Harrier of the month nominations:
Caroline Howe for commitment to training and Yorkshire Marathon time and PB;
Alison Weston for Lakes Grand Prix placings;
Tom Adams for 'dirty double' wins in Lakeland Trails;
Petra Bijsterveld for Keilder Double weekend and Snowdonia Marathon;
Harry Sime for recent 'eventsplits' 5k time returning from injury;
Lucy Williamson for Bangor Half Marathon time and PB
The winner is Caroline Howe.
Volunteer of the month:
Helen Waddington for the monthly reviews of performances;
Hilda Coulsey for committee work;
Peter Shields for his Wednesday evening training sessions
The winner is Hilda Coulsey.
More Harriers of the Month ...
From Hilda Coulsey... Congratulations to Alison Weston who was 3rd lady overall, 1st FV40 and 1st FV50 having completed the Anniversary Waltz, Coniston, Fairfield Horseshoe and Kentmere Horseshoe.
From Jo Foster... Three Harriers turned out for the Bronte Way Fell Race on a beautiful sunny day. The combination of the weather and there being not much else on meant that they had more entries than expected and it took so long to get everyone registered, the race was delayed by over half an hour. The large numbers meant that I found myself queuing at every style - I guess that's one of the great things about fell racing that everyone dutifully waits in line in their positions patiently! The race is a mixture of runnable tracks and muddy, boggy fell sections with a finale up the Haworth cobbles. I seemed to find it hard to stay on my feet in the muddy conditions, falling over three times which I think must be a record. Not my best day at the office but a beautiful day with a free beer and soup at the end.
Results ...
(1 54:20 Joe Dale, Victoria Park Harriers) 93 1:12:40 Jamie Hutchinson 136 1:17:53 Jo Foster 181 1:25:55 Adela Reperecki 273 finishers
From Alison Weston ...
A lovely low key event in the village of Buttermere. Lots of Herdwick sheep to admire and a short fell race straight up to Whiteless Breast and back on steep grassy terrain.
Winner 15.06 mins
Alison 24th in 22.20 mins
Graham's photos.
Men, 8th team (1 27:01 Angus McMillan, York) 10 28:23 Jack Wood 37 30:13 Matthew Cox 55 31:25 Steven Gott 74 32:16 Tim Ashelford 131 34:49 Stephen Coy 147 35:39 Robert Budding 152 36:11 David Brown 165 37:19 Mark Iley 176 38:15 Arthur Reilly 209 finished Ladies, 8th team (1 20:25 Georgia Malir, Leeds) 10 22:08 Pauline Munro 29 23:55 Kate Archer 56 25:27 Sally Malir 90 28:01 Anna Nolan 95 28:23 Alison Bennett 129 35:26 Jacqui Weston 138 finished
From Simon Jenkins ... A good atmosphere in Bradford Centre with the weather to match. The course feels a little Alpine in terms of ascent with a few tight turns thrown in too. A nice urban race that keeps it real.
Results ...
(1 19:25 Joseph Kirton, Keighley and Craven AC) 6 21:18 Simon Jenkins PB 1st V50 287 ran
From Petra Bijsterveld ...
This was my second consecutive Marathon Eryri, to use the Welsh name for this tough circuit of Snowdon starting and finishing in Llanberis, predominantly on road with just 2 short sections on unmade tracks. The three climbs total 2,800 ft and come at 2 miles (to Pen-y-Pass), 14 miles (out of Beddgelert) and 22 miles (Wynnfaur) with a very steep descent back into Llanberis. Conditions were more or less identical to 2016, overcast with low cloud and some drizzle, minimal wind, and about 12C, perfect running conditions.
My training had suffered an extreme taper due to a cold and a sprained ankle in the last fortnight, but I felt fit at the start. My desire was to beat last year's time of 4:50. However I found it hard and struggled with the desire to walk from the halfway point which was disheartening after all the long runs I had put in during training. Eventually though I ran more or less the same race as in 2016 but for a stop at the conveniences at mile 17 which set me back a few minutes. The body isn't always as obedient as we want it to be!
I was delighted to reach the steep climb at mile 22 as that heralds guilt-free walking, even though by then I was feeling rather dizzy and nauseated. The descent from mile 24 starts on a rough track which was very muddy and many runners, probably on road shoes, were slipping and sliding. Though uneven ground is not my forte I made better progress than many on my hybrid trail/road shoes, and once I reached the safety of tarmac I hurled myself down the slope taking us into Llanberis and the welcoming roar of the crowd. In particular I was trying to stay ahead of a fellow runner who looked like she could be in my category! Between the 23 mile timing point and the finish I overtook 68 people to finish 9/40 in my shiny new category of F55, which provided some relief to the disappointment of a slower overall time.
There were no other Harriers but I did meet Otley AC's Scott Harrington before the start, who came a fantastic 8th in 2:50:03, having actually led for the first half of the race.
Will I do it again? It was brutal but it seems I still have some unfinished business there.....watch this space!
Results ...
(1 2:36:54 Daniel Jones, Team Bath AC) 1492 4:53:50 Petra Bijsterveld 2210 finished
From Petra Bijsterveld ... Results ...
Edinburgh (1 17:07 Kieran Cooper U/A) 181 24:41 Sarah Hayes 557 ran Portobello, Edinburgh 1 17:02 Ruaridh Mon-Williams 54 22:45 Rebecca Mon-Williams 334 ran Bradford (1 17:59 Will Kerr, Saltaire Striders) 12 20:30 Jane McCarthy 2nd F 24 21:55 Martyn Stocker 60 23:53 Oscar Street 343 ran Fountains Abbey (1 17:23 Allen Bush, U/A) 183 27:10 Emma Curran 442 ran Penrhyn (1 16:16 Ben Harding, Kent AC) 7 19:39 Lucy Williamson 2nd F 243 ran
From Harry Sime ... I ran the penultimate race of this series with my youngest son Michael in very good running conditions at the Brownlee Centre. The last one is on 22 November with a new series planned to start in February. It takes place on the tarmac cycle track which is a one mile loop. A few Harriers usually there but just me on this occasion. Results ...
(1 16:26 Joseph Crossfield, Halifax) 81 22:56 Harry Sime 117 finished
(1 39:51 Scott Waardman, Richmond) 128 65:24 Jayne Norman 249 finished
(1 57:25 Andrew Grant, Harrogate) 25 73:59 Paul Calderbank 158 finished
From Jean Sullivan ... This is the 2nd year that this race has been on and I would definitely recommend it if you are after a low key, friendly, hilly road race with beautiful scenery!
It is described as a 'challenging' road race set in the heart of the beautiful Eden Valley, Cumbria and it certainly is, with an undulating course throughout! The race starts in the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, and goes through the picturesque villages of Murton, Dufton and Long Marton along the foothills of the northern Pennines. Apparently there are views, on a clear day, of Blencathra and the Lakes but it was very overcast for today's run so I didn't see these sights!
The race was fantastically organised with great support provided by the marshalls. A souvenir mug filled with delicious soup and a bread roll was awarded to each runner at the finish!
Results ...
(1 1:20:18 Jack Eyre, Eden Runners) 56 1:53:32 Jean Sullivan 115 finishers
From Steve Turland ... No summits, but this well organised event took in four of the Lakeland Passes with 4,500ft of climbing in its 19 miles. With all the top runners in Wales that weekend I found myself at the front of the field and was actually leading the race at Wasdale. Unfortunately I faded a bit in the second half and finished in 4th place out of a field of a couple of hundred. There is a new event in the calendar next year - the Lakeland Five Passes - about 30 miles and 10,000ft of climb. Looks a great circular route from Grasmere...
From Alison Bennett ... The 2017/18 Cross Country Season kicked off at
Wakefield's Thornes Park with the first race in the West Yorkshire
League Series. This is a tough discipline for strength and
endurance and there was a good turnout of Ilkley Harriers taking
part on this unusually warm day. The Ilkley men were led home by
Jack Wood whilst Jemina Elgood was the first Ilkley female.
Results ...
Men, 12th team (1 32:40 Daniel Garbutt, Skyrac) 5 33:15 Jack Wood 33 36:44 Matthew Cox 72 39:41 Tim Ashelford 133 44:21 Stephen Coy 149 45:39 Mark Iley 153 46:02 Robert Budding 154 46:22 Arthur Reilly 193 finished Ladies, 7th team (1 20:24 Emma Clayton, Leeds) 6 21:28 Jemima Elgood 27 23:33 Kate Archer 53 25:46 Sally Malir 105 29:45 Diane Kitchen 113 31:06 Gaenor Coy 122 31:47 Hilda Coulsey 136 36:47 Jacqui Weston 141 finished
From Jane McCarthy .... Four Harriers travelled to Glenridding on Saturday 14th October for the first race in the 'Dirty Double' finale weekend of the Lakeland Trails Series. These have been super events, three in Spring/Summer and three in Autumn, in beautiful locations and extremely well organised, over flagged trail routes. Typically there are multi-distance options, 5km, 10km or 18km Challenge or Races, depending on the level of competitiveness you are seeking. Running the 15km Race on Saturday was under the foothills of Helvellyn on pretty runnable trails, just a couple of sections of tricky rock to negotiate. Tom Adams cruised to another victory by a substantial margin. Helen Waddington ran a solid race after a nasty recent bout of flu, and I enjoyed seeing Rob Cunningham on the course. I (rather embarrassingly) sprinted past him in the finishing field, although he was clearly saving himself for the finale race on the Sunday where he and Tom both had superb results on a wet weather 'emergency' route.
Helvellyn Trail Results (14/10/17) 1 52:31 Tom Adams 32 1:07:51 Jane McCarthy 33 1:07:54 Rob Cunningham 221 1:31:34 Helen Waddington 313 finished Ullswater Trail Results (15/10/17) 1 48:12 Tom Adams 19 1:04:40 Rob Cunningham 391 finished
From Petra Bijsterveld ... Results ...
Bradford (1 18:19 Martin Fillingham, Saltaire Striders) 49 23:17 Philip Hirst 412 ran Cannon Hill, Birmingham (1 17:28 unknown) 102 23:39 Lucy Jacques 138 24:40 Ethan Thompson 530 ran Temple Newsam (1 19:28 Charles Casey, Harrogate Harriers) 22 24:43 Alison Weston 137 ran Skipton (1 18:48 Daniel Hale, St Andrews XC) 20 21:41 Derek Oliver 148 ran
From Andrew Merrick ...
A 6 hour delay on my direct flight from Manchester wasn't quite the start I had in mind on my trip to Chicago, having decided to come out of marathon retirement to use my about to expire GFA time to complete my fifth major...
A very well organised event, down to the iconic yellow school buses available on Friday and Saturday to shuttle competitors to the Expo from various central points.
The race itself starts and ends from a large park in the centre of Chicago within walking distance of most city centre hotels. The 7:30am start (picture taken en route) was welcome given that temperatures peaked at about 26 degrees. The start area was also very well organised with all "corrals" carefully marshalled and a large finish area complete with band, beer tents, food stalls and a large massage tent...... a great area to chill and compare notes after the run, which would have been even better if my friends hadn't spent two hours in the medical tent (all fine later that day after a heat induced collapse metres from the finish).
Over 1,000 Brits made the trip - the big 6 seeming to be an increasing popular focus... It didn't take me long to find a few on the start line for a pre race chat and we also managed to catch up to compare notes afterwards (the Union Jack running vest was quite visible!). We had all been thrown early on by our respective running watches not being able to cope with the buildings - I should have remembered that from New York - which is challenging particularly in the first couple of miles when you are trying to settle into your target pace.
Great support pretty much everywhere throughout the run, and drink stations every couple of miles - I didn't find many fans of the particular Gatorade endurance sports drink they had an offer so most of us stuck with water.
So an event to be recommended if you like your big city marathons. If I was doing it again, I would include an American Football game at Soldier Field - a fantastic looking city centre stadium, and remember that the Museum of Modern Art is closed on Mondays. And the architecture tour is to be recommended.
For the record, run completed in 3:17, consistent with the level of training I had done.
Back off road now for me with the contemplation of another final marathon in February 2019 in Tokyo, albeit not an easy one to get into. Oh, and the pizza was great too......
From Hilda Coulsey...
A great day for running in York, bright but not too warm and not raining. Quite a few Harriers were out, in both the marathon and the 10 mile. There was lots of support on the way which was welcome as I needed it in the last mile, a sneaky little hill - I was thinking of the marathon runners having to tackle it. The times were very good and although I didn't see too many Harriers on the day it was great to see on the results list those of us who have done these sort of races before and many new runners too. Brilliant. The university is a good place to host this sort of event, with lots of toilet and coffee options, and the organisation worked well..
Results: !0 mile,
Marathon....
10 mile (1 50:15 Dominic Shaw, New Marske Harriers Club) 73 1:05:48 Jane McCarthy 1120 1:30:09 Hilda Coulsey 2403 1:44:57 Damaris Bedford 2404 1:44:58 Dawn Turner 2649 1:50:11 Libby Heppenstall 2650 1:50:11 Diane Ollier 3177 finished Marathon (1 2:24:13 Ross Houston) 551 3:33:26 Mike Helme Male 721 3:41:10 Michael Duffield 936 3:46:40 Caroline Howe 937 3:47:48 Jonathan Turner 1899 4:16:55 David Howe 3366 5:11:58 Fiona Schneider 4139 finished
From Caroline Howe ... Near perfect conditions for the Yorkshire Marathon, which seems to be getting more popular each year. It's a relaxed atmosphere at the York Uni campus where the race begins, and the first couple of miles, which include passing the Minster, are really iconic. The first half through villages up to Stamford Bridge is scenic and has great support (including the high-fiving vicar in Stockton-on-the-Forest!) before a bit of a drag to 16 followed by a looooong out-and-back between 16 and 20 miles (luckily i had vocal support crew in that stretch!) In what was my fourth marathon, my aim was to achieve my first sub 4 hours, and happily I beat that, and beat my pb by 15 mins, finishing in 3:46. Running the majority of the way with fellow Harrier Jonathan, who I encountered at around 10 miles, really helped. David Howe, completing his 17th marathon, was among the 6 Harriers who finished the race - well done all!
The 10-miler was a counter in the Ilkley Harriers Race League.
Provisional results on woodentops.org.uk
(1 42:40 Harry Holmes, P&B) 32 50:49 Harry Gott 151 60:42 Robert Budding 165 61:59 Rachel Carter 194 64:02 Mary Gibbons 203 64:47 Sarah Haines 358 finished
From Sue Williamson ... Last year Lucy took part in the 10k race, this year she decided to compete in the half marathon. Conditions were ideal,cool and dry with views of Snowdonia, the coast and Anglesey. Lucy had a great race until she was overtaken coming back into the city centre she had no more power in her legs go to any faster, but came an impressive second female. The overall race winner was fellow student from Bangor university.
(1 1:25:01 Robert Fox, Bangor university 1:33:35 Emma Bailey, Barlick Fell Runners) 17 1:33:51 Lucy Williamson 267 competitors in the half marathon
From Paul Sugden... I completed this in 2:03:52 finishin 7701 out of 16455
From Petra Bijsterveld ...
This was my third visit in as many years to Kielder. Having run the full marathon in 2015 and 2016 I fancied a change. I remember getting half way last year and thinking I would be able to enjoy the scenery quite a lot more if I could stop after 13 miles! So I made 2017 a weekend of 2 halves, with the 10K on Saturday afternoon and the Half Marathon on Sunday morning. This seemed a suitable game plan in the context of marathon training, and I am pleased to report it all went more or less as I intended. The only minor snag was that I started too far back in the line-up for the 10K, which I intended to race to the best of my ability. Having been cheered over the startline by Steve Cram and Aly Dixon I spent the first mile and a half struggling to get past people on what is not too wide a track. Most of the total elevation gain of 420 feet is in the first mile but I was so preoccupied with making forward progress without elbowing fellow runners out of the way that I did not really notice it, which was an unexpected bonus. I managed to pace the following 5 miles evenly and was pleased with my time of 55 minutes, I could not have given it any more and my legs were almost buckling beneath me by the time I reached the finish. After a night's rest I was back for the HM which was going to be a long slow run wearing a race number. Initially my legs were complaining about not having had much rest and I had to remind them that this was precisely why we were there, 'running on tired legs' and all that. They got the idea after about 4 miles and got into the groove. I mostly managed to enjoy the run, feeling quite relaxed, stopping here and there to take photos, and I still had enough left for a faster last mile and a sprint towards that same finish line as the day before. I went straight to the sports massage, new for 2017 was that rather than sit and wait on chairs they had mats and foam rollers in the marquee so you could foam roll your own legs whilst waiting your turn for the massage. Having had my calf muscles expertly treated I was just in time to see the winner of the marathon, Russell Maddams of Keswick, come over the line in 2:46.
I think I was possibly the only Harrier there. As I have said in previous years, I can wholeheartedly recommend these very friendly and well-organized races to all. Medals, t-shirts and goody bags are always of the highest quality (and I got double of everything this time!) I am sure I will be at Kielder again in 2018.
Results:
10k,
HM ...
10K (1 33:55 Marc Fenwick, Tyne Bridge Harriers) 275 55:09 Petra Bijsterveld 875 ran HM (1 1:20:27 Benedict Moore, Gosforth Harriers) 607 2:18:57 Petra Bijsterveld 894 ran
From Ben Sheppard ...
There were a few friendly Harrier faces at the start line. A bumper crop of 500 had pre-entered. Not sure how many started, but there were around 345 finishers. One if the casualties was our own Dan Wilkinson, who it would seem has been riding his bike so much he's forgotten how to stay upright when running. In fairness, the wet rocks were treacherous throughout, and in particular on the technical traverse under Esk Pike, where Dan took a tumble and dislocated his shoulder. Thankfully he was able to get himself safely off the mountain and down the tourist path to safety with the help of a fellow runner. Jack Wood ran around the top 5 until the final long descent off Pike of Blisco when a footwear malfunction provided a convenient excuse for dropping a few places. I managed to follow runners who knew the right way, even taking a sneaky detour around the notorious Bad Step, and finished almost 15 minutes slower then my course best. Solid runs also from Duncan Cooper, Dick Waddington, Kate Archer, Paul Carman and Jann Smith.
Results ...
(1 2:13:14 Carl Bell, Keswick) 10 2:22:51 Jack Wood 69 2:50:04 Ben Sheppard 106 3:03:59 Paul Carman 146 3:19:42 Dock Waddington 203 3:34:32 Duncan Cooper 224 3:37:50 Kate Archer 249 3:42:30 Jann Smith 346 finished
From Petra Bijsterveld ... Results ...
Bradford (1 17:51 Will Kerr, Saltaire Striders) 4 18:59 Will Wood 18 20:56 Rhys Jones 408 ran Harrogate (1 15:14 Paul Pollock, Abbey Runners) 53 22:19 Geoff Howard 435 ran Skipton (1 17:15 Jake Ridding U/A) 16 22:01 Adrian Bastow 51 25:20 Chris Cunningham 156 ran Fountains Abbey (1 17:36 Reece Dalton, Ripon Runners) 46 22:39 Norman Bush 328 ran Stretford (1 15:32 unknown) 9 18:31 Rob Cunningham 433 ran Blackpool (1 16:06 Joseph Monk, Blackpool Harriers) 91 27:46 Karen Lambe 183 ran
Geoff Howard has agreed to chair the Harriers for this year 2017 / 2018. The committee are delighted and look forward to continuing the development of our club.
All existing members will have been sent a membership renewal email in w/c 2 Oct 2017. (If you haven't received your email please check your junk email folder first, then if you need to, email the Membership Secretary, Petra Bijsterveld mship@ilkleyharriers.org.uk.)
As last year, there's no need to return the membership form unless any details have changed. And online payment by bank transfer is preferred, please.
Thanks for renewing your membership.
From Dan Wilkinson ... 5 Harriers completed the fell vs trail race on the moor at the weekend. Considerably more boggy than the last time I ran it; thigh deep bogs in places and huge puddles of gloopy mud in the now deforested section made things interesting.
Results ...
(1 52:57 Callum Hanson, P&B) 4 54:51 Dan Wilkinson 12 57:47 Gavin Lamb 13 59:03 Steve Turland 63 82:20 Claire McLoughlin 64 82:21 Mike Baldwin 78 finished
From Caroline Howe ... As a "crag rat" myself (a person who hails from Knaresborough) I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a run round my home town, in what was the second year of this race. Half the route on tarmac, half off road, all the pre-race chat was dominated by footwear choice. Trail shoes were definitely the order of the day with some very muddy trails following plenty of rain. A scenic, gently undulating course on varied terrain, starting at the cricket club and taking us down the crag, through woodland, along the river and finally a short steep climb back up the crag, with 2 laps of a soggy cricket field thrown in, this was a thoroughly enjoyable not-quite-5 miles. Nothing fancy like chip timing, but for a bargainous £6 entry you got a fab, friendly, well organised race with a medal, box of Yorkshire tea and Lion Bar at the end, plus some amazing cakes! Highly recommended!
(1 28:25 David Smithers, York Knavesmire) 91 42:29 Caroline Howe 188 finished