Ilkley Harriers news archive 2026

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 10 Aug 2026

Mon 10 Aug 2026

[Harriers at the Littondale four-mile road race, photo credit: Woodentops]

From Caroline Howe & Nicola Budding…  

From village galas to fell tops: Harriers make their mark

With mass participation events largely taking a hiatus for the holiday month of August, the racing calendar focus shifted this week to traditional galas and village events.

Sam Bentham won the Arncliffe Gala Fell Race in a field of 150 in a time of 11:07. George Whittlestone was the second Harrier home in 15:11, and other Harriers completing the 1.6m/400 ft BOFRA race included John Hayes, Alison Weston, Paul Atkinson and Fiona Schneider. 122 took part in the junior races, with Joseph Bentham taking third place in the under-17 race.

On the same day, the four-mile Littondale road race took place – a counter in the Harriers race league. This incentive resulted in a great showing of over 20 Harriers on the start line. Matt Newell finished seventh in 21:57, followed by Ian Young (25:05) and Kyle Bethell (25:32) also in the top 20 out of a 200-strong field. There were first-place age category performances by Jonathan Turner (M55) in 26:04, Justin Pierce (M50) in 28:12 and Derek Oliver (M65) in 28:26. Steve Newell, George Whittlestone (completing his third race of the week!), John Hayes, Mike Williams and Rachel Carter were all second in their respective age categories.

Thursday evening was the Eshton Moor Fell Race, organised by Wharfedale Harriers. The five-mile, 550ft race is an out-and-back along the track of the Pennine Way to the woods near Calton. George Whittlestone finished an impressive fourth overall and first MU23 in 37:03, while Rachel Carter was second female and first F50 in 42:31, and Alison Weston was first F60 in 48:39. Other Harriers participating included Iain Young in seventh (39:21), John Hayes in 12th (40:10), Jonathan Turner 19th (41:54) and Holly Digne-Malcolm 27th (45:08).

In the junior races there were some outstanding results. Michael Moore finished first boy in the under-14 race. Isobel Moore finished first girl in the under-12 race and Thomas Bailey was third boy. Alice Gardner added another podium finish – third girl in the under-17 race.

Further afield, Dan Paterson and Mark Judkowski tackled the 40th Lowther Lakeland Fell & Trail Race, which starts in the picturesque surroundings of Lowther Castle. This scenic route crosses Askham Fell and the Lowther Valley, 13 miles in total with roughly 1400ft of ascent.  Dan finished in 2:07:09 with Mark not far behind in 2:11:26.

Notable parkrun performances over the weekend included: Alex Wolfenden, first at Roberts Park in 16:35; Steve Coy, second at Rotherham in 18:42; and Jane McCarthy, second at Glengarriff in 22:28. Both Alex and Steve scored 80%+ age gradings. There were many top ten finishes, and the award for taking part in the parkrun farthest away goes to Pippa and David Singleton in Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 3 Aug 2026

Mon 3 Aug 2026

[Peter Roll and Geoffrey White at the Round Hill Fell Race, photo credit: Woodentops]

From Peter Shelley & Nicola Budding…  

Juniors and young Harriers to the fore as runners take to the Cumbrian and Yorkshire Fells

Ambleside hosted its annual day of traditional Lakeland sports on Thursday including wrestling, grass track cycling and hound trails. Fell and guide races were the focus for a strong youth and junior Harrier contingent. The ‘Rydal Round’ kicked off proceedings with a 14.5km race incorporating 915m of ascent over the summits of Fairfield and Hart Crag. Sam Bentham underlined his credentials, taking an excellent win in 1:18:50 nearly two minutes clear of the competition. Samesh Chotai finished a strong 14th of 109 in 1:35:35. Both Harriers competed again in the Sports Senior Fell Race later in the day to take 4th and 19th places respectively followed by George Whittlestone in 23rd of 97 finishers.

All the day’s fell races followed a similar up and down format over different distances with a tough outward climb before a fast and challenging descent. This included the U14 boys race in which Michael Moore claimed a strong 5th place and the U12 boys where Thomas Bailey and Oscar Spooner battled well to finish 11th and 29th respectively.

Juniors represented the club again to great effect on Sunday at Farleton Knott Fell Race courtesy of the Dallam Tower Estate. Michael Moore continued his excellent week with another podium finish, taking 3rd in the U14 Race. In the U12 race, Thomas Bailey improved on his Thursday result to finish 5th, while Oscar Spooner came home in 43rd. Isobel Moore had a fantastic race, finishing 2nd girl. In the seniors race George Whittlestone was 14th and Emma Moore 69th.

Saturday saw the running of the Borrowdale Fell Race, one of the Lakeland Classics.  Visiting the summits of Scafell Pike, Great Gable and Dalehead, the route covers 27km of tough terrain and 2,000m of ascent. Alison Weston used her experience to pace it well, picking up places steadily to finish in 4:57:21 and 143rd place winning the F60 category and beating her race times from the previous five years. Daughter Nea Weston followed Alison home in 5:32:32 to take 172th place.

Closer to home, the Round Hill Fell Race took place on Sunday organised by Otley AC. Prevailing dry conditions throughout the weekend saved runners the challenge of the Denton Moor bogs on the 14.1 km route which includes 335m of ascent. Peter Roll finished 22nd and 4th M60. Geoffrey White was 34th, Jo Foster 49th and 1st L55 and Penny Coulthard was 60th.

In Saturday’s parkruns Helen Thurston ran a personal best 21:16 at East Holmes Field. Rafe Garner was 1st JM11-14 in 22:54. Martin Stubbs ran a pb to finish 3rd of 16 in the MV60-64 category. Sue Verspyck also achieved a pb and 4th VW60-64.  

At Roberts Park Michael Moore crossed the line in 19:53 as 1st JM11-14. Isobel Moore celebrated a parkrun pb of 21:22, finishing 1st JW10. Lerryn O’Neil was 1st JW10 at The Cinder Track parkrun near Whitby.

Alexander Wolfenden went the furthest and fastest finishing 1st overall in 17:02 and setting a new course record at Coolum Eco parkrun in Queensland!

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 27 Jul 2026

Tue 28 Jul 2026

From Jill Ezard….

Photo credit Woodentops

Harriers go the extra mile

The racing week started early with four Harriers taking part in the sixth event of the Evensplits Leeds 5k race series. This event sees participants racing against their previous times making use of the flat and fast cycle circuit at the Brownlee Centre. The track was true to its reputation with all four Harriers posting great results. Matt Newell took first place overall finishing in 16:28. Kyle Bethell finished in 18:51 a touch ahead of Steve Newell who took first place in his age group in 20:54. Marie Watson secured a PB and second place in her age group with a time of 22:17. There are just four events left in the series for anyone wanting to improve their 5k times.

The remaining races for the club this week were not so quick to finish. On Saturday ten Harriers headed to Greenfield, Greater Manchester to take on the Alderman’s Ascent, an innocuous sounding 8.5k run. Taking in a lung busting 400m of ascent the race is far from a walk in the park and this year again, was one of the counters for the English Fell Running Championships. It’s a classic fell route, visiting the iconic ‘Pots and Pans’ monument before heading out to the highest point at Shaw Rocks. A long, technical downhill does not signal the end as participants face the long uphill to the shoulder of Alderman’s Hill where it is finally downhill all the way. Harriers took two podium places in the race: Ben Rothery continued to show his fell running prowess winning the race in 35:21, keeping him at the top of the table in the standings for the 2026 championships; Sam Bentham took third place overall and second in his age category in 37:01, placing him equal third in the championship standings; Ed Hobbs was next over the line in 39:01 followed by Jack Cummings in 40:53. It was a great fell turn out for the female Harriers: Katie Poulter was the first to finish in 56:31 closely followed by Alison Weston in 01:01:35; Shauna Burke and Rebecca Mon-Williams were close behind in 1:03:14 and 1:05:22 respectively; Alison Bennett took fifth place in her age category finishing in 1:12:11; and Jacqui Weston completed her first fell race in 1:21:47.

In contrast Jaysson Sawyer was the only Harrier to venture north for the Northumberland Coastal Run, a challenging and unmarked 14k run on road, sand and trail. Running to beat the tides, participants run from Beadnell Harbour to the Alnmouth Estuary with a strict cut off time. Jaysson was not in any danger of missing the three and a half hour cut off completing the course in a fantastic 1:32:17 in ninth place overall and fifth in his age category. 

And the runs just got longer as three Harriers headed to the lakes to take part in the Montane Lakeland 100/50 races. Kate Archer opted for the 50 mile event, a challenging race with nearly 3000 metres of ascent covering the last half of the longer event. Far from being an easy option the route starts from the northern end of Ullswater within the grand Dalemain Estate before following the eastern shore line as far as Howtown. A quick climb and descent followed by a trek along the banks of Haweswater sees participants at Mardale Head. The route from here visits Long Sleddale, Kentmere, Ambleside, Langdale and Tilberthwaite before the final climb and descent to the finish at Coniston. Kate had a superb run completing the event in a staggering 9:58:20 taking tenth place and fourth in her age category. 

Whilst Kate had a leisurely start at 10am on Saturday morning, Kirsty Wicks and Helen Ward had already been on the 100 mile course for 16 hours, having started the event in Coniston at 6pm on Friday evening. From Coniston the first half of the route heads south before completing a clockwise loop which takes in the Dunnerdale fells, Eskdale, Wasdale and Buttermere before arriving in Keswick. From here the route heads to Matterdale before the halfway point at Haweswater. Taking in the whole of the Lakeland fells and a punishing 6300m of ascent, this is a race that many want to conquer but few succeed. And this year was no different with over 35% of participants not making it to the finish line. Huge congratulations to Kirsty and Helen therefore who both completed the race, finishing within seconds of each other in 38:02:44 and 38:03:51 respectively.  A fantastic achievement!

And finally, the Harriers were out in force at parkruns at home and abroad this week with 48 people taking part in events. There were top ten placings for Samesh Chotai (1) at Bowling Park, Michael Odell (2) and Steve Coy (9) at East Holmes Field, Sally Malir (7) at Lister Park, Rachel Carter (3) at Mitchelton in Australia, Finn Maxwell (6) at Roberts Park and Jaysson Sawyer (2) at Wallaceneuk. Samesh’s first place may have bagged him an age grading of 80.22% but it couldn’t beat Geoff Howard whose run placed him at 84.22%. Well done to everyone who took part.

Lakeland 50 & 100 – Fri/Sun 24/26 Jul 2026

Sun 26 Jul 2026

From Kate Archer…

I managed to secure an entry in the ballot to the Lakeland 50, the shorter option to the Lakeland 100 ‘Ultra Tour of the Lake District’ (which is actually 105 miles, while the 50 is ‘only’ 49). We arrived in Coniston on Friday afternoon. The atmosphere on the event field is great, with most of the over 2,000 runners camping, a lot with their families. We enjoyed a beer on the field at registration on the Friday afternoon before the 100-mile runners, which included Helen Ward and Kirsty Wicks, set off at 6pm. The 50-mile event starts at 10am the next day from Dalemain and is the second half of the longer race.

I have run both races before, but was still surprised at how tough it was, despite the weather being kind (not too hot or wet). The climbs are long and the tracks are rocky. But there are frequent well-stocked checkpoints and lots of supporters on the route which keep spirits high. I was running with a few others into the last checkpoint when someone said we might be able to make it back within 10 hours. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to cover the last 3.5 miles in the required time, especially as there is a steep climb (Jacob’s ladder) before the final descent. I made it to the road about a mile from the finish with 9 mins remaining on the clock so it was then what felt like a sprint to cross the finish line in 9:58:20, 10^th F. Looking at the results, I was shortly followed by another Harrier, Charlie Kay, who finished in 10:42.

Kirsty and Helen battled through two nights and finished the 100 within a minute of each other, in 38:02 and 38:03 respectively. The drop-out rate is about 50% so a huge achievement!

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 20 Jul 2026

Tue 21 Jul 2026

From Nigel Illingworth and Nicola Budding…

Harriers storm to titles, records and fell-running glory

Ilkley Harriers enjoyed a packed week of racing, with standout performances across the Harrogate District Summer Race League (HDSRL) finale, classic fell races, junior competitions and parkrun events, including team titles, individual wins, course records and a host of personal bests.

The HDSRL season reached its traditional, high-spirited conclusion this week with the running of the Norman Smith Handicap Race, hosted by Otley AC.The unique event—which serves as both the final race of the series and the official presentation ceremony—sees runners set off in small groups at 30-second intervals based on their performances in the previous four races. In theory, the handicap format is designed to bring the entire field together for a dramatic finish, ensuring every participant remains in contention until the final strides of the 5.3-mile course.

In the individual handicap results for the race itself, Matthew Thackwray finished in first place with a net time of 28:05. He was followed by Harry Brook-Dobson, who took fourth in 32:38, and Jaysson Sawyer, who finished fifth in 33:20. Over 50 Harriers took part in the league, with many more lending their support through volunteering. Among the highlights of the evening was the presence of Ilkley and Otley stalwart Antonio Cardinale; currently recovering from illness, he was on hand to enjoy the atmosphere and catch up with teammates. The focus later shifted to the cricket club for the series presentations, where Ilkley Harriers were rewarded for a dominant summer of team and individual success. Following a series of outstanding performances, Matthew Thackwray was officially crowned the Overall Series Champion, while teammate Matt Newell secured an excellent third place overall. The men’s team enjoyed a trophy-laden evening, taking home the titles for first Vets Team, first Supervets Team, and first Elite Team, while also securing third place in the competitive Main Team category. In the age-group standings, both Thackwray and Jonathan Turner collected prizes for their consistent performances across the series. The Harriers’ female contingent also put in a solid shift, finishing tenth in the overall team rankings and seventh in the Vets category.

 

On Sunday, the Cracoe Fell Race, a staple of the British Open Fell Running Association (BOFRA) circuit, lived up to its reputation as a “short and sharp” test of mettle this past weekend. Known for its raw, traditional character, the race provided the usual stern challenge, starting with its infamous “trailer and wall” obstacle before sending runners on a gruelling 2.6-mile dash to the landmark pinnacle and back. Ilkley Harriers were out in force, tackling the steep terrain with notable success. Gawain Moore put in a stellar performance, finishing third overall and claiming the first MV45 spot in 24:06. He was followed by George Whittlestone, who secured 11^th place overall in 26:00. In the ladies’ categories, Katie Poulter showcased her strength to finish as first LV40 in a time of 30:06. The junior runners also represented the club with great enthusiasm across the younger age categories. In the Under-12 race, Isobel Moore crossed the line in ninth position, taking second girl with a time of 8:53, while Harris Poulter finished 14^th in 9:25 and Oscar Spooner completed the course in 12:19. Georgia Poulter also put in a determined effort in the Under-9 category, finishing in 3:48.

 

The Pinnacle Ridge Extreme lived up to its billing as the UK’s most technical and “pure” Skyrunning challenge this past weekend, but for one Ilkley Harrier, the brutal Lake District course proved to be the stage for a spectacular masterclass. Based out of Patterdale Hall in Glenridding, this elite event is designed only for those as comfortable climbing as they are running. Covering 28km with a staggering 2,700m of ascent, the route is a relentless test of mental and physical fortitude, featuring five graded scrambles and iconic, exposed traverses including Striding Edge, Swirral Edge, and the namesake Pinnacle Ridge itself. With entry strictly vetted to ensure participants possess high-level alpine and lead climbing experience, the field was limited to fewer than 100 of the sport’s most capable mountain specialists.Among this exclusive group, Ilkley Harrier Ben Rothery delivered a performance that will long be remembered by those who witnessed it. Demonstrating exceptional confidence on the loose scree and technical ridges, Rothery navigated the course with clinical precision to take the victory. Not only did he claim the top spot in the MSEN category, but he did so by setting a blistering new course record of 3:37:25.

 

The Pete Bland Kentmere Horseshoe remains one of the most prestigious “classic” fixtures in the English Lake District, and this year’s running served as another poignant tribute to the race’s namesake, a legendary figure in the fell running community. Covering approximately 12.3 miles with 3,300 feet of ascent, the clockwise circuit around the head of the Kentmere Valley is a rigorous test of endurance, requiring both genuine navigational skill and a reliable head for the exposed ridges of Ill Bell, High Street, and Kentmere Pike. Representing Ilkley Harriers in a field defined by its high-quality mountain specialists, Oli Murphy delivered a standout performance. Navigating the brutal climbs and technical descents with composure, Murphy crossed the finish line in an impressive tenth place, clocking a competitive time of 1:39:52. In a race where the course records stand as daunting benchmarks for elite performance, Murphy’s top-ten finish serves as a testament to his strength and consistency across the rugged Lakeland fells.

Elsewhere, it has been a busy and successful week for the club’s junior section. Tuesday evening saw six Junior Harrier teams enjoy a sunny evening of competition at the Junior Relays at Golden Acre Park. Meanwhile, at the West Yorkshire Track & Field League held at Thornes Park in Wakefield, Heather Crolla claimed a dominant victory in the U16 Girls Discus with a throw of 22.75m, while Rosa Crolla secured second in the U14 Girls Discus with 16.87m. Finally, the club is celebrating strong final standings in the FRA Junior Fell Running Championships, with impressive performances from Joseph Bentham (sixth U18 Boys), George Whittlestone (seventh U20 Boys), Oscar Shinn (eighth U20 Boys), and Michael Moore (eighth U14 Boys).

 

It was a weekend of remarkable speed for the Ilkley Harriers at parkrun events both local and international, with a flurry of personal bests recorded across the board. At East Holmes Field, Stephen Coy led the way with an outstanding first-place finish, clocking 18:37 for a new personal best and a high age-grading of 81.2%. He was followed closely by James Horrex in third (19:11). In the women’s field, Sally Armitage and Louise Nash both celebrated new personal bests, finishing eighth and ninth respectively, while further personal bests were achieved by Gaenor Coy (26:26), Rafe Garner (22:49), and Robin Ashe (33:45). The form continued at Lister Park, where Nura Allen took third female (23:34 PB) and Mariam Allen claimed fourth female (24:18 PB). Harry Brook-Dobson finished sixth male in 19:55, with Sally Malir crossing as sixth female in 24:55. Meanwhile, at Chevin Forest, James Ryder secured tenth place in 23:13. Harriers also made their mark on the global stage. At Atherton Parkrun in Australia, Alexander Wolfenden dominated the field to finish first in 16:44, with Rachel Carter taking second female in 21:37 and Julian Carter finishing sixth male in 22:08. Across in Italy, Samesh Chotai put in a commanding performance to secure first place at the Farfalle Parkrun with a swift 17:32.

HDSRL #5 – Norman Smith Handicap Race and Presentation Evening – Wed 15 Jul 2026

Sun 19 Jul 2026

From Alison Bennett…

It was a night of eager anticipation and excitement as to who would win the HDRSL handicap race, hosted by Otley AC.  

Start times for the event are determined by performances in the preceding races and runners set off in small groups at 30 second intervals with the fastest runners setting off last. In theory all runners should cross the finish line simultaneously, but this also means that everyone is in with a chance of winning by outperforming their handicap. This year the 5.3 mile handicap race was won by Alexandra Whapples of Vocalink Running Club. Ilkley Harriers first finisher was Phil Chappell in 13^th place.

It was great to see Antonio Cardinale, a fixture of these events in the past but currently recovering from illness, being present to watch the start and finish, enjoy the atmosphere and catch up with team-mates from Otley and Ilkley.

Afterwards, runners made their way to Otley Cricket Club for refreshments and the race series presentations. Outstanding performances in the races determined that Ilkley’s Matthew Thackwray was awarded Overall Champion with Matt Newell 3^rd. The men had a fantastic series receiving the trophies for:  1^st Vets Team, 1^st Supervets Team, 1^st Elite Team and were also 3^rd in the Main Team. Ilkley’s females were 10^th team and 7^th placed Vets. Age Category prizes were won by Matthew Thackwray and Jonathan Turner.

This series is a great opportunity for team camaraderie and socialising. Over 50 Ilkley Harriers took part running this year, but several others came to support and many more volunteered at the race hosted by the club. See you all, and more, next year!

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 13 Jul 2026

Tue 14 Jul 2026

From Luke Watkeys and Nicola Budding…

Photo credit Paul Sugden

Ilkley Harriers dominate home half marathon in heatwave conditions

Our racing week began over in Derbyshire on Monday 6 July, when the Hathersage Gala Fell Race offered a quintessentially British, community-spirited evening run as part of the village’s gala week celebrations. This short and punchy Category BS race stretches 7.3 km (4.5 miles) with 325 m (1,066 feet) of climbing. Nathan Coy was the sole representative for the Harriers, delivering a strong performance to finish 23rd out of 220 finishers in the senior race with a time of 36:08.

Come Wednesday evening, the action shifted to the Lake District for the classic Seat Sandal Fell Race. The Category AS course squeezes roughly 700 m (2,297 feet) of severe vertical climbing into a brief 7.4 km (4.6 miles) route around Grasmere. Sam Bentham put on a spectacular performance for the club, conquering the brutal gradient to cross the line as the outright race winner in a superb time of 42:28.

On Friday evening, Michael Odell travelled to the University of York Sport Village Cycle Circuit for the monthly EvenSplits York 5K. The flat and fast circuit is a favourite for runners chasing personal bests. Michael, who serves as the race organiser for our town’s half marathon and 5K, managed to sneak in a high-quality run before a frantic weekend of volunteering duties. He delivered a fantastic performance on the track, finishing 15th out of 72 runners in a rapid 16:55.

Moving to the weekend, Saturday saw plenty of action in the Lake District. Emma Sheppard represented the club at the Lakeland Trails Ultra, taking on the 55k Challenge, a well-organised and testing ultra-marathon course through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the Lakes, with the added element of the sunshine and heat. The route encompasses three mountain passes, with over 2,100 m (7,000 feet) of elevation. Out of 192 finishers, Emma delivered a fantastic performance, placing 25th overall and fourth in her category, crossing the line in 9:27:10.

Elsewhere in the Lakes, it was a battle against the elements at the Wasdale Fell Race, widely regarded as one of the toughest and most uncompromising events on the UK fell running calendar. Facing heatwave conditions, organisers implemented the first-ever ‘hot weather course’, shortening the route from 34 km with 2,750 m of elevation to 27 km (16.75 miles) with 1,800 m (6,000 feet) of climb. Runners still faced a brutal, sun-baked ascent through the bracken up Seatallan and Pillar, with many relying on mountain streams to refill bottles and pour water over their heads. The final sting in the tail was a steep climb up Lingmell Nose before descending to the finish, where the majority of the field immediately sat in the river afterwards to cool down. Alison Weston put in a tremendously gritty performance to finish 63rd overall in 5:01:01, claiming first place in her category. Charles Wain also took to the start line and gave it an honourable, hard-fought go, but was unfortunately forced to register a DNF as the oppressive conditions took their toll.

Sunday was headlined by the seventh edition of the ever-popular Ilkley Half Marathon, alongside the second running of the Ilkley 5K. For the second year in a row, the home event was held in gruelling heatwave conditions. The scenic half marathon route took runners through Ilkley, out to Addingham, and back via the country lanes before the final climb at Nesfield, often a shock for the uninitiated. Thankfully, the residents of Ilkley, Addingham, and surrounding villages came out in force, providing vital relief with water guns, hoses, and sweets to support the field of over 1,800 half-marathon finishers.

The day belonged to the Harriers, who dominated the top spots at the front of the field. Edward Hobbs claimed a spectacular victory, winning the half marathon in a blistering time of 1:08:44 to take first place. Jack Cummings followed closely, securing third place in 1:10:48, and Nathan Edmondson ensured a strong team showing by crossing the line in fifth place in 1:13:19. Oscar Stapleton completed the top-tier sweep, finishing 12th in 1:19:08. Nick Kealey delivered a fantastic performance to finish 22nd overall and win his category in 1:22:36. Kate Archer led the Ilkley ladies home with an outstanding run, finishing 104th overall and second in her category with a time of 1:30:49. Geoffrey Howard rounded out the podium success by claiming an inspirational victory in his category, crossing the line in 2:05:36.

Over in the Ilkley 5K, which attracted 283 runners, the club celebrated further category success. Daniel McKeown led the charge for the club, finishing seventh overall and claiming first place in his category in a rapid 18:04. Sebastian Livesley finished 13th overall, taking the top spot in the U13 category in 19:29. Milena Morgan shone in the ladies’ field, finishing 18th overall and second in the U15 category with a brilliant time of 20:10. Claire Mcloughlin and Georgina Hamill locked out the top positions in their category, finishing first and second in 22:19 and 22:21 respectively. Heidi Frank also tasted victory, winning the U17 category in 24:57, and Robin Ashe rounded out the category winners by taking first place in his category in 36:22.

 

Turning to parkrun, the home fixture at East Holmes Field attracted 186 participants, including ten Harriers. Kyle Bethell finished third in 20:26. Sam Angus followed closely in eighth place with a time of 21:39. Maddie Morris led the Ilkley ladies home, finishing 31st overall and sixth female in 25:31.

 

Further afield, Harriers were in action up and down the country and even overseas. Andrew Wilson took on the most exotic venue of the weekend, finishing the Mura di Lucca parkrun in Italy in 28:33. On home soil, Samesh Chotai enjoyed another outright victory on his parkrun tour, crossing the line first at Cliffe Castle in a rapid 17:38. There was a family affair over at Blaise Castle in Bristol where Stephen Coy led a trio of Harriers home in a highly placed seventh overall (20:30), supported by Nathan Coy in 29th (22:37) and Gaenor Coy in 126th (27:03). Two more top-ten finishes rounded out a superb weekend of running; Harry Brook-Dobson secured tenth place in a competitive field of 493 runners at Roberts Park in 19:34, and Jonathan Turner claimed an excellent eighth place at Lister Park in 20:53.

 

Wasdale Fell Race – Sat 11 Jul 2026

Mon 13 Jul 2026

From Alison Weston…

Saturday saw the first ‘hot weather course ‘ for Wasdale fell race, or maybe any fell race – there is usually only the bad weather alternative!

Shortened to 16.75 miles with 6,000 ft climbing instead of 21 miles with 9,000 ft and with more generous cut offs. Sadly the last bit was chopped off (Great Gable and Scafell) rather the fast runnable – ish start, up to Whin Rigg and then down to Greendale. Then a very hot and humid climb up through the bracken to a very needed stream and on to Seatallan. Contouring up towards the col between Red Pike and Little Scoat Fell we passed a few more little streams to refill bottles again and pour water onto our heads. Up to pillar I was counting on there being a bit of a breeze but no such luck. 

Then for this shortened course we descended from Black Sail pass to Wasdale Head with a sting in the tail climb up to Lingmell nose for the final checkpoint. I’m surprised prize giving didn’t take place in the river as that’s where the majority of runners sat afterwards!

Winner was Tom Spencer 2:56 hrs from Dark Peak with a 20 min lead.

Alison was 63rd out of 109 starters in 5:01hrs

1st LV60 (out of 2!)

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 6 Jul 2026

Tue 7 Jul 2026

From Caroline Howe and Nicola Budding…

Photo credit Philip Bland

Hobbs and Cummings make it a Harriers one-two at popular Leeds race

It was a spectacular Ilkley one-two at the Eccup 10-mile road race at the weekend. The race takes place on closed roads following a scenic route through the country lanes around Eccup reservoir, making this Leeds’ most popular 10-mile road race. Ed Hobbs powered home over the undulating course to take an impressive victory in 51:25, three minutes ahead of team-mate Jack Cummings in 54:20. Robin Tuddenham was third Harrier in 1:05:31, while an excellent run by Lucy Kay saw her finish first in the F40 age category in 1:09:39 and sixth female overall. Tony Pye was close behind in 1:09:54, while Sally Malir was second F60 in 1:24:26.

In the junior Eccup races, Isobel Moore finished second female and sixth overall in the 1-mile race in 6:11. Michael Moore finished second in the 2-mile road race in 11:49. Great results by both.

Staying on the roads, the fourth instalment of the Harrogate District Road League was hosted by Ilkley Harriers on Tuesday evening. The runners were met with heavy rain as they made their way around the hilly 5-mile route. Despite many Ilkley Harriers taking on volunteering duties, there was also a large contingent of over 30 competing, with Harry Brook-Dobson first Harrier home in eighth place, followed by Nick Kealey in tenth, and first in the M50 category. Jaysson Sawyer, Alistair Brown, Jonathan Turner and Mike Williams were all second in their respective age categories. Kathryn Hamilton was the first female Harrier home and was third in the F40 age category, and Marie Watson was the next female Harrier and fourth in the same age category. Diane Kitchen meanwhile placed third in the F65 category.

Rachel Carter took on her first ultra distance event with the Pennine 39 – actually a 37-mile route which takes in wild trails, far horizons and majestic scenery in what is arguably the most stunning section of the Pennine Way. The challenging route relies on self-navigation and takes in the magnificent geological feature of High Cup Nick and Cross Fell, the highest point of England outside of the Lake District. Scrambling up wet rocks, gusty 30mph winds, and spending seven miles alone on Cross Fell ridge made this quite the experience for Rachel, who finished the challenge in 10^th place and first lady, within her 11-hour target.

Over in the Lakes, three pairs of Harriers took part in the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon. The event comprises six linear courses of varying lengths and technical difficulty, and one ‘score’ course where competitors choose which controls to visit over a two-day total of 12 hours. The first day finishes at a mid-way campsite. The event started this year from St John’s in the Vale, with the overnight camp near Dockray.

The weather was wet throughout, with low cloud and high winds, but the terrain was decent with lots of route choice, especially in the score class. Dave and Kelly Wilby finished 36th (10th mixed team) on Carrick Fell in 11 hours 2 minutes. Harry Brook-Dobson and Edwyn Oliver-Evans were sixth in Fairfield with a score of 590 points in 11 hour 43 minutes. Alison and Nea Weston were 13th in Fairfield class with 535 points and 13th (second female team) in 11 hours 44 minutes.

Staying in the Lakes, Sam Bentham won the Langdale Gala fell race, with a course record, in 16:21 over the 1.4 mile course which boasts 980ft of ascent.

Plenty of Harriers took on parkruns this weekend, with Samesh Chotai coming first at Bramley in 17:05. Harriers were represented far and wide, with other impressive finishing positions including Alex Foyn, third at Malmo Ribersborg; Sarah Marsden, fourth at Blackpool; and Alison Bennett, fifth at Loch Leven. Alison and Geoff Howard (Skipton) both achieved 80%+ age gradings.

Pennine 39 – Sat 4 Jul 2026

Mon 6 Jul 2026

From Rachel Carter…

I’ve never walked or run more than 26 miles, but this race caught my eye because seeing High Cup Nick, a U-shaped glacial valley in the North Pennines, has been on my to-see list for a few years. With the race blurb describing it as the most stunning section of the Pennine Way, taking in the infamous Cross Fell and Greg’s Hut, I thought I’d enter for a nice run-walk day out.

I was quite a late entry, so expected the distance to be a challenge. I hadn’t done a long run since training for the Three Peaks and Leeds Marathon and, beyond taking a few gels for those races, I had no experience of fuelling for longer distances. With an expected completion time of less than 11 hours, I was allocated the later 9am start from Bowlees and my game plan was simply to eat every 30-40 minutes and just keep going.

Needless to say, I succeeded. However the most memorable challenges of the day were not achieving the distance or fuelling my body, but scrambling up wet rocks beside Cauldron Snout (just don’t look down, I kept telling myself) and spending seven or so miles alone high on the Cross Fell ridge in the rain and gusty 30mph winds. Definitely type 2 fun in my book.

I was very grateful for the GPS line on my watch, as getting my map and compass out would have been a challenge. It guided me over a number of smaller peaks, marked by tall stone-built cairns that appeared out of the mist with little warning. After tagging the cairn at Cross Fell, the infamous Greg’s Hut appeared, then quickly disappeared again into the cloud before a very long, undulating descent to Garrigill in the valley.

The final few miles along a riverside path were very pleasant and I even took my jacket off and began to dry out. The finish is at Alston Youth Hostel, where I was warmly welcomed by the Nav 4 Adventure team with homemade soup, traybakes and shared tales of the day. I don’t think the event is really viewed as a race, and that’s certainly how I approached it, but the results sheet showed I was 10th out of 44 finishers and, just, first lady!

So would I do it again – not sure! I would certainly like to return to see High Cup Nick and Cross Fell (and the views it affords) in better weather, but maybe if I’m tempted to complete a longer distance again it might not involve the highest peak in England outside the Lake District.

Saunders Mountain Marathon – Sat/Sun 4/5 Jul 2026

Sun 5 Jul 2026

From Alison Weston…

Three pairs from the Harriers took part in the Saunders 2 day Lakeland mountain marathon starting this year from St John’s in the Vale, with the overnight camp near Dockray.

The weather was pretty wet most of the weekend with low cloud and high winds but the terrain was OK with lots of route choice, especially in the score class. Nice and sociable at the camp when the rain stopped and a very impressive number of portaloos! 

Results

Dave + Kelly Wilby 36th (10th mixed team) in Carrock Fell class (11hr2) 

Harry Brook-Dobson + Edwyn Oliver-Evans 6th in Fairfield class with a score of 590 points (11hr43)

Alison and Nea Weston 13th in Fairfield class with 535 points (2nd female team) 11hr44.

Harrogate District Summer Race League #4 Tue 30 Jun 2026

Thu 2 Jul 2026

From Alison Bennett…

Photo credit Gaenor Coy

It was a club night with a difference as 36 Ilkley Harriers were joined by 349 runners from other clubs as Ilkley hosted the 4^th race in the HDSRL. This event also required at least a further 35 club members to be helpers at the start, finish, marshalling around the course and serving food afterwards at the rugby club.  Huge thanks must go to Neil Chapman, who as race director, put in countless hours of preparation to ensure that the event could go ahead and his hard work resulted in a successful, enjoyable evening of which the club can be proud.

The starter’s gun was the signal not just for the race to begin, but also the rain and no one escaped being drenched. After a lap of West Holmes field, the 5-mile course took runners up the long, steep Owler Park Road, across the bridle way to Slates Lane, then to a speedy descent of Carters Lane before the final flat mile along Denton Road to the finish in the field at the rugby club.

The race was won by John Ashcroft of Otley. Ilkley had some strong performances. Leading the men in 8^th position was Harry Brook-Dobson followed by 10^th Nick Kealey (and 1^st in his age category), and 20^th Jaysson Sawyer. Jaysson, Alistair Brown, Jonathan Turner and Mike Williams were all 2^nd in their respective age categories. 

The first Ilkley lady to finish was Kathryn Hamilton 19^th female, followed by Marie Watson and Hannah Osieku in the top 50 females. 

The camaraderie on the evening was the standout feature of the event which wasn’t dampened by the weather. It was a joy to see so many club members drawn together either running or helping on an evening when most townsfolks would be staying at home; not knowing the fun they were missing out on.

This was the final competition race in the series before the handicap race and competition prize-giving at Otley on 15^th July. 

Results

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 29 Jun 2026

Tue 30 Jun 2026

From Caroline Howe and Nicola Budding…

Photo credit Paul Chapman

Victories for Rothery, Thackwray and Maxwell as heatwave fails to deter Harriers

It was an impressive victory for Ben Rothery at the Blencathra Fell Race, a counter in the 2026 English Fell Running Championships. A 13km route with 825 metres of descent, Ben took the win by 13 seconds in 1:00:16. There was a strong Harriers contingent taking part, and a great showing by the ladies’ team – finishing second in both the F40 and F50 team categories. Kate Archer was first female Harrier home in 1:27:32, closely followed by Jane McCarthy in 1:29:28, and then Rachel Carter in 1:35:08. Kate, Jane, Rachel and Alison Weston all finished in the top ten in their age categories.

Also on the fells, the Wharfedale Three Peaks Challenge took place on Saturday. Now in its 13^th year, the event has three route choices, ranging from 17 to 4.5 miles, all starting from Kettlewell. The annual event raises funds for Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association. Finn Maxwell was the winner of the 17-mile event in an impressive 2:43:52. Charles Wain was next Harrier home in 12^th place in 3:04:28, followed by Luke Watkeys in 3:16:35. Kate Prior was first female Harrier in 3:36:36. Nick Helliwell gave a great performance to finish second in the 13.5 mile Two Peaks route.

On Wednesday, Matthew Thackwray continued his blistering form, winning the latest instalment of the Harrogate District Summer Race League at Sutton Bank in 25:21. He was 95 seconds clear of his nearest rival, and it was his third win out of three in the series, surely confirming his status as league champion for the second year in a row.

Hosted by Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers, the race drew 18 Harriers to the start line, all hoping the higher elevation might bring slightly cooler temperatures. This race is arguably the most scenic in the series with superb views. The first two miles are along a straight undulating lane, followed by a short footpath section before turning back for 2.3 miles along the well-maintained Cleveland Way trail.

Matt Newell placed third, for the third race in a row, in 27:13. Harry Brook Dobson was third Harrier home in 29:53, and Jonathan Turner was first M55 in 32:05. There were many great performances – well done to all who took part.

The popular Solstice Saunter at Bolton Abbey took place on midsummer’s evening and drew a large number of Harriers to the scenic five-mile route. Joanne Williamson (35:25), Rebecca Brown (38:05) and junior Daisy Lowe (44:44) were the first three Harriers over the line, with Rebecca and Daisy both placing second in their age categories.

In other results, Dan McKeown has been busy on his holidays, first taking on Tom’s Bransdale Fell Race, a 12km race with plenty of climb. Dan finished seventh and first M45. A few days later, he gave a great performance to finish second in the Mulgrave Castle 10k in 37:40,

Over in the Peak District, Daniel Paterson and Sarah Haines took on the 6.5m Bakewell Pudding Fell Race.

On the parkrun front, Samesh Chotai was first at Tamworth Castle in 16:30. Steve Coy was second at Clarence in 19:05, Jon Hayes was second at Cliffe Castle in 21:16, James Horrex second at Gunnersby in 17:53, and Patrick Wardle was third at Anagach Woods in 19:18. There were also top ten gender places for Sally Malir at the Cinder Track, Gaenor Coy at Clarence, Leo Freer, Dave Foyston and Millie Houlbrook at East Holmes Field, Mariam Allen at Lister Park, Sarah Marden at Middleton Woods, Louise Nash at Myrtle, and Jonathan Archer at Roberts Park.

Two holiday races in North Yorkshire – Jun 2026

Sun 28 Jun 2026

From Dan McKeown…

Photo credit Kev Rudd of Loftus and Whitby AC

The annual family jolly to Sandsend yielded a couple of racing opportunities, so I had to pack the Harriers vest along with the factor 50 and the flip flops for my trip to the North Yorkshire coast.

First up was “Tom’s Bransdale Fell Race” last Wednesday, which was about 20 miles inland from our holiday let, and still somehow took an hour to drive to.

The 12k race took us up a fairly long brutal climb, onto a lovely runnable track, where I picked up a few places. It then took us downhill through quite a lot of rough moorland trod, where I lost places, lost my way, lost my footing, lost hope, lost my temper and goodness knows what else. 

I still picked up seventh place and a bottle of vino as the M45 prize but, in keeping with the theme of the evening, I also managed to lose my phone – another runner had to contact me through my ICE deeds and post it to the cottage, so I had a few welcome days offline.

(If you *can* find your way to Cockayne in Bransdale, I’d highly recommend the race, not least for the camaraderie among the runners, but largely for the post-race barbecue.)

The second race of the week was a return trip to the Mulgrave Castle 10k on Sunday, which begins and finishes about 2km (largely uphill) from Sandsend. It’s a trail 10k, and is pretty much the opposite of a fell race: it starts at the top of the hill, the first mile of the race plunges downhill and the course guides you down almost to the seafront, before a leg-sapping second half slog back up to the new Mulgrave Castle.

The winner of Wednesday night’s fell race led the field out and soon opened up a convincing gap. Having given chase with rather less enthusiasm than the other would-be challengers, I had enough in the tank to claw my way into second place just after halfway and protect my slender advantage all the way back up the hill to add the £35 runner-up prize to my haul for the week.

Happily, we’ve got five more days of holiday, so I can finally get on with the serious business of slamming ice creams and sleeping in.

Results

Tom’s Bransdale Fell Race, Cockayne

7 Dan McKeown 1:03:30

(Winning time 56:28, 79 ran)

Mulgrave Castle 10k, Lythe

2 Dan McKeown 37:40

(Winning time 35:27, 94 ran)

Harrogate District Summer Race League #3 – Wed 24 Jun 2026

Wed 24 Jun 2026

From Alison Bennett…

The heat was on for Midsummer’s Day and the third race in the Harrogate District Summer Race League, hosted by Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers. The location for the event was at Sutton Bank and the higher elevation with the hope of potentially cooler temperatures was what possibly drew 18 Ilkley Harriers to the start line. 

This race is arguably the most scenic in the series with superb views throughout. The first 2 miles were along a straight undulating lane, where Matthew Thackwray soon opened a significant lead and could be seen disappearing into the distance. There followed a short footpath section before turning back for 2.3 miles along the well-maintained Cleveland Way trail.

It was a repeat of podium positions with Matthew Thackwray winning the race and Matt Newell in 3^rd place. Harry Brook-Dobson, Alistair Brown and Iain Young were all in the top 30. Jonathan Turner was first in his age category. The ladies were represented by Alison Bennett, Diane Kitchen and Laura Dawes.

After the race, there was a sumptuous alfresco supper comprising stacks of sandwiches and masses of cake. 

Results

Buckden Pike Fell Race – Sat 20 Jun 2026

Tue 23 Jun 2026

From John Marsham…

Near perfect weather for our annual trip to Buckden gala and fell race. This is a great family day out. A small village gala with a selection of ‘pick lollipop stick/cowpat to uncover a prize’ type games, a coconut shy, a few kids races in the field, a dog show, ice creams, a local band, hot dogs, beer, tea, cake etc. Plus one of my favourite short fell races. 

From the road you head straight up a dauntingly steep ascent that gradually relents to allow some more running to the summit. A fast section on flag stones then takes you to a scenic descent and traverse, before you plunge back down the hill to the gala. It could have done with a being a bit cooler for running, but the breeze helped, and it was perfect for pre and post race swims. Then it is the egg throwing contest. Forget the fell race, this is the real gala competition. 

I was 25 seconds faster than last year, but with only 32 runners in the race this year it was a bit quiet, and it would be good to have some other Harriers to compete against. It might even make me go a bit faster.

1 41:48, Sam Horrocks, Barlick Fell Runners

4 45:07, Izzy Rowe, Wharfedale Harriers

15 55:13 John Marsham

32 ran

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 22 Jun 2026

Tue 23 Jun 2026

From Jill Ezard and Nicola Budding…

Photo credit Geoff Thompson

Performances heat up for the Harriers this week

Racing started early in the week for the Harriers with 31 members taking part in the second race in the Harrogate District Summer Race League on Wednesday evening. This series of five races sees eligible clubs competing over five to six miles over varying terrain for both individual and team wins and cumulative individual points across the races. Matthew Thackwray continued his run of form taking the win at the course in Harrogate in 31.16. He was joined on the podium by Matt Newell who took third place and second in his age group in 33:33. With two races down Matthew and Matt are sitting in first and second place in the cumulative individual results for the men’s race. There were plenty of age group successes for the team: Jonathan Turner took first place in his category in 38:35 narrowly beating John Hayes into second in 38:51; Nick Kealey was also second in his group in 35:43; and taking third places in their groups were Steve Murray (40:07), Mike Williams (44:37) and Sally Malir (49:12). This is also a team result with every participant’s result contributing to the team success and the Harriers are well placed after two races in many of the team competitions: First places for the main team, Male Vets, Supervets, and Elites; Eighth for the Female team and sixth for the Female Vets. Well done to everyone that took part in this fantastic team event.

Elsewhere on Wednesday Kyle Bethell and Georgina Hamill chose to test their 5k speed at the fourth event in the Evensplits 5k series at the Brownlee Centre in Leeds. And the age group placings continued with Georgina taking first place (and fifth female overall) in 22:37 and Kyle taking second place in 18:42.

Over in Addingham Thursday saw the first of three BOFRA (British Open Fell Running Association) races of the week with 11 Harriers taking on the Beamsley Beacon Fell race. With a deceptively gentle start the race does exactly what it says on the tin and takes competitors straight up to Beamsley Beacon and back. And again there were fantastic results. Sam Bentham took the win in 32:32 with George Whittlestone the next Harrier over the line in 39:20 taking third place in his age group. Rachel Carter was the first female home of the Harriers taking fifth place overall and first in her age category in 47:11. There were other age group wins for Alison Weston (53:10) and Bob Hamilton (53:38) and a third place in her age category for Kelly Wilby in 50:50.

And the weekend was just as busy. On Friday, Jo Johnson travelled to Tromsø for the Midnight Sun running festival, a series of races through the night to celebrate the solstice where there sun remains for 24 hours. Jo took part in the 10k and completed the event in 1:13:43. And on Saturday it was all about the pikes. John Marsham was the only Harrier to take on the second BOFRA race of the weekend, the Buckden Pike Fell race, a tough and technical 6k route with a substantial 486 metres of elevation. John completed the race in 55:13 taking first place in his age group. The Juniors were out in force at the Clougha Pike Fell race with some fantastic results. The race, hosting round five of the FRA Junior Fell Racing Championships, started with a tough uphill followed by a rapid descent making for some exciting racing and our Juniors rose to the challenge with podium finishes: U12 Girls second for Isobel Moore (14:31); U14 Boys sixth for Michael Moore (15:56) and 21^st for Olly Brooks (17:42); U18 first for Joseph Bentham (27:00). Two seniors took on the challenge with George Whittlestone taking fifth place in the U20 race (1:00:37) and Robert Green completing the seniors race in 50:40.

And Sunday was no less impressive with successes on road and fell. In the final BOFRA race of the weekend Gawain Moore took second place in 13:25 in the Hawkswick Dash, an innocuous sounding 2.25 km race with a challenging elevation of 170 meters reflecting the steep ascent and descent. George Whittlestone finished in 15:23 taking third place in his age group and Katie Poulter was third lady and first in her age group in 17:43. The Juniors were also out in force: U9 Girls 11th Georgia Poulter (09:58); U12 Girls first Isobel Moore (10:08); U12 Boys eighth Thomas Bailey (10:30), 12th Harris Poulter (11:18), 24th Oscar Spooner (14:01); and U14 Boys fourth Michael Moore (12:25). Continuing on the fells Adam Gerrish was the only Harrier in the Settle Hills 7m fell race completing the event in 1:20:10.

On the road, Jaysson Sawyer was in Burton Leonard taking on the East Yorkshire Half Marathon completing the race in an impressive 1:25:36 taking first place in his age category. And finally 14 Harriers took part in the ever popular Solstice Saunter five mile race through the beautiful grounds of Bolton Abbey. Joanne Williamson was the first Harrier home and fifth woman in 35:25.. Rebecca Brown and Daisy Lowe took second places in their age categories in 38:05 and 44:44 respectively. Will Worboys was the first male Harrier home in 45:10. All members completed the event in under one hour so great performance all round.

And finally, the Harriers 40 year anniversary celebrations continued with a takeover of the East Holmes Field parkrun. A fitting 40 Harriers took on the event which had a carnival feel with music and a cake stall raising money for the Moortime charity.  Nick Kealy was the second finisher in the event. Thanks To Will Worboys for making the takeover happen. Across all events there were PBs for Dan Paterson, Luke Watkeys, Paul O’Looney, Junior Harris Poulter, Mark Gill, Ritchie Williamson, Georgia Poulter, and Michael Odell. Well done to everyone who took part.

Harrogate District Summer Race League #2 – Wed 17 Jun 2026

Thu 18 Jun 2026

From Alison Bennett…

Despite media attention being focused on another sport, in another country, a large contingent of Ilkley Harriers converged at Harrogate Hockey Club HQ for the second race in the league. Hosted by Nidd Valley Road Runners, this 9.6km course posed a footwear conundrum as it contained a variety of running surfaces from grassy fields, tarmac, ploughed fields and woodland. Shortly before the start of the race, the sun broke through the clouds ensuring a rather warm and sticky run.

Matthew Thackwray was a clear winner with a lead of over a minute on Otley’s Adam Stanley followed by Matt Newell in 3^rd place. Nick Kealey finished 10^th. Jonathan Turner was 1^st in his age-group category. Sally, Gaenor and Alison were the first 3 Ilkley ladies to finish. However, this series is also about taking part at all levels and club camaraderie. It was great to see so many red and green vests flowing through the finish then heading off to mingle and enjoy a well-deserved, ample supper with team mates and other club runners.

Results

Spine Challenger South – Sat/Sun 13/14 Jun 2026

Tue 16 Jun 2026

From Andrew Merrick…

My plan for this year was to take on three final ultras before hanging up the Hokas and treating myself to a new hip.

The plan didn’t start well due to the organisers of the Moors Traverse going bust a few weeks before the race was due to take place, so that meant just two left.

I had never done a Spine event so thought I ought to give it a go, particularly one that starts and finishes in Yorkshire…. 

So I booked a spot in the Youth Hostel a few months ago and set off on the train on Friday lunchtime feeling decidedly nervous. I realised it had been 3 years since I had done a 100 miler and I knew I wasn’t in as good a shape, so I thought I would base a plan on 36 hours for the almost 108 miles of the route from Edale to Hardraw (a village just North of Hawes), if nothing else, the mathematical simplicity appealed. Well…. it had done, until a good friend and epic ultra runner suggested I was being somewhat aggressive with my timings based on previous years, which, needless to say, I hadn’t looked at. It did cause me to reflect …. and also consider moving my 8:30am Monday speed awareness course. However, the “route card” was already laminated with a number of pretend check points to give me a sense of progress… Most 100 milers have a CP every 10 miles or so, the Challenger South has, in their language, 1.5.

I bumped into a few other likely candidates, and we created a self-appointed Idiot’s corner on Sheffield station waiting for the train to Edale. Registration was painless enough with hardly any queue, and I had remembered a bag for life to capture the items that I had decanted from my various bags. Fortunately, they didn’t want to see everything so I had plenty of time for the walk to the youth hostel which was far enough away for me to want to find a way to get a lift back to the start the following morning. Having checked in, I then had plenty of faffing time to pack my bag, and my drop bag, properly. It was bit of a tight squeeze to get all the compulsory kit into my 12l vest, but I used my belt for all my food and drink powder so all good. An early dinner and morning lift secured, I headed back to the dorm to lie down (sleep would be too inaccurate a description).

We were greeted with a blustery squally morning, as we headed to the start courtesy of the father and two brothers of Howard who was doing a “re-sit” this year having dnf’d trying to accompany one of his brothers the previous year… I was happy not to get to the start until about 7:30 and made the right choice to put the waterproof jacket on from the start, where it stayed for almost 24 hours.

Other than real or imaginary check points I keep an eye on progress by setting my watch to a 5 mile lap, and try to ensure I eat enough by getting 45 minute reminders, the latter becoming quite annoying towards the end of the race…. Given the blustery conditions, I didn’t always feel my watch buzz the 5 mile updates, so was relieved when I scrolled a few watch screens after 90 mins (the second food reminder) to see that I had done about 6 miles already. My plan was to try to keep below 100 mins for each 5 mile stretch and try to build up a bit of a buffer which I could then spend at the CP if I was to try to hit the 36 hour target.  

Bleaklow moor, which comes in the first 15 miles is borderline unpleasant at the best of times but add a head wind and squally showers into the mix it was definitely not fun…. The only good news was that the weather wasn’t inducing much thirst, just as well since, having been encouraged to carry 3 litres of liquid, I had gone for half that, safe in the expectation that there was always water provision after 16 miles at Torside reservoir. This turned out not to be the case. I still had my “emergency half litre” intact after our next moor, after a pretty steep long climb up from Torside, and was about to visit the burger van at the top of Wessenden Head, when we bumped into some family members of a competitor who were very kindly providing water to anyone who was in need. So fully refuelled I set off for our next landmark, the legendary Nicky’s cafe (think ship container with the back third kitchen and the rest seating), who are brilliant Spine supporters and even had flat coke available as well as water. I had resisted the urge to pre-order a burger but by this point (33 miles in) my left hip was starting to get grumpy, so I decided a cup of tea and mars bar might help a mental re-set. I concluded that as well as pain relief, minimising running was the way forward, so I set off in happier spirits for the 13 mile stretch to the check point deploying the ultra march ^tm I had some very pleasant company for most of this section, including Rin (short for Catherine, who knew?) whose watch had given up navigating so needed to keep at least one fellow competitor in sight… We chatted away, passing Stoodley Pike, a highlight for Rin, dropping down into the valley and then a big climb out until we eventually reached the CP a couple of miles above Hebden Bridge. To access the CP it isn’t enough that it is at least a mile off the actual Pennine Way but it is also at the bottom of a set of very slippery stone steps (Rin made the schoolgirl error of going first and nervously looked behind on more than 2 occasions as I slipped my way down). I had a plan to ensure I didn’t get too comfortable but I was there for the best part of an hour without doing much more than drinking some tea, eating soup, attempting some vege chilli and cleaning my teeth (always a route to ultra happiness), as well as restocking my bag until the next check point for the remaining 64 miles.

I parted company with Rin at this stage ( I concluded I was in danger of being dragged along), and left a little before her, head torch now ready for the night stage. My simple plan was to just keep going through the night stage and see where I was and how I was in daylight. My next landmark was Top Withens by which time I had had to deploy the head torch and ask one of the various support crews that were out and about to turn my rear red light on. We were still waiting for the promised dropping of the wind so it was pretty chilly at times and hard work when we were into the wind. After Top Withens, I knew we would get to Cowling next although I had completely forgotten some of the terrain between the two, but certainly not the moorland immediately south of Cowling, which was the scene of my third sense of humour failure (Bleaklow and CP steps) – navigating boggy moorland in the light is challenging enough, but this was properly unpleasant, I was not alone in falling over more than once as three of us traversed across broadly in sight of one another. 

When we eventually got to Cowling, I took a few minutes for another slight re-set including putting my headphones on to listen to the Scotland Haiti World Cup game – happily a 2am kick-off which gave me a couple of hours of “entertainment” as I headed to Lothersdale and beyond, seeing no-one apart from the occasional support team, but buoyed slightly by being on home turf. I was hoping that the impending dawn would raise my spirits, but by the time I eventually got through to Gargrave at about 6:30 am (having briefly stopped en route at an honesty shack and paid the requested 50p by card for a cuppa – trying some hula hoops was a mistake) I was not in a good place at all. Lis surprised me just as I came into Gargrave, at which point I explained I might not be leaving. She watched feeling powerless to help (I subsequently reminded my elder daughter that her mother had seen me in a worse state on the Hardmoors 110) and concerned as I sat down in the bus shelter trying to decide what to do…. I called in to the Safety Team and told them I planned to stay there for about an hour, and Lis had in the meantime confirmed that the Co-op opened at 7 (a well frequented Spine shop). As I sat in the bus shelter, a very supportive local had a chat which definitely helped, told me about the nearby water point and noted my race number so she could monitor progress. At 7am I presented myself at the Co-op with a plan to acquire the largest possible coffee and a kitkat – I was really struggling to eat any of the food I had with me, which I am sure wasn’t helping. I was then attracted to a sausage, cheese and bean bake (mainly by the beans) and sat outside the Co-op in the sunshine eating it whilst also sorting my kit for the next stage, since I had decided there was to be one! The waterproof was removed, head torch, headphones etc stowed, I was still about an hour inside my 36 hour schedule and concluded that I had nothing better to do with my Sunday than make “project 36” a reality. As I left Gargrave about 7:30 I was approached by a support crew member to check I was ok – I assured him I was, and within 30 mins my body and mind both believed this as long as no running was involved.

I was deploying full ultra march ^tm when I bumped into Val Kerr who had very kindly come out to wish me well, and kept me company for a while; Alison Eagle appeared too, which was lovely so I was in a good place as I mentally prepared for the steep sections of the climb up to Malham Tarn and CP 1.5. Over tea, banana and a jaffa cake there, I had a lovely chat with the organiser of the Howarth Hobble, who also then threw into the conversation that I was 16th. This surprised me more than somewhat, but it gave me further encouragement before the two big remaining climbs (Fountains Fell, and Pen y Ghent), on the 11 mile stretch to Horton. I was still trying hard to stick to my 100 minute “budget” and by working the flatter and downhill sections managed to stay within it on both these sections. This was despite a very slow ascent of Pen y Ghent which required concentration when fresh on my previous recces, and was definitely cautious going with 90 miles in the legs…. I was beginning to find the steeper uphills hard going by this time but the ultra march ^tm was still working reasonably well and project 36 remained on track. I was met by Spine crew in Horton which enabled a loo stop whilst they kindly refilled my bottles. I thought it was a good time to take the banana on board that I had carried from the honesty shack pre Gargrave. Petra had reminded me in the previous week just what a slog the finishing section was. In my dopey state I had convinced myself that the distance was 108 miles and the last section was 13.5 miles; 15.5 miles and 110 are the real numbers albeit 111 according to my Garmin.  

I was still in a pretty good place as I set off, although I had forgotten how much climb there was on the first half of this section, and however well prepared I was, the Cam High road with its endless climbs directly into a headwind did test my resolve…. However, project 36 was still a source of motivation, and I celebrated every “under budget” 5 mile section. As I turned off the slightly incongruous stretch of tarmac and eventually was heading down towards Hawes, I caught sight of a fellow runner (if that is the right word), the first one I had seen since before Malham when I had re-overtaken Rin and her buddy for the day. As I approached, he almost stopped and asked me how far we were from the finish, I shared the very unwelcome news that it was about 6 miles – his facial expression and grunt gave me a strong sense that he wasn’t going to find that fun. 

I kept going pretty well until I reached a grassy section – the summer route being slightly different to the winter, as I had discovered before Gargrave in certain places that means more (wet) grass and less (easily marchable) road. Neither my body nor my mind enjoyed the wet slippery largely grassy slopes but I kept moving, swearing gently, until I was onto the gravel that signaled that I was getting close to Hawes, albeit still 3 miles away from the finish. I had enough energy left to just about follow my watch to ensure I went the right route through Hawes and on to Hardraw helped by a couple of shouts of encouragement. One final left turn off a busy road meant I was ¾ mile away with a flat section to the finish, where I was welcomed by the Spine crew, Lis and some fellow competitors. The crew were great and had no one else to look after once I arrived to the extent that they held my beer for me, always a feature in my end of race bag, and even offered to take my shoes off….

The race T shirt features Stoodley Pike on the back so Rin will have a lasting memory of a challenging couple of days. Project 36 was duly achieved in just over 34 ½ hours 🙂

Swaledale Marathon – Sat 13 Jun 2026

Mon 15 Jun 2026

From Jane McCarthy…

Swaledale Marathon feels like a special race – where everyone involved cares about the runner experience more than the results. A race where people return year after year. The start line announcements included welcoming 3 runners over 80, and one who had run it every year (it was the 45th edition). The woman stood next to me said she had only run it 20 times! It is a sell out within hours of opening – I had set my alarm for 7am on January 10th to ensure a place (around 550 available), having missed out the past few years. The route is tough (23.5 miles, over 4,000ft climbing) and beautiful, with views over the glorious Swaledale valley, passing through wild meadows, visiting well-preserved, historic lead mines and Surrender Bridge (of Wuthering Heights fame). Support at villages and bridge crossings was cheerful and enthusiastic, as were the marshals along the route. It is a fell run and challenge walk event, with a ten-hour cut off. 

For those who have completed Rombald’s Stride, you will understand the post race vibe at Swaledale. Homemade food (chilli, or pie and peas), fruit salad and custard pudding, plenty of hot tea served by an army of volunteers, lots of chatter and shared stories (mainly of cramp this year!). The Village Hall finish has lovely grassy banking outside, perfect for the growing number of finishers and their supporters to sit in the sunshine and applaud those still coming in. Prize giving also interrupted to ensure everyone was heartily welcomed back.

I have done this race once before, in 2014, almost 20 minutes quicker than this time, but there was a strong headwind to contend with for the first ten miles, which I would like to think accounted for at least 5 minutes this year. The rest probably down to age! However, I managed to cross the line as first female, having overtaken the leading lady with five km remaining, she had started to suffer cramp on the final run in back to Reeth. All finishers get a lovely Swaledale marathon stoneware mug.

Results

Windermere Marathon – Sun 14 Jun 2026

Mon 15 Jun 2026

From Sally Armitage…

Yesterday I was the sole representative for Ilkley Harriers at Windermere marathon. It was my first run of Windermere and my 5th marathon, can’t quite believe I’ve actually ran 5 of these humbling events now! I was really looking forward to this race, I’d decided on entering that I would go with no expectations and the sole goal would just be to enjoy it, and I 100% succeeded! Loved every second of it, well maybe not the 50 second hamstring cramp, but every other second, from the 4am drive there (I like to arrive early!) to the cruise home after lunch. 

I aimed to run with the 3:30 pacer, having never ran with a pacer before this was a new experience. Due to the massive pack running with him I decided, after maybe only 500 metres, to run just in front to avoid the congestion. He had cheesy 90s music playing the whole race, imagine Shania Twain, Sophie Baxter, the Spice Girls… all my faves! It was hard staying at that pace, I had to keep slowing down and waiting for them but it paid off and was just what I needed to avoid the stitches, gut issues and muscle cramps I’ve been getting towards the end of all my other marathons. Probably around the 18 mile mark I started to move away from them a little. 

It was hilly, I hadn’t done any hill training, actually I don’t think I’ve ever done any hill training! But I’m always fairly happy running hills and the only hill that really got me wondering my life choices was the one with the 16% gradient, luckily this was in the first half of the race! I would describe the rest of the course as ‘rolling’ rather than having any horrific climbs. I think my favourite aspects of this race was the support though the villages and especially at the finish, our numbers had names on and it‘s amazing the difference when people are shouting your actual name out, what a boost. Loved it! 

Now to recover and soon it’ll be time to begin preparing for Chester marathon in October! 

Results

1st male Michael Young (Metro Aberdeen Running Club) 2:38:08

1st female Becky Ripley (Glaxo Hoad Hill Harriers) 3:17:40

49th (4th lady) Sally Armitage 3:27:34

748 ran 

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 15 Jun 2026

Mon 15 Jun 2026

From Nigel Illingworth…

Photo credit: Lynn Donohue

Celebrating 40 Years: A Week of Records and Relays for Ilkley Harriers

This week marks a special milestone for Ilkley Harriers, as the club celebrates its 40^th anniversary. To commemorate four decades of running excellence and community, members gathered for the Anniversary Ilkley Skyline Relays on Sunday. The event featured five legs for participants, and it began with a vibrant start as runners set off on the first leg, showcasing some fantastic 80s-themed running gear to match the anniversary celebrations. 

The social relay followed the classic circular route of the Ilkley Skyline, starting and finishing at The Hermit pub and covering over 23 miles and 3,000ft of climbing. Almost 50 runners took part, most enjoying one or two legs of the relay. Alex Lewis earned special recognition for completing the entire Skyline course, a feat supported by fresh runners joining for the final leg. 

The celebrations then continued at Vitello Lounge in Ilkley, which provided a fantastic setting for reuniting with old friends and meeting founder members. Attendees celebrated club history with photos, memorabilia, and commemorative merchandise, while Phil Atkinson gave a touching speech, reminiscing that the club was founded on values of inclusivity, community, and a shared love of running. Ilkley Harriers, now with over 450 members, is proud to continue those values and welcomes new members at all levels. 

Earlier in the week, the Otley 10 on Wednesday saw some fantastic performances. Ed Hobbs led the charge for the Harriers, finishing first overall in a time of 51:40 – a new course record on the revised route. Nathan Edmondson also put in a stellar run, taking third place overall and winning the MV35 category in 54:41. Other notable results at Otley included category firsts from Nick Kealey (MV50, 1:03:36), Lucy Kay (FV40, 1:16:36) and Alison Weston (FV60, 1:29:20), plus Steven Bysouth (second MV40, 1:03:41) and Jean Sullivan (third FV55, 1:27:48). Mike Williams also claimed a first in the MV65 category in 1:18:39, completing a spectacular hat-trick of MV65 wins, following his first-place finishes at the Pete Shields Ilkley 10K and the Harrogate District Summer Race League race in Skipton last week.

On Sunday, Jack Cummings secured a commanding win at the Leeds 10K, crossing the finish line first in 31:00.

Saturday saw Jane McCarthy tackle the iconic Swaledale Marathon. Jane completed the challenging 23.5-mile route, featuring over 4,000ft of climbing, in 3:53. Despite a strong headwind over the first 10 miles, Jane’s tenacity saw her overtake the leading lady with just 5k remaining to cross the line as the first female finisher. 

Also on Sunday, Sally Armitage was the sole Ilkley representative at the Windermere Marathon, completing the hilly, rolling course in 3:27:34. An impressive performance saw her finish as the fourth female overall and second in the F45 category. Sally described the event as a fantastic experience, noting the brilliant support.

Saturday also saw parkrun action, kicking off at East Park where Samesh Chotai took an impressive first place in 16:17, earning an 81.0% age grading. Over at Lister Park, Nura and Mariam Allen performed brilliantly to take third and ninth female spots with respective times of 24:43 and 25:20, securing a first and second-place finish in the JW11-14 category. The momentum continued at Roberts Park as Nick Kealey secured fourth place with a swift personal best of 17:54 and a superb 83.1% age grading, while Finn Maxwell followed closely in sixth, also clocking a personal best of 18:27. Meanwhile, at Witton, Stephen Coy finished as fourth male in 20:12, accompanied by Gaenor Coy who crossed the line as eighth female in 29:09.

There were more fine performances at Cliffe Castle, where James Horrex took fifth place in 20:13, and at Dalby Forest, where Michael Odell earned a sixth-place finish with a time of 19:07. Further afield at Edgbaston Reservoir, Jaysson Sawyer crossed the line as seventh male in 18:11, achieving an 80.5% age grading. Chevin Forest saw a double success as David Singleton finished tenth male in 24:11, while Archie Hallworth secured 12^th male—and first in the JM10 category—with a personal best of 24:22.

Rounding out the senior runs, Daisy Lowe celebrated a parkrun personal best at Harrogate with a time of 25:54. Finally, at the Riverside Gardens junior parkrun, Anya Pollard took seventh place in 9:33, with Joshua Steward finishing 12th in 10:15.

The anniversary festivities continue this coming Saturday when Ilkley Harriers will be taking over the East Holmes Field parkrun. Again, we are embracing an 80s theme, so fancy dress is strongly encouraged! With suitable music to help you chase a PB, or simply enjoy the route, it promises to be a fantastic morning. We will also be hosting a cake sale to raise vital funds for our chosen charity, Moor Time, which supports children and young people with additional needs. Whether you like running, jogging, walking, or just cake, we look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible!

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 8 Jun 2026

Tue 9 Jun 2026

From Luke Watkeys and Nicola Budding…

Photo credit: Nick Kealey

Harriers sweep podiums and honour Pete Shields in bumper week

With summer finally here (despite what the grey skies and downpours might suggest), the racing season is in full swing. This past week has been nothing short of spectacular for the Harriers, marked by podium sweeps, gritty fell victories, and a poignant, record-breaking turnout at our own Pete Shields Ilkley 10K. 

The racing week kicked off on Wednesday evening with Rush around the Rhubarb, a 6 km (3.7 mile) multi-terrain race on tracks and trails around the rhubarb fields in Pudsey. This race served as a last-minute entry to the Harriers race league, stepping in to replace the cancelled Ilkley Trail Race. Three Harriers joined a field of 97 finishers to take on the off-road tracks and trails, delivering highly competitive performances; Nick Kealey continued his strong form in the league with a superb sixth-place finish overall, crossing the line in 22:44 and claiming first in his age category. Iain Young finished 15^th in 25:06, and Daniel Paterson finished 29^th in 27:15.

Also on Wednesday, the short but steep Otley Chevin Fell Race took place, a 4.8 km (3-mile) course packed with 210 metres (689 ft) of climbing. Five Harriers were among the 118 finishers. It was a Bennet/Hamilton family affair; Forest Hamilton led the family charge as the first Harrier across the line in ninth (20:30), while Bob Hamilton took 74th and claimed first in his category (29:15), Not to be outdone, the Bennett duo also ran strongly, with Adam Bennett finishing 32nd (24:11) and Alison Bennett crossing the line in 81st, securing first in her category (30:19). Edwyn Oliver-Evans completed the Harriers line-up, finishing 67th in 27:38.

On Thursday, a pre-race downpour didn’t deter the 44 Ilkley Harriers who turned up for the first Harrogate District Summer Race League fixture, hosted by Skipton AC. The 8.3 km (5.2 mile) race started with a dash across the long, wet grass in Aireville Park before transitioning to an undulating loop of residential streets and country lanes, finishing with a final downhill sprint. Ilkley dominated the front of the field with Matthew Thackwray leading Nick Hooker and Matt Newell home for a spectacular clean sweep of the podium in a competitive field of 402 finishers. Nick Kealey (clearly undeterred by Wednesday’s efforts) was a highly placed tenth, with Jane McCarthy (87th), Lucy Kay (130th), and Sally Malir (218th) the first three female Harriers home. Mike Williams won his age category, and Phil Chappell made a triumphant return to road racing after a 17-year break.

Also on Thursday, over in Haworth, Jacqui Foster represented the club at the Bronte 5-mile road race, finishing 92nd out of 130 runners in 45:03. Rounding off Thursday’s busy schedule, George Whittlestone finished a fantastic fourth overall at the Kettlewell Anniversary Fell Race, an 8 km (5.1 mile) route with 554m (1,800 ft) of climb, finishing in 43:53.

On Saturday, Jack Cummings claimed a stellar outright victory at the Wharfedale Trail Half Marathon, tackling over 600 metres (2,000 ft) of climb to finish in 1:33:34. Rachel Carter also excelled, finishing 32nd overall and first in her age category in 1:59:11. Over at the Pen-y-Ghent Fell Race – the opening fixture of the Yorkshire Dales Classics Series, featuring 500 metres (1,640 ft) of climb over 12.2 km (7.6 miles) – Ellen Crombie had a fantastic race, finishing first lady (16th overall) in 59:35. Gawain Moore was 12th (second in his age category) in 57:35, Colm Mccann finished in 1:20:31 and Kelly Wilby took third in her age category in 1:22:50. Last but by no means least, over in the Lake District, Charles Wain completed the brutal and technical Ennerdale Horseshoe. He covered the gruelling 36.8 km (22.8 miles) and 2,290 metres (7,513 ft) of ascent to finish 86th in a hard-fought 6:13:56.

Sunday was headlined by the third annual Pete Shields Ilkley 10K. This flat, fast, two-lap closed-road race is a special tribute to our late friend and legendary coach, Pete Shields. Among 466 finishers, Matthew Thackwray secured his second outright victory of the week, winning in 32:03. Junior Joseph Bentham was an impressive tenth overall and first in his age category in 36:28. Kate Archer led the Harrier ladies home in 40:24 (first in her age category), followed by Kathryn Hamilton in 43:05 (second in her category). Category victories also went to Harry Sime (41:45), Mike Williams (44:28), Bob Hamilton (47:50), Geoffrey Howard (51:22), and Alison Weston (52:26). Meanwhile, at the Kettlewell BOFRA fell race, Gawain Moore finished sixth in 14:14, and George Whittlestone took eighth overall and first in his category in 14:45.

Moving to parkrun, 17 Harriers took to the start line at our home event, East Holmes, with fellow correspondent Peter Shelley the first Harrier home in 21:40. James Horrex took first place at the FeldyRoo Fitness Trail parkrun in 19:07, and Samesh Chotai came second in Perry Hall.

Pete Shields Ilkley 10k – Sun 7 Jun 2026

Mon 8 Jun 2026

Photo credit Philip Bland

Results

1 32:03 Matthew Thackwray

1 36:32 Georgia Malir, Leeds City AC

Harrogate District Summer Race League #1 – Thu 4 Jun 2026

Fri 5 Jun 2026

From Alison Bennett…

A pre-race downpour didn’t deter the 44 Ilkley Harriers who turned up to run the first of the Harrogate District Summer Race League races hosted by Skipton AC.  The race started with a dash across the long, wet grass in Aireville Park before heading uphill through residential streets. There followed an undulating loop of country lanes before a final downhill sprint through the park to the finish.

Ilkley dominated the front of the field with Matthew Thackwray leading Nick Hooker and Matt Newell for 1^st ,2^nd and 3^rd positions. Nick Kealey was a highly placed 10^th. Jane McCarthy 87, Lucy Kay 130 and Sally Malir 218 were the first 3 Ilkley Harrier females and Mike Williams was first in his age category. It wasn’t all about finishing positions. This event was a return to road racing, after a break of 17 years, for Phil Chappell! 

Another success of the evening was seeing the swathe of red and green vests on the start line; Ilkley making their presence felt amongst the other clubs.  After the race, refreshments were available to enjoy while chatting with club mates and other participants.

The next race, hosted by Nidd Valley Road Runners, is on Wednesday 17 June.

 Results

1 Matthew Thackwray, Ilkley    27:58

5 Jemima Elgood, Nidd Valley 29:54

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 01 Jun 2026

Tue 2 Jun 2026

From Peter Shelley and Nicola Budding…

More wins as Harriers tackle the heatwave in a packed week of trail races

Nine Harriers headed to Norway to compete in the Oslo Ecotrail on Saturday. Offering a choice of routes and distances from a 10k trail to an 80km ultra race, the event showcases southern Norway’s inland and coastal scenery. Technical and steep in parts, the challenge was to prove sterner than it looked with four of the group having their participation curtailed or hampered by injury, none of which thankfully proved too serious. Those that did make the finish put in some excellent performances particularly in the 31km event where Alexandra Lewis and Keith Wood placed 2^nd F55 in 3:42 and 2^nd M65 in 3: 56 respectively.  In the 21km (half marathon) event Jonathan Turner ran a rapid 1:34 to take 3^rd in the M55 category. Jayne Norman followed in 2:05 F40 16^th and Dawn Turner 2:22 6^th F60. Peter Tapper finished in 2:38 5^th M70 despite injuring his knee.

A similar format was on offer at the Maverick Peak District XTrails with a choice of distances and routes through the most scenic parts of the Derbyshire Peaks including the Monsal Trail, Pennine Way, Mam Tor and the villages of Edale and Hathersage. Lou McCallion made the most of it opting for the 100km ultra. She paced it carefully and stayed hydrated in the heat to finish in 14hrs 31min and 27^th place.

The heat was on for the fixtures which took place earlier in the week too. One of many Dales villages with a fell running tradition, Austwick hosted its ‘Austwick Amble’ Fell Race on Monday evening. 13km of trails with 330m of ascent on grass tracks through the wonderful south Dales scenery were made more gruelling than normal this year by high temperatures. Forrest Hamilton enjoyed a strong a run to 3^rd place, whilst father Bob Hamilton was pleased to finish after a heat-induced wobble on the descent.

Thursday evening saw the running of the Apperley Bridge Canter. The race covers 10.5 km on tracks, paths and road with 200m of ascent. Inclusion in the race league ensured a strong Harriers turnout. Jack Cummings made light work of the hot conditions to win convincingly in 36:06, three and half minutes ahead of 2^nd place. Forrest Hamilton in his second race of the week finished 8^th in 42:25. Nick Kealey was 13^th in 43:01 (2^nd MV50). Iain Young was 32^nd, Dave Robson 54^th, Luke Watkeys 61^st, Martin Campbell 163^rd, Alison Bennett 198^th and first FV60, Diane Kitchen 221^st and second FV65 and Will Worboys 237^th.

Alison Weston notched up another category A fell race in her busy 2026 season. Saturday’s Duddon Valley Fell Race covered 28km and 2,000m of climb including seven summits in the south-west Lakes. Alison finished 97^th and 2^nd FV60 in a time of 5:12:20.

OMM Lite took place over Saturday and Sunday in the central Lake District fells around Grasmere and Ambleside. Part of the Lake District running festival, OMM is an orienteering, fell running and endurance challenge where competitors navigate between controls to accumulate points within a fixed time. Competing in the Long Score category (seven hours Saturday/five hours Sunday) Jann Smith and Jane McCarthy finished together in 17^th place of 116, taking impressive 2^nd and 4^th places respectively in the vet standings.

John Hayes finished top of Sunday’s rankings and 2^nd overall in the Short Score (five hours Saturday/four hours Sunday). Wife Sarah and daughter Lucy finished together in 97^th place to complete an adventurous weekend for the Hayes family and Ilkley Harriers’ top orienteers.   

Saturday saw the third race in the FRA Junior Fell Running Championships, hosted for the first time by Halifax Harriers at Ogden Water Nature Reserve. With high temperatures and challenging terrain underfoot, competitors’ determination and resilience were tested on the trails through Narnia Woods for the U10s to the steep and technical climbs of Ovenden Moor for the U18s and U20s. Five junior Harriers took on the challenge with a strong set of results as follows: MU10 Joshua Steward 17^th, MU14 Michael Moore 17^th, Olly Brooks 23^rd and Thomas Bailey 31^st, MU18 Joseph Bentham 9^th, MU20 Oscar Shinn 7th and George Whittlestone 8^th.

In Saturday’s parkruns Tim Ashelford was 1^st MV60 at East Holmes Fields. Sarah Haines, Joshua Smith and Geoffrey White set personal bests.  At Roberts Park Isobel Moore finished 7th female overall and 1st JW10. Harry Sime was 1^st MV60 and Diane Kitchen 2^nd VW65. At Lister Park, sisters Nura and Mariam Allen finished 1st and 2nd in the JW11-14 category. John Bailey and Christine Ashe set personal bests in the Skipton parkrun.  Jaysson Sawyer was 3^rd VM45 at Fountains Abbey.  Further afield Max Hebbron went to Guildford parkrun and claimed 1st place in the JM10 category.  

At Cliffe Castle, Joseph Morris topped the JM11-14 category.

Three juniors were back in action on Sunday morning at the Riverside Gardens Junior Parkrun. It was a Moore Family 1-2 as Michael Moore crossed the line first closely followed by sister Isobel. Joshua Steward finished 10th overall

Maverick Peaks X-Trail 100k – Sat 30 May 2026

Sun 31 May 2026

From Louisa McCallion…

The Maverick XTrails Peak District 101km was a really stunning route that followed ridge lines, peaks, reservoirs and rivers.

Impeccable course marking every half km quickly allayed my fears of not having recced any of the course. Passing through the grounds of Chatsworth was a unique start.

The checkpoints were fantastic, lovely volunteers and they put on a much needed extra road-side water stop to help us with the heat. Just before I reached it I was so thirsty I was eyeing up every walkers’ water bottle that I passed, trying to work out whether it would be weirder to ask someone to pour some of their water in my mouth or ask for a sip. 

Our inclement start to the year made the heat my biggest challenge. My caspar-like complexion usually keeps me under cover so running the shadeless ridgelines at midday was dizzying at times. 

Thankfully my slow miles in the afternoon paid off and I picked up the pace in the final 5 (thanks to Helen’s super Saturday efforts) and finished in 14hrs31. 

Results

Austwick Amble – Mon 25 May 2026

Thu 28 May 2026

From Forrest and Robert Hamilton…

I’d eyed this race up for a few years now but life, cricket and injuries had conspired to get in the way until this year. My plan was to do the race as a training session in the middle of an 80 mile bike ride as preparation for the 125 mile White Rose Classic the following weekend.

I called Forrest the day before, having seen the forecast for 31 degrees, offering some rare fatherly advice. I suggested that after the cycle he’d never be able to rehydrate in time to avoid having a terrible race and then dying on the ride back home. Remarkably, for once, he listened to me.

The race, circa 8 miles and 1,100ft of climbing, gets most of the ascent done in the first two miles up nice, mostly runnable grass tracks. Apart from the occasional windless, heat chamber spots, it wasn’t TOO bad.

I sat in third for most of the race, swapping back and forth between 2nd and 4th until the race opened up on the long gradual descent back to the village and I was able to cement a pretty big gap to fourth, thus able to soak up the village applause whilst cruising to the line. I even had the time and wherewithal to stop before the finish to give my wife a kiss. Much to the delight of her and the crowd, who wondered whether we knew each other.

Oh, to be so young! My intention wasn’t so much to race but simply enjoy a stunningly beautiful route. With the legs not having come back after a couple of recent fell races, on the back of the Boston Marathon too, I’d made a promise not to push too hard. I got the camera out early on to take a few pictures and to help avoid getting my race head-on. I didn’t feel stressed in the first half, finding myself overtaking a few people, including a good mate, who I was surprised to see, and clearly suffering – or perhaps just being sensible? I stopped being sensible and tried to push on, feeling like I could pick off more places.

What I’m asking now is: where was the sage advice from my son to complement my own to him? Why was he not telling me that it wasn’t wise for an old man to be racing in temperatures in the thirties? Why was he not telling me to have a cold beer and take pride in watching his son race at the head of the field?

The best part of racing is the moment of crossing the finish line, in whatever position you happen to be knowing you’ve given the event your all. Well, it appeared that I gave it more than my all. I can’t be accused of having left anything on the fell. I have no memory of the end of the race.

Thankfully I do remember! I saw him over the crest of the hill running with a marshal instep, which was a bit odd, then saw him hunched over and veering off to the right, which was odder and more alarming. After a little jog to grab him and help him through the finish (his only concern had been stopping his watch, thinking he had already crossed the line), it was onto a cold cement floor with wet towels and first responders draped over him. He’s quite the drama queen.

Lying flat on the floor, I was in the company of another V70, with a competition soon going to see who could cool down the fastest. I triumphed in that to the extent that they soon had to wrap me in a space blanket to heat me back up again! The lesson learned is that the body doesn’t handle extreme stress so well as you get older. I will be more careful in future.

It’s a race I’d love to do again next year as the village fair makes it a lovely family day out. It would be good to see a few more Harriers vests too. I might just suggest Dad enjoys watching with a few pints next year, even if he won’t be getting a finish line kiss.

Eww. He’s not putting me out to pasture quite yet. I fully intend to come back next year, when conditions will hopefully be more conducive to racing. There’s unfinished business here. Plus it really is the most beautiful race.

That said, climate change might mean these temperatures are going to be more common, even in May, in which case—bring on the cold beer.

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 25 May 2026

Tue 26 May 2026

[Ed Hobbs, winner of the Nidderdale 10k, photo credit: Woodentops]

From Jill Ezard & Nicola Budding…  

Harriers scoop race and age category wins across the country

Racing started early in the week for the Harriers with 23 members taking part in the ever popular Rudding Park 10k, perhaps lured by the “best goody bag in the UK”.  The 10.5k course takes participants on an undulating tour of the park on a mix of paths, woodland trails and some technical terrain ending with a climb back up to the main house.  It was a successful trip out for the club, with Matthew Thackwray and Oli Murphy, separated by only 15 seconds, claiming first (34:45) and second (35:00) place respectively.  And taking another podium spot, Ruth Kitchen was third female in 41:48. Jaysson Sawyer took second place in his age category and John Hayes and Jonathan Turner battled it out in their category to take first (43:58) and second (44:24) place respectively.  Rebecca Mon-Williams was second in her age category (57:01) with Emma Sheppard and Clare Boyle taking third place in their categories. A fantastic set of results to start the week.

The podium successes continued into the weekend with three Harriers heading into The Dales to take part in the Run Nidderdale 10k Trail Race.  Participants braved the increasing temperatures to follow the course through ancient woodland, over moors, via the summit for views down the valley. Not that the three Harriers taking part seemed to take any time to take in the views. Edward Hobbs flew round the course, winning the race in 38:30 setting a new course record by 14 seconds. Rachel Holder was the second Harrier over the line in 1:04:26 taking fourth place in her age category. And Geoff Howard was first in his category in 1:07:25.   

Much of the action for the rest of the weekend was further north. At the Coniston Gullies Fell Race both seniors and juniors were in great racing form. Two seniors tackled the 6km race which has a challenging 245m of elevation.  Gawain Moore was first over the line taking fourth place overall and first in his age category in 17:51, followed by George Whittlestone in 20:21. For the juniors, Isobel Moore had a fantastic run to finish as second U12 girl in an impressive 06:19, with Thomas Bailey close behind in 06:24, taking eighth place in the U12 Boys category. Michael Moore also claimed a podium finish, finishing as third U14 Boy in 07:02 after another strong and determined performance.  

Our juniors had also performed well earlier in the week at the Kildwick Fell race. In the U10 race, Olivier Haigh and Joshua Steward both produced strong performances, finishing in 15th and 19th places respectively. Hugo Haigh was our sole junior in the U12 race and ran brilliantly to secure an excellent sixth place finish.  

On the edge of the North York Moors, Jaysson Sawyer was the only Harrier to venture to Northallerton to take part in the 10k.  The loop course is designed to make the most of the atmosphere at the start on Northallerton high street before heading out of the town into stunning country road views.  Jaysson had a great run completing the course in 41:17 taking second place in his age category.

Further up the A1, the Hayes family were out in force at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival with all three opting to take part in the half marathon race. Conditions were unusual for this time of year with the heatwave well and truly settled in. The course starts in the city centre taking participants past notable monuments and beautiful architecture before heading to the coast at Portobello, out through Musselburgh to Prestonpans, finishing on the playing fields at the Pinkie School. John was the first family member home, building on his success at Rudding Park, with a finish time of 1:28:52 and third place in his age category. Lucy was next to finish in 1:54:29 followed by Sarah in 2:20:09. A very successful family day out!

To escape the worst of the heat, Alison and Nea Weston had to head all the way to the Isle of Jura on the west coast of Scotland to take part in the Isle of Jura Fell Race. The unmarked course is a tough 28km with a challenging 2370m of ascent. The route is not marked and covers very technical terrain including scree, bogs and steep ascents and descents.  The weather was good for the race which Alison and Nea had both completed before – this year brought the bonus of being able to see at the top of every one of the seven summits. Nea was first to finish in 05:36:12 having gained a bit of ground on the descents. Alison completed the race in 05:46:05 taking first place in her age category and winning a bottle of whiskey!

Our award for travelling the furthest for a race this week though goes to Hilda Coulsey who took part in the Cape Town Marathon.  Although not currently one of the Marathon Majors the race has been confirmed as one of the candidates and, assuming it meets its targets for the next three years, will take its place as the eighth, and first African, major.  Having already bagged all seven marathon majors medals and secured a place through last year’s performance at the Abingdon marathon, Hilda took to the start line. Despite challenging heat and less than ideal training, Hilda pushed through to complete the race in 5:12:02.  

And finally, 45 seniors and juniors took part in a parkrun this week and the weather seems to have put some fire in their heels as there were some great results. There were top ten placings for Samesh Chotai, juniors Michael and Isobel Moore, Jaysson Sawyer, Steve and Gaenor Coy, James Horrex and Finn Maxwell. There were also impressive age gradings for Samesh (80.47%), Steve Coy (82.68%), Nick Kealey (81.39%) and Harry Sime (80.33%). Well done to everyone who took part.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Cape Town Marathon – Sun 24 May 2026

Mon 25 May 2026

From Hilda Coulsey…

Cape Town was hosting the Abbott World Marathon Majors World Championships and aiming to become the eighth World Marathon Major.

They put on an excellent and wonderful experience for us internationals, including inspirational speeches from Eliud Kipchoge and Francois Pienaar.

Their aim was clear, Africa needs a designated Major marathon. Africans win all the major marathons and they deserve this to inspire and encourage young and old in the continent. Eliud started his speech with quotes by Nelson Mandela and his own philosophy reminding us that “pain is part of the process” and “keep pushing forward no matter how tough it gets”.

Eliud didn’t win but was waving and taking selfies with the crowd and to be fair this was an undulating course with many twists and turns, not suited to his talent. His wife, Grace, took part too, running her first marathon.

Course records were broken by the winners Huseyidin Mohamed Esa in 2:04:55 and Dera Dida Yami 2:23:18 both from Ethiopia.

I had qualified last year at Abingdon with 4:44, having been felled by a cyclist crossing my path, both of us falling in a heap. I’d hoped to run at least that time but it wasn’t to be. I was struggling to get long training runs done, I struggle in the heat and humidity and I am useless at pacing always going off too fast.

I pushed forward, ‘accepting the pain’, smiling at the very African entertainment and stunning views, finished, got the medals (for the race and the world champs) and continued on my journey of collecting marathon majors stars. I have the original 6, added Sydney in 2024 and hence this would be the 8th.

I finished in 5:12:02, 42nd in the over 70s (the race listing combines over 70, over 75 and over 80) hence I’m not yet sure what my actual position is in the FV70-75 category which was won by Andrea Simmons in 3:41:52. The winners of the age categories across the board have astounding times illustrating the gap between these elite, world record performances, and us also rans.

Discussions afterwards confirmed that this was a tough race, the course and the weather, with many experienced runners cramping and struggling and I was in good company in that respect. Also no world records were broken by the age champs (despite the shoes).

There is obviously much poverty and unemployment, however this is a beautiful city and country and the overwhelming feeling was how welcoming it was.

Edinburgh Half Marathon – Sun 24 May 2026

Sun 24 May 2026

From John Hayes…

Two years ago I had a go at the Edinburgh marathon. It was a fabulous race, but my abiding memory is of being lashed with freezing cold rainstorms. This year I opted to do the half marathon. The weather was the complete opposite – very hot and sunny all day. The heat was pretty draining but we somehow powered through it.  

Sarah and Lucy also ran the half marathon and Oliver ran the relay with three of his cousins. The crowds are amazing, and to finish near the sea is great for those (like me) who swear by the healing qualities of a cold swim. Two years ago I was too cold and shivery to take a plunge. This time I went straight in the water as soon as I could. It was both freezing and a wonderful antidote to the intense heat.  

Results

1st David Meehan 01:08:01

214 John Hayes (3rd MV55) 01:28:52

2190 Lucy Hayes 01:54:29

6192 Sarah Hayes 02:20:09

10371 ran

Jura Fell Race – Sat 23 May 2026

Sat 23 May 2026

From Alison Weston…

Nea and I returned to Jura for the fell race at the weekend and the pub campsite swelled in numbers – not that it deterred the deer from evening grazing though.

The race goes over 7 summits (4 pips and 3 paps) with 2,370m climbing and 28km. No heat wave for us but the tops were clear which was a real bonus this year.

It’s a tough race with lots of scree running, deep bogs and what feels like a huge amount of steep climbing. It was won by Luke Fisher from Carnethy in a new record of 3 hrs 13!

I just about managed to keep Nea in sight going up the Paps of Jura but she disappeared in the distance on every descent, finishing in a great time of 5hrs 36, with me 10 minutes behind in 5hrs 46. Nea’s boyfriend Alex had a brilliant run finishing in 4hrs 34.

Chuffed to receive a bottle of Jura malt whisky for 1st V60 and the post-race ceilidh was as good as ever, organised by the local islanders.

Be good to get more Harriers there next year!

Results

Nidderdale 10k trail race – Sat 23 May 2026

Sat 23 May 2026

From Geoff Howard…

Three Harriers joined another 141 runners at Pateley Bridge for the local club’s annual 10k trail race. A classic, quite technical, climb of 320m up through fields and Guisecliff Wood to Abraham Crags, a tri point, then contouring along the Nidderdale Way before a return descent.

For Edward Hobbs (1st in a brilliant new record 38m 30s) and Rachel Holder (4th W50 in 64m 26s) it was their visit time whereas it was my second (1st M70 in 67m 17s).

Fortunately all of us finished before it got too hot. First woman was Martha Barker of Saddleworth in 47m 58s. A great well-organised event not too far away.

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 18 May 2026

Tue 19 May 2026

[Sam Bentham in action at the Jack Bloor Fell Race, photo credit: Woodentops]

From Peter Shelley & Nicola Budding…  

Two wins in a week for Sam Bentham as Harriers take to the hills

The Ultra Trail Eryri/Snowdonia took place over a long weekend with a daunting schedule of five mountain races taking place both day and night over distances ranging from 25km to 160km. Part of the UTMB World Series, the event attracts a strong field from the UK and overseas. The events were not made any easier by rain and thunder which led to some late changes in the schedule.  

Sam Bentham stamped his authority on the Eryri 25k event which packs in 1,100m of ascent including the summit of Moel Eilio south of Llanberis. The course suited him well and he finished in 1:41:45 ahead of 753 competitors, an immense achievement. Ali Nash was pleased to claim 3rd in the MV55 category in place. Oceane Bergot finished 582nd.  

Kate Archer took on the 80km event which started at sea level in Caernarfon before completing a circuit of the Eyri mountains climbing 2,500m overall before finishing in Llanberis. The start time of 7.30pm meant limited opportunity to enjoy the scenery, and most of Kate’s 10:59:48 time was spent running in darkness. Her reward was an excellent 70th of 341 finishers and 7th lady.  

Changeable conditions met participants in the Calder Way Relay on Sunday. The route takes in many of the Calder Valley’s scenic areas, monuments and famously steep-sided valleys on its 79km circuit with 2,619m of elevation. Ilkley’s team came prepared for rain, wind chill and/or sunburn with Iain Young and Andrew Marshall setting a lively pace on leg one from Halifax, handing over to Nuno Cesar de Sa and Steve Murray in Cragg Vale. Andrew Merrick and Sarah Worley took over for the climb from Todmorden to Blackshaw Head. Team captain Nick Helliwell and Helen Ward ran leg four to Wainstalls. Lucy Kay and Becky Shaw ran leg five to Shelf before handing over to Finn Marshall and Andrew Marshall (on his second shift) who put in a strong final leg to Halifax. The team finished 26th in the open category and 42nd overall of 88 teams in a total time of eight hours 56 minutes.

The Jack Bloor Fell Race took place in its traditional springtime Tuesday evening slot and was very well attended by both seniors and juniors who put their local knowledge to work on the familiar but testing terrain of Ilkley Moor. Further motivation came from the race’s inclusion in this year’s Harriers league. Bright dry conditions helped with the challenge of the 8.4km route which scales 350m and includes some technical descents. A steep initial climb to the Badger Stone is followed by an exhilarating descent to the Millenium Way followed by another climb onto the tops for an anti-clockwise circuit of Rombalds Moor before the final plunge from Ilkley Crags via a network of paths to the finish. The point-to-point race route allows for some runner discretion in exactly which line to take with potential rewards for local knowledge.

Previous Jack Bloor success left Sam Bentham in no doubt which lines to take as he cut 47s off his 2025 winning time to finish in 37: 46. Sam’s time beat Greg Hull’s course record set in 2007 and gave a strong indication of intent as he headed to UTS Snowdonia.  

Oli Murphy secured third place in 40:15. Harry Brook-Dobson was 9th, Oscar Stapleton 12th, George Whittlestone 18th and James Horrex 20th . There were strong finishes outright and specifically in the M50+ category for Nick Kealey, Matthew Kennedy and John Hayes. A total of 34 club placings among the 144 finishers helped Ilkley Harriers beat Leeds City Athletic Club to the team prize.  

Proceeds from the race go to the Jack Bloor Fund which supports young people’s participation and development in adventure sports.

The Jack Bloor junior races ranged in distance from 0.75km for the U10/U12 races to 2.2km for the U18s. Winners respectively were Archie Hallworth (BU10), Leo Freer (BU12), Isobel Moore (GU12), Michael Moore (BU14) and Joseph Bentham (BU18).

The Grassington Trail Race took place on Sunday on 5km of trails through the drystone-walled fields surrounding the Dales village. At 205m, the ascent and was not excessive and, other than the odd stile to climb, the route was highly runnable. Being the second Harriers league race of the week ensured the race had strong Harrier attendance. Club chair Nick Kealey took a fine win in 35:17 with Owen Parker third, John Hayes fifth, Luke Watkeys seventh, Ash Winter 11th and Colm McCann 16th. 14 Harriers were among the 119 finishers overall.

BOFRA’s Sedbergh race on Saturday followed the classic formula of a short but hard route heading steeply up and down a single peak (Winder 352m just north of the town in the Howgills). Gawain Moore made light work of the 3.75km route taking 5th place in 24:30 whilst George Whittlestone demonstrated his growing fell prowess with an U23 win in 25:55. Well done both!

There were impressive performances from the juniors too with Isobel Moore 2nd GU12, Thomas Bailey 12th BU12 and Michael Moore 1st BU14.

Sunday saw further fell action in the Esk Valley Fell Races at Chop Gate – a tough course of steep fields and open moorland. Olly Brooks finished 21st in the BU14 race over 4K with 230m climb. Oscar Shinn produced a superb run to finish 4th in the U20 race, with George Whittlestone following in 9th tackling 8km and 275m of climbing.

Jaysson Sawyer ran an excellent 1:21:55 at the Chester half marathon finishing in 76th place 9th MV45 despite enduring pain from the second mile.

Paul O Looney and Nic Anness finished 57th and 373rd respectively at the Cookridge Community Run, a 10k trail race in the green spaces of the North Leeds suburbs.

Dan McKeown ran 18:47 at the East Holmes Field parkrun. John Bailey, Phil Chappell, Martin Campbell and Craig Berry all ran personal bests.

Nick Kealey’s 18:18 at Roberts Park primed him well for Grassington. Finn Maxwell also made it a racing weekend with an 18:31 personal best in advance of the Calderdale Way Relay. Juniors Nura and Mariam Allen ran 24:26 and 24:49 respectively.

Daisy Lowe travelled to Fountains Abbey and claimed 1st place in her JW11-14 age category with a time of 27:01.

At Riverside Gardens Junior Parkrun, Leo Freer stormed home in 1st place in 7:48, followed by Harris Poulter in 3rd place with a PB of 8:42. Poppy Freer completed the trio, finishing in 12:25.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Grassington trail race – Sun 17 May 2026

Sun 17 May 2026

From Ash Winter…

One of my highlights of the year last year was the Grassington Trail Race. Heading into the Dales on a beautiful day to race a small but well-formed trail race with a delightful atmosphere and goodie bag to match. Plus, I came 7th, which was an excellent ego massage we all need every so often. Now a Harriers Race League counter, I eagerly anticipated the 2026 edition, bringing some of my friends along to enjoy the vibes.

And vibes there were. I picked up Colm McCann and started the journey, arriving in good time to catch up with the multiple Harriers who had eschewed the Calderdale Way Relay to partake. As we lined up at the start, our own John Hayes got a birthday shout out and round of applause which set the tone for an excellent morning of racing. The five-mile course had a couple of climbs earlier on, followed by some undulations on farm tracks, with a speedy finish into Grassington. Makes use of the various trails and tracks around Grassington without straying too far from the town. A very smartly designed course.

One of the highly amusing things from last year was the rush of juniors from the start, tiring themselves out on the first climb through Grassington’s high street. Same again here, but Nick Kealey was speeding ahead too, but not likely to fade after a couple of hills. Owen Parker and John Hayes were not far behind either. Luke Watkeys gradually reeled me in on the climb from High Lane to Edge Lane and then remained slightly out of reach for the rest of the race.

The main climb out of the way, a long section of farm track along Edge Lane held a water station, then up a horrible road climb before the first part of the descent. Fast feet required on a grassy slope or two. After that, it was stile after stile, probably in double figures. It felt like one of Ali Nash’s club run routes, but while attempting to go way faster. Various drainage pipes were on the route too, which required leaping over, adding to the flavour. You hit tarmac again on Bulling Lane, ready for the dash to the finish in Grassington. I was in 10th at this point, but someone was gradually gaining and beat me at the last! Ah well.

Nick Kealey was the overall winner in 35:17, another great performance and his first overall race ‘W’, earning him a bottle of Baileys! Which he magnanimously handed over to Jean Sullivan, who after her own excellent performance, will give it a good home. Owen Parker showed further good form with 3rd in 37:24. John Hayes was 5th, Luke Watkeys 7th, I was 11th, Colm was 16th. First Harrier Lady home was Heidi Hoad, continuing the excellent form shown at the Leeds Half last week with a time of 47:11, followed a minute or so later by Alison Weston. Special mention to Geoff Howard who looked fresh despite the horrors of the Leeds Marathon the week before, crossing the line in 50:40. Daisy and Lucy Lowe ran together as they do so often, which is great to see. Finally, a shout out to Esmaeil Zadeh with a time of 50:19, rounding off an excellent day to be an Ilkley Harrier! Finally, finally, extra credit goes to Richard Joel as chief photographer and cheerleader.

Results

Eryri (UTS) 25K race – Sat 17 May 2026

Sun 17 May 2026

From Ali Nash…

As well as Sam winning overall, another Harrier managed the podium… delighted with a v55 age group third in my first race for nearly a year after illness and injury. Well worth the trip to Llanberis.

Ilkley Harriers 40th anniversary celebrations

Thu 14 May 2026

Click here to sign up to run some or all of the relay.

Click here to sign up for the Bini Brew social.

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 11 May 2026

Tue 12 May 2026

[Geoff Howard climbing Otley Chevin heading for a new club record, photo credit: Ilkley Harriers]

From Nigel Illingworth & Nicola Budding…  

New Harriers club record at the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

Ilkley Harriers had another strong week across notable local races on the roads, trails and fells.

The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon attracted over 4,000 runners with 10 Harriers taking on the challenging and scenic 26.2-mile course winding through Leeds’ suburbs and the Yorkshire countryside. Geoff Howard secured a new MV80 club record with his 17th marathon and a truly outstanding 4:37:29. Gawain Moore came 16th overall and third M40 (2:45:48), followed by Rachel Carter for second F50 (3:36:25).

Harriers also had a strong showing with nine runners in the Leeds Half Marathon, led by Jack Cummings in second place (1:09:35) and followed by Jane McCarthy for second F50 (1:34:25).

Earlier in the week saw the Dick Hudson’s Fell Race across Ilkley Moor and back. We are awaiting full results, but 19 Harriers joined the field of 88 on the start line. Oli Murphy was first, followed by Harry Brook-Dobson in third, Forrest Hamilton fifth and Dan McKeown sixth and first MV40. Strong results in the age categories saw Matthew Kennedy take first MV50 and Bob Hamilton first MV70. Also, John Hayes second MV50, David Rees third MV40, Adrian Hall third MV50 and Becky Taylor third LV50.

Over in North Yorkshire, Harriers ran the Ripon 10 Mile race – known as a hilly but picturesque course leading runners from Hell Wath around the Studley Royal Estate with beautiful views of Ripon and the stunning, surrounding countryside. Matt Newell claimed fifth (1:01:18), followed by Jaysson Sawyer in ninth and third M40 (1:05:44) and Steve Newell third M60 (1:14:25). Together they also won second team prize for the Harriers.

Up in the Lakes, the Fairfield Horseshoe Fell Race is an out-and-back from Rydal Hall, over Great Rigg, Fairfield and Dove Crag. Alison Weston claimed first F60-69 category (2:12:54), Kelly Wilby tenth F40-49 (2:41:33) and Nea Weston 12th F23-39 (2:12:16).

Holmfirth Harriers AC hosted the Yorkshire Veterans Athletics Association Grand Prix Series 2026 Race 1, with Dave Robson taking third MV50 (44:29). This was the first in a series of ten races – mostly 10k on trails – so we will be following Dave’s progress.

Bank Holiday Monday saw the Coiners Fell Races, taking runners across Erringden Moor, up to the iconic Stoodley Pike, and across Bell House Moor. George Whittlestone won the OU21 category (57:05). In the Juniors races, Isobel Moore was 11th in the U12 Girls Race, Michael Moore fourth in the U14 Boys Race and Ollie Holder fifth in the U18 Race.

Across the Pennines in the Alderley Edge 10k, Ruth Kitchen secured fifth female and third in the Senior (20-34) category (37:49).

The Howgills Fell Race was the opening race of the FRA Junior Championship League, starting from Sedbergh School, runners tackled tough climbs, farmland, tracks and open fell terrain in challenging conditions. Oscar Shinn was seventh (43:11) and George Whittlestone 11th (48:22) in the U20 Race; Joseph Bentham was 13th (40:46) in the U18 Race; and Olly Brooks was 34th (32:41) in the U14 Race.

In the Yorkshire County Track and Field Championships, Junior Harrier Heather Crolla delivered an outstanding performance in the U16 Girls Discus, throwing a huge PB (25.34m) to become the Yorkshire U16 Girls Discus Champion.

As always, Harriers were active in the weekly 5k parkruns this Saturday.

Two outstanding times from Matthew Thackwray who was first at The Cinder Track (15:37) and Samesh Chotai also first at Brueton (16:16).

Sarah Marsden was fourth female at Fleetwood Promenade (23:47).

Sisters Nura and Mariam Allen both ran Lister Park. Nura was fifth female (23:48) and Mariam eighth female with a PB (24:47).

At Cliffe Castle, Joseph Morris was seventh and first JM11-14 with a PB (23:22).

At Myrtle, Heidi Hoad was seventh female (27:04), Lucy Lowe eighth female (27:05) and Daisy Lowe ninth female and first JW11-14 (27:47).

Rob and Nicola Budding both ran Armley securing tenth male (22:05) and tenth female (26:00).

Daniel Paterson achieved a PB (22:48) at Bramley.

Finally at Ilkley’s own East Holmes Field, John Hayes was sixth (20:41), followed by PBs from Jacqui Foster (26:56), Dawn Turner (28:22) and Ruth Jones (33:42).

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Leeds Marathon – Sun 10 May 2026

Mon 11 May 2026

From Rachel Carter…

Leeds was my 3rd marathon having run London in 2022 and 2010. Training focused on the 3 peaks race two weeks earlier so I came to this really keeping my fingers crossed that I would get round without the necessary respites of gates, stiles or hills that require walking/crawling to climb.

I travelled in with Geoff Howard (this his 17th marathon) who had stuck rigidly to the ‘only bring an A4-sized bag’ memo containing more or less nothing but big enough to fit his travel clothes in. I on the other had had a banana, hot drink, water, gels and a top to keep warm in before the start! Fortunately my small-ish rucksack passed the baggage check!

Headingley stadium hosts this event very well – amazing organisation of two distances, loads of toilets and a great vibe. A short group warm up, a few words from Kevin Sinfield and we were off – first towards Leeds before a steady climb through Headingley to Adel (and a quick toilet stop!). The marathon bears right here on some undulating roads behind Golden Acre Park before a down on King Lane to Bramhope. Steeper down to Arthington before a sneaky loop out and back towards Pool.

Onto Otley where the crowds made it feel like I was at the finish line before the long climb back up towards Dynley Arms and Bramhope. In Bramhope you meet the half marathoners so a fair bit of weaving entails but also provides a different focus. It only felt truly down from Weetwood Hall roundabout and from there on the crowds are amazing – narrowing the course in places. The stadium looms only for you to have to run around a side or two of it before being allowed inside to the finish!

So did I enjoy it? Well yes I think so, reflecting on it and writing this report! Did I have any doubts – yes plenty – needing the loo from the start (despite all the toilets!), legs aching on the way out through Headingley but what makes this race is all the support from the crowds and what it stands for. There were so many kids with handmade signs and hands to high-five I decided to take a leaf from Lucy Lowe’s recent London experience in enjoying the moment and hopefully inspiring some runners of the future!

With free post race massages available and a short commute back on the train it’s definitely an event everyone should consider for next year!

From Geoff Howard…

Don’t get into London! So what do you do? Run the Horsforth Marathon of course! So that’s what I did forty five years and six days ago in the first year of both those events.

Funny how history can repeat itself because that’s what happened yesterday. Well o.k. it was Headingley not Horsforth but near enough.

Apart from: several thousand runners rather than 234, chip timing, tracking, instant results, goodie bags, the scale of sponsorship (instead of just the local garage back then), specialist organisation (instead of the remarkable Janet Kitchen of the local Community Education) etc. etc., it was very much the same experience namely: hilly terrain of the northern part my home city, wonderful support (easier in 1981 because it was two laps), shared challenging experience with a multitude of strangers, initial exhilaration/steady running followed by every increasing bodily rebellion, the ‘how can I possibly keep going” desperation during the last parkrun distance, and the final all encompassing relief at the sight of the finish line.

Different, though, yesterday because of the Rob Burrow factor which I’m sure affected all who watched and took part, and also because of the reassuring company to the start from Ilkley of fellow Harrier Rachel Carter – who ran brilliantly to take second in her age group. Also, now mightily glad that the time against my name for the Harriers’ v80 record is no longer 7h 15m.

Results

Yorkshire Vets: Race 1 Holmfirth – Sun 10 May 2026

Sun 10 May 2026

From Dave Robson…

This Sunday was the first race in the Yorkshire Vets Grand Prix series, hosted by Holmfirth Harriers.

I think I was the only Ilkley Harrier present and finished 21st and 3rd MV50.

Next race is Kirkstall on Tuesday 26th May. There are 10 races in the series and your best 6 count so plenty of time to sign up if you’re interested.

The races are mostly trail races of around 10k. Website results link here.

Fairfield Horseshoe – Sat 9 May 2026

Sat 9 May 2026

From Alison Weston…

We had a ladies team out at Fairfield Horseshoe on Saturday – Kelly, Nea and myself. A lovely 9-mile route starting and finishing at Rydal Hall and going over Great Rigg, Fairfield and Dove Crag.

There was clag down on Fairfield but otherwise great conditions for running.

Nea had a great race and made the most of the long descent, flying past me and disappearing towards the finish. All three of us found the 1 km track at the finish quite soul destroying, as faster runners already finished are meandering the opposite way back to their cars!

The race was won by Will Barton in 1 hr 22. Nea did 2 hrs 12 followed by myself and Kelly.

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 04 May 2026

Tue 5 May 2026

[Photo credit: Dave Woodhead]

From Luke Watkeys & Nicola Budding…  

Climbs, costumes and county caps: A milestone 40th anniversary for the Harriers

Our beloved club turned 40 last Friday and, after officially joining the esteemed ranks of veteran age categories, shows no signs of slowing down. Given we’re now well into spring, there were many race options across all disciplines, and people took advantage, featuring everything from fancy dress at relays and prestigious inter-county representation to international road racing and podium finishes on the fells.

The week’s action began on Tuesday evening with the Bunny Run Relays, a highlight of the Bunny Series organised by Wharfedale Harriers and held on a dry and sunny evening at Penistone Hill. Teams of three tackled 2.4 km (1.5 mile) loops. It’s as much about the costumes as it is about the competition, and the trio of George Whittlestone, Oliver Holder, and Oscar Shinn, running under the team name ‘The American Dream’, proved successful on both fronts (see photo above!). They secured sixth place overall with a combined time of 33:27 and took home the Best Fancy Dress prize.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Dave Robson was in action at the low-key Wray Caton Moor Fell Race, an FRA-sanctioned event held as part of a local scarecrow festival. It’s 11km (6.8 miles) with 335 metres (1,100 ft) of climb, held over the way in Wray, Lancashire. Dave finished 13th in 50:16.

Moving to the weekend, on Saturday, Alison Weston and Kelly Wilby tackled the Coniston Fell Race, a challenging 12.9km (8-mile) course featuring over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) of climbing. Despite mist on the summits that made navigation difficult, Alison finished 147th and claimed first place in her category with a time of 1:59:16. Kelly followed in 188th, securing third in her category with a time of 2:10:11. The same day, Dave Robson competed in his second race of the week, the Cake Race in Saddleworth. The 16km (10-mile) route has 518 metres (1,700 ft) of climb, traversing Saddleworth Moor and a section of the Pennine Way, featuring a fast middle section around reservoirs and a final stretch of steep stone steps. Dave finished 23rd overall and third in his age category in 1:20:55, before enjoying the traditional reward of unlimited cake.

Representative honours were at the forefront on Sunday at the UK Athletics Senior Inter-Counties Mountain Race, an up-and-down mountain running trial held in Sedbergh, which served as trials for the European Off-Road Running Championships. Joseph Bentham delivered an excellent performance in the U20 race, covering 5.8 km (3.6 miles) with 390 metres (1,280 ft) of climb. Joseph finished 17th against elite competition, an impressive feat as one of the youngest in his age category. The senior race was 14.5km (9 miles) with 980 metres (3,215 ft) of elevation. Sam Bentham and Edward Hobbs both represented Yorkshire, Sam delivering an outstanding performance to finish 16th overall (second in his age category) in 1:10:59, with Edward following in 23rd place (fourth in his age category) in 1:13:13. Dan McKeown also represented the club in the senior men’s field, finishing 72nd in 1:28:41.

Sunday also had road racers headed to North Yorkshire for the Melmerby Ripon 10K. Jaysson Sawyer led the club home in 14th place overall and third in his category with a time of 36:45. Sally Malir also secured a podium category finish, coming second in her category with a time of 48:57. Further afield, Malcolm and Julie Shand represented the Harriers in Spain at the Estepona 10K, a popular annual road race in the coastal town of Estepona on the Costa del Sol. The race followed a scenic route along the Mediterranean coast, though runners were greeted by a sharp hill finish and warm conditions. Malcolm finished in 54:07, with Julie crossing the line in 1:04:06.

In parkrun news, personal bests and category wins were reported from across the country. Matthew Thackwray clearly recovered from his excellent run at the London Marathon a few weeks ago to finish first at Sandringham parkrun in 16:17. Samesh Chotai continued his parkrun sweep of the country to claim first place at Kingsbury Water in 16:36. At Chevin Forest, Alexander Wolfenden took second place in 17:10, followed by Oscar Shinn in ninth. Rachel Carter was the first female finisher in 22:43, and Michael Moore was first in his age category, finishing just two seconds ahead of Isobel Moore, the second female finisher overall. At Cliffe Castle, Archie Hallworth won his age category with a 23:07, and Lerryn O’Neill finished as the first female with 23:32. Nura Allen achieved a PB and a category win at Lister Park, while Leo Freer set a new personal best at Keswick with a time of 20:41.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Inter-County Fell Championships – Sun 3 May 2026

Mon 4 May 2026

[Photo of the Yorkshire team featuring Ed, centre, and Sam, right, courtesy of Dave Woodhead]

From Dan McKeown…

Sunday saw this year’s Inter-Counties Mountain Race in Sedbergh: a nine-mile three-lap course which included three visits to the summit of Winder and two visits to the summit of Arant Haw. As well as the inter-county competition, the event served as the British team selection race for the European Off-Road Running Championships.

We had a couple of Ilkley runners in the Yorkshire team: Ed Hobbs (who had managed a brilliant fourth place in Friday’s uphill-only race) and Sam Bentham, plus one freelancer – me.

To explain my unlikely presence on this illustrious start line: I signed up for the race a few weeks back, then contacted my birth county, Warwickshire, to see if they needed a runner to supplement their team. To my horror, they already had a full squad and said no thank you.

Fair play to Shakespeare’s County for raising a team, although I did find it a bit galling that Dark flipping Peak had eight runners at the race representing seven different counties, and I couldn’t even blag one measly county vest. There was even a guy on the start line in an Avon and Somerset vest who lived in Sedbergh and hadn’t even had to get in the car that morning!

(Still, if Warwickshire did need to get a ringer in on a Cascarino, they should probably swing for the fences and get someone decent, instead of some old bald spoon with bad knees.)

As I’d stumped up the entry fee at this point, I felt like I might as well make the trip and see how I did. My day didn’t get off to the best start: I stepped out of the back door to find that my best fell shoes had been sat outside all night in the rain. Plan B: I threw my well travelled Mudclaws in the back of the car and set off for the Howgills.

The course was one short lap to the top of Winder, and two long laps to the top of Arant Haw, visiting Winder on the way back. All three laps were a patient slog on the way out, with a breathless, bone-shuddering downhill return.

The men’s race set off five minutes before the ladies, so I got to see the first of the ladies passing me early in the second lap. There were also some points where I could see the lead male runners flying along in the opposite direction, with Sam and Ed very much to the fore. Sam picked up the MU23 silver medal (16th overall), and with Ed finishing 23rd after Friday’s heroics, Yorkshire secured county bronze, behind Cumbria and Scotland (North).

For my part, I trundled in a very footsore 72nd of 105 finishers, having bested not only the Warwickshire team, but also Humber and Nottinghamshire. However, I give all credit to those who travelled from far and wide to take part from those parts of the country less blessed with fell running opportunities.

I won’t hold my breath for a call from the British selectors. The European Champs are the first weekend in June anyway and I’ve got something planned in Otley, plus it’s Sarah’s birthday so I can’t really make it. Next time, maybe.

Results

16 Sam Bentham (Yorkshire) 1:10:59

23 Ed Hobbs (Yorkshire) 1:13:13

72 Dan McKeown 1:28:41

105 finished

Estepona 10k – Sun 3 May 2026

Sun 3 May 2026

From Julie Shand…

Malc and Julie Shand ran the Estepona 10k on Sunday 3rd May. 54mins and 1.04 respectively. A warm but lovely run along the Med, with a sharp hill to finish! 

Wray Caton Moor & The Cake Race – Tue 28 Apr & Sat 2 May 2026

Sat 2 May 2026

From Dave Robson…

Back on my quest for different events, I found two fell races with a theme this week…….

The first required a trip across the border into Lancashire for the Wray Caton Moor (& Scarecrows) Fell Race. It’s one of those great, low key races where you park on the village green & pay a fiver on the day. As part of the Scarecrow festival, the race has the bonus of providing a collection of giant scarecrows to run past during your warm up. The course is just over 6 miles with 335 metres of tough but runnable climb in the first half, up to the turnaround at the trig point. The route back is fast and grassy with excellent views back across to the Yorkshire Dales.

The second event was ‘The Cake Race’. A 10 miler on Saddleworth Moor, including a bit of the Pennine Way, and around 450 metres total ascent. After the initial climb onto the moor, the middle section is fast and more like a trail race around several reservoirs. There is then a tough section, down and up some steep stone steps before the final climb back over the moor and a downhill blast back into the village. The reward for finishing, is as much cake as you can eat, back at race HQ, the Diggle Band Club.

Both races were well organised, flagged & marshalled, so no navigation or recces are required if you fancy a go at either. Fell shoes were better for Wray (some boggy and tussocky bits), but trail shoes were definitely the best option for the Cake Race.

I think I was 13th at Wray (results still to be released) and 23rd at the Cake Race.

Results

Coniston Fell race – Sat 2 May 2026

Sat 2 May 2026

From Alison Weston…

Only Kelly and I went to run Coniston fell race this year. Just under 8 miles with about 3,300 ft climbing, the race starts from Coniston village with a huge climb up Wetherlam and then on to climb up Swirl How. A great run along the ridge to reach Coniston Old Man before a short and steep descent back to the start. Mist on the tops made it difficult to find the optimum line to avoid a bit extra climbing but I’m not complaining – at least it wasn’t too hot like last weekend!

The race was won by Tom Simpson from Ambleside in 1:11:20. Kelly was 3rd V40 and I was 1st V60

Results

(1st Tom Simpson from Ambleside in 1:11:20)

147th Alison 1:59:16 (1st V60)

188th Kelly 2:10:11 (3rd V40)

241 finished

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 27 Apr 2026

Tue 28 Apr 2026

From Caroline Howe & Nicola Budding…  

Jack Cummings smashes marathon debut in history-making London race

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

London Marathon – Sun 26 Apr 2026

Mon 27 Apr 2026

From Lucy Lowe…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Blackpool Marathon – Sun 26 Apr 2026

Sun 26 Apr 2026

From Sally Armitage…

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

Results

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

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

42 Martin Hartley 3:01:44

70 Sally Armitage 3:12:53

221 Paul Sullivan 3:45:21

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

672 ran

Yorkshire Three Peaks Race – Sat 25 Apr 2026

Sat 25 Apr 2026

From Alison Weston…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Nea Weston…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

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

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

Kate Archer 4.12.09

Fraser Arnott 4.12.25

Jane McCarthy 4.16.41

Rob Green 4.19.35

Rachel Carter 4.46.41

Charlie Kay 4.53.24

James Lumb 4.58.55

Ash Winter 5.09.49

Katie Poulter 5.09.50

Emma Sheppard 5.19.55

Alison Weston 5.22.07

Colm Mccann 5.44.49

George Whittlestone 5.50.49

Nea Weston 5.55.11

Simon Jenkins 6.04.04

Ben Rothery named in GB/NI squad for Euros

Thu 23 Apr 2026

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

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

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

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

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

Congratulations to Ben from all at the Harriers.

Boston Marathon – Mon 21 Apr 2026

Wed 22 Apr 2026

From Forrest [and Bob] Hamilton…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

(1 John Korir 2.01.52)

231 Ruaridh Mon-Williams 2.27.52

1100 Forrest Hamilton 2.39.10

20110 Bob Hamilton 3.52.00

29023 finished

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 20 Apr 2026

Mon 20 Apr 2026

From Peter Shelley & Nicola Budding…  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Teenager with Altitude and Newlands Memorial – Sat 18 Apr 2026

Sun 19 Apr 2026

From Charles Wain and Luke Watkeys…

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

Charles (Teenager with Altitude)

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

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

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

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

Luke (Newlands Memorial)

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of results:

Newlands Memorial:

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

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

163 finished, 2 DNF

Teenager with Altitude:

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

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

103 finished, 6 DNF

Blackstone Edge – Sat 18 Apr 2026

Sat 18 Apr 2026

From Alison Weston…

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

Results

8th Sam Bentham 00:28:45

14th Oli Murphy 00:29:49

162nd= Kate Archer 00:39:02

176th Jane McCarthy 00:39:43

233rd Rachel Carter 00:42:50

234th Dave Norris 00:42:53

243rd Katie Poulter 00:43:27

258th James Bentham 00:44:07

267th Sacha Jones 00:44:38

292nd Alison Weston 00:46:05

Chiltern Ridge Classic 50K – Sat 18 Apr 2026

Sat 18 Apr 2026

From Matthew Kennedy…

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

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

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

Results

(1 Richard Loader 3h38)

13 Matthew Kennedy 4h31 (2nd MV50)

316 starters, 305 finishers

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 13 Apr 2026

Tue 14 Apr 2026

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

From Jill Ezard & Nicola Budding…  

Ilkley Harriers dominate at the Baildon Boundary Way Half Marathon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Baildon Boundary Way – Sun 12 Apr 2026

Mon 13 Apr 2026

[Main photo credit: Woodentops]

From Will Worboys…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results 

The Charm Bracelet Marathon – Sun 12 Apr 2026

Sun 12 Apr 2026

From Heidi Hoad, Lucy Lowe & Mel Cashmore…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

British Trail Running Championships 50K – Sat 11 Apr 2026

Sat 11 Apr 2026

From Jann Smith…

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

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

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

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

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 6 Apr 2026

Mon 6 Apr 2026

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

From Nigel Illingworth & Nicola Budding…  

Harriers shine through Easter despite the storm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

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

Sun 5 Apr 2026

From Rachel Carter…

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

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

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

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

Results

Guiseley Gallop – Sun 5 Apr 2026

Sun 5 Apr 2026

From Ash Winter…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Manx Mountain Marathon – Sat 4 Apr 2026

Sat 4 Apr 2026

[Photo credit: Moddey Dhoo Media]

From Daniel McKeown…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

33 Dan McKeown 6:59:31

76 Dave Rees 8:21:45

(113 finishers of 157 starters)

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 30 Mar 2026

Tue 31 Mar 2026

From Luke Watkeys…

It was a week that showcased the club’s versatility, with Harriers securing top honours on the flat roads of North Yorkshire and battling for podiums on the rugged fells of the Lake District and Lancashire.

The racing action began on Wednesday evening at the Brownlee Centre for the EvenSplits Leeds 5K. The circuit is a favourite for chasing personal bests, and five Harriers were in attendance. Michael Odell was the first Harrier to finish, taking 28th place with a time of 18:21, followed by Kyle Bethell, who finished in 19:30. Helen Thurston delivered a standout performance, finishing first in her age category in 20:03, while Ash Winter (20:30) and Georgina Hamill (22:17) completed the strong Ilkley turnout.

On Saturday, the focus shifted to the Lake District for the Coledale Horseshoe. This classic category AM fell race takes runners on a 13.7km tour of the ridges above Braithwaite, featuring over 900m of ascent. There was a right mix of weather this year – hail, snow, high winds and even a bit of sunshine. Sam Bentham put in a great effort to finish second overall and second in his age category with a time of 1:11:16. He was followed by James Bentham who crossed the line in 1:49:55. In the ladies’ race, Nea Weston and Alison Weston finished within a minute of each other in 2:04:55 and 2:05:54 respectively, with Alison’s determined run earning her fourth place in her age category.

Sunday proved to be an exceptionally successful day for the club, starting with the Vale of York 5M and 10M events in Rufforth. Known for being pancake-flat and incredibly fast, the course follows local roads and the runway of the old airfield. The Harriers claimed a clean sweep of victories across both distances. Jack Cummings won the 10-mile race outright, beating a field of 475 runners with a blistering time of 51:09. He was followed by Jaysson Sawyer, who finished 26th in 1:01:12, and Karl Hutchinson in 1:24:19. In the 5-mile event, Christos Tzelis also took the top spot, finishing first in a fantastic time of 26:41.

Meanwhile, four Harriers were tackling the steep slopes and iconic ‘Big End’ climb of the Pendle Fell Race in Barley. Oscar Shinn was the first to complete the 7.2km course in 19th place overall (38:22), with Oliver Holder (40:37) and George Whittlestone (43:17) not far behind. Rachel Holder completed the club’s showing at the event, finishing as the 121st runner home and third in her age category with a time of 55:27.

Turning to parkrun, there were plenty of top-ten finishes both locally and internationally. Samesh Chotai was second at Roundhay in 16:57, while Nick Kealey took third at Roberts Park in 18:31. On home soil at East Holmes Field, Dan McKeown led the Harriers home in third (19:32), followed by Steve Murray (21:02) and Robert Cunningham (21:33). Harry Brook-Dobson secured eighth place at Potternewton (21:21) and Jonathan Turner was ninth at Lister Park (20:14). John and Sarah Hayes represented the club at Cliffe Castle, finishing in 21:30 and 30:01 respectively. Finally, Alex Foyn continued flying the club colours in Sweden, finishing fifth at the Malmö Ribersborg parkrun in 18:54.

Coledale Horseshoe – Sat 28 Mar 2026

Mon 30 Mar 2026

From Alison Weston…

Another great result for Sam Bentham this weekend in the Coledale Horseshoe, a brilliant horseshoe run of 8.5 miles and 3501ft ascent from Braithwaite. A right mixture of weather this year – hail, snow, high winds and even bit of sunshine.

The winner was Tom Spencer in 1:09:06 then Sam 2nd in 1:11:16, ahead of Finlay Grant 3rd in 1:12:18.

Jamie Bentham also had a great race finishing in 1:49:55.

Nea and I were close together on the final hill, Barrow, with Nea surging ahead on the descent to finish in 2:04:55 with me a minute behind in 2:05:54.

Results

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 23 Mar 2026

Tue 24 Mar 2026

From Caroline Howe…

With the weather warming up and spring springing, it was the perfect weekend for racing, as Harriers took on a range of distances and terrain.

Over in Otley, a trio of Harriers tackled the We Need to Talk about Chevin fell race, with a route described as ‘worst possible scenario when touring the Chevin’. With 2130ft of climb over 9 miles, it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted, but that didn’t deter Jane McCarthy, Kelly Wilby and Diane Kitchen. Jane put in a superb performance to finish second female, first F45 and 15^th overall in a time of 1:20:58. Kelly was fifth female and second F45 in a great time of 1:32:10, and Diane was a fantastic first in her age category of F65 in 1:56:42. A mightily impressive day out for the trio!

Claiming to be (probably) the most beautiful road race in Britain, the Coniston 14 offers participants a well-organised and very scenic lap of Coniston Water in the Lake District. Alison Weston took on the challenge, finishing in 2:05:59, fourth in her F60 category.

In the Forest of Dean trail half marathon, Rachel Carter was the sole Harrier, finishing in 1:40:29.

The Thirsk 10 mile is a staple in the road racing calendar with a fast, flat course. Two Harriers took on the tarmac, with Harry Brook Dobson first home in an impressive 57:38, and not far behind, Jaysson Sawyer in 1:00:25.

Harry warmed up for the Thirsk 10 with a first place finish at Bowling Park parkrun on Saturday in 19:41. Dan McKeown meanwhile was first finisher on home turf at East Holmes Field in 18:23, Samesh Chotai was first at Sixfields Upton in a speedy 15:49 and Sally Armitage was first female at Robert’s Park in 19:29. Rob Cunningham was second at Fort William in 21:47, Steve Coy was second at Lochend Woods in 19:44, with Gaenor Coy fourth female. Heidi Hoad was second female at Cliffe Castle in 25:43. Other top ten finishes included Finn Maxwell (fifth at Haga) and Kyle Bethell (seventh at EHF).

We Need To Talk About Chevin – Sat 21 Mar 2026

Mon 23 Mar 2026

From Jane McCarthy…

A shout out for this low key but fabulous event on our doorstep. Organised by Great Owl Running it is a tough course (2,130 ft over 14km), with the first climb right out of the blocks heading up from Station Top in Otley to Surprise view. Then right down to The West Gate and up again (the final Rombald’s climb) then onwards to Danefield (another climb) then down to a loop of Poolscar Wood. The Far Eastern point is The Fells Plantation where you climb up alongside the power lines and back to Chevin Forest Park before the final fly back down Jonny Lane to Station Top. 

There were a few wrong turns taken by runners at the front, middle and back of the field, it is definitely one worth recce’ing. We were blessed with the best weather and only a bit sticky underfoot, it would be great to have more Harriers in this one. Di Kitchen had a fabulous race to be first in her age category, and Kelly Wilby had a super 5th place female finisher. The male and female race were won by visiting Sheffield couple Dan and Abbie Haworth.

There is also the option of the 10km (390m climbing) ‘Chevin is BS’ route, won today by Skyrac’s amazing Charlotte Rawstron, over 3 minutes clear of the first male.

Results:

1. Dan Haworth 1:03:39

15. Jane McCarthy 1:20:58 2ndF

31. Kelly Wilby 1:32:10

57. Di Kitchen 1.56:42 1FV65

68 finished

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 16 Mar 2026

Tue 17 Mar 2026

From Peter Shelley and Nicola Budding…

Ilkley Harriers celebrate age category wins and running inspirations on a busy weekend of ultra and road races

After the recent unfortunate demise of Ourea, organiser of major events such as the Northern Traverse, Dragon’s Back and Cape Wrath, the ultra-running community enjoyed a much-needed boost when two events took place successfully on Saturday. Six Harriers were among those who managed to secure a place for the Haworth Hobble, a perennial favourite on the endurance race calendar which sold out within hours of entries opening in October. The circular route from Haworth covers 51km of moors and valleys visiting Todmorden, Stoodley Pike and Hebden Bridge, taking inspiration from the landscape and from the Bronte, Hughes and Plath literary connections. Inspiration is needed to keep competitors going over technical terrain and 1,615m of ascent including prolonged climbs to Heptonstall and Haworth Moor in the second half, and weather which can vary considerably between the high and low ground and over the duration. The event enjoys great community engagement including the sounds of Haworth brass band and food stations staffed by volunteers catering for all tastes including hot dogs, Tom Yum soup, pizza and even a post-prandial whisky for those who feel inclined.

Eschewing the single malt in a customary display of speed and consistency, Kate Archer was first Harrier home and second lady in 24^th place with a time of 5:05:56. Ritchie Williamson was 47^th and 4^th MV50 in 5:28:01. Martin Hartley was 68^th in 5:37: 55 despite needing medical attention after a non-whisky related tumble. Ash Winter finished in 104^th, Charles Wain 129^th and Rebecca Brown 456^th of 676 finishers.

Punk Panther staged their hundredth event at the Welcome Way with a choice of distances from half marathon to a 50-mile ultra. Mostly following the established circular Welcome Way hiking path, the route visits moors, woodland, rivers and canals in Wharfedale and Airedale including Otley Chevin, Burley and Baildon Moors – familiar terrain to many Harriers but challenging nonetheless.

Keith Wood and Lynn Donohue paced their effort perfectly over the 34-mile route to claim victory in their respective MV60 and FV60 categories, Keith finishing 44^th in 7:55:55, Lynn 52^nd in 8:20:27. John Pickering ran 9:32:58 to 64^th place.

There were more great results in the 20-mile event, John Hayes finishing second MV50 and eighth overall in 3:21:39. Colm McCann was 5th MV50 and 17^th overall in 3:39:01. Clare Boyle and Alex Lewis were joint 56^th in 4:39:45 and Sarah Hayes 61^st in 4:55:55.

Steve Ladhams had a strong run at the half marathon distance to finish 8^th in 2:00:40.  

Conditions at the Malaga Half Marathon on Sunday were as might be hoped for on the Mediterranean coast in springtime. 16 degrees and fine weather combined with a simple flat route to make this one of the fastest and most popular international half marathons. This year’s field numbered 12,266 runners, 4,000 more than in 2025. Tony Pye continued his fruitful road campaign with a well-paced 1:31:46 earning him 960^th place and 55^th in the MV50 category. Sally Malir ran 1: 49:49 to claim a fantastic 4^th FV60. Next Harrier was Malcolm Shand who ran 1:59:35 to 468^th place. Julie Merrin ran 2:22:21to 7,988^th. Victory went to Kenyan Vincent Kipkorir in 59:30.

Laced up in his elite ASICS, Vincent faced none of the shoe choice dilemma which beset competitors in the Keighley 10k and 5k, both of which featured a mix of road, track and towpath. Daniel Ellis mastered the multi-terrain challenge in a very rapid 35:58 to finish seventh of 686 runners. Ollie Holder was 27^th and second MU18 in a strong 41:13. Joanne Williamson was 64^th and 9^th female in 46:09. Rachel Holder was 261^st and 7^th FV50 in 54:48. Daisy Lowe and Lucy Lowe marked Mother’s day with 281^st and 282^nd in 56:56, Daisy earning third FU14. Rachel Holder made it a day for the mums in 249^th place in 54:48. Will Worboys was 299^th in 56:36.

Amanda Newham was 75th of 178 in the 5k event in 31:33.

Both Keighley events raised funds and awareness for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice and hold a special significance for many including Marie Watson, who ran dressed as Doc McStuffins in memory of her mum, coping with a large (and rather fetching) foam head, stethoscope and costume in addition to the afore-mentioned shoe challenge.  

At the York 5k on Friday Harry Sime (MV 60) ran an impressive 20:04.

Congratulations are due to Alexander Wolfenden and Ben Stacey, who represented the West Yorkshire Schools XC Team at the ESAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Sefton Park, Liverpool. 

At the conclusion of the PECO winter cross-country series juniors Maisie Dyson, Michael Moore, Milena Morgan, Amelia Nichols, Daisy Lowe and Cecil Overend who competed in all the series races were recognized and rewarded for their dedication.

Malaga Half Marathon – Sun 15 Mar 2026

Mon 16 Mar 2026

From Tony Pye…

While sensible people in Ilkley were presumably doing sensible things — staring at grey skies, arguing about whether it was warm enough for a T-shirt, debating the merits of a second biscuit — a small but plucky contingent of Ilkley Harriers had absconded to the Costa del Sol for what can only be described as a thinly disguised holiday with 21.1km of running bolted on for moral justification.

The 36th edition of the TotalEnergies Málaga Half Marathon delivered a historic day marked by record numbers of registered runners (over 12,000), consolidating its place as one of the major events on the international calendar.

With only seven turns along the entire route, the course hugs the Mediterranean coastline in a gloriously panoramic out-and-back, passing the Málaga Lighthouse and offering views that make you briefly forget your legs hurt. For those of us accustomed to dragging ourselves up Ilkley Moor in horizontal rain, running at sea level along a sun-drenched promenade felt frankly suspicious. Several Harriers were spotted checking their watches in disbelief at suspiciously quick kilometre splits.

And warm? Mild and sunny weather is a hallmark of the Costa del Sol, and race day did not disappoint — temperatures were comfortably into the mid-teens by the time the later waves set off, which felt positively tropical to anyone who’d recently done a winter training run in Wharfedale.

At the sharp end of proceedings, Kenyan runner Vincent Kipkorir claimed victory on his half marathon debut with an outstanding 59:30 — a time so fast that most of us hadn’t even finished our pre-race banana by that point. The women’s race was won by Ugandan athlete Esther Chebet in 1:06:33, with Slovenian Klara Lukan taking second in 1:06:43, a time that also earned her a new Slovenian national record. Both winners will have been home, showered, and halfway through a plate of tapas before most of us crossed the line. Good for them.

For the Ilkley Harriers, the club turned out in fine form. Tony Pye (bib 664, sub-1:30 wave — yes, he made sure you knew that) finished in 1:31, just a whisker off his personal best and comfortably inside the top 10% of finishers. A commendable run, even if he’ll spend the next fortnight explaining exactly how close to his PB it was.

Sally Malir was arguably the star of the show, completing the race in 1:48 to claim an outstanding 4th place in the FV60 age category. Competing at the sharp end of your age group in an international field of this size is no small feat — brilliant running, Sally.

Malcolm Shand (Malcy, bib 9075) crossed the line in 1:58, and Julie Shand (Jules, bib 12289) completed the course in 2:20 — both sporting their Ilkley Harriers vests with considerable pride and the slightly dazed expressions of people who have just realised that “flat course” and “easy course” are not the same thing. The wider Harriers and Airecentre Pacers crew — a fine group visible in post-race photos looking annoyingly cheerful in front of a fountain with their medals — rounded out a great day for the club.

The post-race atmosphere was everything a race should offer: medals, cold water, warm sunshine, and the particular satisfaction of knowing you’d earned your evening meal several times over. Some runners were even spotted on Málaga beach the following day, presumably checking whether 21km of flat tarmac had done any lasting damage. Conclusion: it had not.

The outstanding times achieved across the board confirm that the course has been a complete success, and for several Harriers, the combination of flat tarmac, enthusiastic crowds, and a welcome break from Yorkshire weather made this a race well worth the flight south. Highly recommended for anyone who can persuade themselves — and their club treasurer — that it counts as a training trip.

From Julie Shand…

On Sunday 15th of March Julie and Malcolm Shand headed to Malaga to join over 10,000 runners to participate in the 13.1miles /21km half marathon event. This challenge has been on their bucket list for a few years and finally the day arrived.

With a flat course, straight lines, and a scorching atmosphere, the Malaga Half Marathon has consistently seen records broken. It now ranks among the 5 fastest half marathons in history. The morning was amazing: such support, markings and marshalled with music, cheers and shouts over the whole route. The temperature was a little warmer than Ilkley!! Which also had its challenges, but once the gun went off the wave of runners settled into their pace. The race went to plan and just as the day was getting hotter Malcolm finished with a finish time of 1 hour 57 minutes, and Julie was really happy with her time of 2 hours 20 mins.

The race was won in a time of 59.38 but the course record still stands.

Keighley 10k – Sun 15 Mar 2026

Sun 15 Mar 2026

From Marie Watson…

Keighley 10K – Mother’s Day Miles

Today’s Keighley 10K, held on Mother’s Day (15th March), felt like one of those races that means a little more than just the time on the clock.

I first ran this race in 2024 on the first Mother’s Day after losing my mum. That one was emotional, but also slightly ridiculous. I ran it dressed as a giant star, in the wrong trainers, sliding around a muddy field with limited visibility. It was chaotic, muddy, and strangely perfect for the day.

What I remember most from that race, though, wasn’t the mud. It was the atmosphere. This race supports Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, and you can feel that purpose on the start line. Many runners are there with their own stories: running in memory, in gratitude, or simply to support the hospice.

This year I returned to the start line with the same sense of reflection, but with a slightly different outfit choice: Doc McStuffins. When a day carries a bit of emotional weight, a bit of fancy dress can help keep things light.

The course itself was just as I remembered—undulating and honest, with plenty of local support along the way. One big change from last year: the infamous muddy field has gone, replaced with a longer stretch along the canal. Less sliding, more steady running which helped as I had one hand steadying the giant foam cartoon head on my head!

Running events like this always remind me that races aren’t just about pace or position. They’re about people. The conversations before the start, the cheers from spectators, and the quiet understanding among runners who are there for reasons bigger than the race itself.

Grief doesn’t disappear with time, but days like today show that joy and sadness can exist side by side.

So today’s miles were for Mum.

For everyone missing someone on Mother’s Day.

And for the incredible work of Manorlands.

Also… possibly the only race today with a cartoon doctor on the course.

Marie Watson: 57:37

Results

Haworth Hobble – Sat 14 Mar 2026

Sat 14 Mar 2026

From Kate Archer…

This was the 45^th running of the event which starts from the cobbled street in Haworth and covers 32-miles of trails and moors, heading out to Todmorden, Stoodley Pike, Hebden Bridge and Heptonstall before returning to Haworth for some well-earned pizza. A fantastic event as always, helped this year by the sunshine.

 

Results:

 

(1^st       Daniel Connolly            04:01:43)

24^th      Kate Archer                  05:05:56 (2nd F)

47^th      Ritchie Williamson        05:28:01

68^th      Martin Hartley               05:37:55

104^th    Ash Winter                    05:56:50

129^th    Charles Wain                06:05:39

456^th    Rebecca Brown            07:52:07

 

676 finished

 

Punk Panther Welcome Way – Sat 14 Mar 2026

Sat 14 Mar 2026

From John Hayes…

This is one of the Punk Punk Panther races. I ran the 20 mile race (along with Colm McCann, Alex Lewis, Clare Boyle and Sarah Hayes). Other Harriers far tougher than me (Keith Wood, Lynn Donohue and John Pickering) conquered the 34 mile event.  There were some brilliant performances all round, so well done everyone. Special congratulations to Keith and Lynn who both scooped age category wins. 

The route is lovely and was enhanced by glorious sunshine this year.  In the first part of the race above Askwith, I found myself running in a small group of four. I always seemed to be last through the (numerous) gates.  I slotted diligently into my role as the gate shutter.  This meant I was always trying to catch them up after every gate.  Eventually I dropped off the back.  But this just slowed me down more as I had to open and shut the gates on my own.  For a long stretch in the middle, I saw no other runner. I knew I was going the right way and deluded myself that everyone else must have got lost in the back lanes of Burley or the myriad of paths over the Otley Chevin. Eventually another small group overtook me.  I tried forlornly to keep up with them but I kept having to shut more gates.  As my legs tired, I discovered the 20 mile route is in fact about 21.5 miles long.  I suppose this gives you more for your money… The race finishes in a large old church hall with food and cakes, cups of tea and yummy little tubs of Wotsits.   I have now designated these as my favourite post-race recovery food.  But I still feel exhausted, making me in awe of those who braved the 34 mile race.  I hope there were some Wotsits left when they finished.  If not, I owe each of them an apology and a huge tub full!

Results

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 9 Mar 2026

Mon 9 Mar 2026

From Jill Ezard and Nicola Budding…

Yorkshire Team Bronze for Harrier at UKA Inter-Counties Championships

Tough muddy conditions were the order of the weekend as several Harriers tackled fell and cross country courses in the Lakes and East Midlands. On Saturday, one of our younger athletes, Matilda Irvine, represented Yorkshire in the 100^th UKA Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships. She headed to Wollaton Park in Nottingham to take on the 6k, two-lap course as part of the U20 women’s team. Matilda completed the course in 26:18 helping the Yorkshire team to take Bronze position in the U20 women’s event.   A huge well done to Matilda.

Equally muddy and a little steeper, a group of thirteen Harriers headed to the remote western Lake District to take part in the Black Combe Fell Race, the second counter in the 2026 English Fell Championships. Perhaps fuelled by the promise of warm pies at the end, there were some great performances across the board on a course where the description is somewhat loose “if you don’t know it very well, all the sides of Black Combe look the same.” Taking on the now annual tussle at the front of the race with Finlay Grant of Dark Peak Dell Runners, Ben Rothery took second place this time in 1:06:12 having pipped Sam Bentham on the downhill who took third place in 1:07:02. Sam’s placing created quite the challenge for the father/son race between the Benthams and the Hamiltons with the former taking the win: Forrest Hamilton completed the race in 1:22:53; James Bentham in 1:42:32; and Bob Hamilton taking fifth place in his age group in 2:00:30. Another of our younger athletes, George Whittlestone completed the race in 12^th place in his age group in 1:41:14.

First over the line for the female Harriers was Kate Archer, continuing her current run of form and completing the race in 1:38:18, finishing eighth in her age category. Alison Weston also had a great race finishing fifth in her age category in 1:52:27. A special mention for Sacha Jones (1:46:55) and Katie Poulter (1:47:01) who both aced the descent, shaving several places off their final results. Well done also to Iain Gibbons (1:35:33), Dave Norris (1:52:19) and Kelly Wilby (1:54:11) for their performances.

There was some action on the roads as well with two Harriers travelling to Cambridge to take part in the half marathon. Described as stunning, the route takes runners through the heart of the city passing several iconic landmarks including King’s, Trinity, Jesus, and St John’s Colleges, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, the Orchard Tea Garden in Grantchester, and the River Cam. Jane McCarthy had a superb race coming over the line in 1:28:16 taking second place in her age category and finishing in the top 100 women, a fantastic achievement in a high quality field of over 6000. Martin O’Halloran finished in 2:01:16 in the top half of his age category.

For our Juniors, it was the traditional end-of-season PECO Cross Country Relays on Sunday at Middleton Park. The trio of Rose Weston, Thomas Bailey and Millie Houlbrook (aka Team Bar Tatters) took on the challenge and finished an excellent sixth Team in the U11 Open Category. Well done team!

With the parkrun challenge in full swing between Baildon Runners, Saltaire Striders, Bingley Harriers and Ilkley Harriers there was a bumper turnout of 44 parkrunners this weekend. The challenge embraces the spirit of parkrun rewarding individual participation and age relevant results. And there were some fantastic age gradings this week: Topping the charts with 86.24% was Geoff Howard; Steve Coy achieved 84.45% at York; Samesh Chotai was at the University of Northampton and claimed first place and an age grading of 81.97%; Diane Kitchen and Nick Kealey were at Roberts Park and got 81.81% and 81.39% respectively; and Sally Malir achieved 80.06% at Lister Park. And the challenge is clearly pushing Harriers to their limits with several achieving PBs in their events, so congratulations to Harry Brooks-Dobson, Andy Shinn, Junior Harrier Lerryn O’Neil, Jacqui Foster, Zoe Murphy, Nathan Coy, Finn Maxwell and Rob Cunningham. Well done to everyone who took part in an event.

Cambridge Half Marathon – Sun 8 Mar 2026

Sun 8 Mar 2026

From Jane McCarthy…

2026 was the 15th edition (and my second attempt- DNF last year) of the Cambridge Half Marathon, now with 15,000 entrants it is a huge but well organised event. It attracts some elites, with three finishing the race in 64 minutes and the first female in 72 minutes.

One of the selling points is that the route takes runners through 3 historic colleges which are not normally open to the public. But with so many runners it is a bit congested and I spent more time watching my feet than enjoying the views. It is a fast flat’ish course, just a gentle incline between miles 7 and 9, and wonderful support all along the route. The final 1km felt like a lot of hard work as you reach the City centre and are then sent round a slightly convoluted loop to make the distance. The atmosphere in Cambridge is fantastic and as part of a weekend away I would highly recommend it. I only saw one other Harrier on the results, well done to Martin O’Halloran, narrowly missing the 2hr mark.

1. James Teagle 1:04:15

1046. Jane McCarthy 1:28:16 2nd FV50

7948. Martin O’Halloran 2:01:16

14,099 finishers

Black Combe Fell Race – Sat 7 Mar 2026

Sat 7 Mar 2026

From Forrest Hamilton…

Black Combe just kind of sounds like a daunting race. That’s before even looking at the website and the promise of foul weather coming in from the sea (this report from my Dad’s last attempt at the race in 2012 describes ice pellets coming from nowhere). That being said, it was quite impressive that thirteen Harriers made the trip to the remote western Lake District to take part in the second English Fell Championship counter of the season.

We were incredibly lucky that the weather only got better as we went further west and by the time of the start many of the locals were remarking it was the first time they’d done the race when they could see the top! For the navigationally challenged amongst us *sheepishly raises hand* this was quite the relief.

I imagine it was even better news for Ben Rothery and Sam Bentham, who only had Ben’s Championship frenemis Finlay Grant to follow up to the first summit. Cresting the first part of the climb where you could see the whole field ahead, the leaders were so far in front I couldn’t even make out the vests. As it turned out, Finlay had already opened up a gap to the rest of the field and would end up breaking Ian Holmes’ 29 year old course record by one and a half minutes. A stunning result.

Meanwhile, I was desperately clinging on to the 2026 – V60 – Ian Holmes, who still looks like he was sculpted in a lab to run on the fells. Indeed, on the steep rough stuff, I was left for dead.

Ben and Sam were engaged in a tussle at the front, never more than a few seconds apart, until Ben surged ahead before the final checkpoint and opened up a bigger gap on the final, helter skelter descent to the finish. 

A brilliant result for Ilkley with 2nd and 3rd place! Sam’s first English Championship podium (I think?) capping off a brilliant week.

Behind them, I was very happy to finish 72nd, holding off some hard charging Ambleside vests on the final descent.

James Bentham came home in 1.42.30 to confirm the Bentham’s (2.49.34) annihilation of the Hamilton’s (3.23.23) in the father-son duo competition. Perhaps I will work out a handicap system for next time to take into account age and Sam’s, frankly unfair, talent.

A strong contingent of Ilkley ladies placed very well, with Kate Archer continuing her seemingly never ending good form by leading the way in 28th overall and 8th F45

Alison Weston had another fantastic English Championship result with 5th F60, making a mockery of my Dad’s pre-race plan to ‘use her as a marker’. I hope he had a back up plan because his marker was out of sight by the crest of the first hill.

Bob Hamilton had a great race regardless, coming in just over two hours as 5th V70. Having been bullied by yours truly into doing the Championships, I was pleased to see that he was in good spirits and apportioned no blame my way. Although I have it on good authority his knees this morning are extremely grateful the V70’s have no requirement to complete an AL.

Results

1 – Finlay Grant (1.03.49)

2 – Ben Rothery

3 – Sam Bentham

64 (F1) – Caroline Lambert (1.21.16)

72 – Forrest Hamilton

175 – Iain Gibbons

198 – Kate Archer

222 – George Whittlestone

228 – James Bentham

271 – Sacha Jones

274 – Katie Poulter

313 – Dave Norris

316 – Alison Weston

325 – Kelly Wilby

361 – Bob Hamilton

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 2 Mar 2026

Mon 2 Mar 2026

From Nigel Illingworth and Nicola Budding…

Photo credit Woodentops

Bentham Leads the Way as Harriers Dominate Ilkley Moor and Beyond

Sunday saw the Ilkley Harriers host the Ilkley Moor Fell Race. The senior race was a sell-out and preceded by the popular junior races. As always, the race organisers were supported by an army of enthusiastic volunteers. Despite muddy and windy conditions, 259 runners – including 38 Harriers – finished the challenging course.

First over the line was Sam Bentham (37:14), with Tom Bell (38:48) from North Leeds Fell Runners in second, and Jack Cummings third overall and first MSEN (38:57). Alexander Wolfenden took fourth overall and second MU20 (39:51) and Forrest Hamilton ninth male and fifth MSEN (42:56).

First female was Ellen Crombie (42:43) from Carnethy Hill Racing Club, followed by Ruth Sinclair (49:12) from Nidd Valley Road Runners, and Jenny Lea (50:10) from North Leeds Fell Runners.

Within the female categories, Kate Archer claimed sixth overall and first FV45 (52:28), Alison Weston first FV60 (1:01:29), Kate Prior fifth FV40 (59:06), Sacha Jones third FV40 (57:26) and Kelly Wilby second FV45 (1:01:16).

Harriers claimed many top five placings across the male categories. Gawain Moore first MV45 (45:08), Nick Kealey first MV50 (47:33), Oscar Shinn second MU18 (45:31), Matthew Kennedy third MV50 (49:31) and Richard Joel fourth MV55 (54:21).

Harriers also took the men’s team prize with Wharfedale Harriers second, and North Leeds Fell Runners third. Ladies team prize went to North Leeds Fell Runners, with Harriers second and Nidd Valley Road Runners third.

Before the senior race, an incredible 179 Junior Harriers competed in the junior races with top ten finishes by Leo Freer (first BU12); Joseph Bentham (first BU18); Archie Hallworth (second BU10); Milena Morgan (second), Alice Gardner and Heather Crolla in GU16; Michael Moore (third) and Henry Hirst in BU14; and Isobel Moore, Millie Houlbrook and Lerryn O’Neill in GU12.

Elsewhere, two top-performing Harriers made the trip over the Pennines for the Trafford 10k, a popular race with over a thousand finishers. Despite windy conditions, both achieved great new PBs. Christos Tzelis finished 23^rd (30:18) and Ed Hobbs was 32^nd (30:36).

Back in West Yorkshire, Sally Armitage returned for her third Liversedge Half Marathon, a hilly road race around rural Kirklees, claiming 2^nd female (1:28:25), ahead of Michael Ho (2:01:32).

Jaysson Sawyer ran the Muddy Boots 10k around the Ripon countryside, taking third place and second MV40 (41:18).

Earlier in the week, the Even Splits Leeds 5k took place at the University of Leeds Brownlee Centre. Harry Sime took first MV60 (20:27), Ash Winter fourth MV45 (20:31) and Jonathan Turner fifth MV55 (19:35).

Four Harriers travelled for the Middlesbrough Half Marathon. From a field of over 3,500, all secured high finish positions. Edwyn Oliver-Evans took 37^th (1:16:09), Harry Brook-Dobson 72^nd (1:18:45), Ellie Middlemass 63^rd senior female (1:40:07) and Lucy Lowe 42^nd FV40 (1:56:15).

Charles Wain headed to Dufton in the North Pennines for the High Cup Nick Fell Race – a challenging 15k route – finishing 89^th (1:25:15).

Back across the Pennines, Joshua Harris (50:30) and Kathryn Harris (1:17:40) ran the St Helens 10K.

Iain Spence (3:14:56) completed the Tibthorpe Loop half marathon, an undulating, but not technical, trail half marathon through the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds.

This week saw the start of the popular parkrun League, expanded this year to include Bingley Harriers as well as Ilkley Harriers, Baildon Runners and Saltaire Striders.

Samesh Chotai finished first at Babbs Mill (16:50).

Heidi Hoad finished first female with a PB at Ilkley’s own East Holmes Field (24:52), with Oscar Smyth third (20:04) and Nicola Budding with a PB for fourth female (27:43).

Finn Maxwell finished second with a PB at Lister Park (19:04), with Harry Brook-Dobson tenth (20:06) and Sally Malir 14^th female and 80.3% age grade (24:09).

More outstanding age grades at Roberts Park where 84.1% secured Jane McCarthy second female (20:26), and 82.2% for Diane Kitchen (25:49).

Hilda Coulsey was at Portrush with an age grade of 83.3% (28:07), and Geoff Howard was at York with an age grade of 81.2% (26:32).

Two notable Juniors this week, with Lily Singleton (28:41) at Lister Park and Daisy Lowe at East Holmes Field (28:35).

Liversedge Half Marathon – Sun 1 Mar 2026

Sun 1 Mar 2026

From Sally Armitage…

Yesterday was my third run of the hilly Liversedge half marathon, part of the Roberttown Run Fest, organised by Roberttown Road Runners. A great, fairly low key, well managed road race around the rural areas of Kirklees. 

Last year they changed the course slightly, although the elevation profile was similar it felt a whole world harder yesterday. I had over-carbed the day before and topped up further with abundance yesterday morning, a mistake that someone with a PGDip in Sports Nutrition shouldn’t be making! I felt heavy, sluggish and like I was running with a full Christmas dinner in my belly, which, when running downhill at speed, was incredibly uncomfortable. Despite my disastrous preparation I didn’t run too badly, I just wish I’d been able to enjoy it a bit more. 

The race started, as usual, with a rapid downhill first kilometre followed by long inclines between 4-9kms and again between 12-16kms. The most torturous being the ’mad mile’ at around the 14km mark, a dead straight 1 mile incline up the past Willow Valley golf club. Perhaps most painful from a visual perspective as you can see the top from the bottom and it never gets any closer! The final incline is the last kilometre back up to the Commonside, I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful to see a finish line. 

Results

1st male Joe Sagar Leeds AC 1:11:21

1st female Rebecca Howell Todmorden Harriers 1:25:48

24th (2nd female) Sally Armitage Ilkley Harriers 1:28:25

220th Michael Ho 2:01:32

327 ran 

Trafford 10k – Sun 1 Mar 2026

Sun 1 Mar 2026

From Neil Chapman…

Photo credit Run North West

Two of our Harriers made the trip over the Pennines to take part in the Trafford 10k, a popular race which attracts many top runners. With over a thousand finishers; such is the quality that 15 runners finished sub 30 minutes. 

Not the best day, with windy conditions, both had outstanding runs and achieved great new PBs, finishing only a few seconds apart. First Harrier back was Christos Tzelis finishing 23rd in 30:18, but hot on his heels was Ed Hobbs, finishing 32nd in 30:36. Two top runs from young Harriers who are in great form. Well done to both you guys.

High Cup Nick Fell Race – Sat 28 Feb 2026

Sat 28 Feb 2026

From Charles Wain…

On Saturday I headed to Dufton in the North Pennines for the INOV8 High Cup Nick Fell Race — a classic 15 km (9.3-mile) outing that packs a lot into a relatively short distance.

The race heads quickly out of the village before climbing north towards the Nick. After that early sting in the legs, the route rolls across classic Pennine terrain: boggy, grassy, and often awkwardly sloping underfoot. A brief drop leads to a stream crossing, and then comes the long grind up the valley bottom — seemingly endless and shoe-sucking in places. 

With no respite we then negotiate a boulder-field scramble and steep, hands-on-rock climb to gain the top of the Nick. From there, though, it’s pure reward: a brilliantly runnable 6 km descent on the Pennine Way, fast and flowing all the way back to the village green.

With kind weather it made for a cracking day out. Definitely one to put in the diary — particularly if you’re volunteering at the Ilkley Moor Fell Race on the Sunday and still fancy getting a race in that weekend.

Top 3 Results

Men

Ricky Lightfoot (Ellenborough AC) – 1:02:24

Mark Lamb (Keswick AC) – 1:02:27

Sam Holding (Keswick AC) – 1:02:51

Women

Kate Maltby (Black Combe Runners) – 1:16:13

Tanya Raab (Keswick AC) – 1:21:20

Joanne Mosley (Pennine Fell Runners) – 1:21:37

I finished 89th in 1:25:15 and was grateful for the soup and cake in the village hall at the end. 

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 23 Feb 2026

Mon 23 Feb 2026

From Luke Watkeys and Nicola Budding…

Photo credit Jann Smith

National Cross Country and Fell Championships: A Great Weekend for the Harriers

The National Cross Country Championships 2026 were held on Saturday, 21 February, in Hardwick East Park, Sedgefield. This marked the first time the championships had been staged in North East England since 2013. The course was undulating, with the ground soft underfoot and only a few challenging, muddy sections. Despite a chilly wind, conditions were ideal for the three Harriers who took on the challenge. Beth Rogers participated in the Junior Women’s race, covering 6.1 km (3.8 miles), finishing a fantastic 18^th out of 107 in 21:26. Alison Bennett completed the Senior Women’s race, an 8.3km (5.2 miles) course, finishing 451^st out of a field of 532 in 48:49. Dan McKeown ran the Senior Men’s race, a 12.4km (7.7 miles) route, coming 344^th out of a field of 1046 in a time of 47:46.

Also on Saturday, the Doctors Gate Fell Race marked the start of the English Fell Championship season. Starting and finishing at the Queen’s Arms in Old Glossop, this 20.4 km (12.7 miles) route with 914m (nearly 3000 ft) of ascent saw a thrilling battle at the front. Picking up last year’s rivalry, our own Ben Rothery was neck-and-neck with Dark Peak’s Finlay Grant throughout, with Finlay just edging the win and beating the previous course record of 1:40:59. Ben took a superb second place, only four seconds behind, in 1:30:49. Sam Bentham secured eighth place (1:37:53), while Kate Archer and Jane McCarthy were the first females home for the club in a fantastic 2:19:05 (27^th) and 2:19:07 (28^th) respectively. Jane also claimed an impressive third in her age category.

In parkrun news, Samesh Chotai continued his successful parkrun tour, coming first at Cannon Hill in Birmingham (16:25). Stephen and Gaenor Coy headed to the coast for the Fleetwood Promenade parkrun, finishing in 18:32 (fourth) and 26:20 (60^th and ninth gender category) respectively. Daisy Lowe travelled the furthest this week, taking on the Hackney Marshes parkrun, where she finished the course in 29:17 and first in her age category JW11-14. 

Closer to home, John and Sarah Hayes represented the club at Cliffe Castle, finishing in 21:50 (second) and 30:17 (48^th and 12^th gender category). Lerryn O’Neill, running in her first-ever parkrun, also ran Cliffe Castle, finishing in 25:24, 11th overall and first female finisher, which is amazing considering her age category is JW10. Ethan Pickwoad travelled across to Skipton parkrun, where he finished in 15th position with a time of 21:47 and first in his age category JM11-14. Milena Morgan, who obviously enjoyed the mud so much at Roundhay Park PECO last week, decided to take on an even muddier Chevin Forest Parkrun, completing the course in an extremely speedy 22:10; not only securing 11th place overall but also first female finisher. 

Lastly, on home soil at East Holmes Field parkrun, six Harriers ran out of 111 parkrunners, with Deborah Nicholson, the first Harrier home, in a time of 27:51 (tenth gender category).

English National XC Championships – Sat 21 Feb 2026

Sat 21 Feb 2026

From Alison Bennett…

Photo credit Andrew Bennett

A few Ilkley Harriers made the trip to Sedgefield to take part in the English National Cross Country event. The course was undulating and the ground soft underfoot with only a couple of challenging short muddy sections. The weather stayed fine with a slightly chilly wind, but these were ideal conditions for running and spectating. Although this annual event attracts elite athletes it is open to all club members. It’s a great event to put in the diary.

Junior Women 6.1 Km

1 Rebecca Flaherty 21:26

18 Beth Rogers 23:10    107 Ran

Senior Women 8.3 Km

1   Lucy Jones 28:54

450 Alison Bennett 48:49  531 Ran

Senior Men 12.4 Km

1   Hugo Milner  37:07

344 Dan McKeown 47:46  1046 Ran

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 16 Feb 2026

Mon 16 Feb 2026

From Caroline Howe and Nicola Budding…

Dan Paterson and Sarah Marsden celebrate completing the Seville Marathon

As the never-ending rain continued to fall in the UK, two Harriers decided they needed a break from the gloomy weather and ventured to the sunshine of Spain for the Seville Marathon.

The long-standing race, first held in 1985, attracted a record 17,000 competitors this year. Renowned as the flattest marathon course in Europe and sixth fastest marathon course in the world, it’s a favourite for PB-chasers. Dan Paterson and Sarah Marsden took full advantage of the ideal conditions, coming away with not only a welcome boost of vitamin D, but also two excellent results: Dan with a new PB of 3:28:16, and Sarah not far off her PB in 3:39:12 – congratulations to both!

Back in Yorkshire, the fifth instalment of this year’s PECO cross country series at Roundhay Park saw extremely muddy conditions following an overnight blast of snow. Nonetheless, a contingent of hardy Harriers took on the challenge, including several junior Harriers.

In the senior ladies’ race, Emma Moore was first Harrier home in 44:32, followed by Lucy Lowe in 46:43, Diane Kitchen who was third F65 in 47:58, and Sarah Lambert in 1:02:33. Ten Harriers lined up in the senior men’s race, with Gawain Moore producing an impressive run to finish third M45 in 31:08. He was followed by Harry Brook-Dobson (31:51) and Steven Gott (33:32).

The juniors also shone. In the 1-mile race, Isobel Moore, Maisie Dyson and Millie Houlbrook all finished in the top ten out of 86, clocking 7:52, 8:12 and 8:13 respectively. Milena Morgan meanwhile was eighth out of 72 in the 2-mile race in 14:02. Outstanding performances all round.

There was more junior success at Hoppit’s Hill Fell Race, this year’s 2026 Yorkshire Junior U14, U16, U18 and U20 Fell Running Championships in Mirfield. The U14s faced a short but steep 3km course with a 170-metre climb whilst the U16, U18 and U20 athletes tackled a 4.85 km route with a climb of 210 metres, combining distance, elevation and an element of true determination. 

There were several impressive performances, including Oscar Shinn, third, and George Whittlestone, fifth, in the MU20 race; Joseph Bentham, fourth, and Ollie Holder, seventh, in the BU18 race; Heidi Frank, seventh in the GU16 race; and Olly Brooks, 13^th in the BU14 race. These are tough races requiring strength and stamina – so well done to all of you.

Two Harriers took on the 5km senior race, with Rachel Carter finishing with a great result of first in the F50 category in 29:37, and Rachel Holder finishing in 36:47.

In parkruns this weekend, Samesh Chotai continued his fine form coming in third at Edgbaston Reservoir in 16:29. Steve Coy was fourth at Millfield in 18:51 with a very impressive 80% age grading. Oscar Smyth was seventh male at Belton House in 19:59. At Sherwood Reserve in New Zealand, Maddie Morris was second female in 22:38. At York Community Woodland, Jaysson Sawyer was ninth male in 18:50.

Another packed week of brilliant running… congratulations to all who represented the club near and far!

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 9 Feb 2026

Mon 9 Feb 2026

From Peter Shelley…

Photo credit Steve Davey

Harriers’ endurance and fell runners prevail over acres of mud

Harriers double-tied their shoelaces and ran through floods, bogs, swamps and clag as the UK experienced the longest unbroken spell of rainy days since 1908. Undeterred, they headed for the hills in substantial numbers and for substantial periods to test their offroad skills, navigation, waterproofs and shoe selection.  

Rombalds Stride was a popular choice for runners in search of an early-season distance challenge. Extended bogs, spontaneous streams and slick mud awaited them on the 35km route which includes an ascent of Baildon Moor, traverse of Rombalds Moor and a final punishing climb of the Chevin before a run down into Guiseley. Oli Murphy made light work of the conditions to win by 10 minutes, taking two minutes off his 2024 winning time to reach the line in 2:36:43. Forrest Hamilton took a full half hour off his 2025 time to take a highly creditable 4^th place for the Harriers in 2:53:42. John Hayes finished 45^th and third MV55 in an impressive 3:44:57.  Andrew Marshall took 52^nd place, Ash Winter 64^th and Steve Ladhams 65^th. Jann Smith ran a strong race to finish first lady Harrier, 9^th lady and 1^st FV50 overall. Emma Sheppard was close behind Jann, 10^th lady and second FV45. Among the 401 participants who stayed sufficiently upright and moving to make the finish were 26 Harriers in total split evenly between female and male. Their reward was pie and rice pudding on arrival at St. Oswald’s Primary School in Guiseley.  

Not prepared to rest on their laurels following recognition at the Ilkley Harriers awards night last week, ultra specialists Petra Bijsterveld and Ritchie Williamson were back in action, Petra taking on the Lady Anne’s Way Ultra and Ritchie the Pendle Way in a Day. Following much of the Lady Anne’s Way long distance hiking path, inspired by Lady Anne Clifford, prolific restorer of castles in the area, the ultra race started at Skipton Castle and headed north 75 miles through Wharfedale, Wensleydale and the upper Eden Valley to finish at Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria. Starting on Saturday at 9am, Petra experienced poor visibility, mud and the many other varied effects of precipitation on the English fells. Persisting as many other competitors abandoned, Petra reached the finish just after midday on Sunday securing an excellent 25^th place overall, 7^th lady and 2^nd FV60.

Following a long-distance hiking route further south in Lancashire, Ritchie covered 45 miles to complete Pendle Way in a Day. The route featured 2,000m of ascent including the 560m summit of Pendle Hill, tackled at the very end. Ritchie finished 19^th overall and 2^nd MV50 in 9:07:39. Hats off to Petra and Ritchie for such tremendous feats of endurance, navigation and balance!

Race five of the Kong Winter Series took place at Clough Head in Cumbria with a 7km route climbing 560m of the northern and steepest elevation of Clough Head from Threlkeld Cricket Club.  Third place was enough to secure Sam Bentham the overall series title, adding to his growing fell running accolades. Father James Bentham finished in 89^th place of 160.

In Saturday’s parkruns, junior Harrier James Lee ran a very quick 19:20 to 2^nd place at the Chevin with Oscar Shinn 4^th in 19:52. Steve Coy ran 19:29 in Barnsley, while Harry Brook-Dobson ran 19:04 at Black Park. Nina Pearce was third lady in 20:21 at Burgess, James Horrex 2^nd at Cliffe Castle in 20:02. Dylan Shinn ran 21:16 at Gloucester City. Bob Hamilton went furthest afield to run 25:26 and finish 1^st MV65-69 at Wanaka in New Zealand.

The Fountains Abbey Trail runs and Wharfedale Harriers’ Runners and Riders events took place the week before last. As results were not available when we went to press last week, they are covered here. Three Ilkley Harriers competed in the half marathon, the longest of three scenic routes on offer at Fountains Abbey. Lucy Lowe finished 139^th, Heidi Hoad 140^th and Rumana Chowdhury 211^th. The route was (no surprise) muddy, but enlivened by snowdrops, sunshine and deer.

Runners and Riders pitted fell runners against cyclists on a 7.5km offroad route with 270m of elevation. Devised by fell runner and cyclist Ted Mason seven years ago and held on his farmland near Appletreewick, the race has not yet seen a runner win, although competition with the cyclist is always close. Conditions were (yes – all together now!) muddy, which notionally favoured the runners, obliging the cyclists to push or carry their bikes at times. The non-technical descents, however, particularly across the pasture into the finish, handed the advantage to the cyclists. Even the 2024 winner on a bike Tom Bell, who enjoys regular running success and was this year competing on foot, could not hold off Hope Factory racing’s David Mirfield who peddled to victory in 29:20.

First Harrier was back Gawain Moore in 31^st place with a time of 39:17. Paul Carman rode to 36^th. Mike Burdon ran to 54^th, George Whittlestone to 87^th, John Marsham to 97^th and Katie Poulter to 103^rd. 193 competed, of which 23 were cyclists.

Pendle Way in a Day – Sat 7 Feb 2026

Sat 7 Feb 2026

From Ritchie Williamson…

Pendle Way in a Day is a winter ultra in east Lancashire which follows the full circular of the Pendle Way of approximately 45 miles (6,600ft) and covers the trails and moorland of the South Pennines. Starting and finishing from Barley Village Hall in Barley, Pendle. Having deferred my entry from last year due to a hamstring injury, I had used up all my hamstring excuses (and also hamstrings to injure, although it turns out you can just repeatedly injure the same one) and headed out to Barley early Saturday morning. There are a few flavours to this race, the 45-mile version and a 30-mile version, both can be entered as either a run or a walk. The 45-mile walkers start at 07:00 am, the 45-mile runners start at 08:00 am and the 30-mile walkers and runners start at 10:00 am.  I took the 45-mile option.

The start of the route takes you through farmland and fields to the village of Barrowford and the Pendle Heritage Centre. The omens at this point were not good, the fields were soddened and spongy and while still runnable, it was hard going and on sloping ground slippy. Once through Barrowford the trail takes you along the riverside to Blacko through Weets Hill to get to Barnoldswick, after this there is a nice (approx. 2 mile) stretch along the Leeds Liverpool canal before heading through more fields, though the cemetery at the Church of St Mary le Ghyll up to and through Earby and the first CP (Earby YHA, 16v miles). The first 16 miles were the easiest/most runnable of the day, from this point on it was mostly mud, miles and miles of mud.

After CP1 the route takes you through Kelbrook to CP2 at Laneshawbridge (22.5 miles). From CP2 you follow a path along Wycoller Beck to join Ferndean Way and along the foothills of Boulsworth through Coldwell and onto CP3 at Southfield (30 miles). After some welcome toast and butter, it was more farmland and fields to Higham and plenty of tarmac (about 4 miles) to CP4 at Newchurch (37 miles). The last stretch takes you on a steady climb through some fields and moor land to Newchurch-in-Pendle before starting the ascent of Pendle Hill. It was on the path along-side Fell Wood as I headed down towards Ogden Clough that I thought my race was ran. Running to the edge of the path I hit a patch of mud and sank thigh deep into it. It took some effort to extract myself as there were no hand holds to try and pull myself out with. The only option being to lay backwards into yet more mud and try to get some purchase.

After a graceless extraction all that remained was the final ascent to Pendle trig and a relatively easy run back down to Barley. I had planned to run it quicker, but weak hams and conditions had other ideas. Plan B was to finish before needing to get the headtorch out, I achieved plan B (just). I arrived at the finish in 9hrs and 6 mins, finishing 19^th overall (144 starters,129 finishers) and 2^nd MV50.

Overhead conditions were not as bad as expected, mostly drizzle with the heavy rain only beginning as I entered Barley. Underfoot was worse than expected. I had been warned of the possibility of mud from fellow Harrier Martin Hartley who ran it the previous year. The organisers also promised mud. I wore mudclaws, and even in these it was hard to get good purchase places. There are also quite a few sections of tarmac, and more styles and gates per mile than most races. Simply put, if you were not on tarmac, you started to sink. The checkpoints are well stocked with the usual crisps/cakes/snacks, CP4 is inside and has some hot drink options, whisky and hotdogs, and there is a choice of hot meals at the finish in Barley Village Hall. Overall it was a great event, glad to have done it, glad to have finished it, glad to not go back.

Results

Lady Anne’s Way 75 – Sat 7 Feb 2026

Sat 7 Feb 2026

From Petra Bijsterveld…

Photo credit Anna Jebson

Lady Anne’s Way (LAW) is a waymarked long distance walking trail from Skipton to Penrith. Lady Anne Clifford was born in 1589 in Skipton Castle. After her father died in 1605, as the only surviving child she spent much of her long life in a protracted and complex legal battle to obtain the rights of her inheritance, which included the great castles of Skipton, Pendragon, Brough and Appleby. She regained the estate in 1643, and set out to restore her properties when the Civil War ended in 1649, when she was 60 years old. She died in 1676. You can read about her fascinating history here.

NAV4 organises a 75 mile (8500 ft) race along the route, starting from Skipton Castle passing Barden Tower, Grassington, Kettlewell, Buckden, Askrigg, Pendragon Castle, Kirkby Stephen and Brough Castle, with the finish in Appleby. There has been a race in the past covering the full 100 miles to Penrith, but the final 25 miles contain a lot of road for not much added value in terms of scenery (or so I am told) so this section has been removed. There are a few stretches where the race route deviates from LAW and travels along the Pennine Journey.

The seemingly incessant rain since the start of this year had already prepared the ground for the mudfest that was awaiting us. Heavy downpours in the preceding week as well as fairly consistent rain from mid-afternoon on race day until the next morning just completed the quagmire. It was very difficult going underfoot and this slowed many of us down considerably, with many runners slipping and falling multiple times, though the winner (Derek Fuller) seemed to have had few problems getting round in an astounding 15:42.

I had managed to recce the second half of the route, which definitely helped a great deal when it came to the race. I had not been able to recce the section over Stake Moss (the guide book calls it ‘bleak and inhospitable’, though it praises the views of Addlebrough), between Cray and Askrigg. Darkness fell once I started the climb up, there was thick fog, fairly heavy rain, and visibility was limited to a small circle of light in front of my feet. Lighting up the mud….Gates appeared out of nowhere when I was almost upon them already. Navigation was doable but needed concentration, especially as I was on my own. It is a byway for many miles and as such it reminded me of trudging along the Cam High Road during a similar night on the Spine Challenger South. I tried to count my blessings, e.g. there was mainly a tail wind, it could have been even colder, it could have been icy underfoot (though there were still small patches of snow up there). After what felt like a thousand hours and finally a stupid navigation error on a patch of moorland which had me temporarily go round in circles I managed to regain the road and the village of Worton (near Askrigg), which had a heaven sent bus shelter where I could reset and put another layer on. After Worton I had recced everything which was a relief. From here on I was sliding over familiar rather than unfamiliar mud as it were.

The night was very long, daylight came just after I left the third checkpoint at Winton (north of Kirkby Stephen) at 7 in the morning. There was no stunning sunrise, but I enjoyed the crowing of a cock and singing of the birds. And it finally stopped raining! Only 15 miles to go from there but I knew that would take me a depressing 5 hours. My legs and back were very tired and sore (in large part probably caused by so many hours of trying to stay upright on the mud) so even on stretches of road I was not able to really run anymore, and if I did manage a jog the pace was depressingly similar to hiking speed. I got through it by enjoying the landscape, it really is very nice up in the Eden Valley, and by feeling pleased that I now sailed through bits my friend and I had floundered on during the recce, the effort had paid off!

I had expected to take no more than 25 hours, but that dream was abandoned somewhere on the moors in the night. It didn’t really matter anyway, and with a generous cut-off of 30 hours there were oodles of time. I arrived in Appleby in 27:11. Of the 53 runners who started the race 22 retired and only 31 finished.

Whilst the underfoot and overhead conditions did not make this the most fun race I have ever done, in terms of being looked after it was right up there with the best, and I would therefore recommend it (and the other NAV4 races) to all. There were three indoor checkpoints in village halls (Kettlewell, Askrigg and Winton) with lots of food, drink, warmth, toilets, and volunteers who could not do enough for you. There were a further seven vehicle checkpoints along the route, supplying water and a friendly word of encouragement from a marshal. Lovely other runners, met some old friends, made some new. I ran with others for some sections, but was on my own for much of the race, all good. The finish venue at the Appleby Hub was exceptional, and again wonderful food was supplied by NAV4. I had a rest there before hopping back home on the train (Appleby is on the Settle Carlisle line) with a bunch of other finishers. It is a race I would do again. And if you don’t fancy running 75 miles in one go I would still recommend the route as a multi-day hike or fast pack.

Results

Rombald’s Stride – Sat 7 Feb 2026

Sat 7 Feb 2026

From Ash Winter…

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the weather has been pretty indifferent of late. Quite a lot of rain for an unusual number of days in a row. Misty too, lots of gloom around. The perfect conditions then for the Rombalds Stride, a 20-odd mile trail race and walk around Guiseley, Baildon, Ilkley, Menston and surrounds. I was a first timer, but had been admirably assisted and joined on recce runs by Colm McCann and Simon Jenkins. Jeremy Greenwood contributed a lot to the learning as well, with his uncanny knowledge of the route, which he happily shared with the group.

Colm, Simon, Paul Disney and myself trundled over to Guiseley on the train in nervous anticipation. Race HQ was busy with over 400 runners and walkers, as a league counter, the race was packed with Harriers. Catching up with some and saying hello to others but leaving them to their race prep. It’s no joke this one, distance, elevation, navigation, fuelling, mud, rain, mist all contributing to quite an adventure.

Onto the race. I had no expectations time-wise, but 4 hours seemed like a decent aim. I figured if I got to the top of the Chevin and sub 4 hours was still on, I’d thunder down the hill, like the Chevin Chase all over again.

The start had chaotic good vibes, walkers, runners all off together. Everyone was very gentle though, no elbows out getting ahead manoeuvres, all aware there was plenty of distance left to cover. Esholt Woods navigated, I headed to the Bucket Drop. My first faux pas of the day, I tied my token to the clip card, meaning a couple of minutes to retrieve it. Special thanks for Adam Gerrish for shouting ‘schoolboy error’ as he went past me.

We began the climb up to the Baildon Trig point, a classic Peter Roll Just Grind It Out™ sort of climb. After that though, there was a lovely slippery descent. To my surprise I kept my feet and made it to the Glen Road stretch, leading to a lovely bit of Otley Road, whose volume of SUV’s had me looking forward to the mud again. 

From here, it was extremely boggy and familiar. I splashed across Burley Moor, joined the path to Dick Hudsons and onto the paving slabs at the Twelve Apostles. This was my first encounter with Jann Smith, who I rumbled past on the way to the Whetstone Gate checkpoint. I chose the dropdown to Cowpers Cross and I stumbled across Steve Newell and Emma Sheppard, who had become emotional support creatures to each other. We happily ran together through familiar territory, until Rocky Valley when I was ready to push on. The companionship was most welcome though.

Dropping down off the moor at Burley Woodhead, Jann Smith was ahead of me again, showing superior navigational and bog running skills. After getting a cheer from Jean though, I kicked on again and began navigating the twists and turns of the Menston section. After being warned about the small ginnel that was easy to miss, I missed it anyway but only by 10 meters or so.

The final climb of West Chevin path beckoned, so I found some friends to complain about it with and began to climb. My old nemesis, uneven steps were in full effect. Also, barely walkable mud, but it soon relented into trail you can make progress on. I checked my watch and I had 20 minutes to get finished in less than 4 hours. Managed to not drown on York Gate and galloped down the hill, to a satisfying 3:57 finish.

All Harriers who completed the challenge should be applauded but a few special mentions. Oli Murphy on another win and for being a thoroughly personable chap. Forrest Hamilton on 4th place, improving last year’s time by half an hour. John Hayes was as strong as ever, in really good form at the moment. Lucy Lowe improved last year’s time in far worse conditions showing excellent progress. Colm McCann on his longest ever race, no flat road marathon to ease into distance running for him. Simon Jenkins for his exemplary approach to recce runs and another great performance on the day. Paul Disney for completing the race and then heading out with friends afterwards, proving you can run almost marathon distance and maintain a social life in the same day.

Results

Ilkley Gazette Report w/c 2 Feb 2026

Mon 2 Feb 2026

From Jill Ezard…

Harriers celebrate successes of 2025

It was podium places of a different sort for the Harriers this week as the weekend got off to a flying start with the annual awards ceremony on Friday night. An opportunity to nominate fellow runners for a range of awards, it’s a night to celebrate not just running achievements but also the contributions of the many volunteers that keep the club alive. This year’s winners for Contribution to the Club were Neil Chapman and Helen Waddington, with both dedicating time to running training sessions throughout the year.  There was special recognition for the Learning Disabilities group Run Leaders and thanks to and recognition for the many people who lead the club runs every week.

Running was definitely celebrated though. The award for Male and Female Runners of the Year went to Jack Cummings and Kate Archer, with the Most Improved Runner prizes being scooped by Oli Murphy and Emma Sheppard. At opposite ends of the experience spectrum our Emerging Talent winners were Alexander Wolfenden and Helena Coy, with Ritchie Williamson and Jane McCarthy taking the Over 50s Runner of the Year prizes. Going the distance for the Endurance Runner top spots were Petra Bijsterveld and Ritchie Williamson. Other winners were Forrest Hamilton and Alison Weston (Captains’ Awards), Hattie O’Looney, Jane Bryant and Sue Verspyk (One-Off Contribution to the Club) and Nathan Edmondson and Ben Rothery.

Despite the more social start to the weekend there were some great performances on the road. An impressive 18 Harriers travelled to Dewsbury to take on the annual 10k. A fast and flat out and back course on the ring road, it’s an opportunity to start the year with a Personal Best time or tackle your first run at this distance. Christos Tzelis had an outstanding run and was the first Harrier over the line taking third place in 30:32, closely followed by Jack Cummings in fifth place in 30:35. Several Harriers came in under 40 minutes with Iain Young returning to racing after injury in an impressive 37:58 and Mark Hall taking first place in his age category in 38:20. Marie Watson was the first lady Harrier to finish in 45:39. Well done to everyone that took part. 

And finally, the cancellation of the East Holmes Field event didn’t deter our regular parkrunners, with over 30 turning out on Saturday at home and abroad. There were several top ten finishers: Forrest Hamilton clocking up a Personal Best (PB) at Chevin Forest; Hattie O’Looney at Oldham; Jane McCarthy at Roberts Park; Sam Angus and Maddie Morris at Scarborough; and Steve and Gaenor Coy not resting on their laurels on holiday at the Zuiderpark event in The Netherlands. Other notable achievements included Junior Archie Hallworth achieving a PB at Cliffe Castle, Geoff Howard hitting an age grading of 83.74% and Nicola Budding and Steve Coy both running their 100^th event. Well done to everyone who took part in an event.

Harriers awards / celebration night – Fri 30 Jan 2026

Fri 30 Jan 2026

Congratulations to every single person nominated and many thanks to those who organised what was a great evening.

(winners in CAPITALS and bold)

Male Runner of the Year

Tom Adams, Sam Bentham, Dom Coy, Jack Cummings, Nathan Edmondson, Ed Hobbs, Oli Murphy, Ben Rothery, Matthew Thackwray, Christos Tzelis, Ritchie Williamson

Winner: JACK CUMMINGS

Female Runner of the Year

Kate Archer, Sally Armitage, Petra Bijsterveld, Hilda Coulsey, Jane McCarthy, Alison Weston

Winner: KATE ARCHER

Most Improved Male

Nathan Edmondson, Nick Helliwell, Colm McCann, Oli Murphy, Tony Pye, Matthew Thackwray, Alan Travis, Ash Winter, Alexander Wolfenden

Winner: OLI MURPHY

Most Improved Female

Steph Jenkinson, Lucy Lowe, Shadi Nezhad, Kate Prior, Emma Sheppard, Jacqui Weston, Kirsty Wicks

Winner: EMMA SHEPPARD

Male Endurance Runner

Dom Coy, Matthew Kennedy, Michael Odell, Ben Sheppard, Ritchie Williamson

Winner: RITCHIE WILLIAMSON

Female Endurance Runner

Kate Archer, Petra Bijsterveld, Lynn Donohue

Winner: PETRA BIJSTERVELD

Emerging Male Talent

Harry Brook-Dobson, Samesh Chotai, Oscar Shinn, Matthew Thackwray, George Whittlestone, Ash Winter, Alexander Wolfenden

Winner: ALEXANDER WOLFENDEN

Emerging Female Talent

Helena Coy, Matilda Irvine, Kirsty Wicks

Winner: HELENA COY

Over 50 Male Runner of the Year

Steve Coy, Mark Hall, John Hayes, Matthew Kennedy, Ritchie Williamson, Esmail Zadeh

Winner: RITCHIE WILLIAMSON

Over 50 Female Runner of the Year

Petra Bijsterveld, Hilda Coulsey, Di Kitchen, Jane McCarthy, Jann Smith, Alison Weston

Winner: JANE McCARTHY

CAPTAINS’ AWARDS

Winners: FORREST HAMILTON, ALISON WESTON

Shortlist: Alison Weston, Shaunna Burke, Hilda Coulsey, Forrest Hamilton, Michael Kennedy, Michael Thackwray

Contribution to the Club – Male

Neil Chapman, Nick Kealey, Nick Helliwell, Andrew Overend, Peter Roll, Paul Sugden, Jonathan Turner

Winner: NEIL CHAPMAN

Contribution to the Club – Female

Petra Bijsterveld, Jane Bryant, Jill Ezard, Sarah Hayes, Ruth Jones, Hattie O’Looney, Jo-Ann Pattinson, Jean Sullivan, Caroline Tong, Dawn Turner, Helen Waddington

Winner: HELEN WADDINGTON

One-Off Contribution to the Club

Bernie & Vince Gibbons, Hattie O’Looney – Ilkley Parkrun, Jill Ezard / Pete Shelley (+ Gazette team), Jane Bryant / Sue Verspyk – Lift the Curfew, Kate / Jane / Alison Weston, Di Kitchen, Sarah Lambert, Helen Waddington, Jean Sullivan, Jo-Ann Pattinson, Claire McLoughlin, Caroline Tong / Ruth Jones, John & Sarah Hayes, Andrew Overend, Ali Nash

Winners: HATTIE O’LOONEY, JANE BRYANT & SUE VERSPYK

One-Off Performance

Ritchie Williamson & Michael Odell – BGR

Kate Archer – Fellsman (Dart winner)

Shaunna Burke – Everest Marathon

Ann Kirsten Marsham – Stanza Stones Ultra

Alexander Wolfenden – sub-34min 10K

Nathan Edmondson – Marathon club record

Ben Rothery – Three Peaks

Mark Hall – National rankings (10K, 10 mile, HM)

Hilda Coulsey / Jane McCarthy – Redcar Half Marathon

Winners: NATHAN EDMONDSON, BEN ROTHERY

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR RUN LEADERS

Neil Chapman, Nick Kealey, Peter Roll, Jon Denniss, Ali Nash, Jonathan and Dawn Turner, Andrew Barker, Jayne Norman, Carolyn S, Steph Morris, Sue Verspyk, Jo-Ann Pattinson, Antonio, Becky White, Paul Sugden, Helen Waddington, Iain Young, Caroline Tong

SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO LEARNING DISABILITIES GROUP RUN LEADERS

Caroline Tong, Ruth Jones, John Hayes, Sarah Hayes, Dawn Turner, Scott Armitage, Helen Horton, Jan Jones, Will Worboys

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 26 Jan 2026

Mon 26 Jan 2026

[Ilkley Harrier Gawain Moore negotiating the Peco XC water splash, on his way to a category win. Photo credit: Noel Akers]

From Nigel Illingworth & Nicola Budding…  

Harriers battle wintry conditions to perform on roads, trails and fells

UTMB’s World Series in Europe kicked off over the weekend in Cornwall with The Arc of Attrition races over 100, 50, 25 and 12 miles. Runners contended with high winds, mud, and significant nighttime running on exposed cliff edges. Harriers were represented across all four distances, led by Kate Archer who was tenth female and first in the 45-49W category in the Arc 100 (31:08:59); Ben Rothery secured third (second 20-34M category) in the Arc 25 (2:46:55); Sam Bentham was fourth in the Arc 12 (1:43:36); and Daniel Paterson completed the Arc 50 (13:34:31).

Ilkley Harriers’ Race League continued Sunday at the Meltham “Tough” 10k – famous for its gruelling climbs, fast descents, and challenging January weather in the Pennines. Christos Tzelis took first place (33:21), followed by Oscar Shinn (40:27), Owen Parker (40:38) and Jean Sullivan (55:17) all securing top-ten finishes in their respective categories.

Temple Newsam hosted Sunday’s Peco XC League Race 4. Seniors tackled a 7.5km course that explored every variety of the estate’s terrain, including the famous two-foot-deep water splash. 15 Harriers competed, including Gawain Moore first M45 (29:35), Rachel Carter third F45 (34:56) and junior George Whittlestone (31:00).

Juniors took part in the Year 7-12 race with Michael Moore (9:48), Milena Morgan (10:17) and Ethan Pickwoad (10:31), and the Year 2-6 race with Archie Hallworth (7:16), Thomas Bailey (7:22) and Isobel Moore (7:43).

Saturday’s Tour de Yr Wyddfa was a cold, technical, 43.5km ultramarathon that circled the entire Snowdon massif with over 2,327m of vertical gain. Alison Weston formed half of “The Ancient Alisons” pairs team, finishing as the fourth female team and sixth overall (9:15:48).

The 2026 Northern Athletics Cross Country Championships took place on Saturday at Pontefract Park Racecourse. Edward Hobbs claimed 17th overall (40:37) and Daniel McKeown 11th MV45 (48:36).

Weekly Saturday morning parkruns included many outstanding performances.

Samesh Chotai led the way with a stunning first finish at Isabel Trail (15:56 and 82.7% age grade), James Lee at Chevin Forest (19:17), James Horrex and his dog (19:43), followed by Caroline Howe as first female (26:22) at East Holmes Field. Other top-ten finishers at Ilkley’s own East Holmes Field were Kyle Bethell in second (21:01), Leo Freer in fifth (first JM10) (22:19) and Zoe Donnely tenth female (31:27).

The female top-tens continued with Hattie O’Looney in fifth (with a PB) at Heslington, Maddie Morris in sixth (23:54) (along with Sam Angus in 11th overall (21:22)) at New Zealand’s Wanaka and Sarah Marsden seventh at Heartlands (25:32).

At Lister Park, Jonathan Turner secured tenth (19:54), followed by Geoff Howard with 81% age-grade (26:33).

Harriers Juniors showed us the way at Roberts Park, with Daisy Lowe posting a new PB (27:19), followed by Maxwell Hebbron (28:24).

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 19 Jan 2026

Mon 19 Jan 2026

[The Ilkley senior men’s team who were runners up at the Yorkshire Cross Country Championships – photo credit Steve Coy]

From Luke Watkeys & Nicola Budding…  

Fell Bogs to York Roads: A Busy Week for the Harriers

It was a seven-day period where everything happened at the “business end” of the week. On Saturday the rescheduled Yorkshire Cross Country Championships took place at Lightwater Valley. Snow and ice from a week before had thankfully been replaced by much better conditions for runners – and the Harriers excelled. In the senior men’s race Ed Hobbs was second while fellow youngsters Christos Tzelis, Sam Bentham and Nathan Coy were all in the top 35. Just after them came Dan McKeown and Jaysson Sawyer. And with the team prizes determined by each club’s top six placings, that saw them finish an outstanding second to Leeds City Athletic Club. And a special mention too for Helena Coy who was a superb fifth in the women’s U20 race.

On Sunday, the first fell race of 2026, the Stanbury Splash, took place. Hosted by Wharfedale Harriers and sponsored by Soreen, all participants were treated to a mini malt loaf, while the winners took home the full-sized version. Part of the popular Woodentops series, the 10km route takes runners from Penistone Hill Country Park over to the bogs of Pondon Kirk and back, featuring tough climbs, hair-raising descents and numerous stream crossings.

Ilkley was well-represented at this Harriers league counter, with 17 out of the 190 runners wearing the red and green. Nick Kealey was the first Harrier home, finishing 15th overall in 54:51 and claiming second in his age category. Daniel Ellis followed in 56:08, with junior member George Whittlestone delivering a fantastic performance in the senior field, finishing in 1:00:17 to take 26th place overall. For the ladies, Jann Smith was the first Ilkley finisher in 1:10:49, securing second in her age category. She was followed by Alison Weston in 1:13:25, who took first in her age category, and then Paula Reynier in 1:41:38. John Hayes also delivered a strong performance, coming third in his age category with a time of 1:01:57.

Earlier in the day, the younger Harriers took to the same hills for the Quarry Runs. Siblings James and Lerryn O’Neill braved the elements to tackle the fast and furious course; James competed in the U10 race to finish as seventh boy, while Lerryn secured ninth girl in the U12 category.

Over on the roads, Sunday also saw the running of the Brass Monkey Half Marathon. Starting at York’s Knavesmire, the route winds through Bishopthorpe Road and several picturesque villages. The annual favourite, named after a runner’s comment on the freezing weather during the inaugural 1983 event, started with 23 participants and continues to grow in popularity, with 1660 participants this year. Six Harriers were successful in the competitive entry ballot, with Martin Hartley leading the club home in a fantastic 1:22:15, closely followed by Andrew Marshall in 1:24:30 and Steven Gott in 1:25:02. Hattie O’Looney flew the flag for the Ilkley ladies, finishing in an impressive 1:42:05.

In parkrun news, Samesh Chotai continued his successful parkrun tour, coming first at Rugby in a time of 17:17. while James Horrex secured second place at our home event in East Holmes Field alongside 13 other Harriers. The juniors were equally active on the parkrun circuit. At East Holmes Field, Narae Williamson celebrated a new PB of 29:54, followed closely by Daisy Lowe in 30:18. Maxwell Hebbron made the trip to Roberts Park, completing the course in 27:12, and Adam Disney made a strong debut at Chevin Forest, finishing in sixth place overall with a time of 21:18.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Stanbury Splash – Sun 18 Jan 2026

Sun 18 Jan 2026

From John Hayes…

This is a tough course with some quite tricky climbs and descents. And, of course, quite a lot of splashing! The “Splash” in the title refers, I assume, to the main river crossing which is made twice. On the return leg, the approach to this was made more eventful by a young lad who hurtled past me at high speed before sliding to the ground in dramatic fashion on his knees. “Nice skiing” I remarked as I ran past him, splayed out in the mud. He told me his sport was football. “Nice goal celebration then” I said. It did vaguely resemble that. Some footballers do back flips and slide majestically across the turf, looking cool. Others get their feet tangled up and fall in a twisted heap. His performance was in the latter category. But in true fell runner style he picked himself up and on he went. And we had a laugh about it at the finish.  

All the Harriers survived unscathed I think.

Results

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 12 Jan 2026

Mon 12 Jan 2026

From Caroline Howe & Nicola Budding…  

Jack storms to victory at the Temple Newsam Ten

It didn’t take Jack Cummings long to notch up his first race win of the year, starting 2026 with a bang by storming to victory in the Temple Newsam Ten Mile. Jack led from start to finish and crossed the line in 57:26, two minutes ahead of second place. Braving the icy conditions on the beautiful Temple Newsam estate, Jack was one of four Harriers to take on the on-and-off road race, along with Kay Pearce who finished in 1:22:40, Charlotte Smithson in 2:06:34 and Janet Smith in 2:29:53. Well done to all!

On another country estate in Leeds, Ash Winter, Lucy Lowe and Heidi Hoad took on the Harewood House Trail Half Marathon. The race is organised by Wild Deer Events, with a 5km and 10km option alongside the half marathon. The first couple of miles are mainly downhill, lulling participants into a fast start, before a solid couple of miles of climbing. This pattern continues throughout the race, with a total of 1,300 feet of ascent. Ash was the first Harrier home in 1:46:13, with Lucy and Heidi finishing in quick succession in 2:33:30 and 2:22:32 respectively.

The freezing temperatures and icy paths saw the cancellation of several local parkrun events, including East Holmes Field, Chevin and Roberts Park. Lister Park and Roundhay were popular alternative choices, and further afield, Samesh Chotai continued his fine form finishing Daventry parkrun in second place in 17:27 while Sarah Marsden finished in 10th at Millfield in 24:55. Furthest afield was undoubtedly Sam Angus and Maddie Morris in the contrasting searing heat at the Centennial parkrun in Sydney. The pair are prolific parkrun tourists, having completed parkruns in 74 and 68 locations respectively!

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.

Harewood House Trail Half Marathon 2026 – Sat 10 Jan 2026

Sat 10 Jan 2026

From Ash Winter…

The Harewood House Half (HHH) has always been a favourite of mine, as I never remember to enter the Temple Newsam Ten (TNT) in good time. However, I shouldn’t play down the race itself as a TNT replacement alone, as it’s a decent race in its own right. The Harewood Estate is a lovely place, with excellent trails with plenty of undulations. Hill strength and endurance is the order of the day, with sharp hills to wobble the legs and longer ascents to sap the energy.

The race is organised by Wild Deer Events, with a 5km and 10km option. Usually, club vests are thin on the ground, but Saturday was different with a liberal dose of Otley, Shadwell, Pocklington and even St. Theresa’s (given the TNT the next day). It’s pretty good value though, chip-timed, water stations and the traditional trail half marathon bonus distance (always half a mile longer than an actual half marathon, I’m looking at you Baildon Boundary Way).

I arrived in plenty of time for number retrieval, stretches, drills and 2km warm up, during which I inadvertently strayed into the domain of the 5km finishers. My bad. As I queued up for the start, I bumped into Lucy Lowe and Heidi Hoad, a lovely surprise to see a couple more Harriers. They were aiming for a social run; I was going to see how I felt once I got going. Both Heidi and I had post Valencia marathon legs and all.

Problem with the approach of seeing how I feel is that the first couple of miles are mostly steeply downhill. This led to me feeling amazing and smashing out a spicier than intended start. After that there is a solid couple of miles of climbing to remind you that all descents need to be paid back in full. This pattern continues throughout the race, as you loop back on yourself and vice versa all the ascents and descents. At least you know what’s coming. You end up with a respectable 1,300 feet of climbing when you are done. I passed the 13th mile marker, knowing it was a trick and there was still some distance to go. I rumbled over the finish with a time of 01:46:13, a minute or so faster than last year, so I metaphorically patted myself on the back. My only complaint, last year I saw multiple Highland Cows on the route (like on the trail in front of you), but they were sadly absent on Saturday.

Afterwards, I met northeast running YouTube legend Al Pepper which made me happy. Plus chatted to a few other runners I had battled with on the route. Lucy (02:22:30) took a narrow victory over Heidi (02:22:32) on their social run. I didn’t see them finish, but I would like to think Lucy sprinted for the win in the last 10 metres.

Results

Ilkley Gazette Report – w/c 05 Jan 2026

Mon 5 Jan 2026

[Some of the Harriers at the latest PECO XC at West Park – photo credit Lucy Lowe]

From Peter Shelley & Nicola Budding…  

Harriers start 2026 at speed and navigate to success in a busy week of seasonal racing

Harriers clearly regard racing as part of the Christmas holiday festivity, many competing right up to December 31st, others opening their 2026 account at the earliest opportunity including New Year’s Day.  

Eleven Ilkley Harriers were among the 316 runners who saw 2025 out with a romp across Haworth Moor in the Auld Lang Syne fell race. Samesh Chotai finished a strong 4th and 1st runner under 20. Gawain Moore was 23rd and 3rd MV45 and Steve Gott 37th and 4th MV45. Kate Archer was 63rd and first FV45, Alison Weston first FV60 in 153rd place.

Oscar Shinn made a fast start to 2026, running to an excellent second place in the Silsden New Year’s Day Fun Run.

‘The Drop’ has become something of an early year fixture for Ilkley Harriers keen to rediscover their natural navigator. Taking place in various UK cities based on a 10-mile or 15-mile navigational challenge, the Leeds event took place on Saturday 3rd January. Runners surrender their tech and navigational aids at registration and are taken blindfolded by coach the requisite distance from Leeds city centre and left to navigate their way back from an undisclosed location using only road signs and their own sense of direction. This year’s 10-mile drop location was in Thornhill, from where Nick Kealey wasted no time making his way through Dewsbury, Tingley, Beeston and the suburbs of south Leeds back to the city centre without deviation in an efficient and rapid 1hr 21m, winning the 10-mile event by a substantial margin. Kate Archer was in action again finishing 3rd overall and first female pair with running partner Sam Booth.

Sunday saw the third race of the PECO cross country series take place at West Park in Leeds in bright but very cold conditions. Frozen mud provided runners with a novel challenge and provoked some pre-start shoe and kit deliberation. Seven Harriers were among the 319 lady competitors. First Harrier home was Rachel Carter in 26th place, 3rd F45. Sally Malir finished 115th, 2nd F60.

In the men’s race which attracted 447 competitors, Gawain Moore again ran strongly, finishing in 31st place and 1st M45. Harry Brook-Dobson was not far behind in 36th place. In action again Oscar Shinn and Steve Gott finished 50th and 73rd respectively. George Whittlestone finished 91st.

21 young Harriers took part in the junior races. Michael Moore ran the two-mile boys’ event placing 23rd of 94 in 13:14. Milena Morgan placed 25th of 93 girls in 14:48. Amelia Nichols placed 33rd in 15:14.

149 boys ran the one-mile event, Archie Hallworth finishing 20th in 7:22 and Thomas Bailey 39th in 7:54. 110 ran the girls’ event, Isobel Moore finishing 8th in 7:48 and Rose Weston 15th in 8:05.

Two parkrun dates over the festive period offered plenty of further running opportunities. Petra Bijsterveld notched up her 100th parkrun at East Holmes Field on New Year’s Day. Samesh Chotai underlined his form completing the 5k first in 18:10. John Hayes, Michael Odell, Matthew Cox, Dan McKeown and Stephen Coy put in strong age-graded times. Junior Harrier Milena Morgan ran 23:29.

Junior Harrier James Lee had a superb run at Chevin Forest coming home in 2nd place with a time of 19:27.

Geoff Howard and Diane Kitchen topped the age gradings at East Holmes Field on Sat 3rd January while Rob Cunningham ran 20:38. Junior Joseph Bentham was 3rd overall, 1st JM15-17, in 18:35, whilst Leo Freer was 1st JM10 in 21:48. Jaysson Sawyer ran 18:58 at Fountain Abbey and Jonathan Turner 20:48 at Lister Park. John Hayes ran 20:20 at Blaise Castle.

Samesh Chotai was flying again at Skipton posting 17:26. James Lee’s 19:23 secured him third place at Chevin Forest.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.