From Paul Stephens…
I haven’t raced much in recent years – injuries and fear of injury, but the first 2 fell races I did following Covid were the 2023 Dick Hudson’s and the Jack Bloor race. They’re just 2 weeks apart in May, and I ran them again this year. Dick Hudson’s is fast, mainly on paths and after the first long climb is relatively level. It’s almost 7 miles. The Jack Bloor feels very different. Although shorter at around 5.7m, the terrain is rougher, there are route choices to make and it feels hillier. Interestingly according to my Garmin, there was actually more climbing at Dick Hudson’s and I was still was a full minute-a-mile faster.
Dick Hudson’s is out and back over the moor, with a choice of route at the start but with most people coming back the more direct route down the side of the beck to the White Wells car park. I’ve been towards the back of the race for the last 2 years, but was reasonably satisfied with my time this year of 73mins which was 3 minutes faster than last year. Despite all the rain so far this year it was dry underfoot and a beautiful evening although the headwind on the way back was hard work. There was a short stop coming off the top where a runner had fallen and hit her head. Geoff White stayed with her longer which is why he finished behind me. When I first ran Dick Hudson’s in 2008 (and we competed with cyclists back then), I took under the hour and was well ahead of one John Hayes. This time John was 11 minutes in front of me, and it was less than 2 weeks since his 3.18 London Marathon time. A good turnout by Harriers with Nathan Edmondson the clear winner and Jeff Green the 1st M50.
Two weeks later, and it was raining hard for much of the day of the 37th Jack Bloor Races. It did dry out and the cloud lifted, which made navigation les challenging, but it’s still easy to get it wrong. I first ran the Jack Bloor in 1996, 11 years before I moved to Ilkley. Malcolm Pickering and Nick Pearce were in the top 10 that year. I was about half way down the field in 52.08. I didn’t run it again until 2007 – one of my first races as an Ilkley Harrier. It’s a great course, and I ran it most years through to 2017 when I helped for a few years until Covid. I picked it up again in 2023. Now I was towards the rear, and 10 minutes slower than in 2016. My time this year was only marginally slower, but would have been faster if I hadn’t made a stupid navigational error getting from the top down to the last checkpoint before the finish. I did make up some time on the final leg through excellent route choice (thank you Mr Hayes). I do like the course, its varied terrain, the fact that if you follow the person in front it’s probably not the best route; and as with most fell races, people are out to have fun
Again a good turnout from Harriers with a category win for Joyce Marshall, 2nd prize for Ilkley Men’s team (Michael Odell, Jeff Green and Oscar Shinn), and 3rd prize for Ilkley Women’s team (Alison Weston, Joyce Marshall and Lucy Haines).
Thank you to the organisers of both races – Wharfedale Harriers, and the Jack Bloor team.