Ilkley Harriers news archive 2023
UTMB TDS – Mon 28/Wed 30 Aug
Wed 30 Aug 2023
From Andrew Merrick…
The TDS or, to give it its full name, the Traces des Ducs de Savoie is one of the early, albeit slightly less prestigious races of the UTMB week. Like the CCC, it starts from Courmayeur although takes a rather different route to most of the other runs. It does have the advantage of not requiring any qualifying “stones” (gathered by completing other UTMB races) to enter so it is relatively easy to get into with just a UTMB Index. In fact entries were still open about a month before the race.
Having no stones but a plan to be in Chamonix for the week, I had decided that it was a good adventure for me – 90 miles and 9000m of climb and billed as more technical than UTMB.
Our start time was due to be 23:50 on the Monday evening (UTMB and CCC both start on the Friday of the same week); I had concluded this slightly odd timing was so that there was no doubt which midnight we were leaving at… The closure of the Frejus tunnel a couple of days earlier had caused a very large queue for the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur, and despite our fleet of coaches from Chamonix getting priority, we started off about 50 mins late in the Italian drizzle. Fortunately the route from here, which is, in direction, the reverse of the UTMB for the first 20km or so, uses wider paths than UTMB since, as it was, there were significant elements of queuing. In fact, even after a couple more check points, there were stationary queuing moments on some of the climbs, not something I have experienced as much before.
The weather forecast wasn’t great for the race, prompting the organisers to require us to take the compulsory cold weather gear, essentially a pair of clear glasses, and a fourth warm layer (either fleece or down jacket). Unsurprisingly there weren’t many of us who lined up at the start line in shorts, most of whom where Brits, including Richard who I had met on the bus but then parted company from at the scrum which was the first Check Point. I had started with two long sleeved tops but it didn’t take long for me to add my waterproof jacket.
The forecast also resulted in a slight route change after Bourg Saint Maurice – longer but slightly less ascent – to avoid (apparently) the most technical section, where sadly a participant had fallen to his death a couple of years ago. This section aside, which I hadn’t reccied, I wouldn’t say the rest of the route was particularly more technical than other alpine races, with their usual mixture of steepish ascents at times, and rooty forest descents.
We were greeted with fresh snow on the ground on the (ca. 2600m) high point of the race by which time the hat, gloves and waterproof gloves had also been deployed although the continued slow queuing ascents made keeping warm challenging, and we had the joys of horizontal snow as we approached CP3 at Col du Petit Saint-Bernard. Even in the marquee here, it was too cold to hang around, so I headed off towards the warmth of Bourg Saint Maurice and my support crew, after gulping down some warming soup.
My spirits were buoyed here, through the many shouts of encouragement, the relative warmth of the valley, as well as seeing Em here (one of a small number of spots where support crew were allowed), and the fact that we were one night down. So after a slightly longer more pleasant refuelling stop I set off back up the hill and the long (lengthened by the detour) section up to the Cormet de Roselend, knowing that I would then be only two CPs away from my drop bag. There was a reasonable amount of road on this section interspersed with some climbs, I found that I was making more progress on the latter relative to others. Finally time for some more warming soup, before leaving this CP with a Scottish guy for a decent climb up followed by a long descent down to La Gittaz. The recent snow plus traffic had resulted in the trail here (particularly the downward element) being a couple of inches deep in thick mud, as well as being narrow. Descending was therefore really challenging the ideal approach being to try to use the edge of the trail where there was at least some grip and less mud, but it was a question of time before most of us adopting this approach slipped and sprawled into the waiting mud…
Eventually we escaped from the mudfest and descended the side of quite a deep gorge to the next CP leaving only one more stage to Beaufort and our drop bags. Our British gang had swelled to four on the ascent out of La Gittaz and we gradually collected some others on the uphill part of the next 20km stretch. A larger gang was certainly helpful in the gloomy low cloud as we approached the top of the next hill – we needed a few pairs of eyes to spot the direction of the next route marking flag here. Finally we found our way down into the trees (with two more muddy falls) for the rooty descent to Beaufort which I had visited the previous week.
I had planned to take a 20 min sleep here, and spent in total just over an hour in Beaufort cleaning myself up a bit, and refuelling with pasta, coke and coffee before setting my alarm for 20 mins ahead. It did mean that I had lost the other Brits here and my spirits were slightly dampened as I set out in the dark on the pleasantly short 4 mile climb to Hauteluce.
I wasted no time in heading back out (hoping to catch up the gang), feeling slightly happier that I was heading towards a col (de very) which I knew (an area just above Megeve), although also knowing that it was a proper climb up. I found the flatter featureless tracky parts of this section the least enjoyable – the steeper bits although more challenging were more fun…. although we were rewarded at one point with a full moonlit view of the mountains with their fresh snow covering. I stayed close to a small group as we finally neared the CP as my headtorch battery was about to go. Fortunately I made it to the CP with the battery still functioning, and was able to change the battery there whilst also grabbing some more soup. It was cold enough here to deploy the down jacket, leaving the check point with hat, gloves (x2), two long sleeved tops, down jacket, waterproof jacket and numb fingers… obviously I stuck with the shorts plan…..
I thought the next leg would be relatively straightforward down to Les Contamines, where I was to see Em again… unfortunately the next section of trail was part mud, part stream, part small bridges over streams, which was difficult to move quickly on, and I managed to slip over once again, even getting mud on my head torch. I was getting slightly grumpy with the world at this point, but finally we emerged after a sneaky climb onto a more runnable section, before heading down into the Les Contamines ski area. From here, there was another long tree rooty descent down to the church (Notre Dame) in the valley (at least I was warm again by then) from where a couple of road miles took us to the Les Contamines CP. Em was waiting here with a smile, potatoes and some smoothie; she and I had walked up the next hill a week or so earlier so I knew what to expect next and, although tired, I was ready for the final climb.
Down to only two layers, and in the best weather we had had, I set off at a steady pace and got to the top of the first part of the climb in about an hour. From here there was a shortish steepish descent before the main part of the climb to the top of the Col de Tricot. The steeper parts of this climb forms a series of switchbacks, and even some of these were coated in a thick layer of mud, just to add a further challenge. As I summited the col, my number was scanned by someone whose face I thought I recognised (although I was at the hallucinating stage of the race); I did politely enquire whether it was indeed Mr UTMB himself M. Poletti but I didn’t get a straight answer….
From here, a gradual largely runnable descent took us down to a slightly entertaining rope bridge. Even the slight climb back up to the tramway station above Les Houches at Bellevue felt really hard work, but that was definitely the last ascent. A final largely rooty descent took us down to Les Houches where it was time for a celebratory glass of coke, before the final back road trek to Chamonix.
Finishing in Chamonix is a very special experience, even on the route in virtually everyone congratulates you, however slow or fast you are, and once you get into the outskirts of the town the applause, well wishes and cheers accompany you all the way to the finish. I was ready for a beer in the sunshine where Em, ski friend John and Petra where waiting to cheer me in, when I finally finished some 95 miles, 9,000m and 38 ½ hours later…. An interesting route that would have been nicer without the snow, mud and cold, but certainly (diversion avoided section aside) not as technical as I had been led to believe.
PS I was back in Chamonix the following day where I bumped into Mme Poletti; after thanking her for all the two of them had created, I couldn’t resist asking her about her husband’s whereabouts the previous morning….. It was reassuring to find out I wasn’t hallucinating.
Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 28 Aug
Mon 28 Aug 2023
From Jean Sullivan…
More impressive results from the Harriers
Hilda Coulsey continued to impress at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Northern Ireland, a race which attracts many elite runners, with a new course record being set this year. This fast and fairly flat course goes around the town of Larne then north following the coast road, followed by a circuit of Ballygally castle and back in towards the docks in Larne to the finish line. Conditions were breezy, but good. Hilda finished in a great time of 1:57:13, taking first place in her age category, with the added honour of receiving her prize from British long-distance runner, Jo Pavey MBE.
This week saw the staging of the seventh race in the EvenSplits Leeds 5km series. These monthly chip-timed races take place at the University of Leeds Brownlee Centre. Three Harriers turned out to race, with excellent results by all. Harry Stead led them home, finishing in 13th place overall in a time of 17:41, with Harry taking third place in his age category. Hot on his heels was Kyle Bethell in another great time of 18:30, with Kyle finishing in 25th place. Next home was Helen Thurston who also managed a sub-20-minute finish, with Helen taking first prize in her age category.
Retaining their commitment to the weekly timed 5km parkrun events, 36 Harriers took part at various locations over the weekend. Hilda Coulsey continued her fine form and topped the age grading percentage table with her excellent run at the Portrush parkrun. Alison Bennett was the first lady home at the Witton parkrun in Lancashire, with Alison finishing in a great time of 23:59. Alison’s run was a special one as Saturday morning was the day of her son’s wedding with the Witton Park parkrun being held close to the wedding venue. Many of the bride’s friends travelled from Manchester to take part, to kickstart the wedding celebrations, with participants enjoying a celebratory drink at the end! Beth Massey also had a great parkrun and was the first lady over the line at the Bradford parkrun, in a speedy time of 20:50. Marie Watson was the third lady home at the Nova Prestatyn parkrun, with Kate Archer the third lady at the Cheltenham parkrun. Yasmin Cunningham was the seventh lady to finish at the Bedgebery Pinetum parkrun, with Jacqui Foster the eighth lady over the line at the Cliffe Castle parkrun.
Success also for the men. Vince Gibbons managed to complete his fastest parkrun time to date, with Vince completing the Robert’s Park parkrun in a great time of 27:49. Great running also by Junior Harrier Oliver Holder who was the second finisher at the Chevin Forest parkrun. Three seemed to be the number with Mark Hall the third finisher at the Bradford parkrun, Danny Thompson in the same position at the Crystal Palace parkrun as was Tom Lambe at the Horton Park parkrun and much further afield Simon Lorimer was third at the Tsujido kaihin koen parkrun in Japan. Five was also the number with Steve Murray, Rob Cunningham and Stephen Coy all finishing in fifth place at the Bradford parkrun, the Bedgebery Pinetum parkrun and the Armley parkruns respectively.
Antrim Coast Half Marathon – Sun 27 Aug
Sat 26 Aug 2023
From Hilda Coulsey…
What an amazing experience.
Daniel Mateiko ran the fastest half marathon time in the world this year to win this race in 58:36, a record obviously for the race and also breaking the UK all-comers record, with Mestawut Fikir winning for the women in 66:46.
It is a fast course, fairly flat around the town of Larne then north following the coast road, a circuit of Ballygally castle and back in towards the docks in Larne to a park with entertainment, food and drinks. It attracts annually a significant field of elite runners and over 2000 of the rest of us.
Having seen the media interest in it in the last few years (Mo Farah won in 2020) I thought why not enter and organise holiday travel to suit. So my weekend consisted of volunteer marshal at the Portrush 5-mile race on Friday evening, a very stormy jaunt along the coast from Portrush to Portstewart and back, which I’ve run several times previously, the Portrush parkrun on Saturday morning, topping the age grade % table, breezy, to Larne early on Sunday to meet Jo Pavey – that was my aim to get a prize – no pressure then!
As you can see therefore I didn’t have the best preparation for a race, I just felt grateful that I was part of and could enjoy the whole running vibe.
The organisers corralled us in at 8:30 to walk about a kilometre to the start then wait more than half hour for the faster runners and elites to join at the front, presumably taking their time for their warm up exercises etc whilst we were standing, a little cold and stiffening up. It took me a while therefore to get into some sort of rhythm and struggled too to keep focussed in the middle of the run out north away from the start and finish, a little bothered by the breeze which obviously was of no bother to the elites. There is no doubt it is a fast circuit and I’d recommend it.
Presentations followed much later and I’m never sure if there are prizes for the oldies so it was a pleasure to get called up. Oldest prizes were last so I had a lovely chat with Jo. I knew she had run it before competitively but hadn’t realised that she had been the 2-hour pacer today, a brilliant ambassador.
I was delighted to run, meet Jo Pavey and have a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.
1 Daniel Mateiko – 58:36
822 Hilda Coulsey – 1:57:13
Severn Bridge 10km – Sun 27 Aug
Sat 26 Aug 2023
From Lucy Williamson…
On Sunday I took part in the Severn Bridge 10km. Running across the bridge from Wales into England and back again. The runners were held in the event village while the M48 was closed and then guided down the slip road to start on the bridge. A lovely race with very friendly marshalls.
Results:
1st Matthew Rees 33:49
9th Lucy Williamson 38:42 (1st Female)
668 ran
Witton Park, ‘Wedding Day’ parkrun – Sat 26 Aug
Fri 25 Aug 2023
From Alison Bennett…
Saturday was a special day in the Bennett household as my son Guy was getting married to Jen. It was especially exciting as the day started at Witton Park, close to the wedding venue, with a parkrun. Many of Jen’s running club friends, dressed in their running finery, travelled from Manchester to join in. Recent rain made it potentially slippery, especially through the woods on this two-lapper undulating trail course with a hill named the Beast. Due to events later in the day, I decided to set off steadily so as not to incur any injuries. However, partway through the first lap, I passed a marshall who I heard say: “first lady”. Knowing another a lady was very close behind it did rather encourage me to be a little less cautious and push it on more than I’d intended to maintain this position. Despite some mud and roots and dodgy parts, we all finished unscathed to enjoy a celebratory drink at the finish.
Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 21 Aug
Sun 20 Aug 2023
[Photo credit: Dave Woodhead]
From Will Worboys…
Ben’s podium finish in the English Fell Championships
It was a tale of two fell races last weekend for the Ilkley Harriers. There were big contrasts in terms of distance and setting, but each would certainly be described as challenging by the runners that took part.
The penultimate race in the men’s English fell championship took place on Sunday in the form of the Sedbergh Hills fell race. This punishing 14-mile clockwise tour of several peaks in the Northern Pennines includes over 6,000 ft of climbing. Ilkley’s Ben Rothery showed his versatility on the fells, again having an outstanding race and finishing 3rd. This ensured he maintained 2nd place in the overall standings.
Unfortunately, however for Ben, Sunday’s winner was Billy Cartright of Matlock AC who also happens to be leading the current FRA standings. There was only a minute and a half separating the first three finishers with Rothery coming home in a time of 2 hours 05:56. It promises to be a thrilling championship finale next month at Shelf Moor Derbyshire, with several athletes including Rothery still in with a chance of claiming this year’s title. Two other Harriers, Gavin Lamb and Paul Calderbank also completed the race, finishing 118th and 222nd respectively in a highly competitive field of 342 finishers.
Closer to home and a touch shorter than Sedbergh, the Burnsall Classic fell race took place in Upper Wharfedale on Saturday. The race is one of the oldest known fell races in the world with the earliest record of it having taken place being from 1903 and many legendary runners have participated over the years. Just 1.5 miles long in total but taking in a massive 899 feet of ascent, this race is one of the steepest, with the runners’ times reflecting the difficulty. Ilkley’s metronomic Gawain Moore followed up his 10th place finish at Arncliffe last week to impressively finish 10th again this week. While Catherine Crawley braved the highly technical descent to finish 68th and was the 13th lady home.
Ilkley’s runners again graced the country’s parkruns with some fantastic performances. There were first-place finishes for Beth Massey at Barnsley, David Foyston at Roberts Park and Yasmin Cunningham at the extremely challenging Whinlatter near Keswick. The Coy family dominated at Whitehaven with Steve and Gaenor both coming 5th in their gender category in addition to Nathan coming first. At Chevin Forest there were course PB’s for Lizzie Reilly and Fay Walsh with the latter being the 5th female finisher. Meanwhile at Woodhouse Moor in Leeds, the highly promising youngster Jake Norris finished 3rd out of a field of 501 in a brilliant time of 18.17. In Cornwall two more up and coming Harriers , Harry and Max Stead both had superb runs at the Eden Project to finish 11th and 47th out of 547 participants. Finally, Andrew Smith was the pick of the performers at Skipton, slashing over a minute off his previous course best to finish in a time of 23.09.
Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 14 Aug
Sun 13 Aug 2023
From Will Worboys…
Ilkley Commonwealth medallist breaking records in Wales
Ilkley’s Commonwealth Games silver medal hero Dominic Coy impressed in the Home Nations Podium 5K at Bute Park Cardiff on Saturday. The race pits together some of Britain’s top road athletes on a fast course in South Wales. Coy finished 23rd and brilliantly managed to break the Ilkley Harriers men’s 5K all-time record. Five seconds were knocked off fellow prodigy Cameron Reilly’s two-year-old time, finishing in an amazing 14.25.
Still at University in Wales and having already competed for the Welsh national triathlon team, the future looks extremely bright for the young Harrier as he now bids to continue his fine form at the upcoming final two races of the British Tri Super Series.
Another long-standing record also fell on Sunday. Two Yorkshire raiders crossed the border to Lancashire and both came home with prizes after excellent performances. At the Preston 5-mile road race on Sunday, Mark Hall bagged the MV60 prize finishing 11th overall in a time of 30.05. This smashed a 13 year old club record by nearly two minutes! Beth Massey also topped the FV50 category, finishing in a time of 34.12.
Elsewhere on Saturday, several Harriers made the journey up the dale to the Littondale 4-mile road race in Arncliffe. David Foyston finished in seventh place out of a field of 166 in 23:05, just a minute behind the winner. This was particularly impressive as he had raced at the EvenSplits York 5K the evening before, finishing in a super speedy time of 17.19. Also running in the Arncliffe gala event was Jonathan Turner who came 11th and was the first MV50 in a time of 24.38. Other impressive runs were had by Rachel Carter, Jaysson Sawyer and Sally Malir, the latter being the first home in the WV50 category. This event was then followed by the short sharp Arncliffe Gala fell race, in which the highest-finishing Ilkley runner was Gawain Moore in 10th place. Also excelling in the field of 145 runners was Iain Gibbons who finished 16th.
Two more Harriers impressed in another Dales event, the Dales runner 20. Based near Reeth the race had been originally planned for March but was postponed due to snow. The rearranged edition was much warmer but very windy. The route is just over 18km and meanders through Arkengarthdale with some great technical downhill sections, and a few steep, but mostly runnable climbs. Gavin Lamb followed up his PB last week at Borrowdale with a very strong seventh place in 1hr 39.09. Dave Robson was not far behind in eighth and also won the prize for 1st MV50.
Slightly closer to home the Kings Challenge fell race took place in Silsden. There was no sign of HRH King Charles III hurtling through the bogs around the Nab, however just as spectacular was Harrier Catherine Crawley finishing around nine minutes behind the first female Naimh Jackson, in a time of one hour and three minutes. The race is actually named after the Kings Arms pub where it starts and finishes and takes in six miles and a breathtaking 1,175 feet of ascent, displaying glorious views over the Aire Valley.
Meanwhile in the Lakes, ultra-running enthusiast Andrew Merrick completed the ‘Joss Naylor Challenge’. Starting at 5am this notoriously tough 48-mile route through the mountains was completed in under 16 hours last Friday. The challenge named after the legendary fell runner starts in Pooley Bridge and finishes in Wasdale and includes over 16,000 feet of ascent. Such is the difficulty, competitors are not permitted to run alone and must have support during each of the four legs. Merrick joins a small and prestigious band of hardy souls to have completed the challenge since its inception in 1991.
Finally a busy weekend was had at parkruns by members of Ilkley Harriers. As is the time of the year there were attendees at far-flung parkruns in Ireland, Italy and even Japan! There were also an impressive four Harriers finishing first at their respective events. These were Matthew Thackwray (Wycombe Rye), Danny Thompson (Chichester), Edward Hobbs (Exmouth) and Jake Norris (Myrtle). Meanwhile, Michael Abrams-Cohen was second finisher at Northallerton; as was Jonathan Turner at Horton Park. Jean Sullivan was second female at Illaunmanagh in Ireland, where Richard Joel managed fourth place. At Fountains Abbey Jaysson Sawyer completed his landmark 50th event and Geoffrey Howard managed one of the top age-related results of the day with his time of 23.05 in the M75-79 category. At Chevin Park’s 100th event Tim Ashelford and Adam Gerrish both managed top 20 finishes. Finally as is often the case Roberts Park won the most attended prize and there were excellent performances from Robert Cunningham, Will Wood and Andrew Smith all finishing in the top 100 of a bumper field of 415, while Nigel Illingworth continued to show encouraging improvement following his return from injury.
City of Preston 5m – Sun 13 Aug
Sat 12 Aug 2023
From Beth Massey…
We did this race last year in scorching conditions, fortunately the weather was a little kinder this year! The course is one lap of flat roads with a half mile or so detour off-road around a nature reserve. There is a 10m option run at the same time, which takes in two laps. Never a fan of races involving multiple laps, we both opted for the 5m race! I was pleased to finish in 34.12 and 1st FV50. Mark (Hall) finished in 30.05 and was 1st V60.
[Quick update since Beth sent the report in – that’s another V60 club record for Mark!]
Dales Runner 20 – Sat 12 Aug
Fri 11 Aug 2023
[Gav Lamb in action, Pic credit: Andrew Fletcher Photography / Dales Runner]
From Dave Robson…
Originally planned as my ‘different’ race for March but postponed due to snow, the shortest of this year’s Dales Runner series took place instead on a warm and windy day in August. My mate Dave, and I were joined at the last minute by the in-form Gav Lamb, on a roll, and seemingly not slowed down by an impressive Borrowdale pb the week before!
The DR20 route meanders through the unusually named ‘Arkengarthdale’ with some great technical downhill sections, and a few steep, but mostly runnable climbs.
I kept Gav in sight for the initial climb and ridge run across Fremlington Edge, but after that the race thinned out and apart from making up a couple of places on the downhills I pretty much ran on my own.
This wasn’t an issue as the course was fully flagged and well marshalled and we all made it back to the village scout hut (and an excellent free cake spread) without any problems.
A great race and the Dales Runner website is definitely worth a look.
Littondale 4-mile road race – Sat 12 Aug
Fri 11 Aug 2023
From Jonathan Turner…
Part of the annual fete, this is a scenic run round the back roads of Littondale prior to the Arncliffe Fell Race.
Dave Foyston was a late entrant and one of those at the pointy end of the race chasing the quad bike at the front on what were effectively closed roads.
The route is gently downhill for the first two miles before crossing the river and heading back on the other side of the valley.
Superbly well organised by Alan Buckley, it’s a friendly affair with excellent facilities – plus fun races and events for kids, the Skipton Brass Band playing throughout and food stalls and a pub on the picturesque village green.
It was great to hear at the start of a record entry of 180 runners – Dave led us home in seventh and there were bonus and very generous V50 prizes for Sally and myself, £40 each in cash and all for an event that cost just £5 to enter! Rachel almost won her category too despite a cold and it was lovely to see Jaysson Sawyer continue his recovery with no less than three races in the day, starting with a parkrun in the morning and rounded off with the fell race. Definitely one for the diary next year.
(1 Ian Mitchell – Longwood Harriers AC – 22:00)
7 Dave Foyston – 23:05
11 Jonathan Turner – 24:38 (1st MV50)
34 Rachel Carter – 27:47
36 Jaysson Sawyer – 28:33
45 Sally Malir – 29:55 (1st FV50)
164 finished
Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge – Fri 11 Aug
Thu 10 Aug 2023
From Andrew Merrick…
I vaguely recall a running friend describing the Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge as a Bob Graham for old gits… so it felt like it was probably something for me, given that the time allowed increases with age.
Below 55, you get 12 hours as a man and 14 hours as a woman (15 and 16 respectively over 55), but a somewhat generous 18 hours (for all genders) over 60.
It was a good excuse to explore areas of the Lakes I didn’t know particularly well, the route starting in Pooley Bridge and heading over two legs to Dunmail, via Kirkstone, before then using a reasonable amount of the Bob Graham route, dropping into Greendale (near Wasdale) some 44 miles and 17,000 ft later.
The forecast for Friday issued by MWIS on Thursday afternoon looked encouraging, so we stuck with the plan of a dawn start in Pooley Bridge, after an overnight stay in a pub car park (what’s not to like) the night before, giving ample opportunity for pre-run fuelling.
Jane McCarthy had kindly agreed to support the first two legs, and we set off as planned at 5am, on a rather murky, damp morning. The first leg is relatively gentle in terms of climb so I was keen to ensure we stuck with my intended 16 hour schedule, so that the support crew weren’t hanging around too much. We had to contend with low cloud and a blustery wind, which brought a number of showers with it, particularly on the higher parts of the route. The temperature was quite pleasant but the wind and rain eventually forced us both to resort to waterproof jackets for the final climb and descent into Kirkstone. Visibility was down to about 50 meters at this point so we were pleased to see Lis, our road crew, and Rainer, a member of the club who had appeared to wish us well, before we headed off up Red Screes armed with more tailwind and a banana. We caught the briefest glimpse of the sun as we got close to the summit of Red Screes, and that was probably the only time all day, with the rain jacket also being a pretty permanent feature. There are only four summits on leg 2 (8 miles – 3,200ft) the final two of which are Fairfield and Seat Sandal and therefore familiar to Bobbers. We had gained a little more time as I parted company with Jane at Dunmail, refuelling with tea and porridge before setting off with the birthday boy (Peter Shelley) following some more of the Bob route up to Steel Fell before diverting (off path) to High Raise and beyond. It had at least stopped raining by this stage although it was wet underfoot (I understood why Peter had his waterproof trousers on, when he went knee deep in bog at one point) and the wind became stronger and more gusty. I was getting to the slightly tired stage at this point so found the long off path into the wind climb up to High Raise hard work, although the subsequent run down gave a period of recovery before the climb up to Rossett Pike, and the challenge of Bowfell. I have often struggled to find the right route up Bowfell and have ended up having to do some impromptu scrambling to get back onto what I would regard as the main path. This time Peter and I did manage to stay on a path, although not quite the intended one and took the summit by surprise from the rear having had some further off-piste adventures…. Happily we were still slightly ahead of schedule and briefly had Hayley from Birmingham for company (the second runner we had seen all day), who added a detour to her plan to join us on Esk Pike and Great End. Very kindly and in a chilly wind, Jann and Alison Weston were waiting for us at the summit of Great End to help us navigate a route down to Sty Head.
The birthday boy left us at that point, after I had been served coffee by Mr Weston, who had kindly brought a flask up the four or so miles from Wasdale. Recharged, we set off on the last leg, similar in distance and climb (5,000ft) to leg 3. With Jann and Alison navigating, leg 4 was reasonably uneventful if somewhat slower, other than the ongoing battle with the strong blustery wind, Windy Gap in particular living up to its name. Fortunately the route out and back to Steeple wasn’t in the worst of the wind, and equally fortunately Jann didn’t mention someone had been blown off there on a previous attempt.
From then on, other than focusing on staying upright (both wind and tiredness were against me) it was a question of counting down the climbs until we got to the final peak at Middle Fell where we probably had the best (only?) view of the day, down towards Wastwater. Peter re-joined us there for the descent to Greendale Bridge, arriving just ahead of my intended schedule in just under 15 ½ hours. Unfortunately the man himself wasn’t well enough to join us although we had armed ourselves with Mackeson Stout, just in case. Instead, we celebrated with Graham (Weston), Paul and Lis, with beer and tea before heading home after a long but satisfying day. I am now looking forward to two dinners this autumn.
A big thank you to my fantastic support crew of Jane, Peter, Jann, Alison and Lis, with a guest star appearance from Graham at Sty Head, and Paul C (in charge of comms at Greendale by finding the right rock to stand on to get signal!), all of whom gave up a significant amount of time to support this blustery adventure. And a final thank you to Ian Charters of the Joss Naylor Club for his patient and timely responses to my many queries.
Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 7 Aug
Sun 6 Aug 2023
[Photo credit: Peter Roll]
From Jean Sullivan…
A fitting farewell to an Ilkley Harrier leaving for pastures new
A handicap race, organised by Bingley Harriers took place this weekend, to wish Harriers legend Jack Wood and his partner Millie a fond farewell for their move abroad.
Jack, who has been a member of Ilkley Harriers for many years, is a much respected and incredible athlete, who has represented the Harriers at home and abroad. Jack’s modest nature and dedication to the club, along with being inspiring and encouraging to others, means he will be sorely missed.
The handicap race saw Jack forge through the field, with a great turnout of runners from Bingley Harriers, Millie’s club, and Ilkley Harriers; a fitting farewell Yorkshire run for this very popular runner, with a big thanks from all at Ilkley Harriers.
Six Harriers headed to the Lake District to take part in the Borrowdale fell race. This tough 17-mile race with 6500ft of climbing starts at Rosthwaite village in Borrowdale and runners have to visit seven checkpoints, including Scafell Pike, Great Gable and Dale Head, before returning to Rosthwaite.
Despite the Lakeland weather conditions being exceptionally challenging, Simon Bell led the Harriers home finishing in a superb 25th position and completing the course in an impressive time of 3:33:10. Gavin Lamb was the next Harrier home, also managing a sub-four-hour finish. Next over the line was Michael Odell, finishing in another good time of 4:05:40. Alison Weston, representing Ilkley ladies had a great run at this event, as did father and son, Bob and Forrest Hamilton.
Now in its 20th year, the Round Hill fell race organised by Otley AC took place this weekend. To celebrate its 20th anniversary runners had to complete the course clockwise, rather than in the usual anti-clockwise direction. This 8.7mile course, with 1,100ft of ascent involves a tour of Blubberhouses Moor including an ascent of Round Hill before finishing back near Timble village.
Despite the very wet and muddy conditions underfoot, Gawain Moore led the Harriers home, finishing in a superb eight position overall in a time of 1:01:32. Hot on his heels was Jack Gribbin, with Dave Robson third Harrier home with Dave taking first place in his age category. Catherine Crawley led the Ilkley ladies home, completing the course in a great time of 1:23:18. She was followed by Jean Sullivan, with Jean taking third place in her age category.
Continuing her ultra successes, Petra Bijsterveld took part in the Six Dales Trail Race organised by local ultra event organisers Punk Panther. The Six Dales Trail is an established and signposted 38-mile walking route from Otley to Middleham, which was devised in 2010 by the Otley’ Walkers are Welcome’ group. It takes its name from the six dales that are traversed – namely Wharfedale, Washburndale, Nidderdale, Colsterdale, Coverdale, and Wensleydale.
With options of running a half marathon, 20, 32 or 50-mile routes, Petra chose the 32-miler which is an out-and-back from Otley to Heyshaw with 3,800 ft of elevation, taking in Clifton, Dob Park, Swinsty, Fewston and Thrushcross reservoirs. Petra had a great run, finishing in an impressive 6:45. She was the second lady to finish and took first prize in her age category.
Overseas, Helen and Dick Waddington took part in the KAT100, a weekend of trail running based in Fieberbrunn in the Kitzbuhel Alps. They opted for the 50km route which loops over the Wildseeloder mountain. Despite the poor weather, continuous rain which resulted in exceptionally muddy and slippery trails as well as low visibility, they both completed the route in fantastic times of 8:06:23 and 8:51:49 respectively. Both also finished with high placings in their age categories, with Helen taking fourth prize in her age group and Dick finishing sixth in his.
An impressive 26 Harriers took part in various summer parkruns around the UK this weekend. The Mon-Williams family stole the show, with Ruaridh the first finisher at the Perth parkrun, Mum Rebecca the first lady to finish at the Kingsbury Water parkrun and Dad Mark the second finisher at the same parkrun.
A first-place finish also this week for Oscar Stapleton at the Morecambe Prom parkrun, with Oscar completing the course in an impressive time of 16:16. Stephen Coy was the second finisher at the Cinder Track parkrun in Whitby, with Michael Abrams-Cohen and Oscar Stapleton third place finishers at the Goole and Greenfield Valley parkruns respectively. Back on form, Steve Murray was the fourth finisher at the Bradford parkrun with a sub-20 finish. Tim Ashelford was the fifth to finish at the Chevin Forest parkrun, with clubmate Adam Gerrish hot on his heels to finish in seventh place. Harrier Brittany Watson was the second lady to finish the Robert’s Park parkrun and tenth finisher overall, with Brittany running the course in a great sub-20 time of 19:56. Melanie Edwards, a frequent parkrunner, had a good run at the interestingly named Nonsuch parkrun in Surrey and great to see Zoe Murphy back on the parkrun scene, completing the Chevin Forest Parkrun this weekend.
Six Dales Trail 32M – Sat 5 Aug
Sat 5 Aug 2023
From Petra Bijsterveld…
Photo credit Kim Roden
The Six Dales Trail, an established and signposted 38 mile walking route from Otley to Middleham, was devised in 2010 by the Otley ‘Walkers are Welcome’ group. It takes its name from the six dales that are traversed as it makes its way across the length of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Along the way the trail crosses five watersheds, separating in turn Wharfedale, Washburndale, Nidderdale, Colsterdale, Coverdale, and Wensleydale.
Our local ultra event organiser Punk Panther has run races along the route since 2017. This year there was the choice between a half marathon, 20, 32 or 50 miles. I chose the 32 mile race which is an out-and back from Otley to Heyshaw with 3800 ft of elevation, taking in Clifton, Dob Park, Swinsty, Fewston and Thrushcross reservoirs. I planned this to be a training run rather than a race, but of course once I pinned that race number on I always find there are some goals I want to achieve beyond merely getting to the finish. Usually I move at an average pace of 4.5 mph on this type of terrain, including checkpoint stops, so my aim for the day was to go below 7 hours.
Conditions were not half as bad as we expected, there were a few showers but no consistent rain and the temperature was perfect for running. Of course conditions underfoot were very wet, at times the ground was completely waterlogged, after the rain of the previous week, but strangely enough the fields remained quite runnable and I did not really struggle with mud. There are some road sections, including a diversion around Thrushcross due to logging, and the hard trails along Swinsty and Fewston also allow for good progress.
After just a few hundred meters from the start line I found myself running on my own out of Otley, with just a few steadier runners behind me, the vast majority having set off at a pace well beyond my comfort zone, either because they genuinely are faster runners, or because they misjudge the pace in the early miles. If the latter: ‘see you later!’ I know that I don’t come into my own until much later in the race. I overtook a few men before the first checkpoint at Blubberhouses, despite having made an ‘emergency stop’ at the toilets at Fewston car park. I reached the half-way point at Heyshaw in 3:28, so I knew I had to keep moving to get my sub 7 finish. No chatting at the checkpoint! There is more ascent in the outward leg so this certainly helped me to get a negative split on the return. Still, it required pushing on. I was buoyed by seeing my friend Gill who had cycled out to Dob Park to see me, though I promptly dropped half of the banana she gave me in the mud, doh! I had managed to overtake 3 male runners on the return which gave me a big psychological boost, and caught a 4th just near the finish, it was someone I know well so we ran the last yards side by side and finished together. My time was 6:45 which I was delighted with, 2nd woman and 1st F50 in admittedly a very small field (27 runners). The finish venue in the Methodist Church in Otley was lovely and I wolfed down two bowls of delicious pasta whilst I chatted with other runners.
No other Harriers in this event, which is surprising really. I can really recommend Punk Panther to all. It’s local, super friendly, very well organised, caters for all paces and abilities, and there is always a choice of distances, so no need to go all-out ultra if you don’t want to!
Borrowdale Fell Race – Sat 5 Aug
Sat 5 Aug 2023
From Michael Odell…
Everyone’s favourite Lakeland Long – maybe it’s the holiday season, maybe a visit to England’s highest fell, maybe it’s the sandwiches in the institute – it’s hard not to have a good day out on the Borrowdale!
Pete Bland, Race information
Borrowdale had been the focus of my attention ever since signing up for the race on the evening of 4th August. The race started at 11 AM the following morning. For those who didn’t notice, July has been wet and so the dry Lakeland tops of May and June have become saturated once more. The forecast for Saturday looked wet but slightly less wet than Ilkley which is what steered my last-minute decision. It’s fair to say that I was ill prepared for this race and with hindsight this is a race that would benefit greatly from proper training!
I was somewhat daunted heading up to the Lakes not knowing the route. What if I got lost? What if I was wearing the wrong shoes? I shared a lift with two Harrier fell veterans Bob Hamilton and Alison Weston who have both completed the race so many times before in the past that they’ve lost count on exactly how many times. Watching them study the race map and trying to recall lines taken in previous years as well as comparing various weather apps to the actual rain lashing down on the car windscreen and debating on the optimal footwear made it clear that my feelings, whether self-doubt, nervousness or sheer excitement, never go away and it’s all part of the game!
Six Harriers took to the start line. As well as myself, Bob and Alison were Gavin Lamb, Simon Bell and Forrest Hamilton – thanks Forrest for the lift! The demanding Borrowdale route is 17 miles with 6,500 feet of ascent taking runners from Rossthwaite on to Bessy Boots, skirting Glaramara and Allen Crags to reach Scafell Pike via Esk Hause. The return route is along the corridor to Sty Head Tarn, Great Gable and across to Honister, Dale Head and back into Rosthwaite.
The first 3km is dangerously flat. Mostly because of the temptation of going off too fast, but especially for Gavin who took a fall on the tarmac within the first km – fortunately, only his pride was dented.
The climb up Bessy Boots was apparently sanitized several years ago to take a safer route with less risk of rock fall. The old route must have been awful for there are still a lot of loose rocks and potential for accidents. Shortly after the first checkpoint Simon overtook me and looked strong heading off towards Scafell Pike. Gavin and I yoyoed together until the summit of Scafell Pike before he too showed a higher level of class descending the scree from Scafell Pike and on through the Corridor route. I had hopes of sticking with Gavin for the remainder and nipping past him on the finishing straight but before long the bright parrots on his running shorts were too far ahead to be reeled back in and soon lost forever.
Approaching the summit of Great Gable, the clouds came in for the first and only time during the race. I saw a couple of silhouettes reach the summit and turn right so I knew which way to go and I did the same but within a minute I was standing on a cliff edge with no other runners in sight and not feeling particularly comforted by my compass telling me that over the cliff was indeed the right direction. I ignored it, skirted to the right and met a helpful walker who pointed me in the right direction.
By now I was flagging and the descent to Honister was slow and hard. Tom Dobbing, who I’d met supporting Peter Shelley’s recent Bob Graham round caught me up, asked if I was just trying to hold on to the end – I confirmed yes, and then he disappeared so quickly that I wondered if he’d been a figment of my struggling mind. I just checked the race results and was relieved that he was really there!
Referring to Dale Head, the race information states: Only one hill left now! And it’s a killer if you’ve overcooked it … I pushed to the summit slowly enough that other runners walked passed me. I was overcooked and ready for it all to be over! Eventually it was but not without a final and longer than hoped for decsent back to Rosthwaite where cheese, jam and even cheese & jam sandwiches were waiting. There were 50 finishers awards presented – a testament to how industry sponsors want to be a part of this historic race.
This was a hard race but it was fantastic and well supported and overall a grand day out in the hills … I vowed to be back and better prepared in another year.
(1st Brennan Townshend – Keswick AC – 2:53:16)
25th Simon Bell – 3:33:10
41st Gavin Lamb – 3:52:15
59th Michael Odell – 4:05:40
69th Forrest Hamilton – 4:09:09
146th Alison Weston – 5:07:48
172nd Robert Hamilton – 5:39:04
Jack Wood farewell race – Sat 5 Aug
Fri 4 Aug 2023
From Jonathan Turner…
Today saw a fitting farewell race to Harriers legend Jack Wood before he heads off to Switzerland next week.
Thanks to Bingley – and Stephen Fry in particular – for organising the handicap event across the moors which saw Jack power his way through the field alongside the likes of Tom Adams and Jack Cummings.
Apart from his incredible running performances over the years, Jack has been a brilliant captain, he’s organised the Addingham Gala race and much, much more. And he’s done all that with a modest, sporting manner that’s seen him inspire and encourage fellow runners, whatever their ability.
On behalf of the Harriers, we presented Jack with a commemorative tankard.
Thanks from all of us – and best wishes to you and Millie in your new adventure.
KAT100 by UTMB trail race – Sat 5 Aug
Fri 4 Aug 2023
From Dick Waddington…
The KAT100 is a weekend of trail races based in Fieberbrunn in the Kitzbuhel Alps. Helen and I opted for the 50km route, which loops over the Wildseeloder mountain. Continuous rain the night before and all day made the trails as muddy as muddy can be and the visibility wasn’t much better! Some nice rocky sections took your mind off the mud. Descending a waterlogged ski slope is a must if you haven’t done it before – really quite like skiing! Experience of the Langdale Horseshoe fell race definitely paid off for us both.
(1 Bart Przedwodjewski 4:20:36_
176 Dick Waddington 8:06:23
240 Helen Waddington 8:51:49
340 runners