Harriers of the Month and Chair’s Blog – May 2026

May is rapidly becoming one of my favourite months of the year, with Leeds Marathon and Half showcasing the very best of the running community and atmosphere in Leeds! But there’s even more to this month than even that special day – read on below, but firstly congratulations to our…

HARRIERS OF THE MONTH – MAY 2026

  • Sarah Roberts – I’d like to nominate Sarah for something which I think represents the very best of HPH ethos. A few days before the Leeds half I realised my club top was long sleeved and I put out a last-minute message to see if I could purchase a short sleeved one. Sarah messaged me privately straight away to offer a brand new  one of her own. She refused any payment, and even went out of her way to drop it at my house. I don’t know Sarah and we’ve never run with together. I really appreciated her kindness towards a fellow Hyde Park Harrier which is a great example of what makes this club special: generosity, support, and looking out for each other. In a club that values inclusion and community as much as performance, I think this deserves recognition. Noting however, her performance is also fantastic, with an impressive 1:41 at the half!
  • Raymond Holohan (multiple nominations):
    • Smashed his first marathon in perfect splits at Leeds & over came injury while doing it 
    • A joy to watch him smashing his first marathon 
    • Seriously impressive splits after some very dedicated training for his first marathon 
    • So proud of Raymond for completing his first ever marathon, pacing it to perfection! After thinking he might not be able to take part due to an injury scare, to see him run almost perfectly even half-marathon splits was incredible. Well done mate!

Well done to all our nominees, copied below:

  • Amy Ramsden-Young (multiple nominations):
    • Insane performance from at the Keswick Mountain Festival Skiddaw Mountain Race finishing first and as the champion of Skiddaw!
    • Champion of Skiddaw! Well done Amy on winning the fell race at Keswick Mountain Festival!
    • Amy smashed the Skiddaw race at Keswick Mountain Festival, not only placing 1st Female she was also the champion of Skiddaw. A race within the race to the top of the mountain. Well done Amy!
  • Andrew Rolland (multiple nominations):
    • 13th at the Leeds Half with a sub 74, just two weeks after storming London marathon – well done Andrew!
    • Another very swift race so soon after London
  • Chris Impett – A stunning sub 3:15 marathon at Leeds – brilliant!
  • Chris Smith – I want to give Dr Smith a shout for smashing his goal of sub 1:35 at Leeds half – nice one Chris!
  • Chris Worfolk – Amazing work at the GOBYU Chris – over 100km is an incredible achievement!
  • Craig Morland – Sub90 (and quite a long way sub90) at Leeds Half – a testament to fantastic training and seriously impressive running! Well done Craig!
  • Doug Blackwood – A top 20 finish Leeds marathon finish despite an Achilles niggle? Seriously impressive stuff!
  • Emma Knowles – A cracking debut at Apperley Bridge Canter, finishing as third woman! 
  • Gordon Crawford – Gordon was super strong at Leeds half, and beat his own VM70 half marathon record to boot. 
  • James Underwood – Smashing his first triathlon at the Keswick Mountain Festival!
  • Jonathan Spain – Another year, another super-solid 3 hour pacing job by Mr Spain at Leeds. No idea how he does it on such a brutal, varying course, but it’s incredibly impressive and he gets rave reviews from other runners – hats off to a heck of a runner!
  • Lesley-Ann Donnell (multiple nominations):
    • Lesley-Ann has been training so well for Copenhagen and it was brilliant to see it pay off on the day!
    • A marathon PB! Well done!
  • Lorraine Beavis – Congratulations to Lorraine on breaking a club veteran record at the Leeds Half!
  • Lucas Johnstone – Lucas ran a phenomenal sub80 at the Leeds Half and looked like he was having so much fun despite the blistering pace – so great to see!
  • Lucy Bonnett (multiple nominations):
    • Lucy ran a fantastic first marathon and seemed to be having a wonderful time throughout! Absolute magic, well done Lucy!
    • Awesome marathon in Leeds at the weekend – and looking so happy at the same time!
  • Megan Foster: A five minute PB for Megan at Leeds Half! Nice one Megan!
  • Nicola Harold: Nic deserves so much kudos for her first marathon, running for a great cause and in memory of her father
  • Ralph Kidner: Ralph was epic at the leeds marathon, setting a VM70 marathon record at the same time.
  • Richard Garratt (multiple nominations):
    • Venerable Champion of Skiddaw! Rich smashed the Skiddaw fell race and was first V40 – nice one sir!
    • This is the 2nd year Rich has done the skiddaw race at Keswick mountain festival. Last year he was managing a hamstring injury this year coming back from other injuries but he did amazing and placed 1st MV40 and 5th overall. Well done Rich 
    • First V40 at the KMF Skiddaw Mountain Race!
  • Sam Townson – Congratulations to Sam on a podium finish at ABC for the second year in a row!
  • Sarah Underwood (multiple nominations):
    • Just a few weeks after Boston marathon, Sarah took on the incredibly tough 50K trail race at Keswick Mountain Festival and showed true grit to get it done!
    • Not that long after Boston Sarah lined up for the keswick mountain festival 50k, no mean feat, hilly, tough terrain and rubbish weather on the day. It was a tough day out but Sarah had the grit and determination to keep going and finish. Well done Sarah.
  • Toby Adkins – Toby did a cracking time at Keswick mountain festival 25k, which is actually a wee bit longer at over 26k placing in the top 20! Although I think part of this nomination should be for Naomi for ensuring he at least had a gel with him!
  • Tom Walker – Tom ran so well in his first marathon – kudos sir!

THANK YOU!

A huge thank you to all our leaders this month – Adam L, Alice H, Ben H, Ben R, Caite B, Chris W, Clare E, Daisy W, Ed S, Ellie W, George A, George F, Grace R, Hannah L, Helen N, Jonathan S, Laura G, Lee T, Lisa B, Mike G, Naomi A, Olly H and Sharron N!

If you’d like to give leading a go, speak to any of our existing leaders or committee members and we’ll give you all the support and help you need.

HIGHLIGHTS OF MAY 2026

  • As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we’re undertaking a club-wide year long relay! As of the end of this month, the baton has travelled a total of 1,684 km and was carried by Charlotte C, Chris W, Raymond H, Sam H, Amy R-Y, Joe L, Claire H, Sarah U, Daisy W, Ally F, Rob M, Cat M, Phil L and your humble scribe during May! If you’d like to get involved, there’s a specific chat in the club’s WhatsApp community to co-ordinate handovers.
  • Several intrepid Harriers took on the classic Dick Hudson’s fell race, trekking across Ilkley moor to the eponymous pub gate and back again! Despite them all being baht ’at, everyone looks to have had a great run!
  • Lesley-Ann ran a brilliant marathon in Copenhagen; so good to see loads of hard work paying off!
  • Charlie J headed into North Yorkshire for the Ripon 10 Mile and ran a cracking sub80 despite perhaps needing more grippy shoes!
  • The first Yorkshire Veterans Athletic Association Grand Prix took place in Honley, with Helen, Alan, Lou and Colin representing HPH – well done all! If you’re 33 or older, take a look at this series of races, which will carry on throughout the summer!
  • It’s become one of the biggest racing days of the year – the Leeds Marathon and Half saw nearly 40 Harriers take part in one race or the other. I don’t have space to capture everyone’s achievements (do take a look at the Harrier of the Month nominations) but suffice to say it was an incredible day with so many reasons to be proud of our runners and club – well done indeed everyone!
  • A dozen Harriers headed up to the Lakes for Keswick Mountain Festival – always a great weekend! We had runners taking part in loads of events, including the Skiddaw fell race (kudos to Amy, who was first woman, and Rich G, who was first V40), the 5K, the 25K, the dawn run and the triathlon events! Special shout out to Sarah U, who was the only person crazy enough to do the 50K!
  • Our fell championships continued with the Charlesworth Chase, with Adam, Naomi, George and Colin taking part in the classic route, which ends with a pint that must be quaffed before you cross the finish line!
  • The Cookridge Community 10K is a cracking off-road race, with a fantastic course around Paul’s Pond and Golden Acre Park. Well done to all the Harriers who took part this month as part of the Summer League!
  • HPH’s resident proud son of Sunderland returned home to take on the Half Marathon and earned himself a nice medal and a pint – well done Lee!
  • Phil H continued his inexorable march towards marathon #300 with several more megaruns this month!
  • Lizzie L represented HPH at Grassington Five Mile – sounds like a great race, get it in the diary for 2027 folks!
  • Five Harriers headed to Rudding Park for the 10K around the grounds – kudos to all!
  • Chris W took part in the God’s Own Backyard Ultra, completing over 100km; an incredible achievement!
  • Chloe B made the most of a trip home to the UK to take part in the 145 mile Grand Union Canal race. For the fourth time. In a heatwave. Absolutely amazing from HPH’s UltraQueen!
  • A dozen Harriers enjoyed a perfect Yorkshire afternoon watching a double header of cricket matches at Headingley. Thanks very much for organising a cracking social Grace!
  • The second YVAA Grand Prix race took place at Kirkstall, with eight Harriers taking part on a very warm evening!
  • Dan D and John B took part in Leeds Brownlee 5K, nice work lads!
  • It was an extremely warm evening for the Apperley Bridge Canter, but that didn’t stop 30 Harriers taking part! We had three Harriers in the top 10 (well done Sam, Doug and Jonny!), Emma K was third woman home and Vicky H won her age category! Everyone did brilliantly, and special mention to Sienna on her first race in a HPH vest!
  • Ed S and George F headed up to the Lakes to take on the Duddon Fell Race – well done chaps!
  • Around the Park, Around the Clock returned for its sixth edition – three laps of Woodhouse Moor on the hour every hour for 12 hours! Loads of HPH and friends turned up to take part, with six of us completing all 36 miles – take a bow Helen N, Lara C, Matt B, Robyn J and Chris W! Can’t wait for the 2027 edition…

What an incredible month! And we’re just getting started – June will see loads more races in the Summer League, plus the HPH Summer Mile! Stay cool, stay hydrated and keep up the amazing running Harriers!