Westbury Harriers Weekly News
What a busy week of racing – there’s been something on almost every day this week with lots of WH success to report on! Firstly huge thanks to the team that organised Monday’s Blaise Blazer (Race Director Tamsin and her core organising team of Geraint, Louise, Anneke, Helen, Alastair and Vicky) and to all the brilliant volunteers who made it such a successful event. It was a really fun evening with a great atmosphere and there were lots of positive comments from other clubs and runners. Well done everyone!
Lots of race reports below but do check out the WH Facebook page for more great photos from each race!
RACE REPORTS
Blaise Blazer – Monday 2nd June
by Mike Mewse
Good conditions for some fast racing with the top four breaking 23 minutes for this tough course. Dan Shepherd (B&W) put in a superb run to get away from team mate Richard Elston with a World record holder (check out his records ! ) Adam Holland (Tavistock) another 15 secs back in 3rd.
The ladies race was very close with Miranda King (B&W) just edging Beth Pudifoot (Bristol Trail Runners) with Westbury’s Hannah Large clear in 3rd.
Top 3 Westbury Men were David Tonkin (24.12) (1st V45) , Ben Wood (25.13) and Josh McCauley (25.34).
Top 3 Westbury Women were Hannah Large 26.18, Belinda Dow 27.08 and Olivia Zeltner 27.12.
Westbury Ladies filled the top spots for FV45 – stunning run from Robyn Ellis in 27.39. V55 – yet another category win for Kate Hoffen (31.35) and V65 – Maggie Salter picking up the prize in 35.41.
More race photos from Neil Miller are on the Westbury Harriers website. Full results are on DB Max results website.
https://dbmaxresults.co.uk/results.aspx?CId=16421…
Hogweed Trot – Monday 2nd June
by Anthony Glover
The evening of Monday 2nd June saw this year’s running of the Hogweed Trot. This 10k also hosts the Avon county champs. There were a few Westbury Harriers there. Unfortunately the results didn’t allow me to list finishers by club so there may be people missed – apologies. First 3 home for Westbury were all from the Tuesday endurance group at Yate. Will Massey won in 33:33 taking senior male and Avon champ prizes. Struggling with a recent cold, Will did just enough to get the victory. Next in was Paul Gardiner, 5th overall and first v40 in 35:14. Wilts based, so no county title for Paul here! 6th overall and first v50 and winner of the v50 county title was Anthony Glover. Well done Anthony. That evening, many were heard to say that Anthony’s run was clearly the best performance of the day. Tim Clothier came through in 39:33 (7th v40) followed by recently joined Dan Beazley-Long 42:54. Next in was Martin Clayton in 47:29, then Andre Curtis in 49:38.
Not far behind was Ian Derrick in 50:33, followed in by ladies v50 county title winner Nicola Derrick, who also finished a minute faster than her time last year!
Rebecca Kemp and Caroline Scapens were just outside the hour mark with Tim Carr coming in at 1hr05:01.
A lovely evening racing on quiet country lanes at what is always a well organised event.
Sri Chinmoy – Tuesday 3rd June
by Mark Andrews
It was great to see our Juniors and Seniors taking part in the second of this summer’s series of races in Eastville Park.
The one mile Junior race was dominated by a strong Bristol & West team. Well done to all our runners and congratulations to Sophie and Madeleine who broke the Bristol & West stranglehold on the medals with 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the U13 girls.
Then it was the turn of the Seniors, blustery conditions tonight but at least the wind was at our backs on the uphill section of the course.
Remarkably every one of us went home with a medal!
Hannah Batchelor was 5th lady with an incredibly well paced run! Sandra Williams 2nd FV50Eithne Noonan 1st FV60
Our men were not to be outdone! Oli Groves was 5th man Mark Andrews 2nd MV50 Geraint Torrington 3rd MV50
A really enjoyable evening, thank you to everyone for the support and good company!
The third race in the series is on Tuesday 24 June, look forward to seeing Juniors and Seniors in action again then!
Roll on Wednesday evening at Bitton!
Bitton 5k, Wednesday 4th June
by Mark Andrews
Another day, another great local race! Too many races to do them all, but some giving it a good try! The prizes were harder to come by tonight, but congratulations to Michael Feltham on a fantastic 3rd place finish! Michael missed the presentation as he was off on a warm down run but fortunately our Club Chairman was available when he got back!
Well run everyone, I don’t think there are any races tomorrow so a chance to rest and recover before we go again at the weekend!
Vogum 40 mile ultra – Saturday 7th June
by George Griffiths
Yesterday I completed Pegasus Ultra Running 40 Miler the Vogum. 3/6 Complete. Porthcawl to Penarth along the coast path. Absolutely the hardest one so far. Struggled from about 20k but got it done. On to the next.
Avon and Welsh Masters Track Event at Yate – Sunday 8th June
by Mark Andrews
My track racing experience prior to today consisted of a 5000m last summer that went badly wrong! So it was with some apprehension that I headed out to Yate today! This event combines the Avon Masters and Welsh Masters Championships but is also an open event attracting Masters athletes who don’t qualify for either of these competitions. Paul Gardiner was the star Westbury performer with great runs to finish 2nd in both the 1500 and 3000m. Paul doesn’t qualify for Avon or Wales so was running just for fun!
The rest of us were competing for medals and everyone went home with at least one!
Geraint Torrington could hardly stand up straight under the weight of his medal haul! Age group wins in both Avon and Welsh events in 100m, 800m and 1500m.
Sarah Andrews won her Welsh age group at both 1500m and 3000m and was the Avon winner in the 1500m too.
Ian Gawinowski and Mark Andrews were Avon age group winners in the 5000m and 1500m respectively.
For those of us who are not experienced track racers it is a real step outside of our comfort zone! Running the first bend of the 800m in your lane before breaking on the back straight was a completely new experience! I would recommend any of our Masters runners to give track racing a try! Masters starts at V35 so most of you are eligible to take part!! It is really inspiring to see runners from 35 to 80+ enjoying taking part in the whole range of track and field events. It is competitive but everyone is extremely supportive and helpful too.
These events require a huge number of Officials to cover all of the different disciplines. It was lovely to see Felicity Russell amongst the team today!!
Well done to everyone who raced today!
Relish Running Cheddar Gorge races – Sunday 8th June
by Becca Williams
A few of us headed to the Relish Running Cheddar Gorge 10k and half marathon, which I believe is a Club Champs race (still crossing my fingers that Alastair Blackwood takes pity on us half marathoners). We didn’t manage a full group photo with Sandra Williams and Kate Hoffen sadly as in this race you start in waves according to distance (and maybe time? Although it’s still a mystery).
The half marathon course, which takes in the Gorge, Beacon Batch, some of the lower trails, and some spicy climbs, was lush. It was really well organised, and the marshals were very encouraging and friendly. Aid stations had a really good spread.
I had a lovely time out on the trails, and whilst the sun was strong, the air temp wasn’t too bad so it didn’t get unbearably hot.
Sounds cheesy but I just kept thinking all the way round about how lucky I am to be able to spend a Sunday in this way and live in a place like this.
Ps. Sadly with this talk of cheese, I just want to point out that no actual Cheddar cheese was to be had anywhere at all on course. OUTRAGEOUS. So I’m afraid I have to deduct points and I’ll be pointing that out in my race feedback form!
Full results available here: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=393606 but lots of success for WH runners today, including for the 10k: Olivia Zeltner (1st Female), Rachel Liston (1st FV40), Jonathan Riley (1st MV40). In the half marathon, Kate Hoffen won the FV50 category. Also congratulations to Ellie Liston who won the junior 1k in a speedy time of 3:51. (Apologies if I’ve missed any other category winners)
CLUB NEWS AND UPDATES
MEMBER OF THE MONTH: MAY
(belated – apologies)
Seniors
Tracy Li: For supporting the club with implementation of GDPR policies and procedures.
Juniors
Lilia Beazley-Long: For beating the Junior parkrun record for Kings Weston Junior Parkrun
MEMBER OF THE MONTH: JUNE
Seniors
Reiko Lukes. She has trained consistently with the club on a Thursday for 18 months and has really improved, moving up a training group. Great to see her out representing the club for the first time at the Bristol Half in a fantastic time of 1:43:51.
Juniors
Thomas Hanna. Thomas only joined the club in September 2024 and is showing great promise. He was 1st Westbury boy home in a recent 1 mile race at Eastville Park in 06:05.
Well done Tracy, Lilia, Reiko and Thomas!
VOLUNTEERS FOR WESTBURY WIPEOUT – HELP NEEDED
We’re doing so well!
After a very successful Blaise Blazer, with over 26 marshals out on the course, it is time for me to now start organising the volunteers for the Westbury Wipeout. The event is on the 7th July, with the pre-race briefing at 19:15. Marshals will need to be out on the course by 19:10 at the latest, so a prompt arrival at 18:30 would be appreciated. Due to the nature, difficulty of the course and number of participants, we really need over 39 marshals just out on the course, preferably even more than that.
The course is split into three sections, with a section lead who you will report to and will drop you off at each of your specific marshalling locations, providing you guidance on where the runners are coming from as well as where they need to be directed.
There is plenty of information here: Westbury Wipeout Volunteering – Westbury Harriers
Registration gets very busy, so we need at least four people dedicated here, as well as at least three handling T-Shirts. This will be starting from 18:00 onwards. If you are requesting an early marshal position so that you can be at the finish area for when the participants finish, please be aware that there are a limit number of these places, and I can’t cater for everybody. I’ll send out all the information at least four days before the event.
If you are able to volunteer, please could you contact me here: volunteers@westburyharriers.co.uk.
TRACK RUNNERS WANTED
National Athletic League (U20s/Seniors/Master)
Graham Howell (Yate NAL team manager) is looking for participants for Match 2 at Basingstoke on 5th July
“We could really do with more athletes next time, we don’t want to be hanging around near the bottom of the division. Availability and preferred events please by the 21st of June for team selection. Also useful to know if you are not available.”
Graham
Yate Athletic Club National Athletic League | Facebook
NEW CLUB TREASURER
The club has a new treasurer! At the committee meeting on Friday, Jeff Tozer was elected to be the club’s treasurer. This is a role that we cannot do without and our thanks go to Jeff for taking on this role and to Judy for carrying out the role fitter these past few years and being very patient whilst we sought a replacement.
NO TRAINING ON MONDAY 7th JULY
Advance warning that there will be no training sessions for any Academy, Junior or Seniors on Monday 7th July 2025 as the Westbury Wipeout will be taking place. The event needs volunteers and all help is welcome. See Alastair’s message above.
CLUB CHAMPS RACES
The races for July and August have been selected. They are:
Hazelberry Hurrah, Friday 11th July, 19:15. https://corshamrunningclub.co.uk/hazelbury-hurrah/
The Towpath 10k. Friday 25th July, 19:30. https://www.greatwesternrunners.org.uk/towpath-series/
Crook Peak Cake Race, Wednesday 13th August, 19:00. https://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races/5856fd20-4006-49fa-89a2-ee243f26d2d5
Severn Bridge 10k, Tuesday 19th August, 19:30. https://sites.google.com/site/roguerunsevents/home/our-events/sb-10k-half
We hope you enjoy the selection,
The Club Championship Committee
CHARITY RUN.
A huge thank you to everyone for making the Charity Run such a big success. We raised £711.41 for St Peter’s Hospice.
CLUB VESTS
We are currently out of stock of some vest sizes on the membermojo store. An order is in and will take 4-6 weeks to arrive.
TRAINING THIS WEEK
MONDAY – Tempo Runs
Blaise Castle 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.
WEDNESDAY – Hill Session
Adults, all abilities. Meet every Wednesday at 12pm. Coffee at the Downs Café at 1pm for anyone that wants to come along.
THURSDAY – Interval Session
Coombe dingle sports complex, on grass.
3 sets of the following:
4 x 90 secs (reducing recovery 1 mins, 40 secs, 20 secs), with 2 mins recovery between each of the sets
Will aim to do as an out and back but the reducing recovery makes this tough! Aim is to make it the same distance for each of the 90secs so pacing is key.
Option to do 2 sets or miss the 4th interval in each set. Aim for slightly quicker than 5k pace/effort.
Note 1: You can sign up to all sessions via the RunTogether App.
Note 2: There is no longer a separate booking for Group 1 on a Thursday. There is still the same focus as originally outlined, but as the weather and field are in good conditions over the summer, Group 1 can be accommodated into the existing session.
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/
Club Championship info and rules on this link: https://westburyharriers.co.uk/events/club-championship/
- Tuesday 10th June – Clevedon Midsummer 10k: https://clevedonac.co.uk/our-races/midsummer-10k-race/
- Saturday 14th June – Limitless Trails Black Mountains: https://www.limitlesstrails.co.uk/black-mountains-50-mile-and-marathon-ultra
- Friday 27th June: Nailsea Beer n Banger (Club Champs): (NOW WITH CHIPS!) https://www.stuweb.co.uk/race/3tM
- Thursday 3rd July – Tintern Trot: https://sites.google.com/site/chepstowharriersrunningclub/open-races/tintern-trot
- Saturday 5th July – Cotswold Way Relay: – Eithne has been in touch with those involved/on the waiting list.
- Saturday 5th July – first running of the Fan y Big y Pen y Fan y Big race https://www.breconfans.org.uk/fan-y-big-y-pen-y-fan-y-big-race 18miles and 6000+ft of ascent. They are keen to get good entry numbers as it’s a new race. A few WH have already entered.
- Friday 11th July – Hazelberry Hurrah (Club Champs): https://corshamrunningclub.co.uk/hazelbury-hurrah/
- Saturday 19th July – Brecon Beacons Fell Race: https://sites.google.com/site/welshfellrace/individual-races/brecon-beacons
- Friday 25th July – The Towpath 10k (Club Champ): https://www.greatwesternrunners.org.uk/towpath-series
- Sunday 27th July – Magor 10k: https://sites.google.com/site/chepstowharriersrunningclub/open-races/magor-10k
- Wednesday 14th August – Crooks Peak Cake Race (Club Champs): https://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races/5856fd20-4006-49fa-89a2-ee243f26d2d5
- Saturday 16th August – Limitless Trails Beast of Llangattock: https://www.limitlesstrails.co.uk/beast-of-llangattock
- Tuesday 19th August – Severn Bridge 10k (Club Champs): https://sites.google.com/site/roguerunsevents/home/our-events/sb-10k-half
- Saturday 23rd August – Torbay Twilight 10k: https://torbaytwilight10k.godaddysites.com Use the discount code Westbury3 for a £3 discount on the entry fee
- Saturday 23rd August – The Green Man / The Green Boy: https://www.greenmanultra.co.uk/the-summer-green-man-ultra/
- Saturday 30th August – Mendip Marauder: https://www.albionrunning.org/mendip-marauder
- Sunday 31st August – Wyedean Ultra https://sites.google.com/site/roguerunsevents/home/our-events/wyedean-ultra
If there are any races or interesting events that you think should be added, please email: communication@westburyharriers.co.uk
Editor: Hannah Large
