From Jill Ezard…
Photo credit Nabin Maharjan, Soul and Co.
Ilkley Harrier wins Half Marathon on home turf!
Despite soaring temperatures, Harriers were out in force this weekend battling the tough conditions with great success! The Ilkley Half Marathon and the new 5k route were clearly the focus of the weekend racing calendar for many, with 77 Harriers and Juniors taking on the half marathon and 40 taking on the 5k, with representation from our Jeffing and Adults with Learning Disabilities groups across both. The great weather brought out the crowds to provide support along the whole Half Marathon route, with many runners claiming the cheering got them through the race! And what a race it was – Jack Cummings blasted the competition out of the water with a superb run to take the win in 1:09:09, over one minute ahead of the second place finisher. Ritchie Williamson, normally found on ultra-distance trail routes, was on top form on the road as the second Harrier over the line finishing in the top 20 and second in his age category in 1:20:21. Oscar Shinn, just stepping up to the senior level, took first in his age category completing the race in 1:27:17 finishing 59th overall. Sally Armitage was first female Harrier to complete the event putting in a finish line sprint to take fifth position and first in her age category in 1:29:25. There were other age category successes too: Derek Oliver took second in his category in 1:37:52; Rachel Carter was fifth in 1:38:04; Alison Bennett was third in 1:59:20; Jane Thomas was fourth in 1:59:56; and the fabulous Geoff Howard was first in his category with an unbelievable 1:58:27!
In the 5k Jon Denniss made the podium taking third place in the men’s race, fourth overall and second in his age category in 17:31. Dan McKeown was the second senior over the line taking tenth place and third in his age category in 18:37. The Ilkley Under 13 boys dominated the race with the three age category top spots taken by Max Brett in 19:05, Michael Moore in 19:35 and Sebastien Livesley in 19:49. And the U15 Junior Ilkley Harrier girls again swept the top three positions with Milena Morgan finishing in 21:17, Heidi Frank in 24:49 and Sophie Leijssen in 25:22. Both Harry Sime and David Millson had fantastic runs taking first place in their age categories in 20:21 and 40:29 respectively. Well done to all Harriers who took part in the event.
Mark Hall was also pounding the pavements in the Towneley Park 10k race in Burnley on Sunday. A scenic route entirely within the grounds of Towneley Park, this is a fast course and Mark certainly took advantage of it finishing in 13th place in 38:13. This gave him first place in his age category taking an outstanding seven plus minutes lead over the next finisher in the category!
The rest of the weekend’s action was on the trails. Two Harriers headed over to Baildon on Saturday to take part in the Carnival Canter, a scenic 5k taking runners on a climb over Baildon Moor to the trig point on Hope Hill and a fast descent to the finish. Steve Gott finished the race in 12th place, and second in his age category, in 22:19 with Daniel Paterson completing in 25:50.
Up in the Howgills our Seniors and Juniors were in action in the Tebay Fell race. Normally held midweek the 13k race moved to the weekend to enable it to be one of the English Fell Championship races this year. The race involves a daunting 914m of ascent starting and finishing at the football field and following a mainly runnable route up the Howgills taking in Rispa Pike, Uldale Head, Linghaw and finishing with a final climb up to Blease Fell. Reigning English Fell Champion Ben Rothery was in action taking second place in 1:15:25, a result that places him joint first in the 2025 championship after four races. Oli Murphy was ninth in 1:20:53, placing him seventh in the championship at this stage. Kate Archer was the first Ilkley female home in 1:52:25 taking sixth place in her age category. Kelly Wilby, Jann Smith and Alison Weston all completed the event with Alison placing fifth in her age category.
For the Juniors, Alexander Wolfenden took a superb second place in the MU19 race in 34:44 followed by George Whittlestone in 14th place in 42:54, with Joseph Bentham finishing in sixth place in the MU17 race in 28:45.
And finally, if a hilly 13k sounds daunting spare a thought for Steve King and Luke Watkeys who both tackled the Lakeland Trails 55k Ultra Marathon on Saturday. The race is hard enough as it is, taking in over 2100m of ascent across three mountain passes, but add the extreme temperatures and it was a tremendous challenge for both the runners. Luke was running the race event finishing in 26th place in 9:28:19, within the top ten of his age category. Steve King, running with his son, was in the challenge event, and completed it in 11:42:07, taking an impressive fourth place in his age category. Kudos to both runners for battling the elements!
It’s not all about racing though. Our parkrunners were still taking part in the weekly timed events. With a slightly reduced participation level probably due to the heat and the race calendar there were still some great results with several Harriers finishing within the first ten: Matthew Cox at the Chevin event; Jaysson Sawyer and Helen Thurston at Fountains Abbey; Alicia Horrex at Roberts Park; and Samesh Chotai at Skipton. Well done to everyone that took part in these fun and free events which are open to runners of all abilities.