Category: Race Reports

In the final Senior League meeting of the season Bolton Harriers produced a very strong track performance with lots of their premier runners on show. Bolton once again had the highest points on the track and if the club can work on getting more Field athletes out next season prospects will look very bright indeed.

Highlights on the day saw a Senior league debut appearance by Jake Harwood, a U17 sprinter from Les Hall’s sprint group. Looking a little worried beforehand,  he soon blew  away those nerves  with a win in his opening event the 100m B race with a PB equalling time of 11.9 seconds. He backed up Ben To who just before had bolted  home in convincing fashion to  win the A race in 11.2 seconds. Both athletes then repeated the trick in the 200 metres with Jake clocking a pb.

In the Women’s sprints Hannah Kelly & Abi Adeniji matched their male counterparts achievements by winning both the 100 & 200m A and B races respectively in convincing fashion.

This was backed up by Olivia Kimbowa A  and Katie Eckersley B in the 400m both winning their respective races handsomely taking maximum points. A seasons best from Katie just narrowly missing out on a sub 60 clocking in 60.4 seconds. This boded well for a Senior league 4x400m club record attempt later in the day.

Rebecca Reid showed her versatility competing well in the throws and long jump despite coming back from injury and she epitomised the team spirit in gaining valuable points.

In the middle distance events, Bolton welcomed back Jonny Kay from injury for his first senior outing and he won easily in a 800 & 1500m double. He was  backed up with a 2nd place finish in the 800 B from Tony Valentine and  Martin Reid in the 1500m  as the two Harriers posted maximum points with Reid clocking 4.09.5 for a seasons best.

In the Women’s middle distance events Rachel Bailey had a storming finish in her 800m tracking a number of athletes to power past them in the last 100m to win the A race with a new PB of 2.22.1. She was backed up by the evergreen Cathy Flitcroft who wasn’t to be outdone  posting a  4 seconds season best in a time of 2.44 dead.

Both athletes were obviously hungry for more and they repeated their excellent performances on the day with Rachel beating her 1500m previous best  breaking 5 minutes for the first time in 4.59.6, and Cathy beating her age related Northern Masters record by 4 seconds again in a time of 5.35.5. A double double for both athletes !

In the longer races Bolton had another debutant in the women’s 3000m with U17 athlete Ruby Erzan-Essien taking 4th place with a new PB herself in 11.23. Beka Millington, who is currently in marathon training, came in with  a very creditable 4th place in the B race with a time of 13.18.

In the Men’s 5000m, Tony Valentine doubling up from his earlier 800m race, took 2nd place in the A in 16.07 chased in by Tommy Harrison taking maximum points in the B in 16.16 with a seasons best on the track.

Brian Hall was imperious in the jumps especially the High Jump his specialist event, winning with a seasons best 1m 90 and clocking up excellent team points in the Triple Jump also winning the A with a leap of 12m 20 cms. Brian wasn’t finished there however as he came 2nd in the Long Jump A (5m 42cm) and he won the 110m Hurdles B. He was backed up by club chairman Scott Whittle, showing no ill effects from his recent stag night,  winning the 110m hurdles A and Long Jump B. Scott had also won the 400m hurdles A race  passing the Bury athlete after the last hurdle to take  victory.

In the  Women’s  relays both the 4x100m and 4x400m teams were looking to try and take the win but also the club records.

The  4x100m team, including International representative Hannah Kelly and backed up by Abi Adeniji, Fola Fasehun and Olivia Kimbowa, went close but were denied a club record but still  took a very easy victory in a time of 50.2 seconds.

The 4x400m women’s squad went one better not only winning but achieving a club senior record in a time of 4;01;09.Katie Eckersley ran the  first leg bringing the baton back in first place with a good lead before handing over to Olivia Kimbowa. She extended the lead further before handing over to Rachel Bailey on 3rd leg who ran strongly to pass to Hannah Kelly on the last leg. The team by now were well away from the rest and Kelly brought the baton home  to take the win by nearly 15 seconds!

Team Manager Scott Whittle was very pleased with the attitude, commitment  and team Spirit of the athletes both on the day and throughout the season. He said “hopefully we can get the throws and field events stronger and more consistent next year, and the club will be looking for promotion and hopefully win the League. He also wished to thank the Timekeepers and Officials who volunteered for the club and without who we wouldn’t be able to compete in the events and also themselves gain massive points for the club in each match”.

On a very cold Saturday 5th December coach Gwylim Jones took a young Bolton Harriers squad to Trafford Athletics Club for an Open Junior Meeting. Never was a day so vital for those pre- race warm ups and stretches.

Mathilda ‘Tilly’ Hall certainly benefited from her pre race preparation and wrapped up two personal bests in the 75m and 150m. The daughter of ebullient Harriers sprint coach Les Hall was fastest of all competitors, including the boys, over 75m. From the same ‘stable’ as Olympic hopeful Hannah Kelly, Tilly is certainly one to look out for in the future. Les had 3 of his junior sprint group involved in Tilly, Allyssia May and Isobel Oxley.

Emily Wood put in a great effort smashing 11 seconds off her previous  personal best and setting a new target of 2m 17 seconds.

It was an exciting day for some of the young Harriers taking part in their first competition. Gwylim was pleased with the debuts of Ava Brocklehurst in the 75m and Zia Isherwood 2^nd in her 150m heat. Brothers Alex and Max Preston also made a good competitive debuts. Max in the 600m, Alex in the 1200m and both in the Long Jump.

Josh Grundy took part in  his first 600m. Gwylim was delighted as he came home 13 seconds quicker than expected in 2 minutes 7 secs.

Cerys Jones took to the starting line of the 1200m for the first time and performed better than her coach, and grandad,  Gwylim had hoped for with a time of 5 minutes 46 seconds. Just to emphasise the family nature at Bolton Harriers Gwilym’s daughter and mother of Cerys,  Lindsay was there to assist with the group and their preparation. Lindsay has been providing valuable assistance to her dad in the club training sessions.

Allyssia May continued her good form from Trafford in October in the 150m and improved on her time in the 75m. She finished a good all round performance on the day by coming 2^nd in her pool in the long jump.

Isobel Oxley found good speed, technique and strength in producing a fine long jump of 3.87m to win her pool. To wrap up a perfect day she knocked 11 seconds off her 800m personal best.

Results

75m Heat 3 

• Ava Brocklehurst – 13.32

75m Heat 6

150m Heat 2

• Cerys Jones – 34.24

150m Heat 3

• Emily Wood – 27.60

150m Heat 6

• Zia Isherwood – 25.23
• Ava Brocklehurst – 26.96

150m Heat 7

• Joshua Grundy – 24.09

150m Heat 8

• Mathilda Hall – 21.85
• Allyssia May – 23.44

600m Heat 1

• Emily Wood – 2.17.88

600m Heat 2

• Joshua Grundy – 2.07.05
• Allyssia May – 23.44

800m Heat 3

• Isobel Oxley – 2.44.50       

1200m Heat 1

• Alex Preston – 4.47.19
• Cerys Jones – 5.46.66

Long Jump Pool 2

• Isobel Oxley – 3.87
• Allyssia May – 3.43
• Alex Preston – 3.25

Long Jump Pool 3

• Max Preston – 2.42

Saturday 10th October saw a dry day thankfully and a resumption of competition for the kids at Bolton Harriers.

Gwylim Jones took an excited Under 11s squad and their families to the Trafford Athletic Club Open Meeting and was extremely proud and encouraged by their effort and application.

He was also extremely pleased the way his young athletes supported one another and their families supported other Bolton families.

Due to the ongoing pandemic this was Harriers kids first entry in a competition for months and the clubs young athletes justified inclusion and managed to come away with lots of personal bests.

The Iwelu sisters, Princess and Mabel, were competing in their first ever event and couldn’t have done any better with 1st and 2nd in their 75m and 150m heats.

Joshua Grundy, also making his competitive debut and also making an impressive start, won his 75m heat.

Matilda Hall (daughter of long standing Harriers coach Les Hall) had only come back to running from gymnastics a week before and stormed home to win her 75m heat.

Curtis Hornsey, another making his competitive bow, came back with a creditable 2nd place in his 600m heat.

Cerys Jones, granddaughter of coach Gwylim, achieved 2 pb’s on the day.

There had been no opportunity to do any Long Jump training but Allyssia May still had the confidence to be Harriers sole entrant and had an amazing day. She kept setting new pb’s with each jump. For the final jump, and on Gwylim’s advice, she took a longer run up and launched herself to her best jump of 3m 69.

Harriers also had the one entrant in the Discus with Jamie Greenhalgh clinching a fine 2nd spot with a throw of 19m 38.

Results

75m

Heat 1 – Princess Iwelu 11:86 Mabel Iwelu 12:06 secs
Heat 2 – Benjamin Davies 12:34 Cerys Jones 16:08
Heat 9 – Joshua Grundy 11:42
Heat 10 – Ellie Deavall 12:05
Heat 12 – Matilda Hall 11:14
Heat 14 – Allyssia May 11:28

150m

Heat 1 – Princess Ilewu 24:08 Mabel Ilewu 24:39 secs
Heat 2 – Benjamin Davies 24:34
Heat 4 – Curtis Hornsey 27:61
Heat 5 – Cerys Jones 34:64
Heat 10 – Joshua Grundy 23:47
Heat 11 – Ellie Deavall 24:99 Emily Wood 26:87
Heat 14 – Allyssia May 23:05
Heat 18 – Matilda Hall 22:49
Heat 19 – Mia Makin 22:13

600m

Heat 1 – Mabel Ilewu 2:13 mins
Heat2 – Curtis Hornsey 2:29 Cerys Jones 2:45
Heat 3 – Emily Wood 2:19
Heat 8 – Benjamin Davies 2:12

Long Jump

Pool 5 – Allyssia May 3:69m

Discus

Pool 1 – Jamie Greenhalgh 19:38m

In Martin Reid’s working life PB is a scientific symbol. It had a whole new meaning this weekend at the Podium 5K in Barrowford for the Science Teacher from Harper Green School. In a hotly contested Grade A race, attracting runners the length and breadth of the British Isles, this talented runner scorched in with a personal best time of 15 mins 34 secs and 27th place.

He has been running for Bolton since the age of 10 and mainly middle distance on the track. After being out of action due to injury a few years ago he decided to step up and focus on longer distances on the road. He trains 6 days a week, often on his own. He is coached by John Wood at the City of Sheffield Athletics Club (Martin went to university in Sheffield) and more recently Dave Shaw. He has really enjoyed joining Dave’s group and the motivation and competition everyone provides for each other. His time is an improvement on the 15.46 that he set 4 years ago on the same course. He has a few more races lined up over the next few weeks before the track season, and his aim is to then complete his 1st marathon in Frankfurt in October.

Despite Coronavirus putting paid to lots of sporting events at the weekend the Bolton 5k got the green light to go ahead.

The rearranged Central Lancashire Grand Prix fixture was dominated by Bolton Harriers running on their home course. Harriers provided the first 3 and had 7 runners in the top 10.

With the Wilmslow Half Marathon cancelled at the last minute the Leverhulme desk had a flurry of morning entries for the much shorter race.

Spectators were treated to a desperate sprint to the line between blue vests Tommy Harrison and Rhys Francis with Harrison prevailing. Rhys, an aerospace engineer, just could not find that extra bit of throttle to propel himself to victory.

Last weeks longer Roddlesworth Roller trail race had seen Declan Toomey triumph with Tommy Harrison just behind. Tommy just wasn’t prepared to settle for second spot this time.

He said “I think it being a shorter distance this week helped me as I have been doing lower mileage whilst managing this injury.

As for the race myself and Declan decided to try and go sub 16min before the start, so we set off at that pace.

The pace dropped a little as we kept fighting for position during 2nd mile along with Rhys Francis. Rhys definitely looking the strongest of the 3 of us at that point.

I knew my tactics before the race began. I knew if I was going to beat Declan I would have to go early as he would out pace me in a sprint finish. So I upped the pace with just over a mile to go. Declan fell away with about half a mile remaining, but Rhys had stayed with me.

I knew once we were on track I would win if he didn’t pick up the pace before last 250m (which he didn’t).

I had a few people say with 120m left, Rhys still had it, but I still had a bit of pace in my legs and used that to pinch the win.

I thought my race tactics were perfectly executed but still disappointed to have not ran sub 16 mins”.

Rhys commented after ”more than happy to lose out to a team mate who is in great form and my 20 second PB was a lovely surprise. It’s nice to see the training coming together and hopefully I can improve the time again this season. Also, to get the team win shows the strong training group we have at Bolton and hopefully we can go on to perform well in the forthcoming events – Coronavirus allowing of course !”

Mark Wolstencroft came home in 5th position and 1st in his age group. He was closely followed in a fabulous run by young Jason Scaife as 1st junior who had won the Daffodil Doddle the week before.

Scott Crompton and Chris Povey (first veteran 45) continued their fine form and completed the 7 blue vests in the first 10 to the finishing line. Ken Fowler was also first veteran 65.

The men didn’t have it all their own way. First lady home was the rapidly improving Rachel Bailey who has had a brilliant year thus far. One of the shining stars of Adrian Costello’s Harriers Endurance Group, she looks set to continue filling up her trophy cabinet. Molly Philbin, a new recruit to the Endurance Group at Harriers, came in first junior female.

Rachel Bailey, Ryan Kirkman, and Scott Bracey all got 5k personal bests again showing the strength and the quality of the training in Costello’s Endurance Group.

Congratulations must go to Gail Harrison and her team of volunteer helpers and marshals for putting on such a well organised and great event. Especially so has it had to be rearranged from an earlier date.

Full list of Harriers runners and times:

• Tommy Harrison – 16:07
• Rhys Francis – 16:08
• Declan Toomey – 16:26
• Mark Wolstencroft – 17:46
• Jason Scaife – 17:50
• Scott Crompton – 17:55
• Chris Povey – 17:57
• Dominic Gavin – 18:18
• Christian Pickford – 18:22
• Stephen Bonney – 18:35
• Rachel Bailey – 19:04
• Matt Atkinson – 19:07
• Ryan Kirkman – 19:26
• Jack Heggie – 20:09
• Scott Bracey – 20:20
• David Chrystal – 20:23
• Richard Scaife – 20:32
• Ken Fowler – 22:02
• Molly Philbin – 23:28
• Linzi Jones – 26:31

Sunday 8th March saw the action move to Abbey Village for the kids Daffodil Doddle followed by the adults in the Roddlesworth Roller.

It was a fine day though still tricky underfoot on a really tough course.

It was a clean sweep for Bolton United Harriers young athletes as Jason Scaife and Lily Philbin won the boy’s and girl’s races. Both students of Little Lever High School, the school can rightly be proud of their athletic achievements.

Jason Scaife won the event by a clear margin. From a keen sporting family, we look forward to the development of this talented athlete as he continues to work hard.

Lily Philbin, a keen racer finished an impressive 4th overall and won the girls race in a time of 8:30.

Nathaniel Knowles, son of successful runner John Knowles, was just 10 seconds behind Lily and runner up in the Under 10’s category.

Hannah Swales was the Under 14 champion and fourth home for Bolton.

Alex Preston of Eagley school finished 3rd in the Under 10’s in another great performance.

Other notable performances include: Scarlett Taylor-Mann (4th Under 10), Katie Watson (2nd Under 14), Benjamin Davis (3rd Under 9), Max Preston (3rd Under 8), Curtis Hornsey (7th Under 10), Emily Wood (4th Under 9), Jessica Swales (3rd Under 11), Cerys Jones (5th Under 9), Kirsten Scaife (1st Under 12), Frankie Wood (2nd Under 12), Harlan Moore (1st Under 7), Jasmine Greenhaigh (11th Under 7), Charlotte Davis (10th Under 6).

The first Central Grand Prix Series race of 2020, was the Roddlesworth Roller with 324 runners, a very well organised and well marshalled course with a much appreciated hot drink and cake for all finishers. The overnight rain made for challenging conditions and of course there are hills in abundance, it’s called the roller for a reason.

Declan Toomey was first across the line for Bolton United Harriers putting in a fine performance finishing in 3rd position. Given his current level of fitness this was a good run. A young and hugely talented athlete, Toomey looks set to quickly move up the national rankings as he continues with solid and consistent training over the coming months.

Tommy Harrison finished 4th just 11 seconds behind team mate Toomey. A favourite on the local running scene Harrison is enjoying his return to racing and will look to be in closer contention as fitness returns.

Third counter for the Bolton United Harriers men’s team was Chris Pickford finishing in 25th and third vet45. With his long, unmistakable stride Pickford is able to cruise through the field once he finds his rhythm.

Dominic Gavin, a talented golfer, put his clubs to one side as he laced up his trainers and teed up the race ahead. A popular character within Harriers Elite training group he finished in 32nd

Rick Scaife was 68th in 43:37, Jack Heggie 72nd in 43:51, Scott Bracey 73rd in 43:52, Gary Porteous 93rd in 44:49, Dave Chrystal 104th in 45:34 and Ken Fowler 137th in 48:13 and 3rd in the 65+ age category.

As always an excellent performance from the rapidly improving Rachel Bailey in the women’s race finishing 3rd in the ladies race and 46th overall in a time of 41:07.

SOUTH EAST LANS CROSS COUNTRY SERIES

This weekend saw the final race of the South East Lancashire Cross Country Series, held at Heaton Park. In slightly challenging conditions, the runners embarked upon an alternate route to the previous three, with encouraging results. The U11 Boys’ race was first up which was represented with three runners: Alex Preston was first home, finishing in 9th place, followed by Max Preston and Benjamin Davis in 18th and 19th place, respectively. Their overall performance helped contribute to a 3rd place finish for the team. In the Under 11 Girls’ race, Cerys Jones finished a respectable 30th and 26th in the overall standings.

Producing her best performance of the series, Lily Philbin finished in the top 3 in the U15 girls’ race. This helped Lily finish 4th overall in the series to cap an impressive showing. Ruby Erzan Essien was the standout performer in the category; a cracking series performance saw her win the U15 Girls’ section.

The Senior Ladies race saw the final Harriers athlete, Rachel Bailey, compete. Running a stellar race, Bailey secured her best finish of the series, coming in 4th; helping her to win the U20 Girls’ category.

The EPIC Fire Fighters ‘2UP’ Duathlon is a unique event which takes place in March in conjunction with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue. It’s known locally as the ‘start of season social race’ but there’s nothing particularly ‘social’ about the course! The format is simple, you choose a friend or race partner and stick together throughout the run / bike / run. On the bike you are allowed to work as a pair, by ‘drafting’ each other, but not with other teams. The 4 miles trail run is a tough start and end to the race, with a hilly 25 mile in between, to make sure you finish with a grimace on your face. It’s a fantastic event, an awesome atmosphere, lots of team rivalries and smiles all round.

Bolton Harriers representatives were our fell running rascals Lee Petch and Andy Gallagher. This time doffing a cycle helmet each along with the trusty trail trainers. As a team they finished 176th out of 212 with a time of 3hrs 10 mins.

The Lostock 6 mile road race took place on Sunday 23rd February with a strong turn out from Bolton United Harriers. Optimistically named ‘6 miles of smiles’ the freezing, wet, windy conditions spurred the team on to excellent performances with Bolton winning the men’s team competition and Laura Lombard winning the women’s race.

The team coached by Dave Shaw were in high spirits having watched their team mate Jonny Kay on television the day before powering through to the 1500m final of the British indoor athletics championships in which he subsequently claimed the bronze medal.

Tommy Harrison back in the Bolton vest following a long spell of interrupted training was first home for Bolton finishing in 4th position. He narrowly missed out on 3rd but will improve significantly as he returns to full fitness.

Laura Lombard was next home for Bolton winning the women’s race in a time of 35:07.

Chris Povey ran excellently finishing second V45 and working really hard along Chorley New road into a fierce wind.

Scott Crompton, temporarily distracted by the offer of a bacon sandwich from his onlooking sister powered home in 36:08 to ensure victory for the men’s team. Enjoying himself in the blue and yellow vest Crompton was content with his performance.

Chris Tye performed well off limited training finishing in 36:36 . With an increase in miles in his legs he will move quickly up the field in subsequent competitions.

Super marathon man Mark Wolstencroft ran a solid race despite weather conditions not being to his liking. He won his v55 category.

Local P.E teacher Dominic Gavin cheered on by his family ran consistently finishing in 37th and celebrating his birthday that same day.

Beka Millington and Gary Porteous also put in fine performances finishing in 48:47 and 43:45 respectively.

Impressively Bolton’s final team mate was David Tomlinson. Still pulling his running vest on at over 80 years old he completed the course in 55:11.

The British Indoor Championships took place over the weekend at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena for the very first time in Scotland.

Heading North with high hopes of at least reaching the final in the 1500 metre men’s event, and the support of his family, friends and coach, was our very own Jonny Kay.

Not only did he reach the final but stormed home into bronze medal position making a fantastic end to the Championships for this eminently likeable young man from Heaton.

Jonny’s training so far this year has been totally focussed on this event. He has been working with his coach Dave Shaw and team mates in the Bolton Harriers Elite group twice a week and also putting in extra sessions at SportCity in Manchester. Dave has had Jonny focussing on speed sessions, 1500 metre sessions, pyramid sessions and reps up to 1200 metres. “Very specific training to get me in the best possible shape for this event” he said.

“On Saturday for the semi-final I felt relaxed and knowing the opposition was confident of qualifying for the final the next day”.

Jonny duly came in first to qualify.

“ As regards the final I was feeling excited yet confident at the same time. I thought I might be in with a chance of a medal and had discussed tactics with my coach Dave Shaw prior to the race. Dave told me not to go to the front but keep in touch with the front, and also to make sure I did not get trapped on the inside. I knew George Mills (the eventual winner) had been the quickest in qualifying and wanted to keep sight of him”.

“ Fifth at the bell I soon moved into fourth. I was feeling strong and at the final bend I could see third place looking round and knew he hadn’t got much left. I found an extra gear and cruised into third in the final straight and was actually closer to second than fourth at the finish line”.

“After the race on the podium the enormity of my achievement still hadn’t sunk in. I was just looking at my family, friends and coach with a big grin on my face”.

Jonny is now having a well earned weeks rest before starting training for the outdoor season. Excitingly he is now aiming for the British Outdoor Championship in June which will be the Olympic Trials. Ominously for the opposition he aims to be in even better shape by then!

Five of Bolton United Harriers junior athletes competed at this weekends EA age group national indoor championships. Making their championship debuts were U15 Idowu Taiwo and U17 Fola Fasehun who both competed in the 60m short sprint. Idowu competed in the first event of the day and ran 8.62 in her heat which was just outside her personal best.

Fola who has only been training for 12 months has produced some superb performances to qualify for the championships. In her heat she blasted from the start to smash her PB and record a time of 8.09 seconds to qualify for the semi finals of the 60m. In the semi final against the best U17 athletes in the country she came a magnificent 7th in another top time of 8.11 seconds.

Also in the 60m, Eniola Adedotun lined up with high hopes of taking Les Hall’s training group bragging rites and running the quickest time ever in the group. It wasn’t to be and Eni unfortunately stumbled at 20m and wasn’t able to better his PB and finished 4th in his heat in 7.23 seconds. This was an agonising 0.04 seconds outside the time required to qualify for the semi final.

In the U20 women’s 400m Olivia Kimbowa finished 3rd in her semi final recording a time of 58.93 seconds. This sets her up perfectly for the outdoor season where she hopes to run 57 seconds.

Taiwo Taiwo doubled up in the sprints competing in both the 60m and 200m. This is an amazing achievement as Taiwo has been beset by injury over the last 2 years and has been unable to compete. To qualify for two events at the National championships is testimony to all her hard work and dedication. In the 60m heat she ran 7.94 to finish 3rd in her heat and then recorded 8.01 in the semi final. In her preferred event the 200m she came 4th in her heat in a time of 25.76 missing out on the semi final by just one place. What is even more remarkable is that this time is the second best female 200m time in the club in the last 12 months only behind European championship competitor Hannah Kelly and after only returning to training in the last 6 months.

All of the athletes will now return to hard training to start their preparation for the outdoor 2020 season.

Bolton United Harriers saw more glory this weekend as Laura Lombard was crowned Red Rose Senior women’s Cross Country champion at the awards ceremony in Horwich. Her team mate Jonny Kay was runner up in the senior men’s title. Together they attended this prestigious event with their delighted coach Dave Shaw to collect the silverware.

Laura’s first victory was at Leverhulme park on home turf and saw her run strongly with great club support to finish over a minute ahead of the next female. Incorporating thick mud and a river crossing this was a fine cross country course. Jonny Kay won the senior men’s race convincingly making it a clean sweep for the Bolton club and thrilling coach Dave Shaw in the process.

In November they headed to Todmorden. Laura again delivered a clear victory, taking an early lead and continuing to pull away in the second lap. Kay came through strongly to take second place.

The final battle took place at Rossendale traditionally thought of as more of a fell race with steep downhill sections. Laura maintained her concentration and finished with a sprint to complete a hatrick of victories and take the Senior women’s title together with the veteran title.

Rachel Bailey finished runner up in the Under 20s category with team mate Molly Philbin finishing 6th overall.

ETIHAD UNDER 15 GIRLS

On Sunday 2nd Feb in the Under 15s Girls event the Harriers team stormed home in 2nd place. Hannah Swailes, Millie Bracey, Lily Philbin and Abby Steelelesh are pictured. Lily Philbin also picked up a silver medal for the 6 lap event and bronze medal for the standing long jump.

NORTHERN U13/U15 INDOOR ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

5 Bolton athletes made the trip to Sheffield to compete at this years Northern u13/u15 indoor athletics championships.

Two of the youngest athletes in the field Summer Eden and Aliyah Martin both entered the 60m and 200m sprints. Both were making their debuts in a major championship and despite still attending primary school took it all in their stride.

Despite never having raced over 200m they both progressed to the semi finals and lined up in the same race. On this occasion Summer came out on top finishing third in 29.37 seconds whilst Aliyah came 5th, with her fastest time of the day being 30.06 seconds.

Both girls qualified for the semi finals of the 60m and Aliyah came 4th with her fastest time of the day, a new PB of 9.11 seconds. Summer having already won her heat was full of confidence and qualified for the final by finishing second in her semi final. In her final she finished 5th which is an amazing performance against girls who were mostly 12 months her senior. Her best time of the day was 8.80 seconds which ranks her 55th in the UK. The future of sprinting at Bolton United Harriers is in good hands with these two athletes.

Idowu Taiwo was the only Bolton U15 athlete and she didn’t disappoint. She easily qualified for the semi final in the 60m and finished a fantastic 6th. She now looks forward to the England Athletics national championship at the end of month.

U13 long jumper Isobel Hall still with the memories of a broken foot in 2019 competed in only her third long jump competition in 12 months. The injury was soon forgotten and she completed an amazing 6 rounds jumping 5 PB’s with a best of 4m 21. Agonisingly there was no medal as Isobel finished 4th

However fellow debutant U13 Herbie Kay was determined to bring back a medal. Training has been hampered recently due to injury but with real determination he leapt to 4m 38 to take a well deserved bronze medal.

WINDY HILL FELL RACE

On Sarurday 8th February the Harriers specialist fell runners Lee Petch and Andrew Gallagher attacked 9 miles and 1281 feet of ascent over the Pennine Moors and under the M62.This was their first fell run of the year and no doubt have lots more planned. Conditions were cold and muddy but our guys came home to Hollingworth Lake in more than respectable times of 1 hour 29 minutes and 1 hour 31 minutes. Both are pictured with their usual well earned post race snack.

Congratulations to all those athletes that competed in ‘The Harriers’ first junior endurance Grand Prix series for U15 &U13 athletes in 2019. The event started in July 2019 and points where awarded on performance over the track, road and cross country; plus, bonus points for representing the club in competitions that the club compete in

Age Group Winners
Boys Under 15 – Zac Fraser
Girls Under 15 – Ruby Erzan-Essien
Boys Under 13 – Joseph Webster
Girls Under 13 – Isobel Oxley

Overall Standings
Boys Under 15
Zac Fraser 42
Harry Aldred 31
Josh Bentley-Hughes 21
Jason Scaife 11

Girls Under 15
Ruby Erzan-Essien 38
Lily Philbin 36
Hannah Swailes 21
Millie Bracey 20

Boys Under 13
Joseph Webster 55
Connor Gettinby 13
Charlie Parker 11
Charlie Aldred 10
Harry Owens 9

Girls Under 13
Isobel Oxley 34
Poppy Dunne 11
Jennifer Ekiugo 9
Mia Makin 8
Vesta Drevinskaite 7

 

It was yet another successful Northern indoor championships this weekend. Highlight of the weekend was an outstanding 1500m gold medal for middle distance star Jonny Kay. He destroyed the field, lapping a couple of competitors and coming home in a time of 3min 51.58. This time is the qualifying standard for the British championships to be held in Glasgow in February and will be Jonny’s first British champs.
Joining him at the championship will be sprint star Hannah Kelly. Hannah has already qualified for the 200m based on her performances in 2019. On Saturday she decide to compete over 400m as a ‘bit of fun’. In her third ever 400m race in her heat she lead from the gun and easily qualified for the final in a time of 58.13. With extremely heavy legs only two hours later she lined up for the final. Despite being a 400m novice she ran through the pain to take the bronze medal in 56.94 seconds.
Also in the 400m U20 Olivia Kimbowa in her first indoor 400m race finished a fantastic 4th in the final. As ever Olivia judged her race perfectly, didn’t panic and came through strong in the last 40m. Jack Dickinson competed for the first time since making the final of the 400m at last years Northern indoors. Despite having trained very little in the last 8 months he ran a gutsy race to finish 4th in his heat.
There were 3 Bolton athletes in the 60m short sprint. U20 athlete Taiwo Taiwo having missed nearly two years of training due to injury was very nervous lining up against the best in the North of England. She didn’t disappoint and blasted her semi final and recorded a time of 7.93 seconds. This was her second fastest time ever and testimony to all her hard work. She stormed to 7th in the final and is now ready to push on and run fast times in the summer.
Abigail Adeniji lined up in the U17 women’s 60m. She ran a controlled heat to qualify for the semi final and came a creditable 8th despite suffering with a knee injury. In the men’s 60m Eniola Adedotun ran a controlled heat and smashed the semi final coming second in 7.17 seconds. This was not only a big PB but yet another of Les Hall’s talented sprint group to have beaten their coaches PB. Eni then finished 8th in the final.
Multi talented athlete Julia Winogrodzka had a busy Saturday morning. Within 90 minutes she had to run three 60m hurdles races as well as compete in the Long Jump. She breezed through to the final of the hurdles and finished 6th. Her best time of the day was 9.04 seconds. She also came 9th in the long jump with a distance of 5m 26.
Under 20 athlete Rebecca Weekes set a new indoor PB of 27.24 seconds in the 200m coming second in her semi final. Unfortunately she didn’t progress to the final as one of the fastest losers but still ran a great race at her first Northern championships.
Hannah and Jonny have qualified for the senior British Championships and all the other athletes have achieved the qualifying times for the England Athletics age group championships.