Top 5 for Isabel and Top 10 for Myles at Nationals – PB’s for Charlotte & Matthew + National DMR Record for David in US – PV seasons Best for Tamzin – Wins & PB’s for Harriers at Sportcity

Feb 23, 2026

nships were held at Sedgefield – Saturday February 21st – on the course where the Northern Cross Country Championships were held in 2025 and on a rain free day but strong wind throughout. (All Age Group Results). It was a very good day in the Junior Women’s and Junior Men’s races for Blackburn Harriers with two quality races. In the Junior Women’s race, title holder Isabel Holt who won the race in 2025 came home 4th out of field of 106 athletes running 21.59 – just three seconds off the podium – Ava James taking the Bronze Medal in 3rd (21.56), Maisey Bellwood the Silver (21.51) and Rebecca Flaherty winning the Gold in a time of 21.26. Isabel told us that despite the 4th place she was “happy with the cross country season and feeling strong as ever“. Indeed she has had a great season to-date winning Bucs recently and before that, international vests in Spain, Belgium and Portugal. Myles Fraser had a fine run in the Junior men’s race coming home in 7th spot out of a field of 134 athletes in a time of 32.42. This was the first time out for Myles over the 10k distance which is a considerable leap in distance but he coped with it and ran a very good race telling the club after he had finished that he “had a great day at Nationals mixing it up against some older guys over what felt like a surprisingly short 10k distance. It was a big step up from the usual limit of 6k but I started well and was able to sit in and relax for most of the race which helped. I’m looking forward to English schools and track now.” Myles like Isabel, has also run for England this season at the Cross International Juan Muguerza in Spain on January 18th as well as winning Silver in the Junior Men’s National Cross Country Relays in Mansfield.

The U17 Men put in a good performance and missed out on a high team placing as there was only three athletes running instead of the required four to count. Sam Aspey led the way. After finishing 5th at the Northerns the other week at Pontefract he took 28th spot in a time of 20.09 out of a field of over 200 runners. Backing him up were team mates Max Winstanley and Jack Wood with just five seconds separating them – Max running 21.05 (77th) and Jack 21.11 (87th). Two Blackburn Harriers ran in the U13 Boys race featuring 235 runners – Thomas Stewart and Edward Russell-Blackburn. Thomas ran well to finish in 41st spot with a time of 11.09 as did Edward who ran 12.00 in 131st place. Two hundred and seventeen runners in the U13 Girls race where Lily Mae Newton had a good run, placing 77th with a time of 12.35.

L-R Sam Aspey – Jack Wood – Max Winstanley (Phot courtesy of Andy Wood)

Thomas Stewart (Photo courtesy of Andrew Stewart)

Ξ

Over in America, Blackburn Harriers continued with very good performances – Charlotte Williams and Matthew Heywood in the Throws and David Holman on the Indoor track. Charlotte has really took on the Weight event in style this winter winning three successive competitions, placing 4th in one and setting new personal bests at every competition. At the Sun Conference and Southern States Conference Indoor Championships, Charlotte set another new PB of 18.37m which was , as she told us afterwards “a new Conference Record, a new school record, and it bumped her up into 3rd place in the Nationals“.  (VIDEO) — (RESULTS).

Matthew has had some injuries which have affected training but was back for the Conference Championship. Although it hasn’t been the best indoor season for him, he has only had two foul throws during that time which shows a good level of consistency. Matthew was competing at the Conference Carolinas | Feb 22 – 23, and had a good performance, just shy of his personal best, throwing a seasons best distance of 16.77cm, a throw which won him the Bronze Medal. (VIDEO) —  (RESULTS). Matthew spoke to the Club about his Conference Championships, telling us “We had our conference championship and the last indoor competition today. I went in having a SB of 16.24 and a years best of 15.67 but today when it matters I threw 16.77 seasons best and only 12cm off my personal best to win myself a bronze medal in a very tough very competitive final“.       

David was running for Wingate College in the Men’s Collegiate Distance Medley Relay over 4000m at the Saucony Battle for Boston on Saturday February 21st. The Relay comprises four legs of 1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m. The team had a great result running a new national record of 9.29.69 ahead of the previous record held by Pittsburgh State (9.32.58). David spoke to the Club about the event and his own part in it, saying “I split 2:53.00 on the 1200 leg but I came through around 2:52 mid, was just the changeover. Was very good to get a better run out than last week. This race now fills me with confidence for Nationals in 3 weeks“. (RESULTS)

Charlotte Willams (1st Place)

Matthew Heywood (396) Bronze Medal

David Holman (316) – Photo courtesy of Saucony / Flo

Vault Manchester took place on Saturday February 21st at Sportcity where 8 finals took place on the day – Blackburn Harriers Tamzin Osborne competing in Final E which had 14 vaulters. Six of the athletes all cleared 3.11m including Tamzin which was a seasons best clearance and only her second competition of the indoor season. (RESULTS)

Tamzin Osborne

Staying with indoor athletics and this time at the latest meeting of the Winter Indoor Series held at Sportcity on Sunday February 22nd. (RESULTS). First up in the 60m was U20 Charlie Palich clocking 7.09 in 5th place (Heat 1) and in Heat 11 Claudia Longton clocked 8.70 in 6th place, just shy of her best of 8.65. Heat 13 had three Blackburn Harriers taking part – U17 Ernie Hobson taking 3rd in 7.38, U17 Matthew Sharples in 4th with a new PB of 7.41 and U17 Keir Michie in 5th clocking 7.53 just missing a new best time. U17’s Oliver Jones and Jack Thompson went in Heat 14 – Oliver crossing the line in 2nd (7.89), his first time over the distance and Jack in 3rd place with 7.90 a big new PB by close to two tenths. Heat 16 saw U17 Isabella Finn clock 8.53 in 6th place followed in heat 18 by team mate Evie Fort running a seasons best 8.80 in 3rd place, agonsingly shy of her previous best 8.77. Heat 22 had another three U15 Blackburn Harriers competing – Iona Bell, Georgina Andrews and Maizie Cooke. Iona came home in 2nd spot clocking 8.46 followed by team mates Georgina in 5th spot with a new PB by a tenth running 9.06 as Maizie also clocked a new PB time of 9.25 in 6th place.This was followed by U15 Mia Logan keeping the new PB’s going with her 9.65 in 6th place.

On to the 200m and U17 Matthew Sharpleswon Race 2 – his first time indoors over the distance and clocked 22.74 which was a second quicker than his outdoor personal best set in 2025. Race 6 saw Keir Michie clock 23.92 in 2nd whilst in Race 7 Ernie Hobson took the win clocking with another new PB time of 23.63, over two tenths quicker than his previous indoor best time. U20 Claudia Longton wasn’t being left out of the new personal bests as she won Race 14 clocking a new PB time of 28.10 followed in Race 16 by U17 Oliver Jones placing 2nd in the race in a time of 24.98, his first time over the distance indoors and and close to three seconds faster than his outdoor best time. U17 Evie Fort also took 2nd spot in Race 25 in a time of 29.05 with team mate U15 Iona Bell clocking 28.03 in 3rd place (Race 28). Final races in the 200m saw U15 Georgian Andrews run 29.98 (3rd) in Race 30 which was a new Indoor PB and U15 Maizie Cooke run 30.82 in Race 33 (4th) in her first race over the distance. U17 Louis Crake had a very good day running 8.47 (6th) in Round 1 of the 60m and his first outing over that distance, improving on that to set a new PB of 8.31 in winning Race 5 of the 60m in the second round and topping it all off with a second new PB of 26.85 in race 20 of the 200m in 2nd place.
In the second round of 60m races, U17 Matthew Sharples, after setting a new personal best of 7.41 in Round 1, was short by the smallest of margins as he clocked 7.42 in 3rd place in Race 2. Race 3 had three Blackburn Harriers in it – the third time this had happened on the day – with U17’s Keir Michie, Oliver Jones and Jack Thompson. Keir took 2nd spot in 7.55, Oliver placed 4th in a new PB of 7.77 and Jack came 6th in 7.93. In the Long Jump U17 Isabella Finn placed 4th in Pool A consisting of 17 athletes, jumping a distance of 4.38m. In High Jump Pool B with male and female athletes and different age groups from U17’s through to Seniors, Alex Burns-Groves cleared 1.55 as 2nd U17 male.

♥