What a change in the weather! Sunshine and warmth was the order of the day as sixty three Teams battled it out at the National 12 Stage Road Relays in Sutton Park on Saturday April 14th. After finishing 8th in the Northern 12 Stage at Birkenhead, the Harriers were hoping to do well at the Nationals. Even though, like other teams, we lost some athletes from the Northern Team, the athletes ran solidly all day and throughout the team, to take 29th spot overall. Lots of controversy though over the mass start on the final Leg with tannoy announcements not being heard by a number of athletes on one side of the park and also criticism of all but the first four teams being told that they all had to go on the mass start at 4.00pm.
(Final Leg Mass Start)
Fast Running Report on 12 & 6 Stage
The 12 Stages consisting of six long (5.8k) and six short legs (3.1k) saw Ben Fish (Leg 5) overcoming his recent illness to post the fastest Long Leg of the day for the Club with a time of 26.53 followed by Tim Raynes – recent winner of the Ackworth Half-Marathon in 70mins – on Leg (1) with 27.04, Rob Warner – who ran 8.35 for 3000m ten days ago at Watford – on Leg (3) in 27.21, Tom Blaney on Leg (9) with 30.40, Thomas Marchant (30.59) on Leg 7 and Josh Holgate on Leg (11) clocking 31.00. Great debut in the blue and white vest for Tom Marchant in his first competitive race for the Club and for Josh Holgate running only his second Relay for the Harriers.
Ben Costello ran the fastest short Leg (10) for the team posting a time of 17.11, just in front of Chris Davies on Leg (2) with 17.17, Joe Howe on Leg (4) in 17.40, Karl Billington on the mass start final Leg with 17.49 and Matt Nuttall (Leg 8) with a time of 17.50, a remarkable time considering he ran the whole thing in pain and Team Manager Paul Guinan (18.48) on Leg (6).
Amy Davies ran in the U15 Girls 5k Championships and had a pretty solid run placing 12th in the 20 strong field in a time of 21.17 the race being won by Katie Goodge from Tonbridge (19.05) comfortably from Megan Dingle (Vale Royal) in 19.36.
More photo’s courtesy of Richard Marchant
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From the Road to Track & Field »»»»»»»
Sam Gaskell opened his competitive season in very good form as he won the U17 Men’s Hammer at the Liverpool Jumps & Throws Fixture on Saturday April 14th.
Six U17 Men competed in the Hammer alongside U15Boys, U20 and Sen Men. The athletes in the U17 competition came from Preston, Leigh, Kidderminster, Cannock and Blackburn with Blackburn Harrier’s Sam Gaskell coming out on top with a throw of 54.92m. U15 Girl Nicky Saunders was also competing at her second event in the last week which saw her open up on the day with a 2nd placed throw of 24.67m and just shy of her personal best of 25.15. In the Hammer Nicky placed 3rd but set a new personal best with her throw of 21.89, nearly a metre better than previously and then went on to finish 2nd in the Javelin with another new PB – by just one cm – as she set her best throw of the event with 24.82m.
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Ellen Sagar-Hesketh was making her debut for the Club this weekend as she ran the 800m Race at the Sheffield Festival of Athletics on Saturday April 14th – her opening race of the season – clocking a time of 2.27.94. After the Race, Ellen spoke to the Club telling us “Very happy to be out racing as a Blackburn Harrier for the first time, a good benchmark to work from and hopefully due for a PB soon in the 800m!”
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