The Elite Men’s Podium 5k at Leicester, run on Saturday March 14th had three Blackburn Harriers competing – Matt Ramsden, Joe Monk and Ross Harrison. Also in the race was Narve Nordas who has run 13.04 for 5000m, 7.41.44 for 3000m and 3.29.47 for 1500m a distance in which he won Bronze at the World Championships. During the race, taken on by him, Matt tacked onto Nordas as they went through each 1 of the first 4 km’s in 2.35.8, 2.41.5, 2.40.8, 2.40.7 (Matt’s times) before the two of them took on the last km together (2.37.0) – right up to the last 100m when they both started to sprint – Nordas covering it in 18.2 seconds whilst Matt clocked 18.0 to takle the win by two tenths of a second as he set a new PB of 13.33.5  – a time which is inside the qualifying time for the European 10k cup. (Matt’s Video – Finish & Interview). After the rasce was over, Matt spoke to the Club about his race and the day saying “I always love doing the podium 5k’s and it was great to come away with the win. The wind was quite strong but I found shelter behind the leaders and managed to kick well to the finish. I’m buzzing to take some more seconds off my pb and a great way to close the season before track begins! Well done to everyone who ran this weekend!” (RESULTS)

Matt Ramsden (106)

L-R Narve Nordas (2nd) – Matt Ramsden (1st) – Jamie Crowe (3rd)

Next home was Joe who had recently set a new personal best for 5k of 14.17 at the Battersea Under the Lights race in February. Joe backed that up with a time of 14.19.7 at the Podium which shows really good racing consistency and told the Club after he had finished that he was “Really happy with my run. Just shy of the 14:16 from a couple of weeks ago so this was a really nice back up to that. Great run by the guys. Excited for the summer“. Ross had a pretty good run at the Inter-Counties, being first Lancashire counter and 23rd overall, working his way through the field from the off. Having had to miss several months of training through injury, Ross is just getting back into racing so his run yesterday was a good one running 14.43.1, though as he explained to the Club, he was “very frustrated as I started with a cold yesterday – thought I’d give it ago today anyway as these races don’t come around often, obviously it got the better of me but another step in the right direction if I look back to where I was 6/7 weeks ago“.

L-R Joe Monk – Matt Ramsden – Ross Harrison

Ξ

Over in America Charlotte Williams and David Holman were in action – Charlotte at the SEU Fire Invitational in the Hammer and David at the NCAA Division 2 Mile Final. Charlotte has had a fine Indoor season winning three of her four compettions and this was her first competition outdoors. Having set a new personal best in the Weight (18.83m) at her last Indoor competition on March tth, it was clear that she was in good shape approaching he first outdoors, which indeed she was, throwing 59.28m to win the event.  (Charlotte’s Video) – (RESULTS)

Meanwhile, David was racing in the NCAA Division 2 Mile Final which featured 10 athletes – the race being won by Dylan Sprecker in a time of 4.11.92. David finished in 4th place (4.12.08), just one hundreth of a second outside the podium places after a very good finish and drive to the end, having closed over his last 200m (26.57) faster than first and second in the race. Not finished there, David later that evening coming back to pace the first part of the 3000m race, a race won by David’s team mate from Wingate College – Luca Poppe. After his evening’s competition, David spoke to the Harriers about the Championship Mile Final telling us “Slightly disappointed with 4th as I was coming in to win this. I was fully confident of my ability to win, and thought I positioned myself really well until I got pulled back and nearly fell. But I’m still proud I didn’t give up and managed to close in a 53 last 400“.

Ξ

Back on the road and this time at the Bath Half-Marathon which Jess Warner-Judd and Rob Warner-Judd took on – the face being held on Sunday March 15th – and was part of the build uop to this years London Marathon for them both. Jess came home in 2nd place running 71.21 – the race being won by Alex Bell in 69.15 with Lauren McNeil in 3rd place running 71.50. Rob finished in 19th place in a time of 67.22. (RESULTS)

L-R Lauren McNeil – Jess Warner-Judd – Alex Bell (Photo courtesy of Athletics Weekly)

Ξ

The final cross country fixture in the Winter calendar took place on Saturday March 14th at Sefton Park in Liverpool – the English Schools Cross Country Championships – which for many youngsters, is the highlight of their cross country season, having had to qualify from their County Cross Country Championships. (RESULTS) Thomas Stewart ran in the Junior Boys race placing 4th counter for Lancashire in a time of 11.18 (201st) with 351 runners in total. Three hundred and thirty five in the Internediate Boys Race with three Blackburn Harriers in the team. William Grundy had a fine race finishing 1st Lancashire counter and 46th overall in a time of 17.05 alongside Theo Robinson running 18.02 in 175th spot and Thomas Falencki min 218th spot (18.22). Millie Jordan was the second Blackburn Harrier to take the first position for Lancashire on the day as she finished in 54th spot overall with a time of 14.13 out of a field of 338 runners. The Senior Boys race had six Blackburn Harriers in the Lancashire team – Myles Fraser having the run of the day as he placed in the top ten – 8th in a time of 19.37 and 1st Lancashire counter – the third Blackburn Harrier on the day to do that – followed by Matt Clark in 44th spot (20.18) and 2nd counter, Max Winstanley in 155th position (21.44) and 4th counter, Ethan Cutler running 23.09 in 286th (7th counter) and Max Belshaw 290th in 23.16 (8th counter). Henry Ward came in around 200th but unfortunatekly has been missed off the results.  Holly Moffatt and Lottie Smith ran in the Senior Girls Race – Holly running a time of 19.02 in 196th place and 3rd Lancashire counter with Lottie in 288th (21.21) and 6th counter.

L-R Jack Eccles – Luke Kane – Ethan Cutler – Max Winstanley – Max belshaw – Henry Ward – Myles Fraser – Matt Clark

Millie Jordan (255) 

Ξ

This years Winter Indoor Series held at Sportcity came to an end on Sunday March 15th with a number of Blackburn Harriers out competing in what will be their final indoor meeting before gtting ready for the outdoor track and field season. Starting off with the Hurdles U20 George Camara went in race 2 out of 7 races of the 60m Hurdles and took 2nd place clocking 9.12. In the 60m flat races – 26 in total – Aidan Downes was first up in Race 5 clocking 7.70 in 4th place which was a new PB by two tenths whilst in Race 13, U17 Matthew Sharples placed 2nd clocking so close to a new personal best running 7.42. There was another 2nd place in Race 14 as U17 Keir Michie clocked a new PB of 7.48 in taking second spot and in Race 15 U17 Oliver Jones came home in 4th position running 7.96 with Louis Crake clocking 8.36 in 4th place (Race16).  U17 Isabella Finn took 3rd spot in race 19 with a time of 8.55 with team mate U17 Evie Fort placing 5th in race 20 clocking a new PB time of 8.72. U15 Noah Briscoe was the Harriers penultimate athlete in the 60m first round of races, running 8.42 in 2nd place of Race 23 and the third new PB of the afternoon in the 60m for Harriers athletes, as Hannah Moore made it five new personal bests clocking a new PB time of 9.12 in 2nd spot in Race 26. (Hannah’s 60m Video)

Going up in distance to the 600m where Agatha Taylor set herself a new PB of 1.36.47 coming home in 2nd place in Race 6 out of 11 races in total. Matthew Sharples added another new PB of 35.81 in 2nd spot in the 300m race 4 of 29 races – the seventh of the day for Harriers athletes, which turned into 8 as George Camara won Race 8 in a new PB time of 38.23. Keir Michie clocked 40.70 in 3rd place of Race 9 with team mate Louis Crake in 4th spot of Race 19, clocking 42.83 in his first ever race indoors over the distance. Race 24 had two Harriers competing – Evie Fort in 2nd (47.12) and Eliza Garcia in 3rd (49.57). Noah Briscoe ran the ninth new personal best of the day for the Club as he clocked a new PB of 43.88 in 3rd (Race 25), followed by team mate Georgina Andrews in Race 27, placing 4th in a new PB time of 47.55.

Round 2 of the 60m races – 7 races in total – Matthew Sharples came in 4th in a time of 7.55 (Race 1) followed by Keir Michie in Race 2 clocking 7.61 in 5th, Oliver Jones in Race 3 placing 2nd in a time of 7.84 with team mate Louis Crake in 6th place (8.42). In the Field events, Noah Briscoe was having a good day as he took 2nd spot in the Long Jump (Pool A) out of 20 athletes with a leap of 4.68m which was a new PB by 24cm and the 11th of the day by Harriers athletes – Isabella Finn also in Pool A placing 7th overall and 1st U17W with a jump of 4.41m. Hannah Moore was just 2cm shy of her best as she cleared 1.35m in the High Jump Pool A in 8th spot. (All Results) – (Hannah’s HJ Video)

Agatha Taylor (320)

George Camara (50)

Matthew Sharples (294)

Ξ

Mothers Day on Sunday March 15th which saw Craig Greenough take on the Mothers Day 10k won by Callum Queen in 34. 49. Craig came home in 17th spot overall out of a field just over a 100 runners, with a time of 45.16 and 3rd V55. The week before, Marco Pacelli was racing at the annual Roddlesworth Roller won by Cameron Ronaldson in 32.47. V50 Marco had a good run placing 15th overall out of 181 finishers, 2nd V50 and running a time of 39.36.

Finally, there was a new competition for Juniors which took place on Saturday March 14th at the Burke Cycle Track in Barrowford. The Series consists of four sets of races for different junior age groups going through to August and catering for U10’s, U12, U14 and U16 youngsters. At the first set of races Hugh Russell-Blackburn came 2nd in the U12 race running 7.43 for the 2k distance with 24 in the race. The U14 Race saw Max Unthank take the win in a time of 10.25 for the 3k with team mates Edward Russell-Blackburn in 3rd place (10.39) and Pippa Blackburn running 13.46 andf 5th in her category. Liam Bennison took 2nd spot in the U16 race of 4k with a time of 15.42 as Charlotte Smith ran 16.03 and 1st in her category. (RESULTS).

Hugh Russell-Blackburn (Photo courtesy of David Belshaw)

Max Unthank (Photo courtesy of David Belshaw)

Edward Rusell-Blackburn (Photo courtesy of David Belshaw)

Pippa Blackburn (Photo courtesy of David Belshaw)

Liam Bennison (Photo courtesy of David Belshaw)

Charlotte Smith (Photo courtesy of David Belshaw)

♥