Stevenage & North Herts Athletic Club are enjoying a brilliant summer of track and field athletics.
With the Paris Olympics in full swing, SNHAC younger athletes have been receiving selection emails and phone calls.
When the U20 World Championship team for Peru was announced, Jessica Astill was delighted to receive a call up for the 4x400m relay team.
That is at the end of the month.
The U20 teams selected for the Home Countries International on August 17 include Aimie Taylor in the pole vault and Annabel Howells in the 4x400m relay.
Club volunteers have been organising holiday programmes for many years and this year hundreds of youngsters have taken part or will be taking part in the programme.
It ran for nine days at Easter and is open for three weeks during the summer.
It provides fun, games and event specific coaching for youngsters aged between eight and 14, all at Ridlins Stadium in Stevenage.
Details are on the membership section of the club’s website while the programme is also part of the government initiative for those on free school meals.
And this year’s holiday provision has been shortlisted for England Athletics East Region Community Project of the Year.
A live vote to decide the winner can be found by clicking HERE with voting open until Sunday.
Stevenage Phoenix have only been going for less than two years but have grown to a club with more than 140 members.
They therefore held an EGM to elect a management committee.
Phil Gover is the chairman with Emma Mead and Lisa Liversidge stepping into the coaching roles.
Conor O’Neill and Caitlin Evans are the captains of the men's and ladies' teams.
Gover was one of those in action this week, running at Speyer Leinpfad Parkrun in Germany.
Ashley Bates celebrated a milestone with his 100th parkrun, running with family and friends at Maldon Prom.
He then ran a marathon in Bedford in a time of 5:03:38.
Ashton Marshall took full advantage of the new, fast and flat course at Bedford Autodrone, clocking a 10k PB of 45:23.
A big part of the week's action for all clubs came at the Resolution 5k event at Ridlins.
For Phoenix there was a PB for Alex Walsey, coming home in 18:40, and Ken Hall who managed 24:08.
Both broke club age category records too.
North Herts Road Runners had 11 involved and if the heat and humidity affected anybody’s performance, it wasn’t obvious.
There was an outstanding 16:16 from Ben Hadman all the way through to a blistering speed-walk performance of 38:14 from Sheila Leavy.
Four others also made it under 20 minutes, Ben Sewell (16:43), Shaun Allin (18:00), Rhia Botha (19:37) and Ian Datlen (19:49).
Linda Aird, who finished in 26:33, said: "Those of us in the first race were running on a track almost completely bathed in sunshine, so we knew that running 12.5 laps at 5k pace would be a challenge.
"And it certainly was."
Fairlands Valley Spartans had 15 involved at Ridlins
Simon Jackson led a clean sweep in the men 40-plus group with a time of 16:39, Anthony Cahill in second and Ross Gallacher third in a PB of 18:34.
Georgie Hooper was second woman overall in 21:30 and Craig Bacon second 50-plus man with his fastest 5k since 2021, finishing in 21:39.
Spartans also had representation at Bedford Autodrone.
Grant Ramsay clocked 1:28:03 while Jim Brown managed 1:59:59 and Gerry Rosen 2:29:34.
Yuko Gordon ran the 10k in 47:02 to finish seventh woman overall.
The 2024 Stevenage Striders 5k handicap series proved to be a record breaker.
Individuals were setting many PBs and there was also a women's club record.
A spokesman said: "Fairlands Park was a dazzling sea of diamond bright and Strider colours, thanks to our dedicated runners and marshals.
"Our final race was a true celebration, crowned with a massive, well-deserved feast, participation medals, and trophies for our victorious champions."
In total 100 runners took part in at least one race, a significant jump from last year's 74, and there were 51 who participated in three or more races.
The fastest male runner was Abdullah Athar with 17:13 while Lucy Crocker led the women's pack with a stellar time of 21:01.
The overall handicap series saw an all-female podium, Brenda Smith taking the win ahead of Sharon Williams and Sarah Skene.
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