From Alison Bennett…
A great contingent of 28 Ilkley Harriers arrived at Ripley for the second race in the Harrogate District Summer Race League, hosted by Nidd Valley Runners. The cool, wet and windy showers of the day subsided and the weather was perfect for this well-organised event. It was a route partly familiar to anyone who has done the Guy Fawkes 10 as the race started and finished on the track outside Ripley Castle. The 4.9 mile course was a mixture of tarmac, trail and a couple of fields, one of which had an incline not too dissimilar to the hill used on Neil’s Thursday night session on the moor.
Whilst I was still a long way off from the turnaround point, I saw Tom Adams and Matthew Thackwray storming towards me on their way to the finish. It was a close battle to the end, with them finishing in first and second place in the race. This is possibly the only time I can remember Ilkley having two such highly-placed results in this series. Jane McCarthy was Ilkley’s first lady home and second in her age group.
Most people seemed to agree that this was a challenging race but the joy of reaching the finish line, chatting with friends and enjoying the food on offer afterwards soon made way for positive retrospective memories.