ILKLEY Harriers were out in force in two contrasting races last weekend - the Dewsbury 10k and Rombald’s Stride.

A fast, tarmac surface and minimal elevation were the characteristics at Dewsbury on Sunday, with the winning time just under 30 minutes.

First Harrier home was Matt Cox in 33:58, closely followed by Steve Gott and David Foyston, who also registered outstanding times of 35:24 and 35:54 respectively.

There were also a whole host of other personal bests, including Sally Armitage (39:13) and Catherine Crawley (42:29), with no fewer than 22 Harriers taking part in the 2,000-plus strong field.

The Rombalds Stride on Saturday couldn’t have been much more different and also had an excellent Harriers turnout.

A 23-mile loop from Guiseley took in Baildon, Burley, Ilkley and Rombalds Moors plus a late kick up Otley Chevin, and the runners also had the added challenge of 40mph winds to contend with.

Ben Sheppard (3h3m) led the Harriers home just outside the top 10, with Dan McKeown (3h7m) and Dave Robson (3h17m) not far behind. Kate Archer (3h14m) was third lady, Adela Reperecki was 1st FV55 and Alison Weston was high up in the FV50 standings too.

A big team of volunteers and marshalls at this well-organised event helped to make the battle with the conditions far more bearable, with excellent food and drink points dotted around the route.

Elsewhere, it was a memorable week for Ilkley’s Tom Adams. He headed to Spain for the spectacular Montserrat Skyrace north west of Barcelona - a 16-mile mountain route which featured 4,295 feet of ascent.

And he ran out an emphatic winner - the fourth time he’s triumphed - in a superb time of 2:02:45, a full eight minutes clear of his rivals. In a high-class Yorkshire one-two-three, Ben Mounsey (Calder Valley) and Joe Baxter (Pudsey and Bramley) completed the podium.

Adams then found out he’d been selected for England for the Rotselaar International Cross Country in Belgium this weekend.

Another club legend Hilda Coulsey also earned herself an England vest.

She ventured south to the Chichester 10k, an England Masters qualifier (having gained qualification for the half marathon a few weeks ago).

The final 4k was run on the Goodwood motor racing circuit and Coulsey broke the 50-minute barrier for the distance to better her own all-time Harriers FV65 record while also achieving the England spot (by finishing in the top three of her age category) for the Great Bristol 10k on Sunday, May 3.

Elsewhere, Nathan Edmondson was a fine sixth at the Wadsworth Trog, a 32km endurance test on the moors around Heptonstall.

He covered the distance - and 1,100 metres of climbing - in 2:55:49, just 13 minutes behind winner Martin Howard. Also right in the mix was Jeff Green in 25th in 3:11:13, which placed him third in the MV50 standings.

Jim Ryder was the only Harrier at the Glaisdale Rigg Fell Race on the North Yorkshire Moors. It was 8.7 miles and 1,370ft of boggy moor, tussocks, track, muddy fields, conifer forest and a bit of road and he came in second MV50 at 1:10:49.

The weekend also saw the second edition of the runners vs cyclists fell race from Appletreewick. Ilkley’s Oli Murphy was third runner and fifth overall in 32:23 for the 4.7-mile event, with Zoe Donnely stopping the clock in 48:24.