Westbury Harriers Weekly News

Hi everyone,

Marathon season is finally upon us and both Newport and Manchester took place over the weekend. We had runners over the water in Newport, big well done to Johnathon Riley and Lucy Richens (first man and woman for Westbury). Hopefully some race reports to come! Also a nod of the head to Chris Mccabe and Monica Warnock over in the Frenchay 10k. Bravo.

We DO have a report from a very talented junior doing her own charity run (see race reports), and a call to arms for the Cotswold way relay. We are hoping to field a few teams this year. It is a great race and I would highly recommend giving it a shot.

Ben.

In this week’s newsletter:

1. Club notices
2. Training this week
3. Race reports / results
4. Upcoming races

1. Club Notices

Cotswold Way Relay 2026

The Cotswold Way relay is taking place on Sat 4th July 2026. There are 10 stages varying in distance from 7 to 13 miles and the route follows the Cotswold Way from Chipping Camden to Bath. Westbury Harriers have been successful in entering two teams this year. Entrants must be aged 18 or over.

Please let Eithne Noonan know if you are interested in taking part by email by Wed 28th April. If numbers exceed available places, then a draw will take place on Thursday 30th April. The entry fee is subsidized by the club, the cost per individual will be £10.

For more information: www.cotswoldwayrelay.co.uk

Opening the Clubhouse during Blaise Parkrun 

We would like to be able to open up the Clubhouse on a Saturday morning during the Blaise parkrun.
This would allow us to offer an opportunity for those Club members who take part in parkrun to meet up over coffee and biscuits after their run.

It is also a great opportunity to showcase the club as welcoming to runners of all abilities who would be welcome to join us after their run and see what the club has to offer.
The Club is run by volunteers and those currently involved simply don’t have the capacity to take on this task. So we are looking for a group of about 4 volunteers to form a team to take the project forward.

What does this involve?

People can bring their own ideas as to what is needed and what is achievable, but in simple terms, opening up the clubhouse, putting the kettle on and making some drinks, being welcoming to anyone who wants to pop in and making sure the clubhouse is tidy and locked up when you leave.
We did try this out a few years ago and found that people were keen to stop for a coffee and chat but then had other things to get on with and we were finished before 10:30am.
The club has a number of key holders already, we can add new people and explain the opening up and locking up procedures with you.
So if you are a regular park runner this could be your opportunity to help in the operation and promotion of your club, whilst adding to the enjoyment of a parkrun at Blaise for yourself and others.

We are hoping to start with opening the Clubhouse once every three months but with a hope that a more regular schedule (monthly?) might be possible if we have sufficient volunteers and the events are successful.

If you might be interested in becoming part of this new team please contact Mark Andrews and we can discuss things in more detail.

Volunteers needed for Blaise Blazer.

In order to put this event on, we need nearly 50 volunteers spread across marshalling the course, registration, setup etc.

Marshalls will be need to arrive at 18:30, and people on setup / registration 17:30.

All information regarding volunteer positions, timings and the information pack will be sent the week before the event.

Don’t forget, volunteers who have participated in at least one Club Championship race will receive 10 Club Championship Points for volunteering at each of the three events that we host each year!

If you are able to volunteer, please let me know at volunteers@westburyharriers.co.uk

MONDAY SENIOR TRAINING LOCATION – RETURN TO BLAISE DELAYED UNTIL 11 MAY

We had planned to return to Blaise Castle on Monday, April 20^th but, following the break-in, the clubhouse isn’t currently available. The work on the door should be completed in the next couple of weeks. Whilst it’s disappointing we can’t yet go back to Blaise, it’s easy to get into Blaise to run from Coombe Dingle and it’s only two additional Mondays that we’ll run from Coombe Dingle as Monday, May 4^th is a bank holiday. This applies to all groups who would have expected to return to Blaise Castle – seniors, juniors and academy.

CLUB SUPPER – THURSDAY 30 APRIL

Our next club supper is on Thursday 30th April at 7:50 for 8pm, straight after training upstairs at the Coombe Dingle Pavilion. Lasagne and garlic bread – £6.60 per head. Please comment on the post on Facebook, or text Sarah Andrews. Please mention any dietary requirements when you book. Deadline to book is 23/4/26.

BOAT TRIP – ALL ABOARD!

We are trying to organise an upriver boat trip on Saturday 20th June 19:00 – 22:00 on Bristol Packets ‘The Bagheera. We need to pay the deposit to secure the boat asap. We are asking for a non-refundable deposit of £10 per head. We need at least 22 people to make this work, but can go up to 50.

The approximate cost of the trip is about £24 ph + about £13:75 for onboard fish & chip. This cost of the trip will depend on numbers, could be under £20 + F&C if we get 50 people!

Please do think about signing up as we need more people and it’s great that there will be a club social event. The photos below give you a sense of what it was like last time.

THURSDAY INTERVALS DURING APRIL – PLEASE READ

Thursday Interval Training for the Seniors continues at Coombe Dingle throughout the summer.

With lots of summer activities going on we do have to move around the site, so won’t always be on the field we use during the winter.

• On Thursday 23rd April we have the clubs AGM at 7pm. We will hold a shortened training session beginning at 6:15pm that evening so the our leaders and runners can attend the AGM. Please arrive on that day ready to go straight into drills and the session itself. We hope that as many runners as possible can remain to attend the AGM, it is your opportunity to see how our club is run and to have your say.
• On Thursday 30th April we will hold a Bring A Friend session. A formal opportunity to invite a friend, neighbour or work colleague along to the session.

Booking for all sessions on Run Together in the usual way

DID YOU JOIN WESTBURY HARRIERS OVER 5YRS AGO? – MEMBERSHIP START DATE IS NEEDED

We are trying to update our records around some of our longer standing members. Our membership system came in long after some of our members joined. If you know the date you joined Westbury Harriers and have been here over 5 years please contact manager.women@westburyharriers.co.uk and let them know. We can then add this to your membership record. This supports us in some of award categories (vice presidents and life members).

BRING A FRIEND TO INTERVALS – THURSDAY 30TH APRIL

With the lighter evenings and sunshine improving, this is a great time for people to experience what spring/summer training can look like at Westbury Harriers. We are encouraging people to bring a friend to senior intervals on Thursday 30^th April. They can book on via RunTogether or just come along (details and emergency contact information will be obtained if not booked on via RunTogether, so please arrive a little bit earlier so we have time to obtain this). Session suitable for all abilities.

YATE AC – TRACK RACING

As the sun comes out and we move into the spring/summer you may fancy giving the track a go. As a Westbury Harrier member you can join our sister club Yate AC for free. As Westbury is registered for road and cross country disciplines only, for track we compete for Yate AC who are only registered for the track discipline.

• To do this join Yate as Westbury associate member.
• Complete the other discipline form. Attached to this email. This needs to be signed by a WH committee member/team manager and then sent to both Westbury and Yate membership secretaires (membership@westburyharriers.co.uk and yatemembership@outlook.com). You only need to complete this form once.
• Once registered you may want to check your power of 10 profile updates to show Westbury and Yate so your results show. Any issues email power of 10

REMINDER – DATES FOR THE DIARY

AGM: Thursday 23rd April at 6:30pm for 7pm start at Coombe Dingle. Everyone should have received an email from Mike Hopkins with full details and the AGM pack. Please do read through and consider attending if you can.

BLAISE BLAZER – ENTRIES OPEN

Entries are now open for this year’s Blaise Blazer. Entry only £10/£12. Monday 1st June 2026.

Scenic/hilly 6k through Blaise Estate. Friendly event, all abilities are welcome. Plenty of individual, team & spot prizes and lots of free cake after.

https://westburyharriers.co.uk/events/blaise-blazer/

2. TRAINING THIS WEEK

MONDAY – Tempo Run: 

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.

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: 6:15PM

Coombe Dingle. Earlier session due to AGM.

5 x 3mins/1min recovery

3. RACE RESULTS/REPORTS

Newport Marathon 2026

Jonathan Riley Male 183 M45 16 02:54:56 02:54:59 4:08 /km Westbury Harriers
Jeremy Westwood Male 272 MSEN 128 02:59:15 03:00:22 4:14 /km Westbury Harriers
Lucy Richens Female 17 F45 4 03:11:47 03:13:22 4:32 /km Westbury Harriers
Richie Steadman Male 491 M40 87 03:12:21 03:13:40 4:33 /km Westbury Harriers
Carys Durie Female 27 FSEN 11 03:19:02 03:19:39 4:43 /km Westbury Harriers
Matthew Bambery Male 1021 M45 111 03:48:17 03:52:16 5:24 /km Westbury Harriers
Paul Turner Male 1213 M45 135 03:57:45 04:02:59 5:38 /km Westbury Harriers

Well done!

Frenchay 10k

by Paul Stuart

A beautiful morning for a run. It was my first time doing this 10k and I was informed with knowing smiles that it is an undulating course (!) Despite the undoubted downs and ups, it was an amazing route running through Snuff Mills, Oldbury Court, a cheerful climb up to Frenchay Common, and a final push back up to the UWE campus. Just under 600 runners and some great performances. Both the men and women achieved 2nd and 5th placed teams for Westbury, plus there were category wins for Lyn Jenkins, John Percival and Monica Warnock, and a 2nd place category finish for Judy Knights.
Well done everyone. Looking forward to putting my feet up tonight with a cup of hot chocolate in my new Frenchay 10k mug.

Chris MCCABE 43:16.7 43:07.6 V40 9 Male 35 WESTBURY HARRIERS 13.9 km/h
Paul STUART 43:27.1 43:24.6 V50 6 Male 37 WESTBURY HARRIERS 13.8 km/h
Rich GOODLEY 46:25.1 46:06.7 V50 10 Male 73 WESTBURY HARRIERS 12.9 km/h
Trevor FITSALL 48:31.2 48:21.0 V50 19 Male 104 WESTBURY HARRIERS 12.4 km/h
Monica WARNOCK 48:54.9 48:44.4 V60 1 Female 17 WESTBURY HARRIERS 12.3 km/h
George PICKERING 49:24.3 48:56.1 Senior 54 Male 119 WESTBURY HARRIERS 12.1 km/h
Katie RAMSDEN 51:25.6 51:19.9 Senior 18 Female 32 WESTBURY HARRIERS 11.7 km/h
Judy KNIGHTS 52:00.9 51:49.6 V60 2 Female 35 WESTBURY HARRIERS 11.5 km/h
Mark CANWELL 52:52.7 52:21.7 V50 31 Male 175 WESTBURY HARRIERS 11.3 km/h
Lyn JENKINS 54:40.7 54:29.0 V70 1 Female 59 WESTBURY HARRIERS 11.0 km/h
John PERCIVAL 57:12.7 56:23.5 V70 1 Male 242 WESTBURY HARRIERS 10.5 km/h
Helen HOYLE 1:00:56.4 1:00:30.6 V60 4 Female 106 WESTBURY HARRIERS 9.8 km/h
Tim CARR 1:02:53.2 1:02:11.7 V50 52 Male 287 WESTBURY HARRIERS 9.5 km/h
Carol FEE 1:07:08.1 1:06:27.2 V50 33 Female 177 WESTBURY HARRIERS 8.9 km/h
Jenny GODDEN 1:12:15.4 1:11:34.6 V50 40 Female 206 WESTBURY HARRIERS 8.3 km/h
Clare JORDAN 1:24:07.9 1:23:26.4 V50 46 Female 234 WESTBURY HARRIERS 7.1 km/h
Lisa AVERY 1:24:08.3 1:23:26.7 Senior 109 Female 235 WESTBURY HARRIERS 7.1 km/h

Ellie’s Epic charity run

by Rachel Liston

On Tuesday 14^th April Academy runner, Ellie took on an epic challenge of a charity run.

She designed herself the challenge, probably about a year before, and has been asking for us to make it happen for ages!

She was desperate to raise money for Diabetes UK, her Dad, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was young, he manages it well but she sees the admin that he has to put into daily life and just wants it to go away!

Ellie’s challenge for herself was a 2k run (park run inspired), on the hour, every hour until she had completed a half marathon. She started 7am and ran 11x 2k runs until her final run at 5pm. Ellie is only 11 years old!

As her mum, I knew she was capable but hoped she would walk some of them! That didn’t happen!

It was super inspiring to watch, Ellie ran the first 2k in Blaise with her Dad, the second run she tried to race me.  We then got into a pattern of run, food, rest, before starting it all over again all day long! At 9am she had her first friend join her, and from then it became a lovely social event, with different friends arriving to run with her throughout the day!

One of my favorite bits was hearing her friends, (not all runners!) saying they enjoyed it, one even said they wanted to do more running afterwards!

4pm was the last run she completed on the local roads, I put a call out and she had most of the children on the street join her for the whole run, it was a great atmosphere to have so many people out supporting. For her final run Dad was home from work and she completed the last run with us both in Blaise. Turning the corner to finish that last run she was met by cheers from the neighbors, she had done it! 22k run, averaging 12mins/run, in a total time of 2hours 18minutes!

The most impressive bit was her fundraising, it went well beyond her hoped for £250 target. She woke on the day to hear she had raised £700, this rose steadily during the day. She set out on her last run at £998, smashing the £1000 mark during the last run!

Her total now sits at £1345, incredible! Thankyou to everyone who has supported her on this run!

I feel I need to say, after 2 days of pretty stiff legs, she has eaten for England, slept like a log and is now feeling back to normal but will be taking it easy for the rest of the weekend!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/rachel-liston-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=lc_frp_share_transaction_fundraiser_page_donation_received_-_nth_donation

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

Tuesday 5th May: Sri Chinmoy 2mile – Bristol Sri Chinmoy Races Summer Series | United Kingdom
Tuesday 12th May: Rose Inn 4 mile – Chepstow Harriers
Friday 29th May: Towpath 10k Mob Match – Towpath Series – Great Western Runners
Wednesday 3rd June: Bitton 5k – Bitton Road Runners – RaceNation
Tuesday 9th June: Clevedon Midsummer 10k – Midsummer 10K Race – online entry now open! – Clevedon Athletic Club
Thursday 18th June: Thornbury 10k – Thornbury Running Club

Other club races:

Monday 1st June – Blaise Blazer

Other local races:

Saturday 2nd May: Gravel & Grit Bristol Backyard event, (Use code WESTBURY15 for 15% discount)  – https://www.gravelandgritevents.com/
Tuesday 9th June: Clevedon Midsummer 10k – https://clevedonac.co.uk/our-races/midsummer-10k-race/
Friday 26th June: Beer and Banger 10k – https://www.stuweb.co.uk/race/3yS

Please send anything you might want to see in the newsletter to: communication@westburyharriers.co.uk

Editor: Ben Wood