A number of Harriers have recently swapped their trainers for swimming gear to take on a variety of significant aquatic challenges.
Asia to Europe
Martin Haigh recently completed the 6.5km swim from Asia to Europe to become a Cross-Continental Swimmer (see photo). The swim took place along the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey on 25th August in the 36th year of this iconic race. Over 2,800 participants from more than 78 countries competed in this race from Kanlıca to Kuruçeşme, traversing the historic divide between Istanbul's two continents.
Martin said: “The race was extremely well organised with plenty of rescue boats and scuba divers in case any swimmers got into difficulty. The weather was beautiful and we were graced with Istanbul's awe-inspiring skyline and the stunning vistas of the Bosphorus.” Martin completed the race in 1 hour 24 minutes placing him in the top half of his age category and well inside the strict 2-hour cut off time. Atakan Ercan, a professional swimmer from Antalya, was the first person to finish in a time of 45 minutes.
Martin trained diligently for this event, swimming many times in open water and completing the Windermere 5km event in June. Whilst all swimmers needed to produce a medical declaration from their GP and certification from their swim coach to enter the Bosphorus swim, the event can be quite challenging for swimmers who may not have prepared well or found themselves in difficulty along the route. This year over 200 competitors failed to complete the course.
Martin said: “I was fortunate to have fellow runner Nigel Rigg with me as a non-swim partner and he gave me lots of encouragement and support during our week in Turkey. Whilst running is my main sport, it’s nice to have a change and do some other complementary activities from time to time.”
Windermere End to End
A few days later on August 31st, Sharon Cousen swam the 11 miles from one end of England's longest lake to the other. Sharon completed her swim of Windermere, organised by Chillswim, in just over six hours. Earlier in the year, she had swum the length of two other Lake District lakes; Coniston (5.25 miles) and Ullswater (7.5 miles). Sharon's latest swim meant that she completed the Chillswim Triple Crown 2024; a marvellous achievement.
Sharon's daughter, Amelia, also completed the Windermere swim and the Chillswim Triple Crown and took the opportunity to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity in honour of her cousin, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumour at only 8 years old. Amelia commented, "11 miles done! Hardest swim I've ever done, but feeling very accomplished. Thank you to my wonderful mum for being my training partner/Mrs Motivator this year."
River Dart 10k
On Sunday 8th September, Wayne Stevens swam the River Dart 10k in Devon. Wayne completed the 10k course from Totnes to National Trust Greenway, past a number of landmarks including the Cormorant Tree and Bow Creek, in a time of 2 hours 16 minutes.
Wayne commented, "Wow! What an experience. So glad it went ahead despite all the recent rain and possible elevated pollution levels. Best swim I've done so far. Tidal assistance is definitely the way forward!"
Serpentine Swim
Our intrepid swimmers haven't finished yet! Sharon and Wayne, along with Nigel Jamieson and Margaret Deacon, will be swimming two miles this Sunday in the Serpentine Lake in London's Hyde Park as part of the annual Swim Serpentine event.
Congratulations to you all on your achievements so far and good luck for this weekend!
Harriers were out in force yesterday, competing in a number or races on what was a wet and miserable morning across the north of England.
A dozen runners participated in the Vale of York Half Marathon; the latest race in the club’s Road Championships. James O’Rourke was the first to complete the fast, flat, but very wet, course on closed roads south of York and north of Selby in 1:27:42. April Stewart was next, finishing in 1:29:45. Rachel Beaumont was third F55 in a new club record time of 1:38:50. Two Harriers raced in the 10k event. Will Stewart finished in 42:30 with Mark Crabtree winning the M65 category in 48:08.
A number of Harriers took to the hills and moors around Haworth and Ogden to take part in the Yorkshireman Off-Road Marathon. The course includes over 3,000’ of elevation and there was drizzle, rain and fog. With wet trails, paths, mud and bogs, it made for a challenging, but fun day out. Ryan Barker was first home, finishing first M50 and 16th overall, in 4:09:49. Next were Fred Carver and Will Carver, running as a pair, in 4:26:08. The father and son team were the third pair to finish. Tom Paget finished 77th in a time of 4:58:31; an impressive feat after falling off a bridge into a stream and stopping for fruit cake and port at Checkpoint 5!
Stef Dickinson and Jane Hobson competed in the Yorkshireman Off-Road Half Marathon, completing the nearly 15 mile course in 2:40:29 and 3:16:58 respectively.
Four club members made the journey to the North East for the Great North Run (GNR); the world’s largest half marathon with 60,000 runners. Stephen Rainbow led the quartet home in 1:29:33 followed by Paul Hopkinson (1:47:25) and GNR regular, Dave Cooper (1:56:45). Group 1 regular, Katie Tompkins, completed the team, finishing in 2:34:13.
Two Harriers competed in the latest in the Yorkshire Veterans’ Grand Prix race series. James Franklin completed the 5 mile undulating, multi-terrain course around Queensbury in 35:07, finishing third M45 in 12th place overall. Martin Ellis was 101st in 51:54.
Five Harriers competed in Tuesday's Crow Hill Reverse Fell Race on a perfect evening for running. This latest race in the club's Fell & Trail League takes runners from Mytholmroyd up to Crow Hill on Midgley Moor and back. The total distance is 4.3 miles and there is a total ascent of around 1,000' with some very steep climbs early on.
It was great to see some new faces taking to the fells as well as more familiar, seasoned campaigners. Amy Radford was third female finisher on her fell racing debut in 46:01. Well done to Amy, who was hot on the heels of second place.
Ryan Barker led the quintet home in 40:46 followed by Tom Paget (44:15). Recent fell racing convert, David Ingle, was third M60 (50:18). Martin Ellis (57:12) completed the team.