From Jill Ezard…
Snow, ice and strong winds couldn’t deter the Harriers this week
Challenging weather conditions couldn’t keep the Harriers down this week with some superb road performances and feats of endurance on the fells. On Saturday four Harriers braved waist high snow drifts and high winds to tackle a reduced course for the Haworth Hobble. The weather conditions forced the organisers to reduce the 32-mile race to a 21.1-mile event. With over 900m of climb taking in Top Withins and the Pennine Way, this was not an easy option and there were gutsy performances from all four participants. Ben Sheppard was the first home securing a top 20 finish in 03:23:25. Close behind was Kate Archer, 36th overall and third in her age category in 03:31:57. Simon Stokes was next home in 04:43:20, followed by Jacqui Foster in 06:50:04.
Saturday also saw four Harriers take part in a variety of distances along the Welcome Way, one of the local Punk Panther trail running events. The routes largely follow the Welcome Way, a circular trail through moorland landscapes, alongside rivers, canals and reservoirs, across farmland and through woodland. For the longest 50-mile route, high points include Otley Chevin and Burley and Baildon moors with a seven-mile additional loop around Bingley and Shipley Glen. Petra Bijsterveld had an amazing race in the 50-mile event, somehow summoning a sprint finish after 12:18:06 on her feet to secure first lady! James Batterley and Matthew Kennedy took on the 34-mile event, coming fourth and fifth respectively in 5:36:52 and 5:39:45. And Gavin Lamb was also fourth in the 20-mile option, completing it in 3:10:57.
The final off-road outing was at the Yorkshire Veterans Athletic Association 10k Cross Country event at Beverley Racecourse. Steve Gott, Matt Cox and Dan McKeown turned out for the club and could barely be separated at the line, coming in with less than one minute between them: Dan was first over the line in sixth place overall and third in his age category in 36:17; Matt was 10th overall and third in his age category in 36:45 ; and Steve was 12th in 37:01. As a result they went home with the second prize in the M40-49 team event.
On the road, Colin Williams was the sole representative on Saturday at the Dentdale 14-mile road race taking in the lanes around beautiful Dentdale in the Yorkshire Dales. An undulating course but participants are rewarded with scenic dales views. Colin had a superb race taking 17th place overall and first in his age category in 1:42:13.
Further afield, two Harriers took on the Inverness Half Marathon on Sunday. The route starts alongside the banks of the River Ness near the centre of Inverness and takes in many of the city’s icons, finishing on the running track at the Queen’s Park Stadium in the city. Ruaridh Mon-Williams, running in his second claim Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds vest, had a superb run, coming 18th overall in 01:11:52. Alison Bennett, not used to running the half marathon distance, also had a fantastic run coming second in her age category in a superb time of 01:38:32, beating the previous all-time club record by nearly 10 minutes!
Finally Friday night saw another race in the EvenSplits York 5k series. Held at the University of York Sport Village Cycle Circuit, the course is flat and fast offering participants the opportunity achieve their 5K personal best. Three Harriers took part: Michael Abrams-Cohen came in first taking a top 20 place in 17:30; next was Brit Tate in 18:42 taking second place in her age category; and third home was Helen Waddington in 22:05.
Despite many events being cancelled due to snow and ice, 10 Harriers headed out on Saturday morning for the weekly timed parkruns across the country. Despite the conditions there were some great performances. Fresh from his 5k race the night before, at the Wetherby event Mike Abrams-Cohen was the third finisher in 20:41 and further afield Simon Lorimer was the fifth finisher in the Tsujido kaihin koen event in Japan in 20:38. The Roberts Park event proved speedy for two Harriers: Will Worboys posted his fastest finish this year in 23:31 and Andrew Smith was one tenth of a second off his PB in 21:51.