Three Firsts At Bradford Half

Halifax Harriers took three first places at the Bradford Half Marathon.  April Caufield was the ladies winner in a time of 1:29:05 with James O’Rourke close on her heels in 1:29:10 and first M40.  David Nutton ran 1:35:56 to finish first M50.  Will Stewart ran 1:30:48. 

The course is multi-laps round Bradford city centre and does have a number of small inclines on each lap.  The route is also used for the 5k and 10k races.  In the 5k, 12 year old Katie Brook was second female junior in 28:05, whilst in the 10k John Moore ran 49:27.

At the Worksop Half Marathon, Nigel Taylor set a PB of 1:43:20 and Margaret Deacon finished in 1:54:49.

Halifax Harriers also had runners competing further afield. 

At the Snowden Marathon, Sarah Cumber once again showed her strength on the hilly course.  This year she finished as fourth lady (1st F45) in 3:16:22.  Judith Cole had a good run to finish in 4:10:19, whilst Richard Corney on a rare outing on the roads just dipped inside five hours with a time of 4:59:19.

In Germany, Hanni Maeer took on the Frankfurt Marathon which is run on good flat roads in and around the city.  She set a PB of 3:51:34 on the day.

Ich Bin Ein Frankfurter - Hanni Completes German Marathon

This year's Frankfurt Marathon took place on Sunday 28th October and attracted over 17,000 runners. Running conditions on the day were very good with temperatures just below double figures and the gusty wind that had blown through the night, reduced to a gentle breeze by the time the race was due to start. 

 

The race begins at the Frankfurt Messe exhibition centre and runs through the city for the first 10k, before heading out parallel with the River Main, through towns and villages east of the city centre. At the 30k mark, the route takes runners back towards the main part of the city where the streets were full of supporters partying hard like only the Germans can. The finish line has to be one of the most impressive of all the European marathons, as finishers are treated to a red carpet run into a giant Festhalle where thousands of spectators congregate to cheer everyone home. 

 

The Harriers had one representative at the race, Hanni Maeer, who finished in a time of 3.51:34. For anyone looking for a flat, well supported and very friendly overseas marathon, Frankfurt is definitely one to try. The organisation of the event was exceptional, it's a great place to visit for a weekend and the city really knows how to help its marathoners celebrate....hic!

The Sun Shines On Halifax Harriers

Lovely Autumn sun provided ideal conditions for Halifax Harriers, both at Holmfirth and at the Great South Run in Portsmouth. 

Down on the south coast, four members took part in the Great South Run 10 mile race.  Sarah Cumber started in the ladies elite field and was up against the top runners in the UK.  Sarah initially set off with the eventual winners, but quickly realised that the pace was far too fast for her and then ran at her own pace finishing in 13th place in 1:04:32.  Nigel Rigg ran 1:19:20 closely followed by Geoff Cumber 1;19:29 (2nd M70).  Heath Reilly ran 1:29:28.

At Holmfirth the lovely weather provided excellent conditions for the runners in the 15 mile and 10k races.  Both courses start with a fast downhill section, but have a nasty short climb in the centre of Holmfirth.  The 15 mile race is two laps of 7.5 miles, whilst the 10k covers most of the 15 mile route.

In the 15 mile race, April Caufield was first back for Halifax Harriers in 19th place and 3rd lady in 1:47:32, closely followed by Will Stewart 1:48:36.  Margaret Deacon ran 2:17:08 and Martin Ellis 2:23:13.

The 10k saw Tim Baxter first back for Halifax Harriers in 44:27 (2nd M45).  Raymond Hall ran 47:20 (1st M70), Sophie Baxter 50:54 (3rd F40) and John Moore 50:25.

Halifax Harriers Return To Majorca

For the fourth consecutive year, Halifax Harriers had their annual club trip to Majorca.  Once again, they had warm and sunny weather for the half marathon and 10k runs.  These are one of the few races undertaken by club members intent on having a good time in the warm weather rather than worrying about setting PB’s.  This does not stop runners trying their best, but, with the warm conditions and the nature of the course, times are less important than enjoying the day.

The 10k and half marathon both follow the same 6 miles from the start in front of the magnificent cathedral.  The route follows the seafront for the first 3 miles, passing the harbour full of expensive boats, before returning back to the start for the 10k runners.  The half marathon then follows a twisting, undulating route along narrow alleyways in the old town where there are spectators around each corner.

In the half marathon, which attracted 4000 runners, Halifax Harriers were led home by April Caufield (12th lady) in 1:32:39.  Will Stewart was the first man back in 1:37:22.  Raymond Hall was next to finish in 1:43:41 (1st M70), now starting to regain some of his old form after a long layoff.

Other runners for the club in the half marathon were Wayne Stevens 1:52:09, Jonny Lister 1:56:08, David Broadley 1:57:32, Fiona Murphy 1:58:51, Andrea Ackroyd 2:05:05, Deborah Kirkbride 2:13:00, Keith Midgley 2:13:02, Susan Hall 2:24:01, Jenny St Romaine 2:24:55.

In the 10k, Halifax Harriers had 7 runners.  Once again, first back was Simon Johnson 38:05 (3rd M50) in 25th place out of almost 3000 runners.  First lady for the club was Hazel Berrett 50:05 (3rd F55).aH   

Other runners for the club in the 10k were Craig Empsall 45:28, Paul Hopkinson 47:41, John Moore 52:54, Jenny Hopkinson 56:05, Michelle Broadley 57:25.

 

OTHER RACES THIS WEEKEND

Halifax Harriers had numerous runners at races in the UK over the weekend. Samantha Sugden was in action at the Yorkshire marathon in which she ran 4:05:34. At the Yorkshire 10 mile race four club members competed with Adrian Thomas first back in 18th position in 58:15, Stephen Rainbow ran 1:07:47, Marc Rocheteau 1:14:17, Jane Curwen 1:31:10.

At the Manchester half marathon Ian Whitehouse was first back in 1:22:48, James O’Rourke ran 1:27:11, Tom Paget 1:28:55, Angela Clarke 1:40:28, Nigel Rigg 1:44:35, Sharon Cousen 1:47:43, Philip Davis 1:54:21.

Nigel Corns ran 1:49:11 at the Leicester half marathon.

At the Roche Abbey 20 mile trail run Hanni Maeer was first lady in 3:06:24 and 5th finisher.

Peter Clegg was 1st at the King of  the Hills Half marathon in Huddersfield 1:28:43

 

Sarah Wins By A Few Seconds

Halifax Harrier Sarah Cumber took the scalp of ex-Olympian Mara Yamauchi at the Oxford half marathon.  Sarah just pipped Yamauchi by 14 seconds when winning the F45 age group in 1:23:59.  Mara Yamauchi represented GB at the 2008 Olympics when she finished 6th in the marathon.  Also at the Oxford half marathon was Halifax Harrier Marc Rocheteau who ran 1:40:00.

Halifax Harriers had runners at several other races at the weekend. 

April Caufield was back to good form being the 3rd lady finisher at the Rochdale half marathon in 1:29:51.  Will Stewart also ran the half marathon and finished in 1:34:01.  John Moore ran the 10k race at Rochdale in a time of 49:09.

David Parrington set a PB of 4:13:55 at the Chester Marathon despite taking a bad fall at the 18 mile point.

At the strangely named Hedgehog half marathon Hanni Maeer finished in 1:49:11.

Halifax Harriers also had runners out on the fells at the Withins Skyline, with both juniors and seniors competing.  In the juniors, Sam Keighley was 6th U/9 boy and Jessica Sanderson was 20th U/11 girl.  First senior man back for Halifax Harriers was Steven Sladdin 44th and first senior lady was Hazel Berrett 181st, followed by Sarah Sladdin 187th and Jane Hobson 206th.

The Juniors At The West Yorkshire Track And Field

Following the senior athletes success in the West Yorkshire Track & Field Championships, Halifax Harriers junior members also competed well for the medals.

Isobelle Bloem U/15 won the silver medal in the 200 metres to round off a wonderful season following her top 5 in the English Schools 300m.

Team mate Tegan Hamilton-Adams won silver in the shot and a PB 4.25m in the long jump.  Heleanor MacDonald, improving on the track, also took the bronze medal in the shot.

U/15 male Ethan Clarke ran a PB in the 200m and was 4th in the long jump.

In the U/13 athletes, Elise Horner won the gold in a runaway victory and showed her versatility with gold in the 80m, with team mate Maisie Brown getting the bronze.

U/13 boy Kai Daley, who was 2nd in the West Yorkshire League, excelled again with gold in the long jump 4.72m to rank him joint 1st place in Yorkshire.

U/11 Nia Harrison-Sargent was 1st in the 600m and 2nd in the 75m, following 1st place in the West Yorkshire League.

U/11 boys 

Owen Helliwell 1st in the 75m and 1st in the long jump

Leo Riches 1st in the 600m and 3rd in the 75m

Harrison Goldthorpe 2nd in the 600m and 2nd in the 75m

Louis Augustine 2nd in the shotput and 4th in the long jump

Reubin McLoughlin 3rd in the long jump and 4th in the 75m.

A terrific effort by all who took part.

Halifax Harriers Ladies Win Again

Good conditions greeted the 30 Halifax Harriers at the Littleborough 10k, just a slight nip in the air, but dry with only a light breeze.  This year the race attracted a record field of 343 runners, an increase of 90 on last year.  The first kilometre is a steady climb up to Hollingworth Lake, then its two laps round the lake on a mixture of roads and dirt paths.  At parts the road narrowed and it was difficult to pass cars and caravans which did slow some runners for a short time.  After the laps of the lake it was a relatively fast last kilometre back down to the finish in Littleborough.

Halifax Harriers, for the third year in a row, won the ladies team prize.  They were led home by Johanna Sutcliffe 41:16 (1st F40), followed by Helen Ward 46:33 PB (2nd F35) and Sophie Baxter 48:41 PB (3rd F40).

The first lady back for the club was April Caufield 41:02 (2nd lady) but did not count in the team results due to her name being missed off team result.

Michael King had an excellent run finishing in 8th place in a PB of 37:18.  Next back for Halifax Harriers men was James O’Rourke 39:53, with David Ingle not far behind 40:33 (1st M55).

Other age group winners were Robert Hick 43:52 (2nd M60), Raymond Hall 48:46 (1st M70), Deborah Kirkbride 54:56 PB (3rd F55), Susan Hall 61:24 (2nd F65).

Other runners for the club were Will Carver 41:25, Will Stewart 41:49, David Nutton 42:48, Tim Baxter 43:47, Paul Greenslade 45:39, Tim Pegg 45:52 PB, Nigel Taylor 46:07, Nigel Rigg 47:23, Ian Giles 48:42 PB, Samantha Layfield 49:13 PB, Paul Bunker 49:54, Clare Newton 50:44 PB, Martin Ellis 52:12, Daniel Ryan 53:31, David Parrington 54:55, Martin Haigh 57:46, Monica Gallagher 58:13 PB, Kirsty Carver 60:32, Audra Naylor 62:04.

West Yorkshire Track And Field Championships

Cleckheaton hosted the West Yorkshire Track and Field Championships.

Louise Royston, the Yorkshire and Northern 400m champion, was off to a flying start with victory in the 400m 57:62, followed by 1st in the 200m 26:38 and silver in the 100m.

Lorna Gill, 1st place in the recent league position, was 1st in the 100m 12:77 and gold in the long jump.

Claire Ryan was 2nd in the 400m and 4th in the 100m.

Jessica Hirst again excelled in the throwing events with 2 gold medals in the hammer 37:56 and discuss 30.65m.

In the U/20 age group, Lucy Mills won gold in the 800m, silver in the 400m and gold in the 200m.

Senior Harry Mallinson gained 400m gold in 52:35 and double silver in the 100m and 200m.

Harry Keighley ran a PB and gold in the 400m and a tactical 1st in the 800m.

U/17 George Gillgrass won gold with a new championship record in the javelin 28.67.

Ben Combe was 1st in the 100m with a new PB.  Gillgrass ran 2nd with James Slow PB 3rd in the race.