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Skyrac Athletic Club's 800m athletes are in great form in the early part of 2008. Laura Kirk, who is student at Leeds Met Carnegie University, has just run her fastest time for three years.

Laura, competing for Leeds Met University, came second behind British International Charlotte Best, from Loughborough, in a fast time of 2 mins 14 secs at the recent indoor meeting at the EIS, Sheffield.

Laura is hoping this year to break 2 mins 10 secs and confirms her training is going well.

Skyrac's other three 800m athletes who have competed this year on the indoor circuit are competing against the best in England at this weekend's AAA Indoor Championships which are to be held at The National Indoor Arena, Birmingham.

The three Skyrac girls are Hannah Seddon, from Garforth, who will be competing in the U-20 Women's 800m; her sister Katie and Harriet Middlebrough, from Guiseley. They will both be competing in the U-15 girls' 800m.

The girls have promised they are determined to bring back a medal for their coach and their club and also to set personal bests. All three Skyrac girls know the competition will be very tough.

After this competition Skyrac's elite middle distance and sprints group will be training at the end of March alongside middle distance and sprint athletes from Northern Ireland.

The group of young elite Irish athletes will be visiting the Yorkshire area with their coach, who has agreed to team up with the Skyrac coach and train at Leeds Met Carnegie University.

Skyrac Athletic Club will have several athletes competing on Sunday, March 3, at the Indoor Arena, Sports City Manchester Open Athletic Meeting.

A team of Skyrac athletes will be competing at the Blackpool Track and Field Open Meeting on Sunday, March, 16, followed by the Open Meeting at Cleckheaton on Sunday, March 30.

Any young athletes in the area, including fitness runners or joggers who are interested in the sport of athletics, are welcome to the club's main training nights, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at Nunroyd Park, Yeadon meeting at 7.20 pm at the clubhouse. Whatever your standard of fitness you are welcome at Skyrac.

For further information on Skyrac Athletic Club including training sessions, coaching and racing view www.skyrac.org.uk or telephone 01943 466320 As well as juniors and fellrunners Skyrac also caters for road runners and some of these turned out for the recent Liversedge Half Marathon, mostly with one eye on the upcoming marathon season.

Race winner was James Kovacs (Salford Harriers) in 1.13.14 and 12th and first lady was Amy Green (K&C) in 1.23.54. Skyrac runners were in the prizes as well and the full turnout finished: 56, Frank Glass (1.34.10); 140, and First V65 Alan Bye (1.44.01); 152, and 2nd V65 Malcolm Coles (1.45.29); 179, Elizabeth Grayson (1.48.15); 185, and First V50 Debbie Bland (1.48.25); and 260, Jackie Glass (1.55.55).

Skyrac is based at Nunroyd Park on the Guiseley/Yeadon boundary and meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 7.30pm, www.skyrac.org.uk will tell you more.

Otley Athletic Club LAST weekend was an unusually quiet one for Otley Athletic Club with few races within reach. However, fell racing enthusiast Andrew Robertshaw travelled to Scotland to take part in the Carnethy 5, so named because it includes five hills with a total ascent of about 2500 feet in a race distance of about six miles. Andrew finished 27th overall in a very strong field.

This weekend Otley will be entering a team in the English National Cross-Country event at Alton Towers on Saturday Otley AC members meet for training at Otley RUFC at 7.15pm. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Adult runners are always welcome. Further details can be found on the website www/otleyac.co.uk Ilkley Harriers TWO laps of Danefield plantation was the route of the latest Peco West Yorkshire Cross-Country League race organised by Horsforth's Fellandale club.

Ilkley Harriers men are in contention at the top of the premier division of this prestigious competition, 31 of the Harriers finest men enjoyed results to match the fantastic weather.

With one race to go in this season's league Ilkley Harriers are still in with a sniff of top spot and some silverware.

In second place second claim Lee Athersmith was first Harrier, followed by: 7, Tom Adams; 8, Jamie Hutchinson; 13, James Wood-Robertson; 17, Steve Turland; 18, Nick Richardson; 21, Ian Rowbotham; 27, John Atkinson, 29; Justin Phillips; 31, Marc Teasey; 34, Richard Joel; 45, Arthur Riley; 47, Dave Tait; 49, Dave Cummings; 50, Dan Goodey; 64, Paul Stephens; 65, Neil Chapman; 76, Peter Shields; 87, Neil Smith; 89, Morgan Williams; 99, John Coates; 102, Nigel Tapper; 111, Graham Stead; 114, Keith Wood; 122, Vic Verocondi; 123, Tim Bellwood; 132, Pete Bedwell; 141, Laurie Prowse; 149, Bob Payne; 150, Andrew Bennett; 152, Antonio Cardinale.

The ladies' race produced equally fantastic results for Ilkley with first Harrier home in second place overall Amanda Oddie followed by: 3, Sarah Jarvis; 6, Alison Eagle; 7, Elizabeth McCann; 8, Diane Haggar; 10, Heather Dawe; 13, Alison Bennett; 17, Jo-Anne Prowse; 30, Sue Bickerdike; 36, Caroline Wood-Robertson; 44, Emma Payne; 49, Clare Smith; 75, Fiona Schnieder; 90, Amanda Parnaby.

This Sunday sees Ilkley Harriers organise the Ilkley Moor Fell Race, staged by Ilkley Harriers every February since 1990 (except in Foot and Mouth year, when it was one of the the first races to be stopped, and one of the first races to be re-scheduled, in November).

It is a hard race, many would say a classic', and fully deserves its Category A status. It starts from Wells Road, Ilkley at 11.30am (registration opens at 10.30am).

Orienteering Airienteers returned from North Yorkshire last Sunday with a clutch of titles from the Northern Orienteering Championships.

The event was held at Arncliffe Woods situated in the north-west corner of the North Yorkshire Moors and hosted by the Cleveland club, the terrain being mixed woodland with some open moorland.

Neil Conway won the 6.9km M40 race in 63.25, whilst Ilkley's Peter Haines was victorious at M50 level. Both have competed as veteran internationals in the past.

Meanwhile, Sarah Haines, although a W45 runner, competed in the W21 class and just beat second-placed Elizabeth Bridge of the University of Durham in 56.29 - a considerable achievement. The W55 race saw a dead-heat for first place between Sheila Sprot from Newcastle and Ilkley's Susan Stevens - an unusual occurrence. Julia Crook completed Airienteers' senior victories winning the W40 race.

At junior level, George Stevens (M18), Florence Haines (W14), and Lucy Haines (W10) were all winners of their respective age-group races.

Meanwhile, Dave Chapman retained his recent good form with runner-up spot at M55, whilst podium positions were also achieved by Steve Watkins (2nd at M35), Peter Jones (3rd at M55), Robert Ker (3rd at M65), Rolf Crook (3rd at M35), and Shirley Wood (3rd at W50) - an excellent.

Airienteers travel to Brimham Rocks next Sunday to compete in a Regional Event run by Claro, the Harrogate-based orienteering club.

The next major event organised by Airienteers will be on March 16 at the new orienteering area of the Valley of Desolation, near Bolton Priory.

For those new to orienteering, an ideal taster event is the up-coming Saturday O-Lite event at 12.30pm on March 1 which will be held at Esholt Woods, near Guiseley.

Details of all these and other events at this friendly club can be found at www.aire.org.uk

10:47am Thursday 21st February 2008

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