Ilkley Harriers news archive 2023

Loch Ness Marathon – Sun 1 Oct

Sat 30 Sep 2023

From Rebecca Mon-Williams…

For anyone wanting to combine a mini break in the Highlands with a long road race, I can’t recommend the Loch Ness Marathon highly enough.

Starting in the hills to the north of Fort Augustus, the race makes its way steadily downwards to the shores of Loch Ness and on towards the highland capital, Inverness. Although it is net downward descent don’t think PB as it’s pretty bobbly throughout and if you haven’t got much in the tank towards the end, the hill at mile 18 can seem relentless. However, the scenery more than makes up for the pain! The event is super well organised, really friendly, and there’s a nice bowl of soup at the end (the race is sponsored by Baxters of course!), as well as the obligatory medal and goody bag. The T-shirt is optional thank goodness.

Competitors are bussed to the start from various locations. One of the pick-up points is at Drumnadrochit. We stayed at the Loch Ness Lodge where they take their dedication to tartan and all things Scottish, seriously. There was also a ‘life size model’ (though who knows?!) of Nessie in the car park, which seemed to add to the occasion. No sightings on the race route though!

I was happy to run the race pretty steadily, enjoy the scenery, and get in under four hours. A good day out.

Results:

1st Male: Moray Pryde 2.22.04

1st Female: Melissah Gibson 2.45.43

Rebecca Mon-Williams 3.50.01 (chip time)

3502 finishers

Ilkley Gazette report – w/c 25 Sep

Mon 25 Sep 2023

From Will Worboys…

Photo credit Zoe Barton

Rothery storms to second in English Fell Championships

This years English fell championship was concluded on Saturday, with Ilkley’s Ben Rothery finishing in a fantastic second place overall just behind winner Billy Cartwright. The final race at Shelf Moor saw Rothery claiming a hard fought third place to round off a fine season which has seen a string of podium placings in the nominated championship races and improved on his third place in last years’ standings. Rothery finished within a minute of the winner on the day in the 6 mile race which took in over 1,400 feet of climbing in the Peak District. Ilkley’s Oli Murphy was not far behind finishing in 16^th place of a field of 315 of some of the country’s finest fell runners. In the women’s race Alison Weston had a great run, finishing 7^th in her age category.

Also on Saturday the Rombalds Romp fell race took place on Ilkley Moor. The race taking in over 8 miles of hilly fell, bog, trail and road attracted a splendid cohort of Harriers, being the first of two of the clubs league race counters this weekend. In a time of 56.47 Gawain Moore managed an excellent 2nd place just 43 seconds behind winner Adam Lomas of Hyde Park Harriers. Ilkley’s Jon Denniss also posted a cracking run to finish not far behind in 3^rdplace. There were several other notable performances from Ilkley runners, including James Horrex who came 5^th in his first ever fell race! Jeff Green was 7^th overall and second in the M50 category, Daniel McKeown who was 11^th in 1.04.58, Peter Shelley was second M50 in 1.08.34 and Jann Smith who was 4^th in the W50 category.

The second of the weekend’s Harriers league races took place in Leeds on Sunday in the form of the Kirkstall Abbey 7. The mostly flat, multi-terrain course unsurprisingly starts and finishes in the scenic surrounds of Kirkstall Abbey and is seven miles long. There were particularly impressive runs from Ilkley Harriers’ Forrest Hamilton (19^th), Owen Parker (22^nd) and Jean Sullivan who finished 3^rd in her category. A special mention must also go to Tony Pye, Nigel Illingworth and Mike Williams who all completed this race on the Sunday a day after the energy sapping previously mentioned fell race in Ilkley. A great commitment to the Harriers race league and surely coincidental that both events promised a bottle of beer to all finishers!

Slightly shorter and flatter but posing its own challenges, the Leeds Golden Mile took place at the weekend on the running track at Leeds Beckett University. There were some brilliant performances with the stand-out being Alison Bennett who finished in a time of 6.23 which showed an age graded percentage of 92, the highest out of all 115 participants. Great times were also posted by Petra Bijsterveld (7.20), Geoffrey Howard (7.14), Hilda Coulsey (7.34) and Rachel Barnicoat (7.45).

Local success was also to be had at the 30^th edition of the Ilkley Triathlon on Sunday at Ilkley pool. The leading positions were dominated by members of the Coy family. Commonwealth medallist Dom Coy predictably won and by some distance in a time of 47.33. His brother Nathan was second in 52.14 while their sister Helena finished second female in a time of 1hr 50 seconds. Christos Tzelis came 3^rd overall to complete the podium for the Ilkley Harriers.

Whilst the younger Coys were dominating in Ilkley and presumably partying in a parentless house, their dad Steve was impressing in Pontevedra Spain; the venue for the World Standard Distance Age group Triathlon. Coy finished in 24^th place in the 50-54 category earning a medal for his efforts. Fellow Harrier Tim Ashelford also participated and brilliantly managed an 8^th place finish in the 55-59 category.

To round off, as always a good number of Harriers took part in the Saturday morning 5K parkrun’s and put in some big performances. Kate Archer was 3^rd female in Strathclyde in Scotland. While David Foyston was second at Roberts park in a speedy 17.46. Also at the Saltaire event Vince Gibbons continued his weekly quest to relentlessly smash his PB’s. This week with a time of 27.25 knocking a further 23 seconds off from his last run out. Meanwhile at Chevin Forest Gawain Moore finished in 24^th place just a couple of hours before his superb 2^nd place at the Rombalds Romp!

Ilkley Gazette report – w/c 25 Sep

Sun 24 Sep 2023

From Will Worboys…

Photo credit Zoe Barton

Rothery storms to second in English Fell Championships

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including James Horrex who came 5^th in his first ever fell race! Jeff Green was 7^th overall and second in the M50 category, Daniel McKeown who was 11^th in 1.04.58, Peter Shelley was second M50 in 1.08.34 and Jann Smith who was 4^th in the W50 category.

Leeds Golden Mile – Sat 23 Sep

Sat 23 Sep 2023

From Petra Bijsterveld…

Photo credit Michael Abrams-Cohen

The Leeds Golden Mile 2023 is a mile on the track at Carnegie, superbly organised by our friends at Racebest. A friendly race open to all abilities, ages and paces, yet it has all the proper ingredients of a formal athletics event including a UKA official (Jerry Watson), a starter with a gun, a countdown board for the laps in case anyone were struggling to count to four, and a bell for the last lap. Five and a half Ilkley Harriers toed the line, that’s the five runners listed in the results plus Michael Abrams-Cohen who has transferred his first claim to Abbey Runners last month, but we still love him really.

All the Harriers were in the same heat which added to the fun. Alison Bennett led from the gun and opened up an unassailable lead, finishing in a blistering 06:23 which equates to an overall results chart topping age grading of 92.01%. The rest of us could only look on and dream of such pace! The remaining four Harriers ran well though, with Rachel Barnicoat going from strength to strength by running a 13 second PB, and Geoff and Hilda both being on amazingly superb form just one single week after the World Masters Mountain races. My own time was a 2 second PB as far as mile race results go, though I believe I have run faster this year at an informally timed mile on the Keighley track, so I was a little bit disappointed to not be faster. But it is what it is on the day, and I am very grateful to be still improving. Finally, Mike AC ran in a later heat and ran a six second PB to finish in 04:52, either despite or because of that Abbey Runners vest!

Results

(1 04:33.8 Thomas Fell, Vale of Aylesbury AC)

79 06:23.4 Alison Bennett

95 07:14.2 Geoffrey Howard

99 07:20.1 Petra Bijsterveld

102 07:34.5 Hilda Coulsey

106 07:45.6 Rachel Barnicoat

115 ran across 11 heats

Ilkley Gazette report w/c 18 Sep

Mon 18 Sep 2023

From Jean Sullivan…

Success at the World Masters Mountain Running Championships for Ilkley Harriers’ finest

There were gold and silver medals for Harriers Geoff Howard and Hilda Coulsey at the 22nd World Masters Mountain running championships held in the beautiful island of Madeira this weekend.

Geoff and Hilda travelled to Madeira to take part in this prestigious event, which consisted of a classic uphill only race and a long-distance trail race. Both Hilda and Geoff took part in the 34km trail race with 1150m of ascent, requiring runners to showcase their technical and endurance skills. Impressive results for both; a gold medal for Geoff and a silver medal for Hilda in their respective age categories, with Geoff completing the race in 3:52:08 and Hilda in 4:25:06.

As impressive as ever, Geoff also took part in the 9km uphill race, with 800m of ascent, with Geoff taking a bronze medal in his age category, completing the race in 1:11:07.

Closer to home, on the English fells, six Harriers travelled to Cumbria to take part in the Three Shires fell race in Little Langdale. This classic, challenging 20km race, with 4.000ft of climbing. sees runners having to pass five checkpoints: Wetherlam, Swirl How, Three Shires Stone, Pike O’Blisco, with a final stiff climb to Lingmoor, before returning to the finish at the Three Shires pub in Little Langdale.

Excellent results all round, with Simon Bell finishing in 2:16:52 and coming in in 21st place overall. He was closely followed by Gavin Lamb in 2:24:36, with Ben Sheppard the third Harrier home in 2:41:24. Nick Helliwell also had a great run at this event. Alison Weston led the Ilkley ladies home in 3:12:32, with Kelly Wilby hot on her heels to finish in 3:15:04.

Back in Yorkshire, this weekend saw the staging of the Meanwood Valley Trail race, hosted by Valley Striders. This undulating trail race of approximately 7 miles, goes through Adel Woods, Scotland Woods and Meanwood Park, on the outskirts of Leeds. Runners are enticed by the prospect of running under one of the famous ‘Seven Arches’, a previous aqueduct designed to bring water from Eccup Reservoir to the centre of Leeds, past the ‘Slabbering Baby’, a famous drinking fountain in Adel Woods, and through a spooky tunnel under the Leeds outer ring road.

Not distracted by theses historical landmarks, Harriers stormed ahead with fantastic results all round. Jeff Green, on fine form, led the Harriers home, finishing in 14th place overall, in a time of 52:18, taking first prize in his age category. He was followed by Peter Shelley, with Peter finishing in an impressive second place in his age category. Hot on his heels was Steve Murray, crossing the line just 15 seconds behind Peter in 56:36, and coming third in his age category. Jane McCarthy also had a great run at this event, taking first prize in her age category, with Jane also having a sub-1-hour finishing time.

Still in Yorkshire, four Harriers took part in the Wetherby 10km trail race, described as a ‘cracking little Yorkshire run’. This race, now in it’s 18th year and organised by Wetherby Runners AC, starts and finishes at Wetherby racecourse. Sally Armitage, was the third lady to finish in a great time of 39:15, with Sally taking first prize in her age category. Crossing the line at the same time was Harrier Adam Gerrish, with Andrew Picken the third Harrier home. Sue Williamson also had a great run at this race with Sue finishing with a high placing in her age category.

The Harriers retained their commitment to the weekly timed 5km parkrun series, with 33 Harriers taking part in various events in Yorkshire and beyond over the weekend. There were lots of top ten finishing places including; Stephen Coy, who was the second finisher at the Wetherby parkrun, Adam Gerrish, fourth finisher at the Fountains Abbey Parkrun, Oliver Holder the fourth finisher at the Chevin forest parkrun and Tim Ashelford and James Lee the sixth and seventh finishers respectively at the same parkrun, with Jonathan Turner the ninth finisher at the Bradford parkrun. Great parkrunning also by Ilkley ladies with Ruth Kitchen the first female finisher at the Chevin Forest parkrun in a great time of 21:39. Marie Watson was the second lady over the line at the Nova Prestatyn parkrun, Jayne Norman the ninth lady to finish at the Cliffe Castle parkrun. Jacqui Foster the tenth lady to finish at the Morecambe Prom parkrun and Natalie Gravett-Foyn also the tenth female finisher at the Roundhay parkrun.

World Masters Mountain Championships – Madeira – 15/17 Sep

Sun 17 Sep 2023

From Geoff Howard…

It may not seem so to everyone, but to the residents of Ponta do Pargo (isolated at the westernmost tip of Madeira and famous for its lighthouse) combining the WMMRC with a regional apple festival was quite natural. However, whatever the reasoning, the blend of the two, alcohol and sunny but not too hot weather produced a merry melee happy to cheer anything that moved (and thankfully plenty of portaloos) . However on the hill it was a different matter. The 9.2k Up Hill race (think straight up to the top of Skiddaw from Fitz Park, Keswick, plus another mile) was forbidding and for me a simple strategy of keeping running, not walking and hoping for the best. The 32k Long Race (think 80%+ distance and 75+% ascent of Three Peaks race), if it wasn’t steeply ascending was winding down in and out of innumerable valleys cleft into the hillside with, in several places, a very trippy surface. In both races it was mainly a tunnel vision experience with thick forest on either side. The strategy this time was not to chicken out before the start, definitely walk the steep uphills, don’t get lost, don’t fall and only run if likely to live to tell the tale. Apart from a careless tumble with 2k to go, it somehow worked and I was able eventually to rejoin the joyous throng in the town square at the end of almost four hours of mainly solitary motion.

This was my WMMRC number six and, like the others, it was a classic example of experiencing, with total strangers, a common very demanding competitive challenge and then finding afterwards that you’ve all been big buddies all along. If you’re over 35, can get the time off work and have the means to get wherever it’s held (Pyrenees next year) you might fancy it.

From Hilda Coulsey…

This type of race, 33k with 1254m elevation up and back down a mountain, is quite a bit outside my comfort zone as a late comer to running and mostly on roads with a few local trail race experiences. Plenty of Harriers have done so much more but I was seriously wondering a) could I do it at a competitive run pace and b) would I enjoy it. At 70, in a new age group, I grasped the opportunity, it’s a challenge, let’s see!

Geoff Howard was very keen to go, he had done some of these world masters mountain championships previously in different countries and this would be his last time, there is an age cut off of under 80 and whilst there is a move to up this there seems little governing body support at present. I was honoured to be there with him. He went early and recced the course plus he ran the uphill version, 9k and 800m on Friday gaining a bronze medal – an inspiration, very supportive and helpful to me.

I wasn’t expecting the amazing atmosphere amongst the international runners and their travelling companions – it’s a competition but you want everyone to do their best, acknowledgement and friendly words, cheering and encouragement.

The town, Ponta do Pargo, in the west corner of Madeira was exceptionally welcoming. They had a local festival on at the same time which was joyous, rural, local food dancing and music.

Representing GB is of course an honour however these annual events (last year Ireland, next the Pyrenees, then China) are similar in registration to our county and national cross countries in that anyone can enter and whilst this would be true for the locals if you travel internationally the competition is pretty strong.

We have plenty of hills to train on, the gradient was similar to our incline to Keighley gate, and I slowly gained strength for the ups. Running the downs were my biggest concern for injury ie either my leg muscles would fail or I’d trip, slip and fall on the descent.

As it turned out I was fine, the terrain was a mixture of runnable grassy or stony trails with the gradients being this only muddier and very uneven. Runners did slip and fall but I survived going slower than I’m capable. The weather was fairly kind being cool at the early start, it rained near the mountain top not helping re slip hazards and it warmed up to mid 20s at the finish. Annoyingly I showed my inexperience making the rookie mistake of following the runner in front and missing a turn, twice!, to add an extra over 1k and waste of energy.

The Friday race is the classic short uphill, much fewer runners were tackling this long distance on Sunday, with only 4 in Geoff’s over 75 category and only 2 over 70 women. I knew that this was considered difficult and the apprehension of failure was considerable- what was an over 70 woman doing here, was it stupidity or naivety but frankly that only spurred me on. My German competitor was very experienced at this type of race and is very fast on track too. She was lovely, encouraging, and she sped off in the first kilometre not to be seen again until after the finish. She was great too in the presentation ceremony. It was such an honour and experience to attend the podium medal ceremony with athletes from across the world. I was on the podium with the German anthem, Geoff of course for God save the King. Very proud. The Portugal team was strong and Ireland also had a strong team plus around 30 other nations represented. I enjoyed it very much and coming away with a silver medal was wonderful. I appreciate the international travel dilemma but combining this with a holiday exploring the lovely island was a privilege.

The race was won by Shaban Mustafa, Bulgaria in 2:11:52 and Simone Raatz, Germany in 2:45:08. Geoff ran in 3:52:08 to come first v75 and I ran in 4:25:06 coming second v70.

Results

Wetherby 10k – Sun 17 Sep

Sat 16 Sep 2023

From Sally Armitage…

I look forward to this race all year long, I can’t pinpoint why but it’s my favourite race of the year. Which is odd considering I hate running off road and this has a mile through a field… which was wet & muddy this year!! There was a small Harriers turnout with myself, Adam Gerrish, Sue Williamson and Andrew Picken.

A race renowned for always being hot I was grateful for a some cloud cover. I’d felt tired and niggly all week from my half the previous weekend and tried my best to run steady and just focus on enjoying it, but then accidentally went through the first km in 3:37… Then I couldn’t bring myself to lose the top 3 ladies, I knew who was at the race and 1st place wasn’t an option for me, even if I’d been feeling 100%, 2nd lady went away at a pace I didn’t feel like trying to stick with so I ran directly on the heels of 3rd lady the entire race (I’m sure she hated me for it!!) but it was a good tactic because when a speedy St Theresa’s female shot past us in the last mile in a determined bid for 3rd place, taking us both by surprise, I had enough kapow left to get back past her!

This final effort also caught me up to Adam G resulting in a sprint finish for the 2 of us down the home straight! I couldn’t quite catch him but had a lot of fun trying. Already excited for next year!!

Results

1st male Joe Gentry (unattached) 32:47

1st female Catherine Williamson (Loftus & Whitby) 37:39

33rd Adam Gerrish (Ilkley Harriers) 39:15

34th Sally Armitage (Ilkley Harriers) 39:15

366th Andrew Picken (Ilkley Harriers) 55:14

562th Sue Williamson (Ilkley Harriers) 01:05:19

724 ran

Great North Run – Sun 10 Sep

Sun 10 Sep 2023

From Sarah Hayes…

The 42nd Great North Run was destined to be momentous as it was Sir Mo Farah’s last competitive race. It felt special to be part of this occasion. This was my second time running this iconic race having first taken part as a student in 1993 and during the race had the occasional flash backs to that day 30 years ago (blimey!).

It is the world’s largest half marathon with 60000 participants. I had not quite appreciated how many people that was until I arrived at Newcastle City Centre seeing the crowds gathered at their allocated starting pens in the morning sunshine.

Despite the vast numbers it was an incredibly well organised event with lots of lovely friendly Geordie marshals. (having been brought up in the North East I’m a bit biased!)

Right from arriving at the metro station to the bag drop off everything ran like clockwork. The only queues (as expected) were for the portaloos.

The temperature was perfect for picnicking or a Sunday stroll but a little too hot for running. We were held in the starting pens with very little shade for at least 45 minutes before the start. Everyone was, as a consequence, feeling overheated before we had even started.

For the first few miles I was going too fast and could feel the heat sapping my energy. (Why can’t I pace myself more like Geoff Howard?)

I felt emotional going over the Tyne Bridge. Shortly afterwards we were treated to a fly past by the red arrows.

There were huge crowds cheering all along the route. Spectators were offering ice pops, oranges and sweets. The occasional soaking from a garden hose was most welcome. Steel bands and live music played at every turn.

Thankfully there were plenty of water stations of which I took advantage, drinking some of the water bottle and dousing myself in the remainder.

It was so inspiring seeing so many people running for so many different charities en route.

By the final few miles the clouds had arrived and the temperature was cooler enabling me to maintain a reasonable pace for the final mile along the seafront at South Shields.

My mum who is now 80 was there to meet me at the end. She has run this race on many occasion in the past and was reminiscing of previous GNRs. However when we heard that someone who was 103 completed the event you could see her thinking well maybe I could give it another go….

Sir Mo Farah came 4th in 1:03:28

Nine Ilkley Harriers took part, Tony Pye finishing in an impressive 1:38. Link below to Ilkley Harrier results.

Results

Ilkley Gazette report w/c 11 Sep

Sun 10 Sep 2023

From Jill Ezard…

Success on fell and road for Ilkley Harriers as the team move into autumn race season.

It was back to school and back to a full race schedule for the Ilkley Harriers this week and they were off to a winning start at the annual Ilkley Incline on Wednesday. Celebrating its 21st anniversary, the event is a unique, one mile, uphill-only race where 560ft of climbing is rewarded with stunning views across the Wharfe Valley. The route starts on tarmac road, and continues on stony track, so attracted both road and trail runners in the 100 strong field. 34 Harriers took on the challenge with Christos Tzelis winning the event in just 07:07! There were also a number of category first places for Matt Cox (08:19), Jeff Green (08:30), Martin Hartley (09:32), Paul Calderbank (10:07), Junior Harrier Matilda Irvine (10:52) and Paul Stephens (12:06). A fantastic turnout and set of results for the team.

Continuing on the road there were half marathon successes at the Vale of York event on Sunday. This fast, flat, charity half marathon starts and finishes just outside Wistow, and runs on scenic closed roads south of York and north of Selby. A great race to achieve a personal best it was certainly a great race for Ed Hobbs and Sally Armitage: Ed won the race in a blistering time of 1:09:41 with Sally finishing in second place and first in her age category in an outstanding 1:22:29. The day also incorporates a fast and flat 10k taking in part of the half marathon route which Lucia Stoney completed in 1:02:00.

To add to the silverware, Tom Adams won the Yorkshireman off road marathon in Haworth in 2:58:52, breaking the course record by 10 minutes. The race starts on Haworth Main Street with the route quickly taking runners uphill and into open countryside towards Gatehouse, Houghgate and Brookhouse before reaching the halfway mark returning via Denholme Beck, Hainworth Village and Penistone Hill. Tom was followed to the finish by Gavin Lamb who took eighth position in 03:55:56. Four Harriers also tackled the half marathon on the same day taking in some of the marathon route. Nick Helliwell was first home in 02:10:23, taking 20^th position, followed by Katie Poulter in 02:37:41 taking third place in her age category, Steve Worthington just behind in 02:38:46 and Sacha Jones in 02:45:48.

At only 3.5miles long the Bradley show Fell race may seem like an easier option than the Yorkshireman but the three Harriers who took on the challenge definitely won’t have thought that with a huge 900ft of climb over the short course. The race starts with a steady climb up the fields and tracks to High Bradley, followed by a steep ascent to the top of Bradley moor, finishing with a fast return to the show field. Gawain Moore was the first Harrier home in sixth place in 27:18 taking first place in his age category. Rachel Carter was the first lady home in 33:48 also taking her age category prize. David Howe completed the event in 39:30. Future Harriers talent was also on show with Junior Harriers Oscar Shinn, Alex Wolfenden, Robert Carter all taking podium places.

Back on the roads nine Harriers took the ever popular Great North Run in Newcastle on Sunday in somewhat challenging heat conditions. The iconic route takes runners from the city centre to the coast at South Shields, the sea breeze normally providing some relief at the end. Despite the weather Tony Pye had a great run an was the first Harrier home in 01:38:38, with Michael Ho just behind in 01:46:56. Sarah Hayes was the first female Harrier home in 02:02:39. Lucy Lowe, Charlotte Smithson, and Hannah Osieku all completed the run in less than 02:15:00, with Kate Williams, Alex Stanley-Hyde and Bernie Gibbons all completing the course.

And finally, there was a flurry of top ten finishes for our 19 parkrunners this week: At Bradford, Mark Hall and Sally Malir were both second finishers in 18:13 and 22:52 respectively; in Barnsley, Beth Massey was the third finisher in 23:12; in Crichton, Robert Budding was fifth finisher in 21:29; in Lancaster Jacqui Foster was tenth in 27:25; and at the ever popular Chevin Forest event three Harriers finished in the top ten, with Tim Ashelford in ninth in 20:42, Ruth Kitchen in third in 22:25 and Rebecca Mon-Williams in sixth in 24:55.

Malham Trail Half Marathon – Sat 9 Sep

Sat 9 Sep 2023

From Steve Murray…

Feeling the after effects of a hilly leg on the LCW relay last week confirmed what I knew already, I needed some longer runs and hills in my legs! So when an email reminder came in from Due North, chasing entries for the inaugural Malham Trail half marathon and the last in the their 3 race series was on Saturday, it looked like a prefect opportunity. I’d not managed to download the race route in the time before the deadline but figured it would be hilly but manageable. Post entry I got a bit of fear seeing the forecast for the weekend and the amount of climbing in the first half after eventually downloading the GPX file, but too late now!!

Saturday arrived with a bit of mist and cloud which rapidly disappeared. The event has free parking for runners in the field before the village, with the start / finish and HQ all together and was great to be able to park up wander to get your number and get ready with no pressure. After a quick exchange of hello & good luck with Lynne Donohue the only other Harrier listed we were off, with an early rocky trail climb before a descent through fields onto Cove Road and the trail to Malham Cove. Soon dawned on me that the climb was going up the steps to the top of Malham Cove, which without fail everyone I saw walked up, including me! As the sun and temperature got warmer the hills kept coming and walking continued on all the larger ones. Mile 7 brought a welcome fast downhill section to mark the worst of the course over but as it got warmer I could feel the energy and enthusiasm leaving me and the planned faster finish. With 10 miles done we hit Airton and were on the stretch back to home but it became a battle to keep going to the finish. With 12 miles completed it was a relief to enter open fields and see the finish area in the distance, although I did start to worry when we went up another rocky hill by the visitor centre thinking another climb! Thankfully a quick left into the fields to the finish (no sprint!) and ½ a mile short of the 13.1 miles was a bonus.

A welcome drink and Cornish pasty at the end lying in the sun watching others finish, pleased to have hit the 2 hours target I’d set (discounting it was short!). Overall a well organised, low key trail run in a beautiful setting with stunning views and friendly fellow runners. I’d consider it again next year if the weather was a bit cooler!

Results

1 Simon Courtney – 1:29:36

20 Steve Murray – 1:58:06

79 Lynn Donohue – 2:34:12

Bradley Show Fell race – Sun 10 Sep

Sat 9 Sep 2023

From Rachel Carter…

Three Harriers took part in the Bradley Show Fell race, organised by BOFRA. At 3.5 miles, it’s one of their longer and slightly less steep (800′ of climb to the top of Bradley Moor) than some but was hard work on a rather hot and hot humid afternoon with the forecast (and perhaps welcome) thunderstorms holding off. Gawain Moore was 6th, myself 36th and David Howe 71st. Full results here.

Quarter Everest up and down UK womens FKT – Fri 8 Sep

Fri 8 Sep 2023

From Jann Smith…

8808 feet ascending and descending / 7.16 miles / 48% gradient / 4hr 42 mins / Steel Fell, Lake District

Everesting is a relatively new concept very popular with cyclists . Choose a hill then go up and down the same path non-stop. The steeper the hill the less the mileage… but it’s a lot harder on the legs, especially the descending! You need to do full repeats up and down so I hit the quarter Everest of 7257ft just after I’d started the 9^th repetition of the Mountain so this added an extra 30 mins to the time. I chose Steel Fell in the Lake District which has quite a lot of loose rock and scree and is fiercely steep at 48% gradient, it was also one of the hottest days of the year which wasn’t ideal so I decided to stop after 10 repeats and 9000 ft, I decided with hindsight a less steep and less technical hill would be easier on the legs!

Ilkley Incline – Wed 6 Sep

Wed 6 Sep 2023

From Jean Sullivan…

Wednesday evening saw the staging of the 21st Ilkley Incline race. This unique one-mile uphill only race, with 560ft of ascent, starts at the bottom of the Keighley Gate Road in Ilkley. The route starts on tarmac road, before runners have a stony track to contend with.

Conditions on the night were challenging, very warm and humid. An impressive 100 runners turned up to battle it out of this tough course, with 33 of those racing being Ilkley Harriers.

Well done to Ilkley Harrier Christos Tzelis who won the race outright in an impressive 7:07, just 2 seconds outside the course record. Alexander Wolfenden was the second Harrier home in a great time of 8:08, with Harrier Oscar Shinn hot on his heels, finishing in 8:11.

Matilda Irvine led the Ilkley ladies home, completing the course in a great time of 10:52. Lizzie Reilly was the next Ilkley lady over the line, followed by Carole Cunningham, who was the third Ilkley lady home.

There were lots of age category prizes for Ilkley Harriers too, including for; Matilda Irvine, Martin Hartley, Matt Cox, Jeff Green, Paul Calderbank, Paul Stephens and Geoff Howard, all of whom finished first in their respective age categories.

Huge thanks to the Yorkshire Runner in Otley and to Saltaire Brewery who generously sponsored the event. Thanks also to Jen Roberts who made special Ilkley Incline biscuits, displaying the Cowper Cross, which were enjoyed by many on the night!

Results

Ilkley Gazette report w/c 4 Sep

Mon 4 Sep 2023

From Will Worboys…

Ilkley endurance athletes excel in the Alps

As part of this year’s UTMB festival (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) two Harriers have completed extreme tests of endurance in the French Alps. Petra Bijsterveld competed in the CCC, which refers to the route; Courmayeur- Champex- Chamonix. A gruelling 100 KM, the race astonishingly takes in over 6,000 metres of ascent. These days known as a seasoned ultra-trail runner, Petra managed to complete the course in under 24 hours which was her target and well inside the cut-off time. Finishing 4^th in her category, Petra impressively managed to keep running right up to the finish line in Chamonix.

Another monumental run in the Alps was had by Ilkley’s Andrew Merrick. His race was the TDS (Traces des Ducs de Savoie); taking in 90 miles and over 9,000 metres of climb! With the weather not quite as favourable as Petra’s race, there was a route change and muddy conditions in part, as well as taking in the classic Alpine terrain of mountain, snow, stream and forest. Merrick completed this test of extreme stamina in a time of 38 hours 51 minutes and came 10^th in his category. Both runners reported spending some well earnt recuperation time in the picturesque surroundings following their memorable feats.

Meanwhile another Ilkley athlete, Tim Ashelford, travelled to Ellesmere in Shropshire to compete in the British Age Group Sprint Triathlon Championships. This category of triathlon involves a 750 metre swim, 20 kilometre bike ride and finally a 5K road run. This race unfortunately turned out to be a ‘duathlon’ due to the swim being cancelled because of blue green algae in the River Mere. This however did not deter Ashelford who romped home in second place to earn a silver medal.

Back in West Yorkshire on Sunday a group of Harriers took part in the ever-popular Leeds Country Way Relay. The relay consists of six legs, each leg run in pairs with a total distance of approximately 62 miles covered. Many of the local running clubs sent teams to compete, with Ilkley entering two teams assembled by Nick Helliwell. The mixed team finished 2^nd in their category, while the men’s veteran team finished 4^th in theirs. The pick of many great performances were Kyle Bethell/Ruth Kitchen who were mixed champions on leg 5; and Kate Archer/Brit Watson who were ladies champions for leg 6.

Closer to home on Friday, a hardy band of gentlemen completed the Ilkley Skyline challenge. Steve Newell, Tony Pye, Nigel Illingworth and Andrew Smith braved the gruelling, bordering on brutal 22 miles of local terrain. The challenge starts and finishes at the Hermit pub, traversing Ilkley Moor, Addingham Moorside and Beamsley Beacon as well as a river crossing at Burley in Wharfedale. The route takes in 900 metres of climb in total. Conceived in 2013 by Mike Ayres of North Leeds Fell Runners, the Skyline has established itself as a classic fell running route and although on this occasion Tom Adams’ and Jack Wood’s record time was never under threat, it is always an impressive feat to complete the challenge.

The nation’s 5K Saturday morning parkruns were again well attended by club members. In Cardiff, Helena Coy edged her sibling Nathan. Helena was first female in a time of 17.59 and Nathan finished 9^th overall in an identical time! Catherine Gibbons impressed at Old Deer parkrun in Richmond-upon-Thames finishing as first female in a time of 21.26. There were also first finishes for Rob Cunningham at Skipton and Edward Hobbs at Fountains Abbey. Other stand-out performances came from Mark Hall who was 6^th overall and Beth Massey, 3^rd female, at Barnsley. Forrest Hamilton came 5th at Bramley in Leeds. David Foyston finished 4^th at Roberts park, with talented youngster Jake Norris just behind him in a cracking time of 17.36. While at the same venue Vince Gibbons continued his fine form achieving a PB for the second week running, shaving a second off and finishing in a time of 27.48.

CCC – Fri/Sat 1/2 Sep

Sat 2 Sep 2023

From Petra Bijsterveld…

Photo credit Sportograph

I travelled to the Chamonix Valley to run the 100km/6000m CCC race (Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix), part of the annual UTMB trail running summit which includes the World Series Finals (UTMB, CCC and OCC) and a further 5 events including the TDS (Traces des Ducs de Savoie) which Andrew Merrick took part in. Arriving 10 days prior to my race gave me time to recce, in three sections, the second half of the race from Champex-Lac, much of which I would be doing in the dark, before commencing a steep taper of a week. Having discussed it with Andrew, who knows the course well having completed the UTMB a number of times, I decided against recceing the first half. It was a little too late in the day to adequately recover from the two major climbs involved, and anyway in the race I would be doing it fresh and in daylight. There is no need to recce the route from a navigational point of view, as these races are incredibly well waymarked, as well as so busy that there will always be runners in sight ahead of you.

As race day approached I grew more and more excited but also apprehensive about the task at hand. I have some experience of racing in big mountains, having done three races in the Swiss Alps and one in the Pyrenees, but none were 100km. I have run a couple of long UK ultras (80 and 90 miles) that took around 24 hours. Still, this felt like a big step up again, with so much ascent and descent to negotiate, much of it on fairly technical terrain. I am a very poor descender when faced with tree roots and rock-strewn paths, and I knew I would be facing a lot of those, primarily in the second half. I fully expected to be battling the cut-offs at the checkpoints and to be only just inside the overall allowed time of 26 hours and 30 minutes. Though the recces had given me a silent hope that I might just be marginally faster than that. To try and off-set my terrible descending I would have to play to my strengths, which are ascending and being efficient in the checkpoints. Having savoured the Chamonix finish line atmosphere which is truly exceptional, and having seen Andrew come over the line in the TDS, I was extra determined I wanted a slice of that for myself.

Race day was Friday. Thankfully the weather forecast was excellent, pleasantly warm but not too much so, no rain, no wind, and a bonus full moon too. Unlike earlier in the week, see Andrew’s report about cold, rain, snow and mud on the TDS. My early morning journey to Courmayeur (in Italy) on the UTMB shuttle bus was not as chaotic as Andrew’s had been on the Monday evening, but traffic through the Mont-Blanc tunnel was still very heavy due to the continuing closure of the Frejus tunnel as a result of a major landslide, and we had to queue for about an hour. Still, it meant no hanging about at the start, I really just had time to go to the toilet, take my layers off and get my finish bag handed in for transport back to Chamonix, straighten myself out and head to my 09:15 second wave start.

The climb straight out of the starting blocks from Courmayeur to Tete de la Tronche (2563m) is 1428m of ascent in one go over a distance of 9km. Though we were stationary for about 15 minutes at the point where the wider trail becomes single track. Frustrating but I knew to expect this, having had the same experience last year at Val d’Aran in the Pyrenees. 99% of the runners waited patiently. The odd one or two performed shameless queue jumping. I tried not to be annoyed and reckoned karma would deal with that down the line. Once on the single-track switchbacks it’s like being on the train, there is one pace and you have to go with it, unless you are really in trouble at which point you can step aside of course. Thankfully the pace was OK for me. I reached Tete de la Tronche at 11:45 after 2 ½ hours. After this followed a fairly runnable descent (though plenty of runners scooted past me) to the first checkpoint at Refuge Bertone. I was glad to arrive a full hour and 20 minutes inside the cut-off, this felt reassuring. I restocked my water supplies, grabbed some cheese and salty biscuits and went on my way to run the next 12k to Arnouvaz. This is a runnable traverse with not too much height gain or loss and gave me some opportunity to enjoy the stunning landscape surrounding me. I arrived at the Arnouvaz checkpoint at 14:45 and had gained a bit more on the cut-off time so I started to relax about getting timed-out. Very usefully there are big signs in every checkpoint giving the distance and elevation gain and loss to the next checkpoint, as well as the cut-off times. ‘Obviously’ I carried all this information with me anyway on a card I had prepared, but those signs are still mightily handy. After Arnouvaz the next ascent awaited us: Grand Col Ferret (2526m). As Arnouvaz is already at 1794m this is nowhere near as big a climb as the ascent out of Courmayeur, but it was still a tough 800m and it was pretty warm by now. There remained some snow on the ground near the top, evidence from the cold weather earlier in the week. The views from the top of the col were absolutely awesome and for a moment I wished I were not in a race, it would have been nice to linger a while and take photos. No time to waste though, I put my poles away and set off on the very long but thankfully very runnable and pleasant descent of 1000m, 10km in distance, all the way to La Fouly. We were now in Switzerland by the way. I reached La Fouly at 6pm, a total of 40k done. I didn’t linger (spent 8 minutes there) as I wanted to make the most of the daylight. I quickly had some bouillon, bread and cheese and was on my way to Champex-Lac, 14k to run. There I would get a hot meal and would need to get ready for the night.

I had been to Champex-Lac with Andrew when we reccied the section to Trient. I had seen all too well what a climb that had been in the car, from the bottom of the valley, we had done it twice, having to retrieve the second car at the end of the run of course. Somehow though, and despite carrying my laminated time/distance chart as well as the elevation profile, I had managed to temporarily forget there would be a climb up to Champex from La Fouly. There is a lovely descent first to Praz de Fort, even involving some downhill road running (yay!) but what goes down must come up. By the time we were in the woods within reach of the checkpoint it was virtually dark. I was grateful that I had followed advice I had picked up on YouTube: carry a small handheld torch as well as your head torch (actually two head torches and a spare battery for each, this is mandatory kit for the race). Getting your head torch out is always a bit of a faff and difficult to do on the move, so you put it off with a consequent risk of tripping in the dark. But I could just get my handheld torch out of the front pocket of my vest until we reached the checkpoint, it helped the runner in front of me too!

Whilst still some distance away from the checkpoint at Champex-Lac it became very noisy with incessant tooting and hooting sounds from a particularly loud group of supporters. There’s encouragement and then there is just irritating noise, and to me it was definitely the latter. I reached the checkpoint at 20:30 so had been going for almost 12 hours. With the cut-off there at 23:15 I knew I was totally safe timewise, though there always remained the chance of a fall or injury before the finish. The massive marquee was heaving with people, this being the first aid station where crew support was allowed. It was way too full for comfort or efficiency. I spent at least 5 minutes looking for where the pasta was being served, had to ask in the end, and then had to actually search for a spot to even sit down. I ate my cheese and pasta, organised my water bottles, put another layer on, put my cap and sunglasses away and replaced them with my buff and head torch. When your race pack is full to bursting it’s tricky and I made extra sure nothing crucial fell out amidst all this race admin. I had a message from Andrew, who would be meeting me at Vallorcine, to message him when I got to the next checkpoint at Trient. I was ahead of the timing schedule we had imagined! I had some sugary tea to finish and was on my way to Trient, 23 minutes spent in the aid station.

It’s 16km to Trient with around 1000m to ascend and descend. Another long single file ‘train’ up the endless switchbacks. It had felt a lot shorter on the recce! At the top we reached the intermediate checkpoint of La Giete, which is a genuine cow shed (though without the cows being at home) with appropriate smell, and a full-on party going on! Mainly the volunteers in party mode, whilst runners looking rather the worse for wear were sitting on long benches on either side. I decided to not stop and carried on through the barn (the doors were so low they had put pillows at the top to stop you hitting your head) and down to Trient. One of those endlessly long technical descents full of rocks and tree roots where I lost a lot of time and constantly had to step aside to let others pass. At Trient another party was in full swing, with Abba music blasting out. Here crew was allowed too so it was busy. It was now 00:50 and whilst in good spirits I was definitely not in the party mood. I messaged Andrew as arranged, had some more food and attended to my water bottles. 17 minutes later I was on my way (your runner’s page collects all this handy info) towards the next climb.

The ascent to Les Tseppes, on the way to the Vallorcine checkpoint, is steep. It’s less than 4km in distance and you climb almost 700m. It had been tough during the recce, it was tough now. I tried to focus on the good things. The weather (perfect temperature), the beauty of my surroundings which I could make out under the full moon, the fact that I was doing this. The knowledge that there would be a runnable stretch before the more technical descent into Vallorcine. Knowing that I would see Andrew at Vallorcine and he would bring pizza.

I reached Vallorcine at 04:10. 82km had been done now. And we were back in France. I knew Vallorcine as I was staying there, and I knew where the aid station was. What I didn’t know is that you were led to do more or less a loop of the village first for no obvious reason! I was running it though, delighted to be properly moving again after another dose of tree roots and rocks which had slowed me down to a walk. I was in an upbeat mood even though tired, and 4 am is never a good time in anyone’s day, or night rather. I had instructed Andrew to not let me throw in the towel unless my leg had fallen off or I was patently ill, and to give me a metaphorical kick out of the checkpoint and in the direction of Chamonix should it be needed. But no kicking was needed. I had also purposefully put my apartment key in my finish bag which had gone to Chamonix so I had to go there too! I ate some of my pizza, it was a bit too dry at this point in the race though, Andrew kindly dealt with my water bottles, I swapped the battery over in my headtorch and I was off out in 10 minutes, heading towards the Col des Montets, La Flegere and Chamonix.

18km to go with another 1100m of ascent and descent. A route change had been announced, rather than climbing up to the Tete aux Vents we were taking an alternative route from the Col des Montets to La Flegere. This involved a sneaky descent in the middle of two climbs. I had reccied it and it was hideously technical, much more so than any other section. In places I had to use my hands to get down. It was even worse for me now, on tired legs, and in the dark. Most runners managed to make a better meal out of it of course and went past, but I struggled at snail’s pace together with a German girl. There were a couple of moments where I felt like sitting down and crying, but that would not have taken me any further towards Chamonix so I battled on knowing this too would end and I could climb again, which is tough, but easier for me. And the descent became a climb, I came out of the dense woods and I suddenly noticed it had become light. Seeing the morning light on Mont Blanc was one of the highlights of the race for me. Another runner kept having to sit down every few minutes, he was obviously dizzy. I have been there on other races and I know how awful that is. I was very grateful to be feeling well which must have been largely down to my nutrition which had worked like a dream.

I knew by now that a sub 24 hours finish should be possible but I had to crack on. I slogged up the wide track to La Flegere and suddenly all the climbing was done, I arrived at 07:36! Though I was in a rush I had enough presence of mind to use the toilet there, take my headtorch and buff off and re-tie my hair. I didn’t want to look any more of a mess in those finish photos than necessary and I certainly didn’t want to arrive bursting for the loo, as I knew there were no toilets directly by the finish line. I quickly slurped some tea and headed for the descent. 7km to go. After some easy running (though by now somewhat hampered by the pain in my quads) on the gravel track you are forced onto a downhill path full of, you guessed it, tree roots and rocks. I had to more or less walk it all, and looked longingly for La Floria, the lovely café on the mountainside above Chamonix. Because after that I would be able to run all the way, which would be necessary to get my desired sub 24. I kept thinking I saw it round the next corner, but they all turned out to be optical illusions! When I finally got there a man said ‘only 3km to go’. I put my poles away and ran down the gravel track. A Spanish runner overtook me only to immediately take a very nasty tumble. Initially it looked pretty bad, I thought ‘oh no, there goes my finish time!’ as obviously I felt obliged to stop and help. Thankfully there were some spectators and walkers around and a young American couple rushed in to assist, so I asked if they didn’t mind if I went on. I was glad to see the runner back on his feet moments later so it had looked worse that it was.

I reached the road in Chamonix, negotiated the steps up and down the temporary footbridge over the road which is always erected by UTMB, as much as to avoid a traffic accident as to inflict some final pain onto runners’ quads. Running into Chamonix along the river Arve and through the streets even at 9 am I received so many cheers and encouragement, literally everyone gives you a shout out, and in many languages too. Coming round the final bend I was greeted by Andrew, and by Oli, Zoe and Alfie Murphy, who had come into town early for me, which was lovely. I had initially told them I would probably be finishing just before 12. I crossed the line at 09:03 in 23:47:59. I enjoyed my finisher’s beer even though the sun was nowhere near over the yardarm yet!

The winner was Jon Albon in 10 hours 14 minutes! There were a total of 1650 finishers, whilst 578 runners withdrew or were timed out. I was 1207th overall, and 4th out of 11 runners (7 finishers) in my age category of women aged 60 to 64. There were no women older than that in the race at all.

Lidingoloppet 30k trail race – Sat 23 Sept

Fri 1 Sep 2023

From Nigel Tapper…

A cornerstone of The Swedish Classic series (ski, cycle, swim and run) since 1971, this event doesn’t disappoint. A truly well-organised and fun weekend of running on the island of Lidingo just a little north of Stockholm.

Lovely courses of varying distances, through pine-needled forest trails and the coastline of the Baltic Sea. Easy running by Yorkshire Dales standards with undulations (some steep) rather than the long ups and downs of a local fell or trail. Apparently, the event is the world’s largest trail race series by participation, with around 60,000 runners over the two days. As well as junior and veteran events, there are the main challenges of the 10, 15 and 30k races. Although the whole event is a fun weekend with a family-friendly feel from the start, the competition is serious with a quality field of seeded competitors.

Given the numbers involved and the somewhat narrow trails in parts, with staggered start times, the volume of runners is just about acceptable on the course. We were corralled into groups of maybe 400 or 500 at a time with plenty of space for all. A dynamic warm-up with lots of jumping about on the spot soon settles any event nerves and before you know it you are away across green fields and then into pine forests and undulating trails. A little testy at times, though the climbs are short and the trails are good going underfoot. Excellent organisation with regular drink and food en route including pickled gherkin and a Swedish favourite, cinnamon buns!

We did the 30k event and although a trail, there was good public support at various points and at water stations. The route is fabulous, forest and coastal paths and if, like some of us, you feel energised, go for a plunge in the Baltic post-race. Envigorating! One thing we did observe, is that the locals aren’t very confident on steep descents, we whizzed by dozens every time! Guess they’re not used to it.

The finish area is well supported and there’s a good buzz despite the complimentary beer at the end being non-alcoholic! An excellent choice of post-race food and drink is available and the bag drop system for what is a linear route worked perfectly. Apart from a few IT glitches at registration (we chose to do this on the day) the organisation was as good as anything I’ve seen before and all very friendly.

Getting to Lidingo is a cinch from the city of Stockholm which has an excellent and cheap rail network. Free coaches are laid on from the train station to the Expo and registration. All in all a fabulous event with the chance of great weekend in a super city. I’d definitely recommend the Wasa museum. I’m sure we’ll be back.

Results:

Helen Horton 3:34

Nigel Tapper 3:34

We both finished in the top third of our V60 cats.

Notice of Harriers AGM – Tue 26th Sept 2023

Fri 1 Sep 2023

As is required in our Club Constitution we must hold an AGM after the end of our financial year, which was August 31st. This year our AGM will be at Ilkley tennis club at 8.30pm on Tuesday 26th September.

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

You should now all have received an email with the draft agenda and minutes from last year’s meeting as well as contact details for any input you might have. Over the next few weeks we will prepare reports and audited accounts for both the seniors and juniors and these will be circulated with the final agenda the weekend before.

Many thanks and look forward to seeing you on the 26th, Jonathan and the committee.