[Ben Rothery (left), winner of the 2026 British 50K Trail Championship race, Photo credit: RunThrough events]

From Jill Ezard & Nicola Budding…  

Ilkley Harriers dominate at the Baildon Boundary Way Half Marathon

Dubbed by organisers as “possibly the greatest multi terrain ‘half marathon’ in the country”, the Baildon Boundary Way has always been a race the Harriers love, and 2026 was no different with 15 members taking on the challenge. Run through a mix of woodlands, moorlands, and rolling countryside, the race provides fantastic views and challenging hills. And it was a great year for the Harriers.  Jack Cummings won back his title this year having previously won in 2023 and 2024 but missing out in 2025 by just 15 seconds.  He took no risks on Sunday leading the field home in 1:19:21 over four minutes ahead of team mate Oli Murphy who took second place in 1:23:53.  In fifth place overall, Nick Kealey finished first in his age category in 1:35:40. Finn Maxwell finished in 1:40:36, a time that saw him take a place in the top twenty.  Jane McCarthy had a fantastic run taking third place in 1:47:38, comfortably placing first in her age group.  Other age group successes were Alex Lewis who took second place in 2:25:51 and Mark Judkowski and Matthew Kennedy both taking third place in their categories in 2:14:26 and 1:43:54 respectively.  

And there was more podium success at the Lakes Festival of Running ultra event in Keswick on Saturday.  Two Harriers braved less than ideal conditions to tackle the normally 53k route which had to be reduced to 48k, skipping the summit of Scafell Pike due to below freezing temperatures, snow and high winds.  Despite the change, competitors still had to tackle an eyewatering 2,200m of elevation over the course. The event had also been chosen for the British 50k Trail championships and was a selection race for the European Trail championships so the field was stacked with elite runners. All the more reason to celebrate Harrier Ben Rothery winning the race in a blistering 3:56. Jann Smith fought hard in the conditions to secure first place in the British Championships in her age category in 7:14. Well done to both for fantastic results.

Elsewhere in the UK five more Harriers braved the ups and downs of trail marathons. Heidi Hoad, Lucy Lowe and Mel Cashmore travelled to Redcar to take on the romantic sounding Charm Bracelet Marathon.  Heading south from Redcar following the King Charles III England Coast Path, participants made their way to Whitby, passing the Circle sculpture affectionately known as The Charm Bracelet, the inspiration for the marathon. Taking in high cliff views and beach running, the race is definitely hilly! And as Heidi, Lucy and Mel found out, definitely not a tightly measured marathon, as they clocked up 28 miles!  All three finished the event sliding under the six hour mark in 5:59.  

The final two Harriers headed to the Isle of Man to take on the Manx Mountain Marathon, again, definitely not a marathon at over 30 miles. Having survived the somewhat turbulent ferry crossing, the conditions at the start of the race were promising.  With several summits to climb with steep ascents and descents the race is challenging and with the conditions worsening over the course of the race there was a high drop out rate.  Harriers Dan McKeown and Dave Rees were not to be put off however and both had great races: Dan finished the race in 33rd place in 6:59:31; and Dave finished in 8:21:45.  

Several Harriers made their way to Bramham Park for the Will Deer trail runs with routes over 5k, 10km, and Half Marathon distances.  The 5km and 10km runs are perfect for first-time trail runners, while the half marathon offers a longer challenge through the scenic estate. The 10k race attracted seven Harriers with our Run/Walk group taking on the race with some great results. Robin Ashe was the first home in 1:10:44 securing first place in his age category. Christine Ashe and Becky Taylor were just behind in 1:15:07 and 1:16:20 respectively, followed closely by Paul Sugden in 1:20:01. Gill Iley and Jo Pattinson came over the line together in 1:20:52. In the Half Marathon, Esmail Zadeh, another regular at the run walk group, had a fantastic run completing the event in 2:07:32. Well done to all our run/walkers.

Distance was not the only driver this week though with several Harriers taking part in much shorter races.  It was the first of the Bunny Runs on Tuesday, a fun series of three mile races over the three weeks of Easter, with Easter Eggs the prizes to aim for!  Five Harriers set out on the course with Juniors Ollie Holder and Milena Morgan having great races. Ollie was the first over the line taking third place in his age category in 18:31, while Milena was first in her category in 20:30. Rachel Carter was the first senior to finish taking first place in her age category in 22:19, followed by Roy Ruddle who also secured first place in his category in 24:03. Rachel Holder was just behind Roy in 25:36. The final race will be on 21st April.  

There was some action on the track as well with three Harriers travelling to the University of York Sport Village Cycle Circuit to take part in the third race of the Evensplits York 5k series.  The races are held monthly from February to November and are designed to enable people to challenge themselves to improve their 5k time on a fast and flat course over the course of the events.  And there were some fast times for the Harriers.  Alexander Wolfenden was the first to finish in 15:22 taking a top 10 spot.  Oscar Shinn and Beth Rogers were neck and neck finishing just seconds apart in 17:20 and 17:25 respectively, with Beth’s time securing her third place in her age category.

And finally, parkruns keep on attracting lots of Harriers each week with 47 turning out for the friendly weekly events aimed at runners of all abilities.  Our juniors were in action across the country: After her success at the Bunny Runs, Milena Morgan was at the Greenwich Peninsula event and was second female overall and first in her age category; Lerryn O’Neill was at Cliffe Castle and was second female and first in her age category; and at East Holmes Field, Sisters Nura and Miriam Allen took first and second positions in their age categories, with Daisy Lowe finishing in 55:58. A big congratulations to everyone getting a Personal Best time at an event this weekend – Andy Shinn, Mariam Allen, Jacqui Foster, and Owen Parker.  In addition, Geoff Howard, Samesh Chotai and Hilda Coulsey all hit age gradings over 80% this week.  Well done to everyone who took part.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly welcoming club, open to all. If you would like to try us out, please register first on the training page at www.ilkleyharriers.org.uk and then come along to our main club night at 6.45pm on Tuesdays, meet upstairs at Ilkley tennis and squash club.