Sophie & Dan achieve huge pbs when representing the region; Final call for the AGM
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- Written by Paul Chadwick
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(Above- Dan Maydew wearing his Midlands Counties vest running a great pb)
As we see the start of the Harrier’s participation as part of the Yeovil Olympiad’s teams in the British National League (u17s upwards) – commenced last Saturday - and with the South West League (u13s upwards) due to start next month, Harriers are gearing up for the County Championships this coming weekend (14th & 15th May).
Meanwhile some have been in action recently when selected to represent the Midland Counties at a competitive 5km road race in Cardiff. Well done to u17 Sophie Nicholls and u20 Dan Maydew on their runs where they achieved personal bests. Read on for a report. Dan followed it up with another storming run over 1500m at the British League Track & Field match this past Saturday.
Harriers looking to compete for our joint team with Yeovil, especially in the SW League, should make sure that the YOAC team managers are aware of your availability for the League fixtures and of any performances you achieve this track season so that they can select the strongest squad. Follow this link for information on details of managers.
Good luck to those competing in the County Championships this coming Saturday & Sunday 14th & 15th May. Please send any good photos and a report (preferably of as many Harriers as you spot!) to Paul by 8pm Monday.
Read on also for some of the paperwork for the Annual General Meeting to be held this Wednesday 11th May commencing at 8pm at Tramways. There will also be some Annual awards & the ballot for the Club’s London Marathon places after the close of the formal business.
Read more: Sophie & Dan achieve huge pbs when representing the region; Final call for the AGM
Team England/Team GB selection again? Harrier AGM 11th May detail & call for all to volunteer
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- Written by Paul Chadwick
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(Above - Elise Thorner, nearest camera, competing for Team GB at last summer's u23 European Championships)
Elise & Ollie continue to improve their times & marks
The UK All Time u23 3000m Steeplechase record has been broken by Elise Thorner as selection for this season’s Major Championships beckons for her. - Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (selection for Team England) & European Championships in Munich (Team GB).
Elise’s twin brother Ollie Thorner has also set some early season pbs in his pursuit of the qualifying standard for selection for the Decathlon to the same Championships.
Elise & Ollie are both Hon Life Harrier Members already for their previous Team GB selections at u20 & u23 level. At the AGM on 11th May another of our talented junior athletes, Harry Barton will be awarded his Hon Life Membership for his selection last season for u20 Team GB.
Read on for details of their achievements and about the AGM where all paid up members of the Harrier’s are invited. We are looking for volunteers to join the committee & for specific roles this coming year. Also the Tuesday training session plan for May & June.
(Photo below of a previous Harrier committee from 2018)
Monday & Tuesday eve: 6.30pm for Harrier coached sessions for members at Millfield Track; Wednesday eve : 6.40pm different ability groups road & off-road from Wells Rugby Club.
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HARRIER GROUP TRAINING
The Harrier sessions have been Risk Assessed and are covered by Club insurances for Club members. (When training on your own please only train in public areas and do not use private facilities unless the Harriers have a formal agreement with facility managers for access at specific times of the week - see below.).
We have to follow strict protocol with hiring the track at Millfield - please follow the directions of Club coaches and ensure you register at the beginning of every session to ensure that we can account for everyone present. Club members only. If a member of another Club please complete form to become a 2nd Claim member of the Harriers.
Monday Juniors age 8-15 start 6.30pm at Millfield Track & finish 7.30pm. Please ensure you have joined the Club & book your place for each half-term - payment required half-termly - £15 for the sessions to the end of each half-term/term. (less than £2 per session!). Club members only, but 'taster' session available if we still have spaces for new junior athletes. Priority given to juniors that compete for the Club (cross-country & road races over Autumn & Winter). Coaches: rota of Graham, Paul, Al, Tom Isaac & Chris. Sprints, Endurance running, circuits, hills, occasional long-jump if warm enough. No sessions over Xmas break.
Paul at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday older juniors age 14 upwards and seniors, 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Members only. Group warm up. Cost £2 per session to be paid each session or monthly - please register when attending. Enquiries to Graham. Coaches; Jon, Graham, Paul, Al, Tom & Simon (rota). Sessions set by Jon.There will be the option of track session or grass based session. Session plans posted up monthly. Mainly for endurance runners - middle-distance through to marathon.
Tuesday night training programme for May & June 2022 here
come and join us for training & coaching. Join the Club and register before every session trackside. If new, then please introduce yourself to one of the coaches: Jon, Simon, Paul, or Graham
More information from Graham at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wednesday Social Run for adults in small groups from Wells Rugby Club. Meet outside Wells Rugby Clubhouse at 6.40pm for a 45-60 minute run in three groups.
(1) Beginners/improvers or 'steady group' led by qualified coaches Sharon & Lynne - see contact below.
(2 & 3) Usually a road option and an off-road option for those who have been running a while, some of whom will be training for forthcoming races over 5k to Marathon.
Contact Andy Piper for details of the road/off-road session or for you to advise him that you are intending to join in. The road/off-road session is led by senior Harriers (not coaches). Last Wednesday of the month in Summer there is a pub run led by one of the senior Harriers - different pub each time - about 5 or 6 miles. Usually you can order food before you set off from the pub to eat on your return, or just stay for a drink. This is an informal run where everyone runs at a conversational pace.
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Wednesday beginners/returners group for adults from Wells Rugby Club. Meet outside Wells Rugby Clubhouse at 6.40pm for a 45-60 minute run in groups. Lynne Elstob & Sharon Bowles qualified coaches leading these groups. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
WELFARE OFFICER CONTACT DETAILS - Amanda Bigger This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Also, check out the England Athletics website for the very latest guidance on training and competition.
Please contact Paul if you are just taking up running/athletics or haven't run for some time and want to know more about each Harrier session. All Harrier coached sessions are managed by volunteer Harrier coaches (all fees go towards facility hire). All Harrier coaches are members of the Club and apart from having an up to date licence to coach have been DBS checked via the Club & Police. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
You may need to BOOK IN ADVANCE for Harrier sessions and will need to be a Member of the Club
WE ARE RECRUITING FOR NEW COACHES
We are again RECRUITING TO THE COACHING TEAM. Please contact Paul, Graham or Jon if you want to know more about what it entails and talk through with Paul how the Club will pay for your Coaching course. See Coaching with England Athletics
ANY Queries - contact Coaching Co-ordinator/Club Secretary Paul Chadwick if you need any other information This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Chairman Graham Goldsmid This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE PAID YOUR HARRIER MEMBERSHIP FEE BEFORE LOOKING TO REGISTER FOR A COACHED TRAINING SESSION
Couch to 5k group:
For over 2 decades the Harriers have run such courses for those people coming back into running or who have never run - so as to help them get their fitness levels up and runa 5km. Cost: When it operates, then the annual formal 'Couch to 5k' beginners group usually has a modest charge for the entire programme (circa £10-£20). The informal groups running on a Wednesday don't have a charge but we would prefer runners to be members of the Harriers to contribute to our overheads as we pay the Wells Rugby Club to use their facilities, and you will also benefit from Club insurance and discounts on kit etc
Training on other days - another Harrier session for endurance runners can be planned subject to demand - Contact coaches at other sessions for details.
Saturday - occasional monthly hill running sessions for keen juniors (age 14) and upwards once a month. Contact coaches if interested.
Sundays – long off road run for those in training for half or full marathons. Note that on some Sundays many of the group will be racing at an event - Meet: various locations, check with Wednesday Group/contact at training Time: usually about 8.00am or 9.00am
Cost: Free Contact: Mike Rusca/Richard Morgan/Andy Piper or others at Wednesday group
Training with Yeovil Olympiads
We have a reciprocal arrangement with YOAC to train with them at the Yeovil Arena and vice versa.
Their training nights are usually Tuesday & Thursday – see YOAC website for more info; and Saturday mornings sometimes at Ninesprings (Goldenstones) for juniors
QUALIFIED HARRIER COACHES: with date when they first qualified as Assistant Coaches
Full Coach/Level 2: Paul Chadwick (2003); Graham Goldsmid (2004); Jon James (2014); Al Thorner (2014); Simon Prior (2015)
Assistant Coach/Level 1: Chris Collier (2013); Tom Dukes (2013); Ben Tickner (2018)
Coach in Runnning & Fitness: Lynne Elstob (2014); Sharon Bowles (2014)
Coaches receive free Harrier annual membership and appropriate kit
(If you are interested in becoming qualified to coach with the Harriers please speak to Graham Goldsmid or Paul Chadwick. The Club will pay for your coach training but you are expected to contribute to sessions on a regular basis - we are currently particularly keen to recruit some women coaches to work with our junior athletes)
Entries open for Wells Festival of Running 11 September
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- Written by Rosie Park
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Entries are now open for Wells Festival of Running taking place on 11 September 2022.
The festival will include a 10km and 5km road race, as well as a 3.2km run and a one-mile fun run for junior runners.
Previously held in May, the popular local races return for the first time since 2019 with a new early autumn date.
The race starts in the beautiful Market Place under the gaze of two medieval gateways - the Penniless Porch and the Bishop’s Eye. A fast and furious grandstand finish is guaranteed alongside the Bishop’s Palace moat.
Read more: Entries open for Wells Festival of Running 11 September
Photos of our Club Training Sessions in action!
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Training opportunities with the Harriers all the year round: COME & JOIN US!
Photo above: We were really pleased when Club President Mary Rand - Olympic Gold Medal winner at Tokyo 1964 - found time to visit our regular Monday evening training session back in 2012 when she was over to receive Freedom of the City of Wells. We had a great time with her and quite rightly pointed out to all of the kids that they could go far if they apply themselves! 2 in this photograph (as at 2020) have now represented TeamGB!
One of the best reasons for joining a Club is to have other people to train with, and to tap into the coaching advice, guidance and expertise available. Wells City Harriers provide a mixture of formal and informal sessions for different age groups age 8 to 80+.The Club has several qualified coaches, some of whom have coached for amost 20 years years. Come and join us at the session most appropriate to you.
If you are a junior, we can coach you to compete at track & field and cross-country
If you are a senior and have a target to get fitter, we can coach you and provide a training group for you
If you are a senior wishing to complete a road 5k/10k/half-marathon or marathon we have a training group or two that can help you achieve your target
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- MONDAY Evening - Juniors age 8-16 at Millfield track - all track & field and Cross-country
- TUESDAY Evening - Seniors and juniors age 14+ at Millfield track for Middle distance & 5k/10k training
- WEDNESDAY evening - Seniors age 16 upwards at Wells Rugby Club - beginners and experienced
- SUNDAY morning - distance training groups from various locations