Created by : Tom Shaw On : Tue, 02/25/2025 - 10:03
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Another weekend and another set of Awards as following on from our Junior awards night our Senior club awards was held at Worksop Golf Course on Friday this time awarding those achieving the senior athletes who achieved club standards over 2024, revealing the winners of the GP and of course sending home some silverware for the various competition winners.
2024 saw our athletes hit over 70 standards from people achieving their first Bronze on to those moving their way along the table and adding more gold to their collection, we are always proud to award the hard work of the improving athlete. As well as individual achievements, the awards night where the individual winners of each age group GP receive their award before the overall winners are revealed, including their respective silverware.
This year trophies were awarded as follows:
Female Athlete of the Year – Alicia Wells
Male Grand Prix Winner – Dominic Fielding
Female Grand Prix Winner – Hannah Miller
Male Half Marathon Champion – Thomas Shaw
Female Half Marathon Champion – Hannah Miller
Peter Collier Award for outstanding contribution to the Club – Gemma Hind
Gerald Storey Memorial Winner – Adrian Hopkinson
GP Winners
Male Female
U20 – Ethan Ellery U20 – Sophie Jones
Senior – Dominic Fielding Senior – Hannah Miller
V35 – Matthew Daly V35 – Samantha Jones
V40 – Bryan Cherry V40 – Samantha Marriott
V45 – Chris Johnson V45 – Jo Campbell
V50 – Paul Parry V50 – Julie Holloway
V55 – Kevin Saville V55 – Cathy Mhembere
V60 – Steve Battle V60 – Sharon James
V70 – Roy Turner
As previous years we were able hosted by the Worksop Golf Club who as always provided a first class service and were very much appreciated for their on-going hosting. The evening also concluded with the Club Raffle with many generous donations from local friends of the club and helped raised valuable funds that provide support for club athletics and allow us to fund equipment, coaching and events for our athletes of all ages!
Smarts off and spikes on and boy were they needed on Saturday as a small group of Harriers headed down the A1, stopping off en route for a particuarly muddy Henlow Bridge Lakes parkrun and just a taste of what was to come as carried on to Parliament Hill for the English National XC. Back at what is regarded as the home of English XC for the first time since 2022. Famed for its challenging hilly course, the event offers something unique in running as the cross-country is turned right up with its mass starts and thousands of men and women, girls and boys blasting through the wet muddy start as they charge up towards Parliament Hill viewpoint. Weather on the day looked very appealing as the temperature rose and the sun shone but it made for particularly challenging conditions, with even the most hardened, grim condition mud lover wondering if maybe things had gone too far! With a day catering for the junior age groups from U13 right up to Junior and Senior age groups, covering a variety of distances and multi-lap courses, course conditions onyl went one way with nearly 5,000 runners across the 10 races
First wearing the Green and Black, Miley Townrow was in the 6th race of the day in the U15's across 4 km. Up towards the viewpoint before two loops of the woods of Hampstead Heath with the reward for getting up the hills being a chance to get out of some of the wettest conditions down at the bottom, before fast downhill finish as runners battled between getting past their competitors and staying upright in the finishing straight!
Race 8 and the turn of our senior ladies and seasoned XC runner Sarah Worley was joined by Sam Robinson and Madi Spencer testing themselves on new grounds and last but not least Cathy Mhembere having stood on the sidelines volunteering the last time Nationals were hosted locally at Wollaton Hall (2020) deciding she had to get in on the action herself. A two lap 8 km course (1 medium and 1 large) saw the ladies once again head through the woods of Hampstead Heath before the second loop taking them even further up, offering not only some contra-flow with the opportunity to see the race going both directions but also disturbing the peace of some possible unaware locals saw in the heath expecting a quiet spot to read their book.
Race 10 and the final race of the day, with 15 laps already covered throughout the day it was over to the men to make the best of what was left of the course with 12 km over 3 laps (1 medium plus 2 large). Repeating the ladies course with an extra lap added on for good measure, inspired by a day of watching some fantastic performances, the men finally got their chance to take on the course with nearly 2,000 charging up Parliament hill before three loops of the Heath with every lap seemingly different as the course felt the effects of the numbers, but eqaully again the lapped course providing great opportunities for both team support on the course, particuarly welcome from some familiar club friends out on the course as well as boyd by occasionally spotting a fellow green and black amongst the crowd on the contra-flows.
A full day of spectating and racing, racing the nationals certainly required a bit of willing, bravery and blind faith to put yourself on the start line but with all runners coming away with great memories (even if its that its over!), a sense of can take on anything and overall a great team day, its an event we'll certainly be looking forward to repeating in future!
