Bolton United Harriers & Athletics ClubTurbo Tommy Harrison got into gear at last weeks Cheshire 10k, but went into overdrive at the Leeds Abbey Dash this weekend. He clocked 32 mins 43 secs and the ever modest Harrison commented “It went well but was a little disappointed (always am) as I was so close to a PB. It was only the third time I have gone sub 33 so I will take that any day”.
Bolton Harriers took a small but competitive team to the 2021 Gin Pit 5 at Tyldesley, with two members venturing onto the course for the first time and two veterans of previous events.
Thankfully the days’ rain abated during the event, keeping conditions somewhat favourable underfoot.
Rachel Bailey performed strongly once again, retaining her title as first lady, holding off the two-pronged challenge from Ramsbottom Running Club and finishing in 34mins 25 secs. No stranger to the winners spot this girl just goes from strength to strength and is going to need a bigger trophy/medals cabinet.
Thomas Gore making his debut at this race, described how he took things steady on the first lap and then once he had the lay-of-the-land powered ahead on the second larger loop, coming home first for the club in 12th position with a time of 34mins 11 secs. Tom, a plasterer by trade, was building on his excellent results in the Manchester Marathon and at the Red Rose Cross Country and seems able to deal with all surfaces smoothly.
Another debutant, Dominic Sohor finished in 35 mins 7 secs (20th position) and said, “I was keen to tackle the Gin Pit 5 after other club members had described it as ‘a cracking race’ and ‘a total mud bath’. Thankfully I managed to stay upright despite wearing wildly inappropriate shoes.”
Rounding out the men’s team was Mark Garner (37th position) who has been entering lots of races of late and finished strongly surging past his rivals on the final slope, finishing on 38mins 2 secs; cementing the men’s team’s position of 3rd overall.
Bolton’s ‘Queen of Country’ Laura Lombard signalled a return to form in the 10k Winter Hill Mast Bast race Sunday 24th October. Laura is the Female holder of the Red Rose Cross Country title and already has points in the bag with a runners up spot in the first event this season. Like HRM she showed she is in no mood to abdicate and does look to be in the kind of form to retain her title. She came up with a typically gritty Ladies win with a time of 53 mins 28 secs in a tough as they come 10k.
She commented after the race ” It was a lovely, friendly event and we are lucky to have such scenery on our door step. I love running near the mast. It makes you feel alive when you are up at the top in the open because it’s pretty exposed. I enjoy plugging away getting up the climbs but I’d like to be better at running down hill. One of the runners bunny hopped the gates which entertained me but I decided I’d better use the normal method! The bog section got the better of me and briefly swallowed me up. The race was to raise funds for Bolton Mountain Rescue and they put on cake for everyone afterwards. They supported our cross country event last weekend at Leverhulme Park. A pretty fun way to spend a Sunday morning” !
Sunday 16th October saw three of our finest 10k runners take their starting positions at Arley Hall. Officially one of the fastest 10k races in the UK on flat traffic free roads in the Cheshire countryside.
Danny Shaw has been in storming form this year taking advantage of being under the tutelage of namesake Dave and training with his excellent group at Bolton United Harriers. An accountant who unfortunately has had to move with work to London recently but is still competing in the famous Blue Vest. He was previously a hockey player who never really committed to running until Covid hit. He absolutely stormed home in 32 mins 10 secs and obliterated his previous pb by over 4 minutes !
Tommy ‘Gun’ Harrison was the next Harrier over the line with his best run for a few years in 33 mins 9 secs. Tommy is ‘mister consistency’ at the Bolton club and always seems to be there or thereabouts at the sharp end of a race. This eminently likeable young man is obviously getting closer to his best and is next up at the Leeds Abbey Dash.
Just behind Tommy was the versatile Martin Reid. Martin takes great pride in representing the club and has been an integral part of the Harriers squad in our Senior League Team. Scientist Reid has certainly been experimenting with distances this year and found the right formula coming home in a solid time of 33 mins 32 secs. He feels he could have done better but was suffering with a heavy cold, coach Dave Shaw pointed out. Dave thought Martin ran a very commendable race in the circumstances.
Magnificent running by all three of the guys and the club send its congratulations.
Good turnout for our home cross country race on Saturday. The club would like to thank the following for their efforts in running for our club:
Josh Grundy, Mathew Wood, Benjamin Davies, Max Preston, Ted Ratcliffe, Emily Wood, Jasmine Greenhalgh, Freya Lombard, Nathaniel Knowles, Michael Ratchford, Scarlett Thompson, Jessica Swales, Cerys Jones, Alice Yoxall, Ruby Erzan-Essien, Lily Philbin, Hannah Swales, Laura Lombard, Caroline Mullineaux, Cherry Collison, Mark Wolstencroft, Thomas Gore, Mark Garner, Rick Scaife and Dominic Sohor.
We had a few top five finishes for the club in the Under 11 boys, Under 17 women and Ladies Vets.
Individually our own Laura Lombard was runner up in the Ladies and winner of the Ladies Vets. Many congratulations to Laura.
One of our newer recruits Dominic Sohor sent the following description:
“This was my first attempt at cross country and it was something of a shock to the system. Thankfully the favourable weather made the stream crossing more innocuous than expected. However, the hills remained pretty obnoxious of course, and the coaches’ encouragements of “rhythm, rhythm, rhythm” and “keep those arms going” as I dragged myself to the top kept my mind on the job, although I did end up spending the rest of the lap recovering. Big thanks to my clubmates for marshalling and it was a great help being urged on at every turn throughout the course. As I said to Scott as I passed him on the last lap, “Never again!” …Now when’s the next fixture?”
The club would like to thank Gail Harrison for organising the event and all our marshals. She said “Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who was able to help out. The afternoon was a great success and it’s great to see the club hosting events again. Well done to all the runners as it’s a tough course”.
Some action shots sent on the day:
Some action shots sent on the day:
Commercial Property Solicitor Heather Brown continued her fine form and progress with a super time of 3 hrs 13 mins to make her first Bolton Harrier back in the Manchester Marathon. Heather is a fairly new recruit to Coach Dave Shaw’s group but has quickly established herself as an enthusiastic regular attendee to training. After being first lady back in the Rochdale 10k in August this legal eagle proved she can soar to new heights over the much longer iconic distance of a marathon.
Nigel Brodrick and Thomas Gore, both members of Aidie Costello’s Endurance Group at Harriers, also impressed coming home in 3 hrs 28 mins. This was a pb for new member Nigel who has looked good in his initial training sessions at the Bolton club.
Rachel Bailey showed how immensely versatile she is with an exemplary 3 hrs 45 mins. This talented young lady has been running all distances for the team this year from 400 metres upwards and is a club rising star.
Scott Bracey was making his marathon debut and had the misfortune to suffer calf pain at the 10 mile mark. Undeterred this gutsy club member gritted his teeth and battled on home in just under 4 hours. He said “it was my first run at anything like this distance, the crowds were amazing and kept me going despite my injury. It was also nice to see some fellow club members cheering me at the finish line. Overall a great event and a memory I will always cherish”.
Mark Garner is another recent recruit to the ‘Blue Vests’ and has been wearing the colours with pride in all sorts of events this year from road running to fell running. He has enthusiasm in spades but let it get the better of him and set off as if he was in a 10k! He inevitably ran out of steam early on but battled through gamely in 4 hrs 42 mins. He will come back all the wiser.
Hannah Edwards has not been able to do the required training for an event like this but showed how courageous she is by taking her position at the start line. She has proved in the past she can break the 4 hour marathon mark but had to settle for 4 hours 49mins this time. This likeable young tri-athlete will come back all the stronger for it.
In the Half Marathon the club had a single entrant In 2021 Ironman Ryan Kirkman. Another member of the Endurance Group at Harriers, he has been absolutely flying in training recently and came up with a mighty pb of 1 hour 24 mins. He commented “I am feeling so good at the moment and really enjoying my running. I am in a great place and of the mindset now that I can improve with every single training session and race I take part in”.
Following their impressive qualification for the National Road Relays finals in Sutton Coldfield, the Bolton Harriers relay team took to the road on 9 October to compete against the best teams in the country.
Unusually for the time of year the weather was reasonably warm, dry and very little wind, perfect conditions for running.
With 79 teams competing, the downhill start was chaotic, with accountant Danny Shaw leading off for Bolton and making his debut on this course. Danny who is in the form of his life played it safe at the start, working his way through the field on the 5.88km course to bring Bolton home at the end of the first leg in 53rd place in a great time of 18:38. Taking over for the second leg was Bolton’s star runner Jonny Kay, who, having run this course several times in previous years, obliterated his previous best time, coming home in 18:00 and elevating the team to 35th place.
Taking over for the third leg was science teacher Martin Reid who having turned 40 on the day of the qualifiers had recovered from his celebrations to record a time of 19:33 and at the halfway stage leave the team in 41st place. Representing Bolton in the fourth leg was the first of two recent Harriers recruits to the team, Will Tomlinson completed the course in a great time of 21:17 and the team placed in 55th position. Will and Bolton’s fifth leg runner Jordan Brophy are making rapid progress since joining Dave Shaw’s training group and are destined to be future stars for the club.
Jordan Brophy ran the fifth leg in a very creditable time of 22:45 handing over to Bolton’s veteran final leg runner David Chrystal in 64th place. David, coming back from a long period of ailments and erratic training had been drafted into the team for the final. He made a valiant effort, but the years and interrupted training took their toll with him completing his lap in a time of 24:21 and a final team position of 72nd.
The team had a great day and travelled home safe in the knowledge that they had given their all representing Bolton Harriers on the national stage in the blue riband road relay event of the annual athletics calendar.
A brilliant turn out at in Sundays sports hall competition. Lots and lots of very happy young athletes and some great performances. Gwylim Jones, as ever, organised it brilliantly. These kids are the future of the club and doing a fantastic job of representing Bolton Harriers. The club would like to thank them all for competing.
Photos of some of our young hopefuls:
Sunday 3rd October saw the London Marathon resume after Covid and Bolton Harriers had three representatives.
Matt Atkinson ran a great race and came home in 3;15;26. Matt is in training with Dave Shaw’s group at the Harriers, and has also been pounding the roads and trails round Harwood in recent months to supplement his assault on the marathon. He said “It went great and I paced it fairly well. Nice end to the training and doubt there will be more marathons now. Support from the crowds was immense and helped all the runners push onwards. Well run event on the whole. Just glad it’s done with after 18months of waiting and training and am feeling very satisfied !”
Adrian Costello coaches Harrier’s Endurance Group and had been working really hard in preparation for London. He came back with a time of 4;21;51. He commented “The absolute highlight for me was raising more than £2300 for Children With Cancer thanks to all my kind sponsors. It’s a charity I’ve been involved with for a few years now and every donation makes a difference. The marathon was my 4th race in 4 weekends! After the Half Ironman, Swim Serpentine 2 Miles and Manchester 10K. I’ve always wanted to run London and it was an amazing race. Great crowds! Not my fastest marathon but definitely my favourite. Now, time for a rest.”
Beka Millington is part of a tough and talented bunch of ladies in Harrier’s Endurance Group. Events during the race did not go as she would have liked and explained “it was an amazing and awful day in equal measure! I wanted to run a 3:45 and was bang on pace until halfway round… then a combination of factors… my nutrition wasn’t quite right, I was really dehydrated, and then my hamstring started to play up. I rang my partner Josh and sobbed just after the halfway mark but told myself I had to finish. I was running in memory of my next door neighbour so that kept me going! I ditched my pace bands and changed my watch so I couldn’t see my time and just dug deep and focused on getting through it. I think it’s my slowest ever marathon and I absolutely bawled when I crossed the finish line to the point that a couple of other runners asked if I was ok.”
Congratulations to all three and thank you for representing Bolton Harriers in such an iconic race.
Bolton Harriers kicked off the Red Rose cross country season with a visit to Leigh on Saturday 2nd October. Despite the rain the very flat course remained predominantly mud free and was a great introduction to CrossCountry running.
The under 11 boys team finished 5th led home by Leo Moreton Derain finishing a superb 3rd. His team mates were Joshua Grundy (21st), Benjamin Davies (25th), Matthew Wood (29th), Maximilian Preston (36th) and Ted Radcliffe (45th).
The Under 11 girls were next out on the 2km course. Emily Wood came storming home in 10th followed by cross country debutant Freya Lombard (32nd) and Jasmine Greenhalgh (59th). Jasmine was making her cross Country debut under the proud eye of Grandad and Coach Gwylim Jones , who did a sterling job as ever supporting and cheering on the athletes.
In the Under 13s Nathaniel Knowles ran brilliantly breaking into the top 10 for the first time. Alexander Preston finished 14th and Micheal Ratchford in 28th brought the boys team home in 6th.
Scarlett Thompson produced a wonderful run in the under 13 girls finishing 10th with team mate Cerys Jones in 48th.
Ruby Erzan-Essien ran strongly in the Under 17 womens race finishing in 2nd and cheered on by proud Dad Atto. Lily Philbin enjoyed a return to cross country running finishing 9th with great family support.
In the Ladies race Bolton’s Women impressively all finished in the top 11 with Laura Lombard placing 2nd, Rachel Bailey 8th and Katie Percival in 11th. Unfortunately with no fourth counter they were unable to field a team.
The Bolton men ran solidly in their race many of them new to cross country and finished 6th team. Robert Short ( Running Mayor of Bolton) was first home in 36th. Joe Grisdale and Jordan Brophy packed nicely in 39th and 41st. Thomas Gore finished 50th with Joshua Lee in 54th, Richard Scaife 82nd and Mark Garner 104th.
Bolton Harriers host the next fixture at Leverhulme park on Oct 16th where conditions are sure to be muddier and more cross country like, not to mention the infamous river crossing!
Congratulations to the Harriers youngsters who made the journey to Warrington Open Track and Field meeting On Saturday 25th September.
In the Under 9 girls Aime Brogan was 3rd in the 75m and 2nd in the 600m. She followed this up with a Standing Long Jump of 1 m 41cm to take 2nd spot.
Jasmine Greenhalgh also ran in the 75m and 600m and then threw the Soft Javelin 3m 36cm.
Charlotte Davies was 6th in the 75m.
In the Under 11 girls Zia Isherwood ran in the 75m in 12.4s and was 6th in the600m.
As for the Under 13 girls Cerys Jones ran the 100m in 20.7s and was 6th in the 800m. She then followed up with a Javelin throw of 5m 67 cm.
In the Under 11 boys Joshua Grundy ran a fine race to win the 75m in 11.6s and was runner up in the 600m.
Benjamin Davies was 5th in the 75m. He then took a Standing Long Jump into 1st place with a leap of 1m 91cm.
The ladies team finished a superb 19th team at the Northern Road Relays a huge improvement on previous years. An out and back coastal route by the seaside provided the perfect setting.
Laura Lombard headed out on first leg. She ran a decent leg, bouncing back to life in the last mile bringing the girls home in 18th place (22:07).
On the second leg was Heather Brown modelling the Bolton vest for the first time. At only 6k long, this was a relative sprint for the marathon trainee and she ran brilliantly overtaking another runner and finishing in 23:29.
Rachel Bailey put on another fine performance as she continues to get quicker and quicker. She brought the team home in 12th picking off 5 other runners (24:02) with her mum on hand to capture the action.
We were in safe hands with Katie Percival on our final leg. Having broken the sub 20 min 5k barrier early in the season Katie did what she had to do (beat the Bolton’s men’s final position!) and brought the happy team home in 19th position (25:49). A great team effort and successful day out in Redcar!
Bolton Harriers took a fine team to the Northern Road Relays on the 18th September with a great mix of experienced long time harriers blended with relative newcomers to running.
Danny Shaw, fresh from track pb’s over the summer led the men out on leg 1 bringing the team home in 27th in a superb time of 18:48. Previously a hockey player, Danny saw the light and has reaped the rewards as he has fully committed to running. He showed great determination and was really pleased with his performance.
Next out of the traps was the birthday boy. Such is his dedication to the blue and yellow vest Martin Reid had decided the road relays were how he wanted to mark his 40th. Arriving to the event wearing a birthday boy rosette ensured maximum birthday greetings from passing strangers. The newest vet40 on the block ran brilliantly overtaking 4 teams and coming home in 19:24. Happy Birthday!
Tony Valentine took over on the third leg.
The highly ranked master’s athlete continued the overtaking cruising past another team bringing Bolton into 22nd position (19:47).
Jonothan Kay opting to run a middle leg, ran a solid race and was the team’s fastest leg of the day (18:46). Having been hampered with a string of injuries, these are now gone and he can look forward to returning to his faster former self as training progresses.
Jordan Brophy, one of our newest members took up the next leg. Jordan, a talented engineer took to running during lockdown. Having noticed on Strava that people were running round in circles nearby he emailed the club and is now a solid member of Dave Shaw’s training group. He ran 22:35 bringing the team to 26th.
This is where things got interesting as in order to qualify for National Road relays the team were required to finish top 25. Will Tomlinson took up the anchor leg opting for a few energetic high fives as he passed his supporters. Previously a footballer he decided running in straight lines were better on his knees and is another talented new recruit to the training group. Large gaps had by this time built up. He maintained excellent form and ran 21:30 for the team to finish in 27th position.
So close, but yet so far……But hang on, a quick check of the T&C’s by coach Dave Shaw revealing Bolton Men’s team had infact finished inside the top 25 ‘A’ teams with a couple of ‘B’ teams ahead meant they had done just enough. A perfect team effort and they were off to the National Road Relays in October!
‘Bolton’s Baywatch’ enjoyed a post race dip in the sea. Luckily Tony had remembered to bring an under sized towel and under sized tent for some under sized changing facilities.
To be continued in Sutton Park Birmingham on 9th October…….
Kayli English had a great finish to the last race meet of the 2021 season with 2 PB’s in Coventry at the BWAA Grand Prix on September 11th. Kayli competed in 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m. The PB’s came in the 100m and 800m. Now onto winter training in preparation for 2022.
Sunday 14th September saw a fantastic Bolton Harriers turn out at the Wilmslow Running Festival Half Marathon and 10k race and great performances.
Postponed for many months, there was a great vibe and excitement in the air as large scale racing returned. With music blaring, the well coordinated lycra clad warm up ladies led the pre race warm up with some enthusiastic side stepping and over the head clapping.
As the gun fired Martin Reid took a commanding lead in the 10k having powered himself up with a homemade caffeine concoction to shake off any tiredness from a friend’s 40th birthday party the night before. Martin’s decision to sit out Macarena in order to rest his racing legs paid dividends as he won convincingly by over a minute setting a new course record of 32:54. Not one to soak up the lime light Martin left quickly as he had somehow found himself in the starting line up for a football match with a team of ex Man City pros in need of a goal keeper. He was pleased with his goalkeeping performance having ‘only conceded 2 goals’.
Laura Lombard won the ladies 10k in a new course record. As she turned the first bend an old man stood at his garden gate gave some words of encouragement ‘come on girl, you show these boys how it’s done’. Armed with these words of wisdom, Laura ran a well paced raced crossing the 5k point in just under 19 mins. As the race doubled back on the out going half marathon runners a sea of blue and yellow Bolton vests lifted spirits and she maintained her pace to the finish line in 37:52 and winning by 2 minutes.
Mark Wolstencroft was first home in the half marathon for Bolton and ran a solid race finishing in 1:22:50 and fifth V55. Capable of a sub 1:20 performance, this will come as he continues to train consistently.
Heather Brown, continuing to demonstrate great potential in her build up to Manchester Marathon was fifth lady home in a new pb of 1:27:26. The new recruit ran an excellently well paced race cheered on by boyfriend Will.
With the Bolton girl’s showing great potential and motivation, Rachel Bailey was third back for Bolton with a fantastic performance and huge pb in 1:35:57. Rachel is in fine form and preparing well for Manchester Marathon.
Bolton Coach Ady Costello had a great turn out from his training group and was delighted that they had all run really well; Gary Porteous (1:37:59), James Rideout (1:39:14), Scott Bracey (1:38:47), Dominic Sohor (1:39:29), Rebecca Millington (1:47:15), Max Garner (1:52:42), Mary Cheung (1:54:21), Hannah Edwards (02:09:24).
A big thank you to all Bolton Harriers athletes who competed in the YDL League Meeting at Richmond St Athletics Stadium Saturday 4th September: Mark Lintott, Edan Penketh, Herbie Kay, William Lacey, Vincent Worthington, Poppy Dunne, Mia Makin, Isobel Hall, Isobel Oxley, Emma Begg, Jennifer Ekiugbo, Noah Pickford, Ralphie Shore, Nathaniel Knowles, Alfie Dodds, Christopher Frank, Matilda Hall, Ellie Deavall, Iris Beca, Aliyah Martin, Jessica Swales, Scarlett Thompson, Allyssia May, Pricess Iwelu, Alexander Preston and Cerys Jones.
Emma Begg made her Bolton debut and duly won the U15 girls pole vault with a clearance of 1m 85. Matilda Hall competed in her first high jump competition, won the A string with 1m 35 and then took the U13 Long jump win too with another PB of 4m 14.
Bolton were dominant in the field and scored more points than any other club on the day. Ellie Deavall epitomised the have a go attitude of many of the athletes as she won the U13 girls A string javelin and Alfie Dodds scored an A string win in the U13 boys shot put.
U15 William Lacey was in imperious form winning three throwing events, discus, shot and hammer.
As in the previous matches this season Bolton’s U15 male sprinters were dominant. Mark Lintott and Vincent Worthington both won their 100 and 200m races for a clean sweep. They followed this up with a comprehensive win in the 4x100m relay along with team mates Herbie Kay and Edan Penketh.
The U13 girls relay team weren’t to be outdone. The quartet of Matilda Hall, Ellie Deavall, Allyssia May and Princess Iwelu led from the start and won by 15m. This is even more impressive as all the girls are at the lower end of the age group and will be an even stronger team next year.
At this years opening YDL match the girls u13 relay team consisting of Aliyah Martin, Matilda Hall, Allyssia May and Summer Eden smashed the club record and ran the second fastest time in the country this year. It shows the massive strength in depth there is in female sprinting at Bolton Harriers.
On Saturday 21st August Cathy took her part in the British Masters Championships held in Derby. These are the British Championships for athletes over 35 years old and races are run in 5 year age categories. She ran in the F55-59 age category in the 1500m manufacturing an absolutely super performance to take Gold in a time of 5:36.
Cathy has been competing in Masters events since 2015 and thoroughly enjoys racing against other athletes of the same age. She said “it has been really beneficial this year competing in the Northern League for Bolton Harriers”. She has been producing some strong points winning performances and this in turn has helped her race fitness enormously in the build-up to this event.
Alderley Edge Bypass 10k
An out and back race on the smooth tarmac of a fully closed road, broken only by live bands every 1k, proved a perfect setting for some excellent running from some blue vest’s. Martin Reid continued his fine form this year with a time of 33:36. He was followed home by Jordan Lee in 38:20 and Joe Grisdale comfortably broke 40 for the first time in 39:38. Our only lady representative Rachel Bailey continues to improve and came home in 41:19.
Mid Cheshire Summer 5k
Three more of Dave Shaw’s group made their way to Kingsley in Cheshire for a Friday evening cavalry charge. Running Mayor Rob Short cast off his robe and charged home in a pb of 16:51. Not to be outdone his partner Katie Percival kept up her improvement since joining Harriers and also got a pb of 19:56. Mark Wolstencroft continued to defy the years but was himself just a few seconds shy of a pb in a time of 17:54.
Bolton Parkrun
Bolton Harriers provided the winner this week in the guise of Phil Hardman romping home in a time of 19:09. Dave Chrystal has had a tough time this year but is now getting back to enjoying his running again and came home in 5th spot with a time of 21:25.
Bolton Harrier’s top fell runner finally got the opportunity after Lockdown to visit his family in the Isle of Man. Not one just to relax for the week, he also decided to enter a couple of the events in the No Rest For The Wicked series taking place on the island.
An hour after getting off the boat on Wednesday 11th August Andy was at the start of the Killer Mile Race from Marine Drive, Douglas. This was 1 mile with a daunting 591 feet of ascent up to the radio masts at Upper Howe. 175 entrants were set off in groups of 5, and after just under 9 minutes of lung bursting, energy sapping, thigh burning effort Andy had reached the summit for a top 50 finish.
Friday 13th August saw the Peel Heritage Trail Run. An undulating course of around 7 miles following an old railway track with a scenic coastal path to finish. On a beautiful evening with the sun going down behind Peel castle Andy romped home in just under 50 minutes. As can be the way in that part of the world results are still to be announced.
Commercial property solicitor Heather Brown, and latest lady recruit to Dave Shaw’s talented squad of Bolton Harriers runners, only signed up for the Rochdale 10k five hours before the race. She entered after the persuasion of partner, and another new recruit, in Will Tomlinson.
The venue was an undulating single lap course at Springfield Park, Rochdale with good conditions for running thankfully.
What an inspired decision it turned out to be with Heather storming home as First Lady in a great time of 41;05. Proving also where there’s a Will there’s a way ! Will made it a great evening for this eminently likeable couple with a super top 10 finish in 37;03.
Heather is currently in training for the Manchester Marathon in October and enjoying training with our club after the couple joined in June.
She said “I love training with Dave and the rest of the group. We train hard but have a good laugh at the same time. It also provides me with some good headspace after a hard day’s graft at the office. I haven’t run for any other clubs or ran in competition before. I am hopeful of exciting times ahead as my running ‘career’ gets more serious !
Bolton Harriers Endurance Group coach Adrian Costello took 11 members to the annual Ramsbottom Summer Mile on Tuesday 11th August.
Totally alien to a group who normally don’t get out of bed for less than 10k they still came away with some great performances.
Coach Costello had prepared them well with a training session the week before at the Nuttall Park venue.
Club Warrior Ryan Kirkman was first blue vest back in a time of 5;33. Ryanman, as he is now known, had recently entered Ironman for the first time after months of arduous training and would have finished under 12 hours but for the misfortune of a puncture in the cycling event.
Rachel Bailey has been running really well for the club in recent league matches gaining lots of valuable points. She continued the excellent form coming home First Lady in a time of 5;42.
The Endurance Group have some really tough ladies totally accustomed to the mental and physical challenges that full and half marathons, biathlons and triathlons bring, in the form of Beka Millingon, Cherry Collison, Mary Cheung and Hannah Edwards. Beka 6;34, Cherry 6;40, Mary 7;01 and Hannah 7;13 all put their heart and soul into what is virtually a sprint for them.
Massively dedicated and improving trio of Dominic Sohor 6;02, Gary Porteous 6;13 and Mark Garner 6;20 continue to impress. All three put a lot of effort, not just into training, but away from the club also in their own running.
Husband and Wife club stalwarts Gary 6;25 and Catherine Jones 8;03 have been donning the club vest for many years now. Both are popular members who represent the club with great pride.
Coach Adrian Costello is in training for the London Marathon. He is running like a man possessed at the moment, and rumour has it he is posting that many sessions he caused the Strava platform to crash recently ! He showed he is no slouch at the shorter distances finishing in a great time of 6;29.
The club sends congratulations to all of them and thanks them for a job well done.
