matt Newall, Harry Brook-Dobson, Edwyn Oliver-Evans and James Horrex.
It’s been great to have 47 Ilkley Harriers taking part in the series, especially those who entered the League for the first time, and to have a significant number overall competing in every race. Roll on 2026 when it will all start again.
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 14 Jul 2025
Mon 14 Jul 2025
From Jill Ezard…
Photo credit Nabin Maharjan, Soul and Co.
Ilkley Harrier wins Half Marathon on home turf!
Despite soaring temperatures, Harriers were out in force this weekend battling the tough conditions with great success! The Ilkley Half Marathon and the new 5k route were clearly the focus of the weekend racing calendar for many, with 77 Harriers and Juniors taking on the half marathon and 40 taking on the 5k, with representation from our Jeffing and Adults with Learning Disabilities groups across both. The great weather brought out the crowds to provide support along the whole Half Marathon route, with many runners claiming the cheering got them through the race! And what a race it was – Jack Cummings blasted the competition out of the water with a superb run to take the win in 1:09:09, over one minute ahead of the second place finisher. Ritchie Williamson, normally found on ultra-distance trail routes, was on top form on the road as the second Harrier over the line finishing in the top 20 and second in his age category in 1:20:21. Oscar Shinn, just stepping up to the senior level, took first in his age category completing the race in 1:27:17 finishing 59th overall. Sally Armitage was first female Harrier to complete the event putting in a finish line sprint to take fifth position and first in her age category in 1:29:25. There were other age category successes too: Derek Oliver took second in his category in 1:37:52; Rachel Carter was fifth in 1:38:04; Alison Bennett was third in 1:59:20; Jane Thomas was fourth in 1:59:56; and the fabulous Geoff Howard was first in his category with an unbelievable 1:58:27!
In the 5k Jon Denniss made the podium taking third place in the men’s race, fourth overall and second in his age category in 17:31. Dan McKeown was the second senior over the line taking tenth place and third in his age category in 18:37. The Ilkley Under 13 boys dominated the race with the three age category top spots taken by Max Brett in 19:05, Michael Moore in 19:35 and Sebastien Livesley in 19:49. And the U15 Junior Ilkley Harrier girls again swept the top three positions with Milena Morgan finishing in 21:17, Heidi Frank in 24:49 and Sophie Leijssen in 25:22. Both Harry Sime and David Millson had fantastic runs taking first place in their age categories in 20:21 and 40:29 respectively. Well done to all Harriers who took part in the event.
Mark Hall was also pounding the pavements in the Towneley Park 10k race in Burnley on Sunday. A scenic route entirely within the grounds of Towneley Park, this is a fast course and Mark certainly took advantage of it finishing in 13th place in 38:13. This gave him first place in his age category taking an outstanding seven plus minutes lead over the next finisher in the category!
The rest of the weekend’s action was on the trails. Two Harriers headed over to Baildon on Saturday to take part in the Carnival Canter, a scenic 5k taking runners on a climb over Baildon Moor to the trig point on Hope Hill and a fast descent to the finish. Steve Gott finished the race in 12th place, and second in his age category, in 22:19 with Daniel Paterson completing in 25:50.
Up in the Howgills our Seniors and Juniors were in action in the Tebay Fell race. Normally held midweek the 13k race moved to the weekend to enable it to be one of the English Fell Championship races this year. The race involves a daunting 914m of ascent starting and finishing at the football field and following a mainly runnable route up the Howgills taking in Rispa Pike, Uldale Head, Linghaw and finishing with a final climb up to Blease Fell. Reigning English Fell Champion Ben Rothery was in action taking second place in 1:15:25, a result that places him joint first in the 2025 championship after four races. Oli Murphy was ninth in 1:20:53, placing him seventh in the championship at this stage. Kate Archer was the first Ilkley female home in 1:52:25 taking sixth place in her age category. Kelly Wilby, Jann Smith and Alison Weston all completed the event with Alison placing fifth in her age category.
For the Juniors, Alexander Wolfenden took a superb second place in the MU19 race in 34:44 followed by George Whittlestone in 14th place in 42:54, with Joseph Bentham finishing in sixth place in the MU17 race in 28:45.
And finally, if a hilly 13k sounds daunting spare a thought for Steve King and Luke Watkeys who both tackled the Lakeland Trails 55k Ultra Marathon on Saturday. The race is hard enough as it is, taking in over 2100m of ascent across three mountain passes, but add the extreme temperatures and it was a tremendous challenge for both the runners. Luke was running the race event finishing in 26th place in 9:28:19, within the top ten of his age category. Steve King, running with his son, was in the challenge event, and completed it in 11:42:07, taking an impressive fourth place in his age category. Kudos to both runners for battling the elements!
It’s not all about racing though. Our parkrunners were still taking part in the weekly timed events. With a slightly reduced participation level probably due to the heat and the race calendar there were still some great results with several Harriers finishing within the first ten: Matthew Cox at the Chevin event; Jaysson Sawyer and Helen Thurston at Fountains Abbey; Alicia Horrex at Roberts Park; and Samesh Chotai at Skipton. Well done to everyone that took part in these fun and free events which are open to runners of all abilities.
Ilkley Half Marathon – Sun 13 Jul 2025
Sun 13 Jul 2025
From Sally Armitage…
I had an amazing day at Ilkley Half yesterday! What an event, meticulously planned and executed with 100% focus on competitor enjoyment and safety. With 99.9% of the town behind the event the spectator support is unreal and is a huge part of the experience.
I took a long time for me to enter, mostly because I knew I’d be way off my finish time 2 years ago and felt I would only finish disappointed with my performance. I was wrong, I had a brilliant run and finished feeling on top of the world! I set myself new goals, I’d aimed for a top 5 finish and a finish time of 1:25, which I then adjusted to 1:30 due to the conditions. My first run of the new route, I can’t say I enjoyed the lap of town, it makes for a slightly tougher start, but I was swiftly dragged around by the faster runners and the crazy support in town is a real boost.
I ran the entire race with my old rival Sarah Flaherty of Bingley Harriers which worked beautifully, we’re running at the same pace now and had a silent agreement to go steady on the hills and the long sunny stretches and I stayed comfortable throughout the race. Running shoulder to shoulder along the home straight, a final push just metres from the finish line edged me a second in front to nab 5th place in 1:29.
I hope everyone else managed to pace it well too and survived the day, it was tough in those conditions but incredibly enjoyable. Sometimes I wonder if part of me slowing down a bit now (aside from the advancing years) is because I just don’t want to push out of my comfort zone anymore, and I have to say I quite like it.
1st male Jack Cummings Ilkley Harriers 1:09:09
1st female Lauren McNeil Hallamshire Harriers 1:12:15
1895 ran
Ilkley Gazette report w/c 7 Jul 2025
Mon 7 Jul 2025
From Will Worboys and Nicola Budding…
Photo credit Peter Coulsey
International Honours for Ilkley Runner, Harriers Vet Team Relay Win and Cummings Shines at Eccup
Hilda Coulsey was the only Harrier to make the journey to the northeast for the Great North 10K on Sunday morning. On this occasion the familiar club colours of red and green were nowhere to be seen, but instead the Ilkley athlete was proudly wearing an England vest. Hilda had qualified for this honour through the ‘Age Group Masters’ competition program and being in the top three in her age category and within the required time in previous qualifying races. In the race which takes place on the closed roads of Newcastle, Coulsey finished in a time of 54:33 which ensured she finished 6th overall in her category of the International Masters competition, in which she was also up against athletes from Wales and Northern Ireland.
At the same time but much closer to home, Jack Cummings was continuing his blistering form with a PB at the Hollybank Eccup 10 mile road race. The Harrier’s time of 51:36 would have been good enough to win the race comfortably in almost any other year. However, this time there was no shame in being beaten into 2nd by Yohanes Ghebregergis who ran at the 2020 Olympics for Eritrea and came 7th in the 2017 World Championship Marathon. Currently running for Leeds City AC the elite athlete finished exactly one minute ahead of Cummings. The only other Ilkley runner was Forrest Hamilton, who also gave an excellent account of himself around the scenic rural roads to the north of Leeds, finishing in a time of 1:10:28 and making it into 82nd place of the 560 total runners.
Earlier in the week was Tuesday night’s popular Danefield relays, which took place on the Chevin near Otley. There was one team from Ilkley Harriers who gave an excellent account of themselves. The relay consists of three legs of a hilly 4.5K loop starting high up on the Chevin, heading down almost to the Leeds Road before climbing back up. Amongst team names such as ‘North Leeds Fell Runners Men A’ (who were the overall winners), Ilkley were named ‘Something is rotten in the state of Danefield’; a Hamlet reference which could only mean that Dan McKeown was involved in the naming of the team. Alongside McKeown were Ritchie Williamson and Steve Gott, collectively they finished 15th of the 128 total teams and impressively won the Male Vet category.
On the same evening a lone Harrier made the trip to Methley for the Jane Tomlinson Canal 5K. The race which was the 3rd in a summer series attracted Amanda Newham who had a very good run amongst the 300 plus runners to finish 9th in her age category in a time of 31:48.
Up in the Lakes at the weekend an amazing mother and daughter team of Alison and Nea Weston tackled the challenging two day ‘Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon’. With camping at the end of the first night the competitors must carry lightweight camping and safety equipment. Competitors also need to be competent in the use of map and compass in the mountains and with these Ilkley athletes’ experience in the mountain wilderness, this would not have been a problem. The Weston’s completed the Carrock Fell course in 10:58:45 and finished in 41st place.
Meanwhile deep in the Yorkshire Dales, Dave Robson had his customary excellent run at Wednesday evening’s inaugural Whernside Fell Race. Starting under one of the arches of the Ribblehead Viaduct, the route was 6.5 miles of mixed and challenging terrain including over 1,500 of climbing before the descent to the finish at the Station Pub. Robson was Ilkley’s only representative and came in 2nd MV50 and 20th overall of the 99 total finishers.
Midweek racing also seems to have been a popular choice with the Juniors this week as Thursday evening saw two very different events take place.
New for this year, the second meeting of the Leeds Beckett Open Series took place at Leeds Beckett University offering younger athletes and those Juniors new to Track and Field, the opportunity to race in a competitive environment before the Senior BMC events taking place later in the evening. Three of our Juniors took part with some fantastic results. Rose Weston finished in 3rd Place in the U11 600 m in a time of 2:11 and in 1st Place in the U11 600 m Race Walk with a time of 3:56. Grace Spencer ran in the U13 100 m finishing 2nd in her age category in 14:49 and Henry Hirst finished in 3rd Place in the U11 75m “B” Final (12:21), 2nd Place in the U11 600 m (1:59) and finally in the U11 Howler Throw he threw a distance of 31.87 m to clinch 1st Place.
Over in Silsden, the annual Murder Mile took place which is just what the title suggests – a one mile uphill road race. The event always attracts a large number of runners and perhaps the good weather brought them out again this week! Oscar Shinn was the first Harrier home in 2nd Place (1st Senior) in 7:34, closely followed by George Whittlestone in 7th Place (4th Senior) in 7:55 and Samesh Chotai in 11th Place (7th Senior) in 8:05. Michael Moore finished in 20th position overall (2nd BU12) in 8:40 and finally Isobel Moore completed the run in 10:28 (8th GU12).
Michael and Isobel Moore were out racing again on Sunday Morning, this time taking part in the Hollybank Eccup Junior Trail Race. Michael finished in 2nd place completing the one mile course in 06:03 followed by Isobel who finished as 9th Female in 07:00.
Just two Juniors took part in a parkrun this weekend; Samesh Chotai in Skipton taking 1st Place in 18:10 and James Lee at Chevin Forest taking 5th Place in 20:38. Meanwhile senior Harriers James Horrex and Alicia Horrex both came 3rd in their gender category at Roberts Park. This following last week’s climax of the inter-club parkrun competition where Alicia Horrex won her category prize. There were also wins in the competition which has lasted for several months, for Diane Kitchen and Andrew Overend. Meanwhile Harriers Alison Bennett, Hilda Coulsey, Jonathan Turner, Steven Gott, James Horrex, Paula Reynier, Hattie O’Looney and Adam Gerrish all managed runners up spots.
Great North 10k – Sun 6 Jul 2025
Sun 6 Jul 2025
From Hilda Coulsey…
This was a super race, both route and location (if you are a road runner), for my second England masters vest of 2025. This time it was the 10k, which is a very competitive distance for Masters with most of those at the top of the Runbritain rankings attending.
Using Town Moor as the race village with start and finish on the adjacent Great North Rd, on closed roads including across the Tyne Bridge and with accommodation and sustenance in nearby Jesmond, it was easy to manage.
The route has a downhill first few kilometres paying for this in the, seemingly continuous, uphill in the second half. My race went pretty well. I noticed afterwards that my average pace was very similar to last weeks 5k at Heslington parkrun, confirming to me that I probably am better at sticking it out at the longer distances.
My age competition was fierce. Won by Dot Kesterton, who currently tops the UK rankings, hence I was happy to take 6th, 5 mins behind her.
(1. 30:20 Dean Williamson, Colchester)
1438. 49:15 1st FV70 Dorothy Kesterton, Sheffield Steel City
2589. 54:33 6th FV70 Hilda Coulsey
(Chip times)
Sold out with 10000 runners.
Whernside Fell Race – Wed 2 Jul 2025
Wed 2 Jul 2025
From Dave Robson…
Following a few months off at the start of the year, struggling with various injuries, I have returned to my challenge of completing at least one new race per month. Having already ticked off the Austwick Amble, in May, and a couple of Yorkshire Vets Grand Prix events in June, Wednesday evening provided the opportunity to take on the newly relaunched Whernside Fell Race, 6.5 miles and 468 metres of ascent.
Using an arch of the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct as the start line, ninety-nine runners set off across a fast, flattish first mile of trail before hitting the ‘old walkers route’. A climb of 373 metres, crammed into just over a mile, straight up the front of Whernside!
With this brutal slog out of the way, it was only a short stumble to the highest point in Yorkshire, where, the sun came out, and we were rewarded with amazing views out across the dales, in all directions.
The return from the top was via the modern day 3 Peaks walking route, slightly less steep than the climb but a tricky mixture of trail and slab steps which kept it exciting as my plan was to make up as many places as possible during the descent. The plan mostly worked, with ten places gained before the route flattened out and I managed to hang onto these through the last mile or two of undulating trail to the finish at the Station pub.
I was pleased to finish in 20th place, 2nd MV50.
This is a great, mid-week fell race, in an iconic location and I would definitely recommend it.
England Selection News
Tue 1 Jul 2025
From Hilda Coulsey…
Sam Bentham has been selected for the U20 England team taking part in the British and Irish Junior Mountain Championships, to be held in Wales on September 13.
Congratulations to Sam!
Read more here.
Danefield Relay – Tue 1 Jul 2025
Tue 1 Jul 2025
From Dan McKeown…
Williamson sets fastest leg time, but Gott the bee’s knees for helping injured runner
(McKeown also in attendance)
There was only one official team of Ilkley Harriers at the Danefield Relay (Otley Chevin): “Something is rotten in the state of Danefield”, comprising Steve ‘got the lot’ Gott, Ritchie ‘fast twitchy’ Williamson and me (Dan M). Alison ‘Spaghetti’ (OK, I’ll stop with the nicknames) Weston was running with some friends and there were a few other defectors running for other clubs (you know who you are and SO DO I).
The 4.5k Danefield Relay loop is almost the opposite of a fell race, in that you’re getting sent down into the valley to struggle back up to the finish. It initially follows the same route as the Chevin Forest parkrun, before sending runners plunging downhill to the gate onto the Leeds Road, where they turn and haul themselves back up to the changeover point, in the field by the car park.
Steve arrived just before the start, having got a literal bee in his bonnet on the bike ride over. Despite the conspicuous and undoubtedly painful sting on his bonce, he gave his all in the first leg, tagging Ritchie in at 20 mins 52, towards the fore of the field. I was stationed at the first turn, 500m down the track, so was treated to the sight of Ritchie charging down the path in much the manner of someone who thinks anything less than 50 miles is a sprint.
Having shouted at him to Bloody Slow Down, I noticed a runner from leg one hobbling to the turn from the wrong direction, having apparently rolled her ankle. Being a chivalrous sort, I gave her some water, foraged a decent-sized stick for support (which she looked somewhat askance at) and offered to help her back to the start field, although I was aware this might make me late for the leg three changeover. Fortunately for all concerned, Steve came trotting up the track at that point, assessed the situation, threw my stick in the bush and gave the injured lady a piggyback, freeing me up to get to the changeover. (We later learned the injury was a fractured ankle.)
I wasn’t kept waiting at changeover long, as Ritchie had made short work of the course, clocking 19:42 for his leg and improving our standing by several places. I, for my part, managed to pick up one place from P & B after chasing their runner all the way down to the bottom of the course, only to have it taken off me by some sprightly whippet from Baildon in the last few hundred metres.
There are no official results up yet: I have our total time at 62 minutes, 30-odd seconds, which in previous years has been good enough for the vets team podium, but not usually good enough for the category win. For a warmdown, Ritchie and I had a jog back down to the Sainsbury car park, which was mildly enlivened by schadenfreude at all the folk who’d parked closer to race HQ and been ticketed for their pains, and Steve zipping past us at some improbable speed on the downhill, clinging to his bike like a limpet.
Leg times
Steve 20:52
Ritchie 19:42
Dan 21:59