Westbury Harriers Weekly News
Happy Easter Westbury Harriers!
Hope you all enjoyed the time off over the weekend. Schools are closed for half term holiday, therefore some of you may be taking an extended Easter break. Senior sessions will vary throughout April (see below) and Academy sessions are off for 2 weeks and will return to normal on Monday 20th April.
If you haven’t submitted your Member of the Month nominations for Junior/Senior/Volunteers, please send your names to member.of.the.month@westburyharriers.co.uk by 9th April.
Some Westbury Harriers will be meeting up tomorrow at 9:30am by the Water Tower for a lovely social run, with some refreshments afterwards. If you’re keen to test out a footwear brand (KARHU) for free, Up & Running are hosting a try-on night on Tuesday 7th April from the store, with a social 5km run, details below.
Not long before the major marathons kick off this month, starting with Brighton Marathon on 12th April. Good luck to those taking part, and for those that have other exciting races coming up, make these final weeks count before your big day!
In this week’s newsletter:
- Club notices
- Training this week
- Race reports / results
- Upcoming races
1. Club Notices
DON’T FORGET – MEMBER OF THE MONTH
The committee meets on Friday 10th April. Do you have someone to nominate for April’s member (junior/senior or volunteer) of the month?
Please email member.of.the.month@westburyharriers.co.uk by 09/04/26.
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 16th April we will be meeting at the Watertower on the Downs at 7pm where the session will be a 5k time trial. This is suitable for all abilities, runners are set off in reverse order so that everyone should finish at about the same time. Runners will need an approximate 5k time so that we can sort out a starting order. Our coaches and leaders can help you with this if you are unsure. It is really helpful to have a few people who aren’t running to act as marshals and supporters put on the course. If you can help with this please speak to one of the Thursday team or email Mark Andrews.
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
UP & RUNNING DEMO EVENT, TUESADY 7TH APRIL – FEATURING KARHU
On Tuesday 7th April, Up & Running will be hosting a try-on event with Finnish footwear brand KARHU (Finnish for “bear”). They are best known for their “Flying Finns” legacy, Fulcrum technology, and the iconic “M-logo” (derived from Mestari, meaning champion). They have been producing high-quality trainers for over 100 years. This is a public event for local runners within the community to do a social 5km testing out the latest Karhu shoes.
MEET: Up & Running Store, BS9 7QA
ARRIVAL: From 6pm
RUN STARTS: 6:30pm
FREE TICKET – SIGN UP TO ATTEND: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/up-running-x-karhu-try-on-event-tickets-1986731130292
LAST CHANCE FOR SIGN UPS – ATHLETICS EASTER HOLIDAY CAMPS
Yate Academy will once again be running their holiday camps this Easter. The camps are open to anyone from school Year 3 up until Year 9. If you are interested in Athletics, and would like to experience all things track and field, then book your place now. YateACacademy@gmail.com
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 30th April. They can book on via RunTogether or just come along (details and emergency contact information will need to 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.
MONDAY SENIOR TRAINING LOCATION – MOVING TO BLAISE CASTLE 20th APRIL
Senior training will resume from Blaise Castle on the 20th April.
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.
REMINDER – DATES FOR THE DIARY
AGM:
Thursday 23rd April at 6:30pm for 7pm start at Coombe Dingle.
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 – No Tempo Session
NO TEMPO – However, there will be a social run at 9:30am, meeting at the Water Tower. 7 miles, Group 3/4 pace, going through Ashton Court and the docks. Please get in touch with Mark Andrews if you will be attending.
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 sets of the following: 2mins (1min recovery) – 1min – (1min recovery)
3. RACE RESULTS/REPORTS
ACADEMY UPDATE
We went all‑in on the Easter theme, with themed drills and a whole‑team relay that brought out plenty of smiles (and a fair bit of competitive spirit). The excitement reached new heights when our VIP guest arrived… the Easter Bunny himself! He brought a burst of energy to the relays, and it was brilliant watching the children give it their all as they tried to catch him. A huge thank you to the Easter Bunny for delivering treats at the end of the session and making the evening unforgettable.
The Academy will now take a break for the Easter period and will return to training on Monday 20th April. After Easter, we’ll be splitting into two groups, training from 6:00–6:45pm at Blaise and Coombe Dingle. Group allocations have already been sent out via email.
Wishing all our runners and families a wonderful Easter break.
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
Other club races:
Monday 1st June – Blaise Blazer
Other local races:
Sunday 12th April: 5 miler, Penallta Pony Trek – Penallta Pony Trek 2026 – CAERPHILLY RUNNERS
Saturday 18th April: Beast of the Beacons 10, 20, 40mile – https://www.limitlesstrails.co.uk/beast-of-the-beacons
Saturday 25th April: Butcombe Trail Ultra (50 mile and 50k options) Highly recommended local races – TACH BTU
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: Yvette Casallas
