Great representation from our young athletes at the National Cross-Country relays in Mansfield on Saturday with teams in all but the under-17 ladies. All teams have three athletes, the under-13 and under-15s running 2k each and the Under 17 men running 3k each.
The stand-out team was the under-13 girls, the team finishing 18th out of 75. Kitty Harrison Sargent took the first leg finishing in a fantastic 9th position in a time of 7.35, ably supported by Lily and Alesha Atkinson. Also representing the under-13 girls were Annabelle Aghahowa and Jessica Myers O'Connell who ran her first race for the club.
Beau Clark for the under-13 boys ran the first leg with a time of 8.11, (despite a fall) and Albert Jones and Tom Wright brought the team home in 45th position. Ralf Jones also ran for the under-13 boys, with a time of 8.51.
The under-15 boy's race saw three great runs by, Chester Gately (7.15), Eli Cattermole (7.19), and Ben Slow (7.28) bringing the team home in 37th place.
The Under-15 girls placed 42nd overall, with Nia Harrison-Sargent finishing 22nd in a time of 7.30, Annie Thorpe 8.32, and Faye Skilbeck 8.31.
The under-17 men (each running 3k) were 47th out of 81, Jacob Ewart 10.29, Will Cattermole 10.19 Euan Logue 10.48.
The event was thoroughly enjoyed by spectators and athletes alike, photographs were kindly passed on by parents.
Leeds Abbey Dash 10k
Twenty-four Halifax Harriers made the trip to Leeds for the popular Abbey Dash 10k on Sunday morning; the latest race in the club's road race championships. This is usually a flat and fast course but the runners were not helped this year by the atrocious weather conditions. Nonetheless, the first two Harriers home both set new club records for their respective age categories with Ben Crowther (M35) finishing in 33:37 followed very closely by Will Smith (M45) in 33:49. Hazel Berrett also set a new age category club record, lowering her own F60 record to 47:55. Fred Carver ran a personal best of 38:35.
Full Harriers' results are on the website: https://www.halifaxharriers.co.uk/recent-race-results/
Whixley Trail 10k
Two Harriers finished in the top ten in the Whixley Trail 10k in North Yorkshire on Sunday. This multi-terrain course was nearly all off-road across fields, tracks and bridleways around Whixley (between York and Harrogate). Will Stewart came home in sixth place in 40:24. April Caufield was the first woman to finish, just one place behind Will in 41:29.
Castle Carr Fell Races
There were also two Harriers competing in Sunday's Castle Carr fell races, which took runners across the moors above Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd and provided a rare opportunity to run through the stunning private estate of Castle Carr. Will Carver completed the tough 15 mile race with 4,000' of total ascent in 3:10:13. Martin Ellis clocked 2:10:24 in the new shorter Half Race.
Green Drive 5 Mile
Katrina Oddy set a new F55 club record at Sunday's Green Drive 5 Mile race in Lytham in Lancashire. Katrina was second in her age catrgory in 34:43, finishing 79th overall in a field of 316 runners.
A party of 28 enjoyed the annual club trip to Mallorca. Indeed, several enjoyed it so much that they are still on the beautiful Spanish island! Others have reluctantly returned home.
The centrepiece of the holiday was Sunday's races in the capital of Palma with the races taking place against the stunning backdrop of the Gothic cathedral. The club bus arrived at the venue early with the bleary-eyed runners and their supporters able to enjoy the sun rising over the sea. The warm, sunny conditions necessitate an early start.
The marathon and half marathon courses include an out-and-back section along the coastal road before moving into the twisting and turning streets of the old city. The marathon course consists of two laps.
Ryan Barker was the only Harrier to accept the challenge of the full marathon, recording a time of 3:36:35 in 135th place. Three runners wore club colours in the half marathon. Simon Johnson led the way, finishing in 1:27:48. Simon was second in the M55 category and 45th overall. Mark Crabtree and Martin Ellis clocked times of 1:44:55 and 1:58:22 respectively.
Unusually, the overwhelming majority of Harriers opted for the shortest event. The 10k course along the coast was reduced to 9.5k due to part of the course through the Docks being unavailable this year. Twenty Harriers took part with several treating it more as a recovery run following their marathon and half marathon expoits the week before.
Craig Empsall led the contingent home, finishing in 113th place in 41:47. Hazel Berrett was next in 44:52, taking second place in the F60 category. Dennis O'Keefe was second M70 in 55:17. Full Harriers results are on the website: https://www.halifaxharriers.co.uk/recent-race-results/