From Luke Watkeys….
Storm forces Hodgson Relay cancellation as Harriers compete across the country
Our racing week starts on Friday, 3 October at the North Coast 110, where club runner Matthew Kennedy delivered a superb performance, claiming third place in 25 hours and 5 minutes on a course that’s as beautiful as it is brutal. Despite the name, this particular “North Coast” takes in the final stretch of the South West Coast Path, from Hartland Quay in Devon to Minehead in Somerset – a punishing 110-mile route with over 18,500 feet of climbing. Runners faced everything from slippery cliff paths and endless estuary flats to relentless Exmoor climbs, all under the unpredictable influence of Storm Amy, which brought bursts of wind, rain, hail, and fleeting sunshine. Matthew held strong through the challenging terrain and conditions, greeted by a stunning sunrise before descending into Minehead to finish in 25:04:34, just minutes behind joint winners David Parrott and Martin Reynolds.
The 2025 Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay was scheduled to take place on Saturday, with Harriers in contention, but was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions and the advice of mountain rescue teams. The weather forecast with Storm Amy was too dangerous to hold the race due to the forecasted 70mph+ winds on the fell tops.
Back again on the coast, on Saturday, Nigel Illingworth took on his first ultramarathon at Run to the Sea Bournemouth, a 50km point-to-point race from Salisbury to the coast. Despite the threat of the storm, conditions proved manageable, with just a few blustery showers along the seafront. Crossing the line well within the cut-offs, he was delighted to complete his first ultra in 8:50:31 – and, on discovering that only 556 of the 700 entrants finished, justifiably proud to count himself among them.
On Sunday, Sally Armitage, Rebecca Brown and Kirsty Wicks put in a strong performance at the Chester Marathon. Sally finished 11th female overall and 351st out of nearly 7,000 runners in an impressive 3:06:46, setting a new LV45 club record at the marathon distance. Rebecca Brown and Kirsty Wicks also had a great run, finishing together in 3:42:28. Sally reflected on the day; running her third marathon – and her first away from Blackpool – she found Chester a far more enjoyable experience, thanks to the superb organisation, packed field, and fantastic crowd support. After setting off a little too enthusiastically, Sally battled calf spasms from halfway onwards, later joined by a protesting hamstring in the final stretch. Even so, she showed great determination to push through and finish strongly.
Also on Sunday, the Morley 10K took place – a volunteer-led, not-for-profit event raising funds for local good causes. The race follows a closed road course around the historic streets of Morley with two out-and-back sections and, perhaps uniquely, a three-way crossover section at the legendary ‘Morley Bottoms’. Will Worboys held the torch for the Harriers at the event, crossing the line in a time of 58:54.
Turning to parkrun, the ninth Ilkley parkrun took place at East Holmes Field despite the stormy conditions, attracting 184 runners, including 20 Harriers. James Horrex was first home in 18:57, with Dan McKeown finishing fourth in 20:14, Paul Carman ninth with a time of 20:59, and Kyle Bethell and Lucy Lowe tenth in their gender categories with times of 21:11 and 26:41, respectively. Further afield, Samesh Chotai ran at Coventry, finishing second in 17:09.