[Steve Gott and his stag companions at the Kirkstall 7m]
From Peter Shelley & Nicola Budding…
Harriers undeterred by heavy rain and wind
Wet and slippery conditions on Saturday proved no deterrent to runners in the Great Whernside Fell Race. The 6.5km route is a simple but hard ascent of the Yorkshire Dales peak via the footpath which starts in Kettlewell and rises 686m passing Hag Dyke and through pasture, bog and rocky terrain to the summit before retracing its way down. Completing the race in 32:33, Sam Bentham took the win, his third annual victory in succession despite still being in the under 21-category. Sam was just three seconds clear of Wharfedale Harriers’ more experienced (and expert descender) Ted Mason. Oscar Shinn finished a creditable 10th and 3rd MU21, Gawain Moore 11th, George Whittlestone 15th and 4th MU21 in a great overall showing for Ilkley Harriers’ younger runners. Jamie Bentham was 37th.
Ilkley Harrier juniors’ strong collective efforts in the U19 Boys Team over the season won them a superb second place in the FRA Junior Fell Running Championships 2025. Medals go to Alexander Wolfenden, George Whittlestone and Oscar Shinn.
Kate Archer endured Saturday’s torrential conditions for considerably longer in the Hardmoors 60. Starting at 8am in Guisborough, the race headed to the North Yorkshire coast via Saltburn and on to Whitby and Scarborough before finishing at Filey. Runners had to manage not only the 60-mile distance and 3,000 metres of ascent but worsening conditions as the rain and mud intensified and, come the evening, was accompanied by high winds. 78 of the 179 starters retired. Kate rose to the challenge to finish in an impressive 12 hours 8 mins, placing 6th and 2nd lady, a fantastic achievement and testimony to her determination and race craft.
More brave souls tackled Saturday’s Three Shires Fell Race. One of the Classic Lakeland Fell Races, the Three Shires takes runners over 22km of remote and challenging terrain with 1,535m of ascent including the Little Langdale and Coniston Fells. Charles Wain made the finish in 94th place and Alison Weston in 110th.
Some way further east, Dick Waddington and Rumana Chowdhury faced a different kind of meteorological challenge as they tackled one of the world’s ‘Big Seven’ marathons in Berlin. Temperatures rose to the mid-20s on the route around the German capital leaving runners struggling to hydrate and keep moving. Dick made the finish in an excellent 4:02:38 while Rumana took encouragement from the party atmosphere and support to prevail over various setbacks, happy to earn her medal in 5:15:09.
Conditions in North Yorkshire had improved on Sunday by the time Hilda Coulsey and Jane McCarthy arrived for the Redcar Half Marathon. There was still wind to contend with on the coastal race route, but the sun was shining and both Harriers delivered competitive performances. Jane finished 78th, fifth lady and first F50 whilst Hilda finished 338th and 1st F70. They now qualify for England masters’ vests in next year’s home international in Swansea.
Benign conditions greeted the Kirkstall Abbey 7 on Sunday. En route to his stag-do in Leeds and dressed accordingly, Steve Gott was first Harrier to complete the seven-mile trail taking in the grounds of the Abbey to Rodley, finishing in 14th place and 2nd MV45. David Singleton was 46th and 2nd MV50, Matthew Snow 73rd and Roar Leijssen 148th of 214.
The trails around Swinsty Reservoir were also busy on Sunday with the Tilbury Douglas Yorkshire Run for WaterAid. The event raised money to help fund water supply projects in Ethiopia. Colm McCann covered the 10km route to finish 13th of 92 runners and 3rd M50. Wendy Lockwood finished 40th and 3rd F40.
Juniors were to the fore in parkruns this weekend. Alexander Wolfenden posted a swift 18:19 at Fountains Abbey finishing 7th overall and 1st JM15-17.
At East Holmes Field in Ilkley Daisy Lowe led the way for the girls, finishing 1st JW11-14 in 28:35.
At Chevin Forest James Lee was 5th overall in 19:44, Michael Moore 1st JM11-14 in 23:07 and Isobel Moore 1st JW10 in 27:12.
Among the seniors, Rachel Carter ran 21:03 at Fountains, Jaysson Sawyer 20:38 at Belvoir Castle and Rob Cunningham 19:45 at Ferry Meadows.
Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.