Running log

Hannah Oldroyd broke three hours for the first time in the Yorkshire Marathon on Sunday.

The previous weekend in Budapest the Saltaire runner had clocked 3hr 1min 18sec (chip-time).

Then with little time to have fully recovered, Oldroyd managed 2:57:53 (chip) on a flat course from the University of York out to Stamford Bridge battlefield. She was fifth lady (43rd overall) among the 3,873 finishers.

Pudsey resident James Wardman (Rothwell) ran 2:51:18 (chip) to finish 215th of 11,291 Amsterdam Marathon runners.

The Bridlington Half Marathon drew 639 to the seaside and Ilkley’s Nicola Green was third lady (36th overall) in 1:26:56 (chip).

Equally impressive was clubmate Caz Farrow’s sixth in 1:32:37, since this came on top of several 90-mile training weeks preparing for November’s marathon in Nice.

Saltaire’s Jen Willingham was 11th in 1:35:26, just outside her lifetime best.

Among the men, Keighley & Craven pair Liam Spencer and Willy Smith battled for 15th, which Spencer just won in 1:21:43 (chip).

The first West Yorkshire Cross-Country meeting of the new season was held at Thornes Park in Wakefield on Sunday.

Neither Leeds City nor Bingley fielded full teams and Holmfirth were weakened, allowing Valley Striders to surprisingly win the team race.

Leeds City’s James Walsh was first but Joshua Woodcock-Shaw (Spenborough) was a fine third and top under-20.

Skyrac performed impressively throughout as the Nunroyd Park club grow into a major force.

Ethan Hussey and Joe Herman (second and fourth, under-11 boys), Eva Jones (third, U11 girls), Eleanor Jones (first, U13 girls) and Connor Craig-Jackson (fourth, U17 boys) were the pick of their juniors.

Most impressive was the fourth place for Skyrac’s senior ladies, led home by Rebecca Cesar de Sa, and fifth by the senior men, headed by Nick Howard.

Ilkley were strong in the younger age groups, winning the under-11 boys (Max Bradley as individual winner too), while international Lucy Williamson was third in the under-17 girls.

Bingley’s Emile Cairess easily won the under-17 boys race, while Joseph Carnelley (U11) and Victoria Merrick (U15) were both third.

Lucy Fryer won the under-11 girls and led Keighley & Craven to victory. Katie Atkinson was second under-13 girl.