The traditional Winter season opener, the Midland Counties Road Relays, saw a number of Harriers teams competing with some fantastic individual and team performances.
One of the main highlights of the day was a superb team performance from the U15G’s teams finishing just out of the medals in 4th place, with the B team also finishing in 9th place.
KTH Middle Distance Squad U15 Girls
The U15G ‘A’ team comprised of three debutants in the competition so the performance was even more impressive. Debutant No1, Millie Sharp ran the opening leg, and by her own admission she set off too cautiously, and the gap opened by the lead runners proved difficult to pull back, none the less she produced a terrific run to complete the 3.88km course in 14:52 in a highly respectable 9th place. Handing over to experienced campaigner and Bronze medallist from the 2023 U13G team, Clara Booth, sadly there was a delayed handover which resulted in lost time after Sharp had crossed the line before Booth set off. Despite this Booth ran a fine leg running an equal PB over the course in 15:54 but slipping to 11th place due to the delay. New Recruit, Marianna Owen, making her full club debut ran a superb anchor leg to make up 7 places, setting the fastest time of the squad on the day with 14:51 and bring the Harriers home in a highly respectable 4th place. Owen has recently moved into the area and has settled well in the new training group, and on this showing she will have much more to give as the season progresses.
Marianna Owen making her club debut set the fastest split on the day anchoring the 'A' team to a 4th place finish
The ‘B’ team also ran well, with Peyton Almond on the opening leg running a fine time of 14:55 in 11th place, a course PB for her. Almond handed over to late substitute & debutant No 3, Sabina Lawton, who has missed most of the summer with a foot injury so clearly lacking some fitness, Lawton brushed this aside and ran a terrific leg for the team in 16:33 in 14th place. Anchor leg was run by another member of the Bronze medal U13G team from 2023, Tiggy Guthrie-Brown who also ran a fine leg in 15:51 to take 5 places and bring the team home in a fine 9th place, out of the 38 teams competing.
Peyton Almond (565) & Millie Sharp (564) both got the U15G teams off to a great satrt on the opening leg
Both the A & B team finished ahead of local rivals R&N (11th & 22nd), who had another of the Harriers Squad competing in their team, Amelie Heron, who ran the opening leg for R&N ‘B’ team. Heron ran a significant PB over the course in 15:59, and she was the 2nd fastest athlete from both R&N teams, helping the B team to 22nd place.
The U17W also fielded two teams, with the ‘A’ team finishing in a superb 7th place with a terrific opening leg from Maggie Gancheva signalling a return to form over longer distance with a good PB over the 3.88km course in 14:58 to bring the Harriers home in 9th place. The second leg saw new recruit Sophie Hancock make for Club debut and she produced a fine run with of 15:55 and make two places to bring the harriers home in 7th place. Handing over to Iona Ellwood, who also produced a PB performance over the course in 16:15, Ellwood produced a fine finish remarkably outkicking GB Junior and European U18 silver medallist in the final 80m.
Maggie Gancheva with her fastest ever split over the course helping the U17W to a 7th place finish
The U17W ‘B’ team performed well to finish in 18th place with Charlotte Jackson on the opening leg (17:56), Evie Brooker (17:05) on the second leg handing over to Freya Allitt (17:36).
The U15B also managed a brilliant top 10 placing, finishing in 9th place with another debutant for the Harriers running the opening leg, Ben Scott, who showed he is making great progress in the squad with a superb run in 13:36 to bring the team home in 13th place. Olliver Smith ran a Course PB in the second leg in 14:09 with a fine run taking 4 places to bring the team home in 9th place with anchor Harlee Hooker holding his position with a PB over the course in 14:10, to bring the Harriers home ahead of local rivals R&N (13th)
Superb debut for Ben Scott setting the fastest split for the U15 for a fine 9th place finish
The U13B also saw two further debutants who ran fine races to bring the team home in a fine 13th place, just ahead of R&N (14th). Joshua Spavins produced arguably the best individual performance of the day to bring the Harriers home in 4th place on the opening leg with a fine time of 13:40 which was the 7th fastest time overall on the day. Debutants, William Burtenshaw (15:57) and Callum Johnson (16:13), both young in the age group, ran well to bring the team home in a very respectable place.
Joshua Spavins in the U13B opening leg setting the 7th fastest time overall in the race
The Senior Men’s Team saw a mixture of U20 & SM running 6 legs over 5.88km, produce a fine team performance to finish in 45th place out of the 98 teams competing. Lucas Mansell run a fine opening leg of 19:36 (33rd) the fastest in the team, with Lucas Rogers holding his position running 19:59, Joe Young on 3rd leg ran 22:33 (42nd), Josh Cannell 4th with 20:57 (41st), Ben Brooker 24:49 (49th), and anchor Rio Carr bringing the team home in 45th with 20:20.
Lucas Mansell completing the opening leg and setting the fastest time for the KTH senior mens team
Well done to evryone who ran