31st Dec 2018. The Club Webmaster Has Now Retired!
After more than 16 years chronicling the club history, updating the club website every week, the Club Webmaster Peter Young has now retired.
He wishes Wakefield Harriers continuing success, and looks forward to reading about the club's achievements over the coming years.

30th Dec 2018. Fast Times from Harriers in Ribble Valley 10Km.
There were fast times from the Harriers competing in the Ribble Valley 10Km at Clitheroe, which incorporated the Northern Championships. In a top quality race Ben Butler finished 46th in the excellent time of 32:35. This was a big PB which moves him up to 19th in the club all-time list. Also recording fine new PBs were Daniel Franks with 33:41 & Benjamin Khan with 34:50. Julie Briscoe wasn't far behind, with another top quality run in 35:35, finishing 8th lady and first veteran home.
Race Results.

23rd Dec 2018. Julie Briscoe Wins Ward Green 6 for 10th Time.

18th Dec 2018. Jessica Watson Wins Junior Christmas Handicap Race.
U11G Jessica Watson was the winner of this year's Junior Christmas Handicap Race, just 2 seconds ahead of U13G Paige Watson, and with U15B Tristan Wright finishing 3rd. The fastest time was recorded by U15B Sam Langley, with U17B Callum Gaunt 2nd fastest and Tristan Wright 3rd. Download Race Results in Excel.

18th Dec 2018. Andrew Nicholson Wins Senior Christmas Handicap Race.
There was a good turnout of 44 runners in the Senior Christmas Handicap Road Race, over the traditional 4.5 mile course, twice round the perimeter of the park and with a lap round the running track at the end. This year's winner was the much improved Andrew Nicholson, ahead of Nick Mannion & Richard Hinchcliffe. In 4th place Jack Mitchell showed a tremendous return to form, recording the fatestest time of the night. Matthew Hill & Mark Bostock recorded the 2nd & 3rd fastest times, and the three fastest ladies were Abbey Brooke, Helen Beck & Helen Singleton, making a welcome visit from Australia.
Well done to Craig Orr and his team for successfully organising the event for the first time.
Download Race Results in Excel.

18th Dec 2018. The Club's Allocation of London Marathon Places.
Once again the club was only allocated one London Marathon place, and this has gone to Daz Hewitt. So congratulations to him, and we wish Daz the best in London next April.

16th Dec 2018. Ben Butler Wins 2018 Distance Runners League Championship.
The Denby Dale Travellers 6 was the 16th and final round of the 2018 Club Distance Runners League Championship. The 2017 Champion Ben Butler retains his title and becomes the first Harrier to win the League in 2 consecutive years, and his overall score has improved by 174 points over last year.
The final scores of the leading 5 runners after 16 events are as follows :- 1. Ben Butler 6447 points, 2. Daniel Franks 6125 points, 3. Paul Lycett 6070 points, 4. Richard West 5911 points & 5. Benjamin Khan 5860 points. Prizes are awarded to the top 5 places, and Benjamin Khan, Hayley Newbound & Andy Nicholson win the award for most races completed, with 10. There will also be an award for the most improved runner of 2018, which will be announced at a presentation night to be held one Tuesday after training in January.
Congratulations to the prize winners, and also to Tony Smith for his hard work organising the league so well once again.

16th Dec 2018. Good Results from Harriers at Denby Dale Travellers 6.
There were good results from Wakefield Harriers at the Denby Dale Travellers 6 Mile road race, on their tough and very hilly course. Ben Butler finished 2nd, and with Benjamin Khan 8th & Ian Richardson 10th the team just missed team victory by 1 point, behind Penistone. Helen Beck finished 3rd lady and 39th overall out of the entry of 300, and she led her team of Rebecca Zserdicky 6th & Hayley Newbound 13th to team victory. Race Results from Denby Dale AC.

9th Dec 2018. Julie Briscoe Runs New Club F40 10 Mile Record.
Julie Briscoe continued her fine form in the Stockport 10 Mile road race, easily winning the Ladies prize, and recording a New F40 Club Record of 59 mins 08 seconds. She finished 13th overall, and her time is also a new club record for F35 runners. Results Link.

8th Dec 2018. U13 Boys Win West Yorkshire Cross Country League Title.

8th Dec 2018. Fourth West Yorkshire Cross Country League Meeting.
At a wet and windy Keighley the Wakefield Harriers Senior Men's team finished their West Yorkshire Cross Country League campaign with a 2nd place finish. Mark Bostock had another fine run to finish 5th and Daniel Franks had his highest ever finish to come home in 8th, and they were supported by Matthew Hill in 17th, Benjamin Khan 36th, Stephen Tilford 61st & Liam O'Flaherty 78th. The Senior Ladies team of Helen Beck 33rd, Poppy Thorpe 51st, Joanne Biltcliffe 64th & Rosie Boughton in 69th finished 11th.
In the U17 age group the Ladies team of Abbey Brooke 2nd, Lucie Hall 6th & Emma Preston 12th were victorious, and in the Men's race Bailey Mann 5th, Zachary Frankish 15th & Callum Gaunt 16th finished 3rd.
In the U15 Girl's race Emily Plimmer 6th, Suzanne Brooke 12th & Holly Walker 25th finished 4th, and Samuel Langley 7th, Tristan Wright 20th & Alexander Bostwick 31st finished 5th in the U15 Boy's race.
The U13 Boy's team once again dominated their race, with another team victory after excellent runs from Ben Shackleton 2nd, Daniel George 3rd & Matthew Wardell 8th. Once again we also had a strong 'B' team of Ben Hall 11th, James McKinley-Smith 16th & Zachary Rayner 17th, who would have finished 3rd team. There were just two U13 Girls competing from the club, with Paige Watson 8th & Millie Powell 35th.
The U11 Girls have improved steadily throughout the season and finished with an excellent team victory. Jessica Watson, Rosie Thistlewood & Libby Cree all ran well, finishing in 4th, 5th & 9th respectively. The U11 Boys' team of Cole McAndrew 14th, Joe Gallagher 23rd, & Oliver Bostwick 35th were 5th.
Results of all races.

25th Nov 2018. Senior Men Win Barnsley 10K Team Prize.
Wakefield Harriers had 3 men in the first 6 to run out clear winners of the team prize in the Barnsley 10K road race from Royston. Ben Butler 2nd in 33:50, Daniel Franks 4th in 34:15 & Benjamin Khan 6th in 35:37 all put in excellent performances on a quite tough and hilly course in wet conditions. Also inside 40 minutes were Craig Davidson with 36:58 and Andrew Nicholson with 39:21, and Rebecca Zserdicky was our first lady home in 42:55. Race Results.
Elsewhere on the roads Julie Briscoe ran her fastest 10k of the year as she recorded 35:17 in the Wilmslow Festive 10K.
The Barnsley 10K was also the 15th round of the Club Distance Runners League Championship. With just one race Daniel Franks has taken top spot, ahead of Paul Lycett and Benjamin Khan.

24th Nov 2018. British Athletics Cross Challenge (inc European Trials).
Our two leading U20 runners competed at the British Athletics Cross Challenge at Liverpool, which included the Trials for the forthcoming European Cross Country Championships. In his first year in the age group Matthew Hill ran superbly to finish 31st in a high class race, and he was the 2nd runner home from Yorkshire. Mark Bostcock also ran well to finish 56th. Meeting Results.

18th Nov 2018. 2018 Club Cross Country Championships.
The West Yorkshire Cross Country League races at Thornes Park also incorporated the 2018 Club Cross Country Championships. There was a good turnout of Harriers in most age groups, and some good competitive races between club members.
The trophies and medals will be awarded at the Club Presentation Evening on Saturday 1st December. Tickets are available now from the club cabin.
Lists of all the medallists.
For the senior runners the race was also the 14th round of the Club Distance Runners League Championship. With two races left M50 Paul Lycett still leads, ahead of Benjamin Khan and Craig Davidson.

18th Nov 2018. Third West Yorkshire Cross Country League at Wakefield.
The club successfully hosted the third meeting of the West Yorkshire Cross Country League at Thornes Park, with the event incorporating the 2018 Club Cross Country Championships. We had glorious autumn sunshine and excellent running conditions, and it was a great day all round for the club. Many thanks to all the officials, marshals and helpers who made the event possible for the 700 runners who competed.
The Senior Men were back to winning ways, thanks to excellent runs from Mark Bostock 5th, Ben Butler 10th, Matthew O'Connor 12th & Daniel Franks 14th, and they were well supported by Benjamin Khan 35th & Stephen Tilford 46th. Mark was first U20 home, and Ben the first over 35.
Former Yorkshire Champion Julie Briscoe made a welcome return to cross country, finishing 5th in a competitive Ladies race. She was backed up by Helen Beck in 33rd, U20 Poppy Thorpe 40th & Hayley Newbound 48th as the team finished a good 4th.

4th Nov 2018. Second West Yorkshire Cross Country League at Nunroyd.
With the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k being on the same day, and the English National Cross Country Relays being on the same weekend, some of our teams were weakened for the second West Yorkshire Cross Country League meeting at Nunroyd.
After winning the first race, the Senior Men could only manage 8th this time, through Ben Butler 19th, Stephen Tilford 33rd, Chris Hunter 44th, Craig Davidson 56th, Liam O'Flaherty 59th & Chris Ward 83rd. They all ran solidly, and Ben's run was remarkable as he had already run in the Abbey Dash in the morning! The Senior Ladies team of Helen Beck in 30th, Poppy Thorpe 47th, Joanne Biltcliffe 56th & Hayley Newbound 57th packed well to finish 9th team.
There was another clear team victory from the U13 Boys, with Daniel George having a great run to finish 2nd, and with fine runs also from Zachary Rayner 4th & Euan Gaskin 6th. In the U15 Girl's race Emily Plimmer 9th, Harriet Metcalfe 19th & Holly Walker 22nd did well to finish 3rd team.
In the races where we didn't have a full team Millie Hinchcliffe finished 14th in the U17 Ladies race, Paige Watson was 15th in the U13 Girl's race & Tristan Wright was 11th in the U15 Boy's race.
In the U11 age group we once again had a great turnout, with the Boy's team of Cole McAndrew 8th, Joe Gallagher 11th & Alex Currie 33rd doing well to finish 4th Boy's team. The Girl's team of Libby Cree 6th, Rosie Thistlewood 11th & Evie Tunney did even better, and finished a very creditable 2nd team. Race Results.

4th Nov 2018. Some Excellent Times at Leeds Abbey Dash 10k.
On a good morning for racing there were some excellent times at the Age UK Leeds Abbey Dash 10K, which as usual had a very large and top quality field. It was our U20 runners who stole the show, the highlight being a New U20 Club 10k Record of 32 mins 12 secs by Mark Bostock. Fellow U20 runner Matthew Hill was only 8 seconds behind Mark with 32:20, and he was also inside Chris Jenkins' previous mark from 1994. These superb times give Mark and Matthew the top two placings in this year's club rankings for the distance, and they also move up to 13th and 15th in the club all-time list.
There were other fine times from Ben Butler, who was close to his best with 33:19, Benjamin Khan who ran a new PB of 35:27, ahead of Dale Worton with 35:50 and his brother Jake with 36:22, & Ian Richardson with 36:41. All the times quoted are individual 'chip times'. Race Results.

3rd Nov 2018. English National Cross Country Relays at Mansfield.
At the English National Cross Country Relay Championships at Mansfield the club had several teams competing, and they all did well. Our most successful team this year was the U13 Boy's team of Ben Shackleton, Daniel George & Euan Gaskin who finished an excellent 20th out of the 98 teams that started, and they were the 2nd team home from Yorkshire. In the Senior Women's event we had two good teams, with the 'A' team of Helen Beck, Sarah Bostwick & Lucy Robinson finishing 42nd, and the 'B' team of Hayley Newbound, Joanne Biltcliffe & Rosie Boughton 61st out of the 139 competing teams. For the U17 Women Emma Preston, Millie Hinchcliffe & Abigail Caie finished 52nd, and the U17 Men's team of Bailey Mann, Callum Gaunt & Zachary Frankish were 67th. In the U15 Girl's age group Emily Plimmer, Harriet Metcalfe & Ellie Owens finished 84th, and the Boy's team of Samuel Langley, Tristan Wright & Alexander Bostwick were 87th.
Results of all races from the English Cross Country Association,

21st Oct 2018. Annabel Mason Competes in her First Marathon.
Annabel Mason competed in her first marathon, recording a chip time of 3 hrs 29 mins 03 secs in the TCS Amsterdam Marathon in the Netherlands.

21st Oct 2018. First West Yorkshire Cross Country League at Cleckheaton.
The Senior Men got the defence of their League Title off to a great start, with a good win at the first meeting of the West Yorkshire Cross Country League at Cleckheaton. 1st year U20 runner Matthew Hill made a brilliant debut in his first senior cross country race, finishing a superb 7th. U20 Mark Bostock wasn't too far behind in 11th, and he was closely followed by Matthew O'Connor in 13th. Ben Butler and Daniel Franks also had fine runs in 19th & 23rd respectively, and the 1st team scoring was completed by fast improving Ben Khan in 37th place. We had an excellent turnout of 16 men competing, and the 'B' team of Dale Worton 41st, Stephen Tilford 58th, Jake Worton making a welcome return in 63rd, Liam O'Flaherty 69th, Craig Davidson 73rd & Dominic Garnham 78th would have been 11th team.
The Senior Ladies team, led home by new Team Manager Helen Beck in 26th, packed well to finish 7th team. She was supported by Sarah Bostwick 34th, Rosie Boughton 57th & Joanne Biltcliffe 60th.
In the U17 Men's race Bailey Mann 10th, Zachary Frankish 12th & Callum Gaunt 13th were a creditable 3rd team, and in the U17 Ladies race Emma Preston finished 11th.
In the U15 age group Emily Plimmer 8th, Harriet Metcalfe 21st & Holly Walker 25th were 4th Girl's team, and for the Boys Samuel Langley 11th, Tristan Wright 18th & Alexander Bostwick 33rd finished 6th.
There was a great team victory from the U13 Boys, with fine runs from Ben Shackleton 4th, Daniel George 7th & Euan Gaskin 10th. We also had a strong 'B' team of Matthew Wardell 13th, Zachary Rayner 14th & Ben Hall 17th, who would have finished 3rd. There were just 2 U13 Girls competing from the club, with Paige Watson 9th & Millie Powell 37th.
In the U11 age group Joe Gallagher 9th, Cole McAndrew 10th & Alex Currie 27th did very well to finish 3rd Boy's team, and it was great to see 11 Harriers competing in this race. We also had a good turnout of 8 runners in the Girl's race, with the 3 scorers being Libby Cree 6th, Rosie Thistlewood 15th & Jessica Watson 39th finishing 5th team. Race Results.

14th Oct 2018. Julie Briscoe finishes 2nd in Yorkshire Marathon.
Julie Briscoe had another fine run to finish 2nd Lady in the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon at York, in 2 hrs 44 mins 09 secs. The club had several other runners competing, with James Morris running 3:29:31, Elizabeth Turner 3:53:31, Diane Simmons 4:13:16 & Mandy Geary 4:16:30 (all chip times). Diane's time is a New F55 Club Record, beating her previous record from last year. Race Results
Elsewhere on the roads Ben Butler ran a fine PB of 1 hr 12:51 in the Manchester Half Marathon, and Katie Peers ran 1 hr 37:06 in the Leicester Half Marathon.

6th Oct 2018. ERRA National Road Relay Championships.
The Senior Men's team of Mark Bostock, Matthew Hill, Benjamin Khan, Daz Hewitt, Daniel Franks & James Saxton did well at the England National Road Relay Championships at Sutton Park, near Birmingham. Competing against all the top clubs in the country, they finished 67th team and were the 4th club home from Yorkshire. Results Link.
Disappointingly we didn't have a complete Women's team, but Jennifer Walsh had a fine run to finish 19th on leg 1. Results Link.
In the U17 Ladies race Abbey Brooke, Millie Hinchcliffe & Emma Preston did well to finish 28th, and 2nd team home from Yorkshire. Ben Hall, Matthew Wardell & Ben Shackleton went one better, finishing 27th and 3rd Yorkshire team in the U13 Boy's race, and Sophie Hall, Suzanne Brooke & Emily Plimmer were 46th team in the U15 Girl's race. Younger Athletes Race Results.