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!