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.
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!
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.