Not only did Lawrence win the race, but Ilkley Harriers also won the men’s team award. Along with Lawrence, Michael Odell and Steven Gott were the winning team. Steven Gott was also the first MV40 to finish and Jeff Green took first place in the MV50 category.

A win also for Ilkley Harrier Michael Abrams-Cohen at the Baildon 5km Trig Point Challenge, a tough off-road race to the Baildon trig point and back. Michael finished in a superb first place in a time of 21:38 and he was more than a minute ahead of the second.

This weekend also saw the staging of the Buckden Pike drop race, a long running drop race which was first held in 1981. This year’s race counted as a British Championship race, English and Yorkshire.

Ilkley Harrier Ben Rothery finished an excellent fifth overall, with Ben taking first place and the gold medal for the Yorkshire Championship race. Harrier Nathan Edmondson finished eleventh overall and took third place for the Yorkshire Championship race. Jack Wood finished in 25th place overall with Jack the third scorer for the winning team from Yorkshire. Alison Weston, Oli Murphy, Joseph Morrell and Patrick Wardle also rode great races in this race, with Alison taking fourth place in her age class.

The third Harrogate & District Summer Race League race took place this week, this time hosted by Ilkley Harriers. The 5.1-mile lap course begins at the football field west of the Middleton Avenue/Denton Road junction. The route goes up Langbar Road, Nesfield Road and Owler Park Road, follows the bridleway to Myddleton Lodge, then down Carter’s Lane, back along Denton Road to end at Ilkley Rugby Club.

The Ilkley Harriers were out in force on this beautiful summer evening, rallying and helping to keep the race running smoothly. A total of 31 Harriers took part in the race, with fantastic results. Christos Tzelis was the first home Harrier, finishing fifth overall in an excellent time of 29:38. Jon Denniss was hot on his heels, finishing in sixth place in 29:56, with Jon claiming first prize in the M35 age category.

Harrier Emily Gibbins followed in a superb tenth place, with Emily being the first lady to finish. She ran in a great time of 30:31. Other notable Harrier performances were by Kate Archer who was the first FV40 to finish, Alison Bennett who won the FV60 award and Ken Souyave who finished first in the M70 class.

Ilkley Harrier Mary Jeal was the first LV60 to finish in the School Run Race, part of the Summer Wines Trail race series, challenging runs in the Holme Valley. There are five races in the series, all of varying distances but all hilly. The School Run, a local classic, is a 6.7 mile run, winding around Digley Reservoir and up to Holme School above Holmfirth. The course is 90% trail with a portion of downhill road in the middle and a final climb at the end.

In Scotland, John Hayes took part in The Seven Hills of Edinburgh race. Every year since 1980, on a Sunday in June, one of the most unusual running events in the country takes place which involves road running, cross-country running, hill running and urban orienteering, over a distance of 14.3 miles with 2200 feet of ascent/descent. This race includes the seven hills of Edinburgh, namely Carlton Hill, Edinburgh Castle, Corstorphine Hill, Easter Craiglockart Hill, Buckstone Snab, Blackford Hill and Arthur’s Seat. Between the hills, runners can take the route of their choice. John finished in a superb 93rd position out of 466 runners in an excellent time of 2:16:03.

Closer to home, Ilkley Harriers Mike Williams and Nigel Illingworth took part in the Pudsey Legal 10km, organized by the Pudsey Pacers running club. This multi-terrain race involves 800 feet of climbing in and around Pudsey Park. Mike ran it in a record time of 48:26:07, taking first place in his age class and finishing fifty-seventh overall. Nigel also rode a great race, finishing in just over an hour in 1:00:11:74.

More excellent parkrun results from Ilkley Harriers this week as well. Helen Waddington took part in the Morecambe Prom parkrun and was the first lady to complete this seaside parkrun in 22:36. Kyle Bethell, Steven Gott and Steve Newell all finished with top ten finishes in various parkruns this weekend as well. REPORT BY: JEAN SULLIVAN