HE’S back. That was the cry after the Blackfell Race, an event which proved to be a memorable one for Ilkley.

In what was an English Championship Fell Race counter and also incorporated the 2019 Yorkshire Senior and U23 Championship races, things could hardly have gone better for the Harriers.

Club legend Tom Adams, who had been sidelined by injury for around a year, powered ahead on the first steep climb out of Kettlewell alongside fellow Harrier Jack Wood and they never looked back.

Adams was soon clear on his own and by the time he got to the finish line to be crowned Yorkshire champion, he had shattered the previous course record by over four minutes, with a time of one hour, 14 minutes and 28 seconds.

Wood produced a superb run of his own to take second in 1.17.50 - and he too went faster than the previous best.

With Jack Cummings taking 18th place (and second in the MU23 Yorkshire standings), Ilkley were confirmed as team champions.

And there was further silverware, with Kate Archer heading the FV40 category by seven and a half minutes with her time of 1.36.00.

As well as tasting glory on the regional and national stage, Ilkley were also celebrating international success the following day.

For Euan Brennan finished in fifth place in the under-20s race at the European Mountain Running Championships in Zermatt.

And that helped Great Britain retain their team title, with Joe Dugdale winning the race overall and Matty Mackay taking fourth.

Elsewhere on another busy week for the Harriers, the aforementioned Jack Wood won the Harrogate Summer Race League without even running.

That’s because he was in an unassailable position at the top of the leaderboard having been victorious in the first three events ahead of the final counter in Knaresborough, which took place on Tuesday evening.

But plenty of other Harriers took part, among them Malcolm Pickering, whose time of 42.41 for the 9.2km event confirmed his overall success in the MV65 category, while Kate Archer was second lady on the night and Caroline Howe topped the FV35 standings.

Elsewhere, more than 5,000 runners enjoyed the Leeds 10k on Sunday, with Michael Abrams-Cohen leading home a small Harriers contingent in 251st place with a time of 42.29.

And at the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon in the Howgill Fells there were some excellent Ilkley displays.

Ruaridh Mon-Williams and Daniel Hayes were third overall in the Carrock Fell class, with Mark and Rebecca Mon-Williams the third mixed vet team. And John and Oliver Hayes took 26th in the parent-and-child Bedafell class.

There were top 10 placings at the Pie ’n’ Pint 10-miler at Pateley Bridge for both Pete Shields and Helen Waddington and on the parkrun front, a week after Tom Adams had set a new course record at Bramley, there was another Ilkley victory there courtesy of Steven Gott in 18.27.

And from one special weekend to another, the first-ever Ilkley Half Marathon this Sunday promises to be a fantastic spectacle and big charity fundraiser, and it’s also the Addingham Gala Fell Race the day before - two events sure to attract bumper turnouts from the Harriers.

Results: Blackfell Race: 1 Tom Adams (course record time) 1.14.28; 2 Jack Wood 1.17.50;18 Jack Cummings - 2nd Yorkshire MU23 1.20.26; 92 Paul Carman 1.33.01; 111 Kate Archer - 1st FV40 1.36.00; 212 Jann Smith - 3rd Yorkshire FV50 1.58.39; 227 Alison Weston 2.02.41. Ilkley won men's team prize. HDSRL4 Knaresborough: 1 Rob Scott 31.02; 41 Jonathan Turner 36.49; 46 Kate Archer 37.01; 132 Caroline Howe 42.38; 133 Malcolm Pickering 42.41; 161 Sarah Pickering 44.10; 164 Jane Bryant 44.23; 177 Tom Lally 44.44; 236 Geoffrey White 47.29; 317 Amelia Miles 52.09; 319 Sally Pickering 52.29; 325 Dawn Turner 52.52; 369 Sue Verspyck 57.05; 379 Sally Wright 58.52; 380 Tracy Russell 58.52. 409 finished. Pie 'n' Pint 10-mile: 1 Martyn Wilson 1.14.10; 4 Pete Shields 1.34.24; 7 Helen Waddington 1.37.38. 28 ran.