IT was a weekend to remember for Ilkley Harriers’ ladies, with some fantastic performances right across the board, over a range of distances and terrain.
Pride of place went to Lucy Williamson, who won the Harrogate 10k for the second year in a row, improving her course record time in the process.
On what was an undulating, multi-terrain route with a 500m climb to the finish, Williamson clocked a superb 41 minutes and 10 seconds, beating her nearest female rival by nearly a minute and finishing in 19th overall from 755 runners.
There were excellent runs too from Sally Armitage and Paul Calderbank, who both made the top 80 - and took home top age category prizes too.
There were prizes galore the same day at the Hollybank Eccup 10.
Run over 10 miles and mainly on the road, this event doubled up as the Yorkshire veterans championship for the distance in 2019, open to the leading runners in each age category who belong to a running club from within the White Rose county.
Again it was the ladies who were to the fore, with the Harriers landing the team prize thanks to the exploits of Rachel Carter, Sally Malir and Caroline Howe.
Carter translated her fine form from the trails and fells to the road, clocking 68 minutes and 14 seconds, which also meant she topped the FV40 category and thus was Yorkshire champion too.
Malir overcame a calf injury during the race to finish second in the FV55 standings - and collected the Yorkshire gong too.
And Howe’s personal best of 75:36 for the 10 miles not only helped the team to victory but placed her second FV35.
Not far behind were Catherine Crawley (75:48), Sarah Gresswell (76:46), Nicky Liptrot (78:42, which saw her take third in the FV45 category) and Mary Fairclough (78:59), underlining great strength in depth for the Harriers.
And there was another impressive display from Hilda Coulsey, who won the FV65 prize and Yorkshire champion with her 91:12.
Saturday saw two outstanding endurance performances, made all the more praiseworthy given it was the hottest day of the year so far.
Helen Waddington tackled the 55km Lakeland Trails off-road Ultra, where as well as the warm and muggy weather, she also had to contend with 6,500 feet of elevation including three big climbs (Kentmere, Grisedale Tarn and Silver Howe) and lots of bumps in between.
She was top of her FV50 age category with a time of nine hours, 41 minutes and one second, which placed her 136th out of 346.
The winner was Damian Hall, who recently set the fastest known time (17 hours and 42 minutes) for the Paddy Buckley round, a route which takes in 47 summits in Snowdonia.
Also battling the heat and three big climbs was Jayne Norman at the UWFRA Three Peaks Challenge.
Organised by the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association, it covers 22 miles and summits Birks Fell, Buckden Pike and Great Whernside, Norman completing it in six hours, 38 minutes and 15 seconds.
Jann Smith and Paul Carman registered an eye-catching endurance feat of their own - 30 miles and 11,000 feet of climbing at the Abrahams Tea Round Challenge.
Starting and finishing at George Fishers in Keswick, it takes in 13 Lakeland summits including the likes of Catbells, Robinson, High Stile, Red Pike, Grisedale Pike and Causey Pike and they finished in an excellent time of eight hours and 54 minutes.
It was busy on the fell race front last week too - Steve Gott was sixth at Eldwick Gala, Iain Gibbons was eighth at Kirkby Gala and Will Worboys 86th at Cragg Vale.
And Tom Adams showed he’s very much back in business after injury as he set a new course record at the Bramley Parkrun, with a blistering 15:46 for the 5km.
RESULTS:
Run Harrogate 10k, Sunday
(1 34:58 Marcos Angel Valero Palacios, Roundhay Runners)
19 41:10 Lucy Williamson (1st lady)
66 46:04 Michael Abrams-Cohen
76 46:26 Paul Calderbank (1st MV55)
77 46:31 Sally Armitage (1st FV40)
539 1:06:45 Sue Williamson
755 ran
Hollybank Eccup 10, Sunday
(1 57:18 Matthew Hallam, Valley Striders)
60 1:07:37 Jonathan Turner
64 1:07:52 David Westhead
66 1:08:14 Rachel Carter - 1st FV40 + Yorkshire champion
76 1:09:26 Dave Robson
126 1:13:46 Daryl King
140 1:14:32 Sally Malir - 2nd FV55 + Yorkshire champion
152 1:15:36 Caroline Howe - 2nd FV35
154 1:15:48 Catherine Crawley
162 1:16:24 Craig Mainprize
168 1:16:46 Sarah Gresswell
199 1:18:42 Nicky Liptrot - 3rd FV45
203 1:18:59 Mary Fairclough
209 1:19:13 Colin Williams
254 1:21:14 Michael Ho
367 1:27:00 Adrian Weatherly
449 1:31:11 Will Worboys
450 1:31:12 Hilda Coulsey - 1st FV65 + Yorkshire Champion
510 1:34:38 Donna Jackson
516 1:34:52 Paul Sugden
518 1:34:46 Dawn Turner
530 1:35:31 Alex Stanley-Hyde
574 1:38:36 David Ibbotson
613 1:40:36 Jo Pattinson
652 1:44:11 Natalie York
680 1:46:25 Diane Ollier
693 1:48:36 Elaine Ibbotson
*Ilkley won ladies team prize*
798 ran
Lakeland Trails Ultra 55k, Saturday
(1 5:39:12 Damian Hall, Team Inov-8)
136 9:41:01 Helen Waddington (1st FV50)
346 ran
Kirkby Gala fell race, Saturday
(1 31:04 Charlie Ing, Calder Valley)
8 25:05 Iain Gibbons
51 ran
Eldwick Gala fell race, Saturday
(1 19:08 Mark Sennett, Wharfedale)
6 20:06 Steven Gott
22 22:39 Will Buckton
62 ran
Cragg Vale Fell Race, Wednesday, June 26
(1 26:31 Andrew Worster, Todmorden Harriers)
86 43:52 Will Worboys
111 finished
Parkruns, Saturday
Bramley
1 15:46 Tom Adams (new course record)
122 ran
Pontefract
(1 18:41 Daniel Longhurst, Medway and Maidstone AC)
25 21:42 Geoff Howard
315 ran
Skipton
(1 17:54 Ian Beresford, Barlick Fell Runners)
163 41:29 Karen Shinn
173 ran
Tooting Common
(1 15:33 Jack Millar, Bristol and West AC)
13 19:27 Rob Cunningham
534 ran
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