The weather started off overcast but soon turned to sunshine and a glorious day for the 2024 Northern 6 & 4 Stage Road Relays alongside the Young Athletes Road Relays which were held at Stanley Park, Blackpool. Blackburn Harriers had teams in the U13 Boys, U15 Boys, U17 Men, Senior Men, U15 Girls, U17 Women and Senior Women. (RESULTS).
(All Photos on Blackburn Harriers Facebook Page – HERE)
L-R Bella McCredie – Millie Jordan – Emma Robertshaw – Lottie Hesketh – Agatha Taylor
The Harriers had entered 4 Senior Men’s Teams and two Senior Women’s teams which finished up as three Senior Men plus a part team and similar with the Women, one full team and a part team. Rob Warner-Judd 16.49; Andy Benson 18.01; Ben Makin 17.58; Daniel Smith 18.27; Ben Fish 17.13 and Ross Harrison 16.54 combined for a total time of 1hr 45. 25 in 11th place out of 109 complete teams which qualifed them for the National Relays in Sutton Coldfield on October 5th. Our second and third teams finished in 45th and 46th places with combined times of 1hr 54.28 and 1hr 55.25 respectively. David Almond 20.14; Dominic Bretherton 22.24; Mark Almond 22.00 and John Chaplin 23.40 made up our part team on the day in 109th. Sixty three complete teams in the Senior Women’s race which saw the Harriers gain their third top ten finish of the day as Isabel Holt ran 18.37; Evie Taylor 21.51; Anna Greenwood 21.58 and Ellen Sagar-Hesketh 22.48 to place 10th in a combined time of 1hr 25.16. In the part team Rebecca Ward ran 22.28; Sarah Krige 25.48 and Vikki Robertshaw 21.59.
Ross Harrison
Isabel Holt (A206)
Started off on the day with the U13 Boys race featuring 48 teams, Blackburn Harriers finishing in 24th with a combined time of 37.50 – (Max Unthank 12.07; Theo Addy 12.52 and Oliver North 12.49) and our second team which had only two runners saw Morgan Watson on the first Leg (13.20) and Ryker Hanson on Leg 2 ( 13.05). 31 complete teams in the U15 Boys race, resulting in a 12th place for the Harriers, the team time being 33.45 (Tom Falencki 11.01; George Holman 11.17; Theo Robinson 11.25). The U15 Girls races had 33 complete teams with the Harriers claiming a top ten place, finishing 8th in a total time of 36.14 (Millie Jordan 11.31; Lottie Hesketh 12.46; Agatha Taylor 11.56 alongside our second team in 18th position (38.21) with Emma Robertshaw 12.32; Bella McCredie 13.05; Charlotte Smith 12.43).
Back Row L- R Bella McCredie – Millie Jordan – Emma Robertshaw – Agatha Taylor – Lottie Hesketh — Front Row L-R Tom Falencki – Theo Robinson – George Holman
Thirty eight teams featured in the U17 men’s race with the Harriers taking 9th, 13th and 30th places plus a team with just two athletes – Daniel Bretherton running 11.33 on Leg 1 and Loucas Lancashire 11.36 on Leg 2. Our 2nd top ten place of the day saw Sam Aspey run 10.04 alongside Henry Ward 10.29; and Jack Wood 10.08 taking 9th place overall – followed by Ethan Cutler 10.35; Matthew Smith 10.16 and Logan McCredie running 10.25 for 13th place and George Ramsden 11.28; Callum Singleton 11.29; Max Belshaw 11.09 finishing in 30th spot. Just 26 teams in the U17 Women’s race where the Club had one full team and a part team. Placing 21st Charlotte Robertshaw 12.49; Lottie Smith 13.53 and Isabella Pacelli 13.09 had a combined total time of 39.51 whilst team mate Isabelle Perry posted the fastest run on a solo first Leg in 12.44.
Isabelle Perry (A152)
L-R Matthew Smith – Henry Ward – Max belshaw – Daniel Bretherton – Ethan Cutler – Logan McCredie – Callum Singleton
⇓
Stanley Park, Blackpool was the arena for a very wet day and an end of season open track and field meeting.on Sunday September 15th at which a number of Blackburn Harriers young athletes took part. (RESULTS). U17 Alisha Lehner clocked 13.3 in the 80m Hurdles in 2nd spot going on to run 29.1 in the 200m and also 2nd again. U11 Pippa Blackburn braved the conditions to run her first ever track races – placing 6th in the 80m in 14.0 and 6th again in the 600m (2.21.5). Team mate Sophie Douglas – also an U11 and competing in her second track meeting, won her 80m Heat in a time of 13.3, her first time over the distance, set a new PB for her 600m of 2.03.5 finishing off with a jump of 2.90m in the Long Jump and again, her first time at the event. Another U11Girl trying the track for the first time was Scarlett Cothliff who took on the 600m running 2.40.0. U13’s Darcie Belshaw and Ava Shannon ran in the 100m race – Darcie clocking 13.8 to take the win in Heat 1 with Ava running 15.8 in 6th. Darcie made it two wins on the day as she won her Heat of the 200m in 29.2 – this being the first time she had run over 100 and 200m. U13 Joseph Ellson ran his first ever track races – 14.7 (5th) in the 100m and winning his race in the 800m in 2.45.2.
U15 Niamh Boland clocked 13.4 in 4th spot in her Heat of the 100m followed by U15 Evie Fort winning her Heat in 14.1 backed up with a 47.2 clocking in the 300m (3rd). U17 Malina Trella ran in her first ever track meeting clocking 14.2 in winning her Heat of the 100m followed by U17 Charlie Palich clocking 11.3 to win the U17/ U20 100m and then went on to run a new PB of 22.5 in 2nd place in his Heat of the 200m – a Heat won by team mate Charlie Unsworth in 22.1. Senior Brandon Zinyemba also got on the winners list with his 11.8 clocking in the Senior Men’s 100m with team mate U20 Samuel Mutombo in 3rd in the same Heat (12.1) – Samuel following that up with 4.41m in the Long Jump. Finally in the Field events Darcie Belshaw placed 3rd in the U13G Shot Putt with a distance of 6.10m.
Braving the weather with smiles.
⇓
Back on September 1st Blackburn Harriers Chris Davies, Chris Marsden and Paul Guinan ran at the Runthrough Altrincham 10k featuring well over 2500 runners (RESULTS). The race was won by Sale Harrier’s Nicholas Barry in 31.25 – the Women’s winner Amy-Eloise Neale finishing 2nd overall in 32.40 which was a fine run. Chris Davies was the first Harrier home in 20th running 35.18 followed by Chris Marsden in 69th (38.47) – his first race for the Club and Paul Gunian in 80th position running 39.13.
⇓
Athletes like Helen Leigh don’t come much tougher. Her latest race saw her taken on Ben Nevis which is a race to the top of the mountain and back down – a distance of 4409ft of climbing. (Race Website) — (RESULTS).Three hundred and seventy six runners finished the race which was won by Alistair Thornton (Ochil Hill Runners) in a time of 1hr 51.47 from Newcastle’s Tom Crudginton in 2nd (1hr.54.25) and Helm Hill’s Sam Dixon in 3rd place (1hr 57.02). Helen Leigh – running for Inverness Harriers had another fantastic run finishing 3rd and on the Podium in the Women’s race with a time of 2hr 21.27 behind in 2nd place – Keswick’s Caroline Lambert (2hr 17.54) and the winner Ambleside’s Eve Pannone in 2hr 05.25). Speaking to the Club after her race – run in unbelievable and unseasonable hot temperatures, Heln told us about her race saying ” “My 5th Ben Race, probably the fittest I’ve been and my worst time ever which was a theme across the board. The heat was unbelievable and after a really good climb my temperature was just going out of control on the descent and my usual favourite part of the race was an absolutely brutal struggle. I went into 3rd at the top of Red Burn and was so happy to hang on to that against the big guns in 1st and 2nd. Dug so deep and with people dnf and carted off to A&E I was really pleased with my run. Back next year for a fast time, maybe”.
Helen Leigh (177)
