Teams help Ilkley finish 12th in Bradford Millennium Way relay

Starting from and returning to Bingley, taking in Wilsden, Denholme, Oxenhope, Haworth, Oakworth, Steeton, Silsden, Addingham and Ilkley with some stunning scenery en-route, the race attracts teams from Yorkshire and Lancashire.

It's a relay of five legs, with two runners on each section, and the A team couldn't have started in better fashion as Jack Wood and Jack Cummings combined to set the fastest time - and break the all-time record in the process.

All four pairings - Sally Malir and Sarah Pickering (20th on leg two), Mike Abrams Cohen and Nick Helliwell (eighth on leg three), Andrew Merrick and Peter Shelley (17th on leg four) and Will Buckton and Marc Teasey (14th on the fifth and final leg) - made the top 20 to help Ilkley take 12th overall.

The B team were 41st out of 54 teams, again with consistent performances throughout.

Earlier in the week, both Wood and Cummings had been to the fore in individual events.

Wood made it three wins out of three in the Harrogate and District Summer Race League with another dominant display, this time in nearby Yeadon.

Kate Archer was the second lady as 17 Harriers competed in the third race of the series.

And on the same night, Cummings was runner-up in the Beamsley Beacon fell race from Addingham, chasing home Pudsey and Bramley's Joe Baxter.

It's a five-mile route which features a 1,000ft climb up to the trig and then back down any way you like.

There were plenty of other notable Harriers displays - Lucy Williamson was first lady, while Dan McKeown (MV40) and Jann Smith (FV50) won their respective age categories.

And the Ilkley ladies - Williamson and Smith combining with Helen Wood - also took the team prize.

Peter Shields, who coaches many of the Harriers mentioned above, again set the perfect example with an age category win of his own, this time at the Crazy Cow 10k in Preston on Sunday as he clocked 50:35 to top the MV70 standings.

And on a busy weekend, two of the Harriers' ultra runners took on a couple of jaw-dropping challenges.

First up was Steve Turland at the Spine Flare, a 'short' version of the famed Spine Race - covering 108 miles with 17,000ft of elevation, following the Pennine Way from Edale to Hardraw.

He was an impressive fourth overall and now has his sights set on the winter version (the Challenger) in January, and then the Full Winter Spine in 2021.

Meanwhile, Colin Williams travelled to the Pennine 39 Ultra, a 39-mile / 5,600ft run along the Pennine Way from Teesdale to Alston.

And he too made his mark, taking fifth place in a time of seven hours and 20 minutes.

And fellow Harriers Jane McCarthy and Craig Mainprize donned wetsuits and cycling gear in addition to their usual running attire as they tackled the Yorkshireman half triathlon at Newby Hall.

It features a 1.9km river swim, followed by a 90km bike section and then a half marathon to round things off.

McCarthy showed she was in great shape for her full Ironman (double the distances) later this year as she made the top 10 in the overall female standings and third in age category in 5:18:40, while Mainprize clocked a praiseworthy 6:01:01.

And finally, a huge well done to the Harriers of the future who have just completed the club's popular 0-5k programme.

Run over six Wednesday evenings under the expert coaching eyes of Jane Bryant, ably assisted by Hilda Coulsey and a handful of helpers, the new recruits were encouraged throughout as they progressed from walking pace up to a non-stop 5k run.

RESULTS:

Bradford Millennium Way relay, Sunday

(1 5:44:48 Ribble Valley)

12 6:33:20 Ilkley Harriers A

1 1:16:23 Jack Wood, Jack Cummings

20 1:26:26 Sally Malir, Sarah Pickering

8 1:04:04 Nick Helliwell, Mike Abrams Cohen

17 1:22:24 Peter Shelley, Andrew Merrick

14 1:24:03 Marc Teasey, Will Buckton

41 8:34:35 Ilkley Harriers B

32 1:45:54 Caroline Howe, Nicky Liptrot

37 1:35:09 Malcolm Pickering, Michael Ho

40 1:26:25 Keith Wood, Lynn Donohue

48 1:50:53 Donna Jackson, Petra Bijsterveld

45 1:56:14 Jayne Norman, Alison Bennett

HDSRL race three, last Thursday

1 30:53 Jack Wood

36 37:17 Jonathan Turner

46 38:12 Kate Archer

83 40:44 Sally Armitage

102 42:21 Steve Newell

105 42:29 Sarah Pickering

162 46:01 Malcolm Pickering

185 47:04 Jane Bryant

191 47:26 Tom Lally

207 48:22 Phil Hirst

218 48:53 Emily Elmes

276 53:23 Sheena Pickersgill

287 54:06 Amelia Miles

288 54:08 Dawn Turner

312 56:37 Sally Pickering

338 59:46 Anna Pickering

345 60:43 Tracy Russell

374 finished

Beamsley Beacon fell race, last Thursday

(1 32:17 Joe Baxter, P&B)

2 32:40 Jack Cummings

13 37:46 Dan McKeown (1st M40)

22 38:44 Paul Carman

31 41:35 Lucy Williamson (1st lady)

39 42:40 Helen Wood (3rd lady)

57 46:25 Bob Hamilton

86 50:06 Jann Smith (1st F50)

89 50:36 Chantal Busby

97 51:18 Mike Baldwin

113 54:52 Helen Waddington

134 finished

Ilkley won 1st ladies team (Lucy, Helen, Jann)

Crazy Cow 10k, Preston, Sunday

(1 37:58 Paul Muller, Northern Masters)

80 50:35 Peter Shields 1st V70

482 ran

Parkruns, Saturday

Barnsley

(1 16:34 Gareth Cooke, Penistone Footpath Runners)

17 21:47 Beth Massey 1st F

191 ran

Skipton

(1 16:44 unknown)

19 21:52 Adrian Bastow

25 22:30 Geoff Howard

29 23:14 Catherine Gibbons

67 26:08 Hilda Coulsey

202 43:28 Karen Shinn

210 ran

Barry Island

(1 16:59 Oliver Williams, White Rock Runners)

3 19:09 Michael Lomas

215 ran

Centre Vale

(1 17:45 Alex Whittam, Calder Valley Fell Runners)

34 25:07 Will Worboys

106 ran

Horton

(1 17:44 Paul Greenwood, Queensbury RC)

44 26:54 Petra Bijsterveld

101 ran