The club was rather divided tonight, with the majority electing to run Mearley Clough. Notable by his absence from either race was David Hird, who must have had more pressing matters on his mind. As a result, only four Wharfedale members entered this race. It was a fast race with a new course record being set by vet 40 Greg Hull of Leeds City, closely beating his team mate Chris Birchall to the finish by only one second. These two were nearly a minute ahead of third runner Karl Gray of Calder Valley. Our own Ted Mason came home in 5th place. Neil Bland also continued his comeback, just managing to beat Simon Throup to the line by a couple of seconds. The times and places of the Wharfedale runners were as follows:

Pos	Name	Time	Other
5	Ted Mason	39:44
53	Carl Bradshaw	50:40	V40
105	Neil Bland	55:44	V50
106	Simon Throup	55:46	V40

There are still no results for this race, but the following report of the event was submitted by Neil Taylor.

Tuesday 8th May saw a waffle of Wharfedalers wander over to Worston at the foot of Pendle to do this great little race. A 3.5 mile course, but with the route being essentially to the top of Pendle and back and taking in 1200ft of height, it always looks and feels a lot more!

This year's run was on a pleasant evening and although the clouds looked ominous, the race stayed dry and only later in the evening did the top of the hill become shrouded in a cloak of misty and wet looking cloud.

An interesting choice of car park found most of the runners hopping around avoiding the strategically placed clumps of nettles in the parking field - though the longish grass provided suitable cover for the pesky little blighters!

The usual pre-race banter amongst the Wharfedale crowd saw Andy Hurst reveal a rather impressive looking bruising on what appeared to be the entirety of his lower left leg. Not undeterred by medical advice (the normal "don't run"!) and with a reassuring complete absence of pain, the general consensus was to follow traditional Wharfedaler philosophy and run, with the very clear advantage that if it was serious, he'd soon find out! Well run Andy!

The race started and Pete, Simon (Sharp) and Sam (the one and only Watto) started their traditional jockeying for position, with Pete falling back somewhat on the climb..blimey Pete, even I nearly caught up by the top! And although putting in a decent descent, Pete failed to make progress on either Simon or Sam. Sam held sway for first Wharfedaler home and apparently Simon finished with a big smile at being ahead of some other runner (hmmm...can you guess who that could have been Pete?)

Kevin had his traditional solid climb (..at least I think that's how he described it..or was it how your legs felt Kev!) and although the Nevin cup looked securely in Neil's grasps, a superb descent (..described by Baz Scholes as a Holmesian performance - praise indeed!) saw Kevin recover all the time and places he'd let slip on the ascent and finish strongly to retain the cup (..and if you think I'm going to report how many places you gained on me in this public report Kev you're so wrong!!!). Andy Holden continued his come-back tour and backed up a good run at Lothersdale in the previous week with a fine run and a strong finish here.

Post race analysis in the Calf's Head was amply amplified by a very nice pasta supper and good prize giving with prizes in depth. All in all, a splendid race, well organised all-ways round, and such a good sight to see the club supporting the smaller races so well. A so well deserved resounding Wharfedale vote of thanks to Geoff Newsam and his team for putting on a great race. Cheers!

A miserable rainy evening saw eight Wharfedale runners set off from Earby to the summit of Pinhaw. The race was won by Tom Addison, a fine young runner from Helm Hill, closely followed by Paul Guinan of Blackburn. Mark Horrocks continued in his current fine form, ending in third place overall and was first vet forty. Andy Black was a bit disappointed with his time and place, but by his own admission, he is lacking a bit of race fitness, after being out for six weeks. Neil Taylor was looking strong at the top, where he had a substanital lead over Kevin Rogan, but on the descent he allowed Kevin to pass him and finshed just in front of new member John Beswick, who was 2nd V55. In the ladies race, a new ladies record was set by Victoria Wilkinson of Bingley with a time of 32:24. Lynn Whittaker, our only female representative on the night, came home in 16th place in the ladies race, being 2nd Vet 45. Full results are in the results section and the details of the Wharfedale runners are below.

Pos	Name	Time	Other
3	Mark Horrocks	31:17	V40
14	Andy Black	34:01	V40
49	Sam Watson	37:23
60	Kevin Rogan	40:01	V45
65	Neil Taylor	40:17	V45
66	John Beswick	40:35	V55
72	Simon Throup	41:37	V45
16	Lynn Whittaker	47:07	LV45

The above club have sent an invitation to any of our members to an informal evening event at Ogden Water. Some may have competed in the Giants Tooth, Ovenden or Windmill Whiz fell races from there. The details are: Wednesday 16th May Start times 6pm to 7.30pm Adults £2. Children £1. All maps are pre-marked There will be courses for all. Novices and experts. 1.3k. 2.8k. 4.3k. 6.7k. Advice and help to beginners to improve their navigation skills Parking in the usual carpark

Congratulations to Tim Done who has now got the BOFRA web site up and running. He has even got Sam Watson on the home page. It has now been added to our links page, but you can access it directly from:
BOFRA

Owen Bielby has gone off on another non-fell running excursion - this time, the horrors of Road Running. He writes of the experience:-

Sunday morning didn't bring the promised rain and the start of my second Leeds Half brought near perfect running conditions. I managed to avoid the worst of the stampede of over 6000 runners - including assorted fun runners, club runners and 'corporate challenge' runners, as the race was started by the Mayor and Sir Jimmy Saville (who wasn't running). The race begins with a dash out of the city centre and then climbs steadily for the first 7 miles - basically once you reach Horsforth though it's downhill all the way - Happy Days!!! I eventually finished in 1.13.28, 4 mins quicker than last year and in 10th place. The first UK winner in 5 years was Mark Steinle who romped home in just over 01.05 followed by James Walsh of Leeds and Dave Watson of Holmfirth. I was pleased enough with my effort and will be back for next year - it's not the prettiest course in the world (far from it) and it's not particularly fast if you're after a PB, but it's local (I was home for lunch!) and there's a decent atmosphere. Back to the fells for now though!!

Although this is a mid week race in the Lakes starting at 7:00 pm, a few members fancy having a go at it. They propose setting off at 3:00 pm to get to the Lakes in time. If any one else would like to try this mid week run in the Lakes, please get in touch with Kevin Rogan so that arrangements can be made to share transport. His contact details are:

Tel 01282 812961 or 07971 645040 email thefellrunner@hotmail.com

This race was back to the fells for Owen Bielby and what a night he picked for his return. He came home in 8th place on a course that probably does not suit him, although he feels that perhaps he could have done a bit better. Here is his report of the night.

Wet, wet, wet - not my favourite band and not my favourite weather, but that's the only way to describe last night's Blackstone Edge Fell race. Why there was quite so many turning out 4 miles above the streets and houses of Littleborough on a murky (and did I mention wet?) Wednesday night is beyond me. A large field including a number of quality runners assembled on the start line to contest this popular 3.5 mile (1200ft ascent) race. A quick start from Jonathan Hare (Halifax) and Wajid Ali (Rochdale) brought us zipping along the road onto the foot of the moors. After about 1 mile of flat running, we began the steady climb up into the clag. From a promising start, I began going backwards rapidly as soon as I reached the climb and gaps began to open up throughout the field, but at least I wasn't the only one to suffer!! Once we'd eventually reached the top there was a fast, tussocky descent through the mist and peat bogs which was made much trickier due to the poor visibility - I was called back off course twice and eventually decided to sit in with a Horwich lad who knew the area. We then dropped down onto the track and road and we ran out for a fast finish. The race was won by Danny Hope for the third year running followed by, Jon Hare, Darren Kaye, Ben Mounsey, CLM fella, Steve 'This race will suit you' Oldfield, Waj Ali, Me, Pete Haworth. A well organised and enjoyable race - I'll be back next year with my water wings!!

Kirt Livesey has kept his achievements at this race quiet, despite having a cracking result. The race was won by the in form Thomas Cornthwaite of Blackburn, who was followed home by team mate Paul Guinan. He, in turn, was followed by a bunch of four runners lead by Andrew Stubbs of Clayton and backed up by Kirt who was squeezed into 6th place. It was a close run thing and must have been a satisfying result for Kirt.
Full results are in the results section.

There was a good contingent of Wharfedale runners for this event on what was a windy and showery day. Thanks to Neil Taylor for a very prompt report.  Read

It was nice to see so many Wharfedale runners out on the fells, including the youngsters. Jonathan Bradshaw had another good race in the under 17's finishing in 5th place and was only five seconds from being third. In the under 14's, Kieren Thompson had a good race. On the ascent, he worked hard and managed to pick off a few runners in front of him. On the descent, he was going well and finished strongly as the picture below shows.



The final positions of the Wharfedale runners were as follows:

Pos	Name	Time	Other
3	Mark Horrocks	21:19	1st V40
10	Bruce Elsworth	24:17
13	Sam Watson	24:38
33	Carl Bradshaw	27:58	V40
35	Andy Holden	28:23	V40
38	Kevin Rogan	28:48	V45
40	Simon Throup	29:06	V45
41	Neil Taylor	29:26	V45
54	Kate Rogan	33:02
62	Lynn Whittaker	36:58	LV40

This year, this event clashed with the opening Bofra Championship Race as well as the Fairfield Horseshoe Race and as a result, the numbers were down on previous years. Consequently, only three Wharfedale Members and one Junior Member earned any points in the Club Championship. The honours in the race went to new member, Marcus Rae, who ran out the easy winner ahead of Paul Harlowe, who came home in second place. It was pleasing to see Neil Bland continuing his comeback, coming home in 10th place. Our one representative in the Junior Races, Robbie Johnstone, came home in 6th place in the under 9's race.

The lambing season is now over for another year and this marks the return of Ted Mason to the world of fell running. He has also returned with a new clean shaven image. He picked a hard race for his return, which was won by Robert Hope of Pudsey & Bramley in a time of 1:15:13, closeley followed by Rob Jebb of Bingley with a time of 1:15:22. Having said all that, Ted had a fine race coming home in 23rd place with a time of 1:23:58. In the ladies section, our only representative Judy Howells, came home in 82nd place with a time of 2:12:51.

A few pictures of this event are now in the gallery. The U12 results are also now in where we had a third place with Ben Johnstone in a time of 8:57 and Lucy Horrocks completed the family run out for the day, coming home in 21st place.

Those members with a good memory may remember taking part in this race. The results are now out (at last) and they can view their final positions, which were as follows:

Pos	Name	Time	Other
23	Sam Watson	35:48
29	Simon Sharp	36:48	V40
43	Peter Jackson	38:35	V50
47	Andrew Hirst	39:11	V40
58	Kevin Rogan	40:26	V40
68	Neil Taylor	41:02	V40
73	Andy Holden	41:32	V40

Andy Hirst decided to enter this race with his old club mate Kieran Ashworth. It is a 37 mile, 10,000 feet ascent, assuming that you pick the best route. Andy has written a graphic account of their day's efforts, which makes White Wells, Sedbergh and even Fairfield look like strolls in the park. Well done Andy. This is impressive. One assumes that the dramatically bruised leg is now better. Read Full Report

Under 14 winner Kieran Thompson.

In the under 14s, Kieran Thompson had an outstanding race. Not only did he win the race, but he won it in style. As the above picture shows, as he came off the canal bank and turned towards the finish, the second place runner was nowhere in sight. He just left the whole field behind. Great run Kieran.
It was nice too to see Sam & Lucy Horrocks having a run out and their finishing places and times will be posted as soon as they are available.
There was a big turn out of Wharfedale runners in the seniors race and we ended up taking 2nd 3rd and 4th places, along with the team prize, if there had been one. The race was won by Will Smith in time of 24:39. Second place Ted Mason had a great run to say that it was only his second race back after a break and after a long run on Saturday at Fairfield. It was nice too to see Owen Bielby over for a mid week run and he was rewarded with 3rd place. New member Marcus Rae continued to show what a good recruit he has been, by coming home in 8th place whilst Jonathan Bradshaw once again showed his future potential when he came home in 11th place.
In the ladies section, Juliet Horrocks finished in 55th place and two new members, Angela Gray and Vicky Rae came home in 61st and 62nd places respectively.
The final times for the Wharfedale runners were as follows:

Pos	Name	Time	Other
2	Ted Mason	25:03
3	Owen Bielby	25:19
4	Mark Horrocks	25:31	1st V40
8	Marcus Rae	27:22
11	Jonathan Bradshaw	27:41	U16
12	Andy Black	28:24	V40
19	Sam Watson	29:50
21	Sam Wadsworth	30:01
26	Peter Jackson	31:04	V50
29	Glenn Whittaker	31:35	V40
35	Andy Holden	32:48	V40
37	Kevin Rogan	32:56	V50
43	Mark Bennett	34:20
44	Simon Throup	34:25	V45
51	Neil Bland	35:17	V55
55	Juliet Horrocks	35:56	FV40
61	Angela Gray	38:08
62	Vicky Rae	38:09

Below is the report on this year's race. From it you will see that Andy Hirst ran this with an old friend from Clayton. He would like to enter the race again next year and is wondering if anyone in the club fancies doing it with him so that they can make up a Wharfedale team. If anyone is interested, please speak to Andy directly or contact him by email at andrewhirst05@tiscali.co.uk

Was everyone saving themselves for the Auswick Amble or would there be any Wharfedale runners in this race. In the event, only two Wharfedale members turned out, Sam Watson & Simon Throup. Perhaps one will send in a report of the day. The full results are in the results section. The finishing postions of our two runners were as follows:

Pos	Name	Time	Other
68	Sam Watson	62:18
98	Simon Throup	67:22	V40

The full results and times are now in for our youngsters and what a good show they put on. We already knew that Kieron Thompson won his race by a proverbial country mile. Well, 51 seconds to be precise. In the under twelves, Ben johnstone put on an equally good performance to win his race outright by 42 seconds. Super performance by both youngsters who both came home streets ahead of the opposition. They are very much promising stars of tomorrow.
We had also a good effort from our under eights. Robbie Johnstone was our lead runner, who finished in 7th place with a time of 6:07. He was closely followed by Lucy Horrocks in 9th place with a time of 6:16 and Sam Horrocks in 17th place with a time of 7:07.

A few pictures are now in the gallery. More will be added shortly.

It was a cool day with lots of showers and just as the runners began their ascent on to the tops, inevitably the heavens opened leaving them all thoroughly wet through. However, after that, the weather took a turn for the better for the rest of the race and they all finished in weak sunshine. We had four runners out today and their finishing positions and times are shown below. The race was won by Mark Aspinall of Clayton in a time of 52:33, followed by Richard Pattinson of Pudsey & Bramley in a time of 53:08. Third finisher was Steve Webb of Valley Striders. Simon Sharp lead the Wharfedale runners home, followed by Sam Watson. Sam Watson looked to be going strongly on the climb as he edged past a couple of runners, but he lost places on the return. Although Simon Throup was trailing Kevin Rogan on the ascent, he managed to nose his way in front of Kevin and just keep in front to the finish.
A few pictures are in the gallery.
The finishing postions and times of our runners were as follows:

Pos	Name	Time	Other
33	Simon Sharp	61:15	V40
39	Sam Watson	61.47
70	Simon Throup	67:14	V40
73	Kevin Rogan	67:55	V50

Well it is Bank Holiday weekend. Some members decided to do Hutton Roof. Some Austwick Amble. Some both! Others decided to have a weekend off with their families - and why not? On the other hand, some decided to push the boat out - literally - all the way to Jura.
This weekend, it was the Isle of Jura Race and Kirt Livesey decided to give it a go. That is the nice thing about this club. There is no pressure on you to do this or to do that. Well, only occasionally. Everyone is free to do or go where ever they fancy and this weekend, Jura took Kirt's fancy. The Isle of Jura Fell Race is undoubtedly a 'classic' in every sense of the word - being a true test of mountaincraft, athleticism and fell running technique. It is one of the toughest challenges in British Fell Running. It is 16 miles long with 7 summits, including the Paps of Jura and 7,500 ft of climbing. So how did Kirt do? Well, it will come as no surprise that Ian Holmes won it, in a time of 3:18:31, followed by Lloyd Taggart of Dark Peak in second place with a time of 3:20:45. Kirt came a remarkable 30th out of 154 entrants with a time of 4:13:34. Well done to Kirt; that must be a weekend to remember.
Full results are in the results section

What a surprise the Bank Holiday weekend turned out to be. Wharfedale runners seemed to be everywhere. Scotland, England and Wales.
Although Judy Howells is only a new member to the club, it is quickly becoming apparent that she does not let the grass grow under her feet. If she is not fell running, she is either cycling in the Dales or cycling the Leeds Liverpool canal from the depths of Lancashire to Leeds. The last weekend, instead of picking a local race or even going up to the the Lakes, Judy decided to go down to Wales for this event. It is a 10.5 mile race from Dolgellau to the 2927 ft summit of Cader Idris. The winner was Eryri runner, Richard Roberts in a time of 1:26:21. Judy came home in 142nd place out of a field of 195 runners with a time of 2:13:19. Full results will be posted shortly.

This is a reminder to all our junior members that this event will now take place at Lothersdale. The first race is scheduled to start at 12 Noon.
Full details

There has been quite a bit of interest in going up to the Lakes for this mid week event. The following is a list of people who are going:

Kevin Rogan	Neil Taylor	Mark Horrocks
Andy Black	Ted Mason	Sam Watson
Peter Jackson	Simon Sharp	Kirsty Hall
Mark McGoldrick (Goldie)	Andrew Robertshaw	Simon Throup

If anyone else is interested who might need a lift, please email webmaster@wharfedaleharriers.org.uk to be put on the list. Meet at the Maypole in Long Preston at 3:00 pm. Non members are also welcome.