Westbury Harriers Weekly News
Hello, I hope everyone is doing well and adjusting to winter training. Although tbf it hasn’t been too cold as of yet. Having said that, I have definitely got some use out of my head torch already, and have dusted off the running tights. Most importantly it’s good to be seen at night, last week saw Thursday training back on the roads/hills. So lights and bright clothing is certainly a good idea. Two race reports this week, the Valencia half and Freya Bradley on her first international appearance in an England vest!
Looking forward we still need to get strong teams together for the Cardiff cross country, so please check your emails for the lady’s and men’s call to arms. Alternatively, you can sign up on run together (at the bottom of the list of group runs). I can’t stress enough how much the club appreciates your participation.
Have a great week,
Ben Wood.
RACE REPORTS
Freya Bradley grabs silver at the Belgian Cross cup!
International Success for Freya !
Freya Bradley made a great start to her international career with a 2nd place finish for the England team in the Belgian Cross Cup.
After her win in the Under 17 English National Cross Country Championships in September, Freya stepped up to take on Under 20 opposition in this prestigious race.
In a tight race Freya was edged out by team mate Eleanor Stevens with the other England runners in 4th and 5th.
Many congratulations to Freya and her family – and also to Pat Gallagher and Neil Miller who have worked so hard to prepare her for national and international success.
València Half Marathon 2024
by Mark Andrews.
It was raining in Valencia this morning but that didn’t stop 4 Westbury Harriers from taking on the Half Marathon or the crowds from coming out to support the 28,000 runners who took part!
We all enjoyed the race, Sarah Andrews, Sandy Masters and myself running together for the first 12 miles before Sandy upped the pace in the final mile. We all finished in 1 hour 42 minutes with Sandy setting a new Half Marathon PB.Svetlana Jones was in a later wave so we didn’t get to see her until after the race, she massively exceeded her expectations with a finish in 2:04.
At the front of the field a new Men’s World Record was set, the first Lady finished in the second quickest time ever!
València is a lovely city and the race well organised, although a little congested with so many people taking part.
Another Super Half ticked off, already looking forward to doing it all again in Berlin April 2025, with a huge crowd of Westbury runners signed up to join us!
CLUB NOTICES
XMAS PROM MEAL – Thursday 19th December:
UPDATE fom Sarah Andrews
Brunello Lounge on Beach Road have accepted our booking at 8:50pm. It’s not a ‘traditional Xmas meal’ it’s tapas so I’ll understand if people want to pull out. Please let me know as soon as possible either way. It’s £22:50 for two courses, £27:50 for three.
Please let Sarah know if you’re happy with this. If not she will refund your deposit. For those who have not booked and paid the deposit there still may be spaces available, especially if people drop out. Please get in touch with Sarah if you are interested in joining the meal.
HALLOWEEN RUN 2024
This year’s Halloween Run will be on Tuesday 29th October, at 6:30, and will depart from the clubhouse in Blaise. Head/ chest torches are mandatory, and trail shoes are recommended. All group runners (1 to 6) are welcome, and we will split off as necessary. Spooky refreshments will be provided afterwards, so come along and book below.
As a reminder, there will be no Nightingale Nightmare this year, so this may be your only chance to get that scary run in!
GWENT XC LEAGUE – BLAISE: Volunteers needed from Alastair
With the start of the Gwent League season at Pembrey Country Park, it is time for me to start organising the volunteers for the Blaise Castle event, on Saturday 30th November.
I know that a lot of you will be running, but we would greatly appreciate your help in volunteering to ensure the continual success of the event. We need > 20 marshals out on the course at any one point, with some people floating / able to respond if needed.
With regards to this, approximate volunteering times are noted below, and if you can volunteer please let me know which slots you could do.
These slots are likely to change when the full timetable is released later by the Gwent League Organising Committee.
Volunteering Slots:
1. Early Setup: 09:00 -> ~11:00
2. Early Marshall: ~11:00 -> ~13:45
3. Late Marshall: ~13:45 -> ~16:00
4. Late Cleardown: ~16:00 onwards
5. Club House: Time to be agreed on at a later date, but expected to be the following day / week.
As usual, all timings will be thought out such that you won’t miss your race and have time to warmup and cooldown.
Please contact Alastair via email (sent out in Weekly News email) or the Facebook post.
THIS WEEK’S TRAINING
MONDAY – TEMPO:
Group tempo runs from Coombe Dingle at 6.30pm, with Wellbeing run at 7.15pm
TUESDAY – TRACK: Track Session
Yate 7pm – Seniors book on via RunTogether.
WEDNESDAY – HILL SESSION:
Adults, all abilities. Meet every Wednesday at 12pm at the traffic lights by Saville Road on the Downs. Book on via RunTogether. Coffee in the Downs Café at 1pm for anyone that wants to come along.
THURSDAY 24th – INTERVALS:
Coombe Dingle at 7pm.
6 mins (90s recovery)
6 x 90s (60s recovery)
6 mins
Option to drop 6 mins to 5 mins…..
UPCOMING RACES
A reminder that we have an events calendar on our website where you can keep track of dates for training, events and races. (Thanks, Vicky, for keeping this updated). https://westburyharriers.co.uk/events/events-calendar/
Club Championship info and rules on this link: https://westburyharriers.co.uk/events/club-championship/
Saturday 9th November: Cardiff Cross Challenge, including 2nd Gwent League fixture
Thursday 7th November: Severn Bridge 5 Night Race #1 – Club Championship #14
Sunday 24th November: Brent Knoll Race – Club Championship #15
Saturday 30th November: Blaise Castle, Gwent League XC
Saturday 14th December: The 12ks’ of Xmas – Club Championship #16
Sunday 15th December – Weston Christmas Cracker 10k
Thursday 19th December: Weston Prom Race #4 – Club Championship #17
Saturday 8th or Sunday 9th February: Margam Park (TBC), Gwent League XC
Saturday 1st March: Venue TBC, Gwent League XC
Enjoy the rest of the week.
This week’s editor is – Ben Wood
