From Jean Sullivan…
Photo credit Dave Woodhead.
A win at the Ilkley Incline for Ilkley Harriers!
Wednesday evening saw the staging of the 22nd Ilkley Incline race. This unique one-mile uphill only race, with 560ft of ascent, starts at the bottom of the Keighley Gate Road in Ilkley. The route starts on tarmac road, before runners have a stony track to contend with.
Conditions on the night were mild, but very damp. Over 100 runners turned up to battle it out on this tough course, with 30 of those racing being Ilkley Harriers.
A huge well done to Ilkley Harrier Christos Tzelis who stormed to the finish to win the race outright. Not only did Christos win, he also managed to set a new course record, completing the course in an impressive 6:52, beating the previous record by 9 seconds.
Sam Bentham was the second Harrier home in a great time of 7:23, with clubmate Tom Adams hot on his heels, finishing in 7:26, both taking first place in their respective age categories.
Great results for Ilkley ladies too. Matilda Irvine was the first over the line, completing the course in a great time of 10:51, which meant she also took first prize in her age category. Emma Moore was the next home, her speedy time of 12:20 meaning that she also received an age category prize. Rumana Chowdhury was the third Ilkley lady to finish, her sub-thirteen-minute finishing time meaning she took third place in her age category.
There were lots of other age category prizes for Ilkley Harriers too, including for; Gawain Moore, Jeff Green, Ian Davis and Bob Hamilton.
This year’s event was made extra special by the race founder Andy Wolfenden presenting the prizes to the winners. Runners also enjoyed a special Ilkley Incline biscuit, cleverly designed by Jen Roberts, displaying the Ilkley Incline race profile. Thanks to Jen, Alison Weston and Jann Smith for their baking efforts!
Huge thanks to all those who kindly gave up their time to volunteer at the race, as well as to the Yorkshire Runner in Otley and Saltaire Brewery who generously sponsored the event.
Further afield in Newcastle, the iconic AJ Bell Great North Run took place, the biggest half marathon in the world, with 60,000 participants running the 13.1mile route form Newcastle to South Shields. The race attracted eight Harriers with great results all round. Matthew Thackwray led the Harriers home to finish in an incredible 49th position overall, in a speedy time of 1:10:09. Joanne Williamson was the second Harrier home, also with a sub-two-hour finish, Joanne completing the course in a very impressive time of 1:47:20, with Lucy Lowe the third Harrier home in 2:00:23. Victoria Coppack, Charlotte Smithson, Alex Stanley-Hyde, Peter Evans and Luke Watkeys also had great runs at this event.
Closer to home another popular half marathon was taking place in Yorkshire; The Yorkshireman, offering half marathon and marathon distance options. Organised by Keighley & Craven Athletics club, this popular sell-out event, now in its 31st year, sees runners deal with challenging terrain as well as ascents, the marathon involving 3065ft of ascent and the half-marathon (which is actually 14.7 miles) having 1750ft of ascent. The races start in Haworth and go into the hilly terrain in the surrounding area. The course showcases the natural beauty of the area, with runners rewarded by scenic vistas throughout the race, when the weather allowed!
Harrier Kate Archer had a great run and was the third lady to finish in the marathon distance. Kate crossed the line in a superb time of 4:22:31. Success also for Martin Hartley, improving his time on the course from last year by 25 minutes, with Martin completing the race in 4:10:30. Charles Wain was the third Harrier over the line, in another impressive time of 4:49:33. Colm McCann opted for the half marathon option and had a great run, finishing in a time of 2:41:22.
In the other extreme of distance, Harrier Ritchie Williamson completed the 2024 Montane Dragon’s Back Race. This legendary 380km 6-day event, with 16,400m of ascent, sees runners follow the mountainous spine of Wales from Conwy Castle in the north to Cardiff in the south. This race is considered to be one of the toughest mountain races in the world. Ritchie, with true grit, completed the race in 75:58:53, with Ritchie finishing highly placed in the field of athetes.
Petra Bijsterveld also continued her love of ultra running by taking part in the SwissPeaks 100. This 100 km race with 6230m of ascent starts at Finhaut, high in the mountains of the Vallée du Trient and finishes at Le Bouveret on the shores of Lake Geneva. The course has a lot of technical terrain to contend with, made more difficult by recent heavy rainfall leaving the tracks muddy and slippery, Petra had a great run, taking first prize in her age category, with Petra completing the course in 33:30, an incredible achievement.
Continuing the theme of overseas runs, Harrier Alison Weston, took part in the Stockholm half marathon, which unlike most races of this distance which start in the morning, this race started well into the afternoon. The race starts and finishes at the Royal Palace, with the race tracking through different districts of the city. Alison had a great run, completing the course in a time of 2:01:24.
Always popular, there was a great turnout of Harriers at this week’s 5km parkrun events. Rachel Carter was not only the first lady to finish at the Robert’s Park parkrun, but it was also a PB for her on this course, running it in a speedy time of 20:29. Andrew Overend completed his 25th parkrun by running at the same event. A top ten finishing place for Paul Carman who finished in fourth place at the Pendle parkrun, with Jann Smith being the second lady to cross the line at the same event. A fourth-place finish also for Patrick Wardle at the Conwy parkrun, with Mark Hall continuing his fine form to finish in fifth place at the Barnsley parkrun.