TWO mixed, ten-person Ilkley Harriers squads took part in the Bradford Millennium Way relay on Sunday, enjoying a fantastic day's running.
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
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