From Luke Watkeys and Nicola Budding…

Photo credit Paul Sugden

Ilkley Harriers dominate home half marathon in heatwave conditions

Our racing week began over in Derbyshire on Monday 6 July, when the Hathersage Gala Fell Race offered a quintessentially British, community-spirited evening run as part of the village’s gala week celebrations. This short and punchy Category BS race stretches 7.3 km (4.5 miles) with 325 m (1,066 feet) of climbing. Nathan Coy was the sole representative for the Harriers, delivering a strong performance to finish 23rd out of 220 finishers in the senior race with a time of 36:08.

Come Wednesday evening, the action shifted to the Lake District for the classic Seat Sandal Fell Race. The Category AS course squeezes roughly 700 m (2,297 feet) of severe vertical climbing into a brief 7.4 km (4.6 miles) route around Grasmere. Sam Bentham put on a spectacular performance for the club, conquering the brutal gradient to cross the line as the outright race winner in a superb time of 42:28.

On Friday evening, Michael Odell travelled to the University of York Sport Village Cycle Circuit for the monthly EvenSplits York 5K. The flat and fast circuit is a favourite for runners chasing personal bests. Michael, who serves as the race organiser for our town’s half marathon and 5K, managed to sneak in a high-quality run before a frantic weekend of volunteering duties. He delivered a fantastic performance on the track, finishing 15th out of 72 runners in a rapid 16:55.

Moving to the weekend, Saturday saw plenty of action in the Lake District. Emma Sheppard represented the club at the Lakeland Trails Ultra, taking on the 55k Challenge, a well-organised and testing ultra-marathon course through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the Lakes, with the added element of the sunshine and heat. The route encompasses three mountain passes, with over 2,100 m (7,000 feet) of elevation. Out of 192 finishers, Emma delivered a fantastic performance, placing 25th overall and fourth in her category, crossing the line in 9:27:10.

Elsewhere in the Lakes, it was a battle against the elements at the Wasdale Fell Race, widely regarded as one of the toughest and most uncompromising events on the UK fell running calendar. Facing heatwave conditions, organisers implemented the first-ever ‘hot weather course’, shortening the route from 34 km with 2,750 m of elevation to 27 km (16.75 miles) with 1,800 m (6,000 feet) of climb. Runners still faced a brutal, sun-baked ascent through the bracken up Seatallan and Pillar, with many relying on mountain streams to refill bottles and pour water over their heads. The final sting in the tail was a steep climb up Lingmell Nose before descending to the finish, where the majority of the field immediately sat in the river afterwards to cool down. Alison Weston put in a tremendously gritty performance to finish 63rd overall in 5:01:01, claiming first place in her category. Charles Wain also took to the start line and gave it an honourable, hard-fought go, but was unfortunately forced to register a DNF as the oppressive conditions took their toll.

Sunday was headlined by the seventh edition of the ever-popular Ilkley Half Marathon, alongside the second running of the Ilkley 5K. For the second year in a row, the home event was held in gruelling heatwave conditions. The scenic half marathon route took runners through Ilkley, out to Addingham, and back via the country lanes before the final climb at Nesfield, often a shock for the uninitiated. Thankfully, the residents of Ilkley, Addingham, and surrounding villages came out in force, providing vital relief with water guns, hoses, and sweets to support the field of over 1,800 half-marathon finishers.

The day belonged to the Harriers, who dominated the top spots at the front of the field. Edward Hobbs claimed a spectacular victory, winning the half marathon in a blistering time of 1:08:44 to take first place. Jack Cummings followed closely, securing third place in 1:10:48, and Nathan Edmondson ensured a strong team showing by crossing the line in fifth place in 1:13:19. Oscar Stapleton completed the top-tier sweep, finishing 12th in 1:19:08. Nick Kealey delivered a fantastic performance to finish 22nd overall and win his category in 1:22:36. Kate Archer led the Ilkley ladies home with an outstanding run, finishing 104th overall and second in her category with a time of 1:30:49. Geoffrey Howard rounded out the podium success by claiming an inspirational victory in his category, crossing the line in 2:05:36.

Over in the Ilkley 5K, which attracted 283 runners, the club celebrated further category success. Daniel McKeown led the charge for the club, finishing seventh overall and claiming first place in his category in a rapid 18:04. Sebastian Livesley finished 13th overall, taking the top spot in the U13 category in 19:29. Milena Morgan shone in the ladies’ field, finishing 18th overall and second in the U15 category with a brilliant time of 20:10. Claire Mcloughlin and Georgina Hamill locked out the top positions in their category, finishing first and second in 22:19 and 22:21 respectively. Heidi Frank also tasted victory, winning the U17 category in 24:57, and Robin Ashe rounded out the category winners by taking first place in his category in 36:22.

Turning to parkrun, the home fixture at East Holmes Field attracted 186 participants, including ten Harriers. Kyle Bethell finished third in 20:26. Sam Angus followed closely in eighth place with a time of 21:39. Maddie Morris led the Ilkley ladies home, finishing 31st overall and sixth female in 25:31.

Further afield, Harriers were in action up and down the country and even overseas. Andrew Wilson took on the most exotic venue of the weekend, finishing the Mura di Lucca parkrun in Italy in 28:33. On home soil, Samesh Chotai enjoyed another outright victory on his parkrun tour, crossing the line first at Cliffe Castle in a rapid 17:38. There was a family affair over at Blaise Castle in Bristol where Stephen Coy led a trio of Harriers home in a highly placed seventh overall (20:30), supported by Nathan Coy in 29th (22:37) and Gaenor Coy in 126th (27:03). Two more top-ten finishes rounded out a superb weekend of running; Harry Brook-Dobson secured tenth place in a competitive field of 493 runners at Roberts Park in 19:34, and Jonathan Turner claimed an excellent eighth place at Lister Park in 20:53.