Westbury Harriers Weekly News
Evening everyone.
I hope this newsletter finds you well. A week on Saturday, we will be hosting the Gwent Cross Country at Blaise. Please sign up ASAP with the links in the newsletter. We always have a strong turn out at our ‘home event’ , and lets make 2025 no different. If you have never tried Cross country but want to give it a go, then Blaise is your perfect opportunity. We also need volunteers (runners and non runners) and the link to volunteer is also in the newsletter. Also deadline to register for the London Marathon draw is this Friday, details below.
In this week’s newsletter:
- Club notices
- Training this week
- Race reports / results
- Upcoming races
1.CLUB NOTICES
Sign up for the next Gwent League at Blaise Castle, Saturday 6th December 2025 is now on RunTogether. Please sign up by 3rd December.
You enter via RunTogether using the following links:
- Senior Women & V65 Men– 12.40 6.7km
- Senior Men– 14.40 8.8km
Both men and women’s teams are doing brilliantly so far this season. Lets keep the momentum going. We are on home ground, so let us use this advantage and the get the BIG turnout we hope for. So whatever group you train with in the club, do come along and support.
Don’t forget this fixture hosts the ‘prestigious’ inter team competition of men vs women – who has the biggest team turnout. The women are current reigning champions, but is 2025 the year the men’s team take the trophy? Can you spot the trophy in the picture below?! And no, its not the round plates.
Westbury do a grand job of hosting this fixture. If you are free to volunteer around your event or if you are not running currently, Alastair Blackwood (volunteers@westburyharriers.co.uk) would be grateful to hear from you.
Your team managers for the Gwent League are Geraint Torrington (manager.men@westburyharriers.co.uk) for the men and Tamsin Chick (manager.women@westburyharriers.co.uk) for the women.
Geraint & Tamsin
Gwent XC League Team Managers
Contact details
Please ensure your membermojo and RunTogether profiles are up to date. Especially with emergency contact information. Hopefully we will never need your emergency contact information but it is important for us to have this. You can update these at anytime by logging into your profile.
TCS LONDON MARATHON – 2 CLUB PLACES AVAILABLE
We have 2 club places allocated for the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 26th April 2026 this year and they need to be registered by the deadline of 16:00 on Tuesday 16th December 2025.
In line with the committee, this year Members must show that they had entered the ballot and they must also have been a member at the time that they were rejected.
If you are a primary yate member, then you should apply through Yate as they will also have club TCS London Marathon places.
Please register your interest in entering the Draw by e-mailing secretary@westburyharriers.co.uk with the proof you have entered and been rejected from the ballot, and confirmation that you were a member at the time (which will be checked) by Midnight Friday 28th November 2025.
The lucky recipients will then be drawn at random, hopefully on Monday 1st December 2025 @ Training at coombe dingle!
The winners still need to pay the entry fee for the places.
As such if you are interested, and would like to be entered for the draw, and will be aged 18 or over on Marathon Day, please send me the following:
Please enter me in the TCS London Marathon draw!
Your full name:
E-mail:
Confirmation that you are a paid member:
Proof reject of entry into TCS ballot: (pdf or otherwise)
and will be aged 18 or over on Marathon Day:
I have sent confirmation e-mails to those entries I have received, so please could you add this and if anyone has entered and NOT had a confirmation e-mail to get in touch by e-mailing secretary@westburyharriers.co.uk
Many thanks
Mike
CHRISTMAS TRAINING SCHEDULE
There will no formal training in the weeks commencing 22 and 29 December 2025.
Our last Monday session of the year on 15 December will be the annual Brailsford Lights run. Meeting and running in our usual groups the route will take in the lights display in Brentry. Fancy dress is encouraged but optional. We will be holding another Club Supper in the pavilion afterwards, further information will be circulated in due course.
Training will resume on Monday 8 January 2026.
2. TRAINING THIS WEEK
MONDAY – Tempo Sessions:
Group runs from Coombe Dingle sports complex at 6.30pm. These are perfect sessions for a Tempo pace run. Equally there are plenty of groups available if you want a recovery or social run. Book via RunTogether.
TUESDAY – Track Session:
Track session at Yate 7pm – Seniors book on via RunTogether App.
WEDNESDAY – Hill Session
Adults, all abilities. Meet every Wednesday at 12pm, corner of Saville Road by the Downs. Sign up on RunTogether App.
THURSDAY – Interval Session:
Coombe Dingle Sports Complex, meet at 7pm. We will be on the Road.
Please think of night running safety. Wear bright/reflective clothing and bring head torches etc.
3. RACE REPORTS/RESULTS
A word from our club historian;
In last weeks club email Tamsin was asking the question “Have our Senior Ladies ever produced a winner and runner up in the Gwent League before ? (in light of Rosie Hamilton-James and Rhiannon Paton’s marvellous achievement at Cardiff). Well you have to go back to 30th October 1993 at Singleton Park, Swansea when Heidi Moulder (who was only 17 at the time !) won the Senior Women’s race and Nicola Mounty took the runners up spot.
On the same day the Junior Women also “did the business” with Nicola Brookland winning the race and Lynee Gallagher (Pat’s daughter) the runner up.
Peter Keogan. (Club Historian).
On that day the guys also did great with Simon Barber winning the U.13’s and Martin Palmer the U.17’s.’
(Current women’s team manager was 15 at the time and was also there in 1993 . Not winning any titles but 39th in the inter girls race).
Tamsin.
Brighton 10k – 16th November
by Lyn Jenkins
Last Sunday I raced the very flat 10k from Hove through Brighton and back to Hove along the seafront. The weather was perfect, 10 degrees and little wind. Out of 3000 runners I was pleased to be 3rd FV70, 2nd FV70 England qualifier and gained a new PB of 50.31, 1 minute 51 seconds faster than my previous PB! A great day!
4. UPCOMING RACES / CLUB CHAMPS
A reminder that we have an events calendar on our website where you can keep track of dates for training, events and races.
https://westburyharriers.co.uk/events/events-calendar/
And club champ races here: Club Championship – Westbury Harriers
See race listings at the bottom of the newsletter for a new Club championship race 🙂
REMINDER OF GWENT LEAGUE DATES
This is our main cross-country team event. Suitable for all club members, all ages, all abilities. Everyone scores for the team, individually and for their age group. We want FULL teams in each age group. Cost is £5 + admin fee per race, payable via RunTogether. Running can be quite an individual sport, but this is really where it comes together as a team and a club with a great atmosphere. Do come and give a Gwent League a go, whether you can do one race in the season, or all five, whatever your contribution, it really does help.
Saturday, December 6th 2025 Blaise Castle
Saturday, February 7th 2026 Chepstow Race Course
Saturday, February 28th 2026 Parc Bryn Bach
AVON CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunday 14th December 2025 Bath University
Held in conjunction with the Gloucestershire Cross Country league fixture. Suitable for all. Has age category prizes.
SOUTH WEST CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Date not yet available – usually first weekend in January (2026)
More suitable for those who run in groups 1-3.
ENGLISH NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday 21st February 206 – East Park, Sedgefield, County Durham.
Suitable for all ages and abilities. It is a mass celebration of running – fantastic fun and always a true cross-country course (slightly challenging but totally doable!) The Club has in previous years organised coach transport for runners taking part but the distances involved means coach travel on the day is not a realistic option this time. This remains a prestigious National event and whilst recognising that the length of the journey and the lack of an organised travel option will put off some runners, we still hope that some of you will take part. The club will contribute towards the travel expenses of runners in accordance with our Expenses policy as set out on the Website.
MIDLAND 6/12 STAGE SPRING ROAD RELAYS
Midland 6 / 12 stage road relays – 28th March 2026, Nationals 11th April 2026
2026 British Masters Road Relay championships
date not yet confirmed
Other local races;
Saturday 29th November: Machen 21km & 42km trail races, Ridge Runners – https://www.ridgerunners.co.uk/machen-races
Saturday 6th December: Limitless Trails, Secret Santa Series – https://www.limitlesstrails.co.uk/secret-santa-12k-half
Saturday 13th December: The 12k’s of Xmas at 9:30am (Club Champs Race) – https://www.gertlushevents.co.uk/12ks-of-christmas
Sunday 14th December: Weston AC Christmas Cracker – https://westonac.co.uk/races-2/christmas-cracker/
Sunday 18th January 2026: Riverbank Rollick (Club Champs race) – Riverbank Rollick – Thornbury Running Club
If there are any races or interesting events that you think should be added, please email: communication@westburyharriers.co.uk
Editor: Ben Wood
