Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Weekly Newsletter Thursday 28 November 2024

Happy Birthday from Thursday 28 November to Wednesday 4 December – Clifford Barley, Gregory Dunson, Dylan Evans, Jessica Hunter, Tosin Jokosenumi, Rodrigo Lopes, Gilad Nachshen, Katie Webb, Samuel Wiggins, Teddy Wilson and Lukash Zahab

EUROPEAN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS – Congratulations to DAVID STONE and HENRY DOVER who have been by Great Britain and Northern Ireland team to run in Antalya, Turkey, next month (December 8). DAVID is in the Under 23 Men’s team and HENRY is in the Under 20 Men’s team

PARKRUN 50 CLUB – Congratulations to DYLAN MICHEL who completed his 50th Parkrun at Princes, Liverpool on 23 November

THE SECOND RE-UNION AT THE SHAFTESBURY TAVERN – Phil Cunningham sent me the following;
Last year a group of us meet at the Wrestler’s Pub where the first known picture of Shaftesbury Harriers was taken. This year we thought we would have another get together in the Shaftesbury Tavern in Hornsey. We will be meeting at 7pm on Wednesday 4 December 2024. The Shaftesbury Tavern is located on the corner of Shaftesbury Road and Hornsey Road. It would be great to see some of you there!

The Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Centenary Year Book states: And so it came about that in 1890 a few lads, most of whom would have been about 16 years of age, assembled at Jubilee Hall and decided to form a running club and called it Shaftesbury Harriers. Jubilee Hall was then newly built and used for dances, concerts and such-like social events, and was over what was then called a coffee tavern. It stood at the corner of Hornsey Road and Fairbridge Road, not far from Hornsey Road railway station, and about a mile from Hampstead Heath.
It seems probable that, like others of the many clubs being formed about that time, the title came from a road in the district. Possibly some lads lived in Shaftesbury Road close by: with its tall Victorian houses the road has not changed so much with the passing years. The Shaftesbury Tavern is still on the corner.

A photo of our get together last year from left to right, RAY POWELL (49 years with the club), MARTIN GREY (56 years), TONY SUNDERLAND (69 years), PHIL CUNNINGHAM (50 years), JOHN DRYDEN (52 years), DAVE BEDFORD (59 years), PHIL RICHARDSON (63 years), JOHN KELLY (a mere 44 years) and JULIAN GOATER (57 years). GERALD ALTERMAN (43 years) and JO NEWELL also attended but unfortunately needed to leave before the photo. Well over 500 years of club membership between them!

REG BLACK – I have just heard that REG is extremely ill, our thoughts are with REG and his family. PAUL SIMONS visited REG earlier this week, at the Queenscourt Hospice, Southport PR8 8RE.
REG joined Shaftesbury towards the end of the 1980s, along with 2 of 3 of his army friends. He was one of our top veteran runners, and competed on a regular basis. During the early 1990s I took over as Veteran team manager, and REG was so supportive in getting many of our veterans to turn out.

SBH CLUB RECORDS FOR MASTERS MEN – Currently there were no records for the Master Men, therefore I have carried out an exercise on the Power of 10, to correct this. The records identified are from 2005 to 24 October 2024. They have now been added to the SBH website.

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS SUBSCRIPTIONS – Our new Club year started on 1 October 2023. The current SBH annual subscription is £80 and the current England Athletics annual registration from 1 April 2024 is £19. The current total is £99 and should be paid NOW to; ACCOUNT NAME: SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS, BANK: HSBC, ACCOUNT NUMBER: 41308378, SORT CODE: 400426 – Please advise GEOFF MORPHITIS by email (geoffrey.morphitis@capeandd.com) when payment has been made.

RESULTS
Just to clarify, that the results I publish can be different to those that are shown on the Power of 10. The differences relate to seasons and personal best performances. For example in the recent EYAL results, an athlete in the 200m ran (24.1), and on his profile his season’s best was shown as (23.88) indoors. As the 200m indoors and outdoors are totally different type of events, I had shown the (24.1) as a season’s best.
The Power of 10 publishes separate UK rankings for indoor and outdoor performances.

NORTH WEST LONDON LEAGUE – The third of five fixtures took at Trent Park on 23 November.
The results are provisional, and there are no team results as yet.

There were top 5 finishes from Under 11 Boys DANIYAL JANMOHAMED 3rd and LUCAS XIE 4th – Under 13 Boys HENRY COWAN 3rd and LEWIS WARD 4th – Under 13 Girls GRACE ROONEY 4th – Under 17 Men AIDAN MCAVOY 4th

Under 11 Boys (2000m)DANIYAL JANMOHAMED 3rd (8.58), LUCAS XIE 4th (9.04), JAKE MICHALIK 8th (9.17), ETHAN SLUTZIK 11th (9.26), RIAN VARIA 17th (9.37), MARKO BIRD 52nd (10.55), IVAN BIRD 55th (11.01), HUGO COWAN 63rd (11.19) the winner was Jack Tonge of Woodford Green & Essex Ladies (8.44) 50 runners finished
Under 11 Girls (2000m)LILY JANMOHAMED 10th (9.54), KEENYAH ADELISE 18th (10.28), ELSIE BETTRIDGE 28th (11.04), HARRIET COWAN 36th (11.24) the winner was Jemma Watson of Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow (8.51) 52 runners finished
Under 13 Boys (3000m)HENRY COWAN 3rd (10.52), LEWIS WARD 4th (11.01), ROAN PARKES 11th (11.31) the winner was Eric Frith of Woodford Green & Essex Ladies (10.39) 34 runners finished
Under 13 Girls (3000m)GRACE ROONEY 4th (11.22), SIENNA DARCY 8th (12.11) the winner was Eva Prince of Woodford Green & Essex Ladies (11.39) 32 runners finished
Under 15 Boys (4000m)SAM CLEMENTS 16th (15.52), LADDIE SHAW 17th (16.09) the winner was Arjuna Pflug of High Harriers (13.22) 28 runners finished
Under 15 Girls (4000m) – No SBH runners, the winner was Sonny Allen of Highgate Harriers (15.11) 29 runners finished
Under 17 Men (5000m)AIDAN MCAVOY 4th (20.41) the winner was Reginald Rock of Thames Valley Harriers (19.43) 33 runners finished
Under 17 Women (5000m) – No SBH runners, the winner was Lily Johnson of Dacorum (22.47) 14 runners finished

BRITISH ATHLETICS CROSS CHALLENGE, INCLUDING EUROPEAN TRIALS – Took place at Liverpool on 23 November.
Under 20 Men (4400m) HENRY DOVER 1st (13.49), ABDIRAHIM HAMUD 7th (14.06), JOSHUA FISHER 82nd (15.12) 160 runners finished
Under 23 Women (8000m) INDIRA PATEL 55th (26.19) 56 runners finished
Under 23 Men (5600m) DAVID STONE 1st (17.02), SAMUEL GREENSTEIN 27th (18.34) 103 runners finished
Senior Men Short Course (1500m) The winner was Joshua Lay of Rugby & Northampton (4.41) 28 runners finished
Senior Women Short Course (1500m) The winner was Maddie Deadman of Basingstoke & Mid Hants (4.41) 18 runners finished
Senior Men Long Course (8000m) THOMAS BUTLER 34th (27.12) the winner was Tomer Tarrango of Brighton & Hove City (24.44) 538 runners finished

FRATERNITY CUP – Took place at Trent Park on 23 November.
8000m – SM GIANLEO STUBBS U20 1st (24.36), OLIVER GREENSTEIN 16th (27.28), JONNY SHAW V50 87th (31.41) 255 runners finished

SORORITY CUP – Took place at Trent Park on 23 November.
8000m – SW JO KENT V55 26th (34.34) the winner was Catriona Pattinson of Hillingdon (29.17) 146 runners finished

PARKRUN – Can you make sure that you are registered as ‘Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers’, as the link I use to select all results only shows SBH athletes. If anyone is also officiating can you please contact me and advise me where and when.

PARKRUNS MILESTONE VESTS – You can purchase these from 50 to 500, this is the link – https://shop.parkrun.com/collections/milestone-run-walk-vests

PARKRUNS IN THE UK – Last Saturday at parkruns in the UK, there were…
685 events – 102,177 walkers, joggers, runners and volunteers – 3,029 first timers – 6,493 PBs

COMPLETELY USELESS RANDOM FACT4,023 people have volunteered, a total of 21,058 times as a VI Guide in the UK

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Aldenham on 23 November
PAUL LEWIS V50 9th (21.31) this was his 237th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Canons Park on 23 November
ELLIE MCNAMARA 43rd (25.51) this was her 41st Parkrun, SHONA MiICHEL V50 67th (28.30) this was her 131st Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Grovelands Park on 23 November
SCARLETT KENT U23 26th (PB 22.28) this was her 76th Parkrun, JO KENT V55 32nd (22.39) this was her 151st Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Hackney Marshes on 23 November
BARRY CHISHOLM V65 242nd (33.55) this was his 353rd Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Jersey on 23 November
CLIFFOLD GOLDING V70 102nd (27.13) this was his 177th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at the Luton, Wardown on 23 November
JAMES DAVIS U23 48th (24.19) this was his 69th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Oak Hill on 23 November
BRADLEY SINGER V35 40th (23.35) this was his 296th Parkrun, STUART SINGER V60 111th (27.18) this was his 443rd Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Panshanger on 23 November
RUSSELL DEVITT V75 169th (53.10) this was his 324th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Priebnitzgrund, Germany on 23 November
AMY RECECCA FRY V40 1st (19.42) this was her 15th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at the Princes, Liverpool on 23 November
DYLAN MICHEL U23 8th (18.47) this was his 50th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5KTook place at Rickmansworth on 23 November
DAN WATTS V35 4th (17.01) this was his 17th Parkrun

UPCOMING FIXTURES FOR THE NEXT 6 WEEKS, WHICH COVERS THE PERIOD THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER UNTIL WEDNESDAY 8 JANUARY – The SBH 2024-2025 Winter Fixture Card can be found on the SBH website, in which you can Access/Print a copy for future reference. Also the majority of fixtures Information can be found on the SBH Website under the ‘Upcoming Fixtures’ section.

START FITNESS METROPOLITAN LEAGUE – The third fixture of five takes place on Saturday 30 November, course is at Hillingdon House Farm, Uxbridge (Satnav UB8 1ES).
The following information has still to be updated on the Metropolitan League website.
Race headquarters – Hillingdon Stadium, Gatting Way, Uxbridge (Satnav UB8 1ES) HQ to course walk time: 2 minutes.
Changing facilities – Male & Female changing rooms and toilets within athletic stadium from 11am to 3pm. Please do not use the facilities within the main sports centre. No Showers.
Public Transport – Recommended Hillingdon on the Metropolitan and Picadilly lines 10-15 minute walk from course. U1 and U2 buses stop within 3 minutes’ walk from the Sports Centre.
Directions from major roads – Next to A40 Swakeleys Roundabout Junction, then follow signs for Hillingdon Sports and Leisure centre.
Parking – There are Only 50 pay and display parking spaces allocated for this fixture outside the stadium. Parking in the main sports centre car park is not permitted. Disruption caused to sports centre members trying to find a parking space in the main car park may result in the venue not being available in the future. If you must drive, please see the parking map provided for free street parking locations. There are also 2 large car parks in Uxbridge town centre, just 15 minutes walk away..
The timetable and course description is as the 2022 fixture,
Timetable12.00 U11 (Over 9) Boys (2km), 12.02 U11 (Over 9) Girls (2km), 12.10 U13 Boys (3km), 12.12 U13 Girls (3km), 12.30 U17 Men and U15 Boys (4km), 12.32 U17 Women and U15 Girls (4km), 12.50 U20, Senior and Veteran Women (8km), 13.30 U20, Senior and Veteran Men (8km).
Course Description – A proper XC course. Parkland setting, undulating course, with one steep climb per lap, on grass and woodland paths. Very muddy areas likely. Option of small river crossing for adults only if conditions on the day allow. There will be a longer route around the river for those that are unable/unwilling to cross the river.
Under 11 Course – 1 smaull undulating lap which includes the ski slope and wooded trail.
Under 13 Course – 1 medium undulating lap which includes the ski slope and wooded trail.
Under 15/U17 Course – 1 large undulating lap which includes the ski slope and wooded trail.
Under 20/Senior Course – 2 large undulating laps which includes the ski slope and wooded trail plus option of river crossing.
Link to all information as published on the Start Fitness Metropolitan League website, whicg includes the Course MapRace 3 Uxbridge Information 30th November 2024
Note: You do not have to be pre-entered, just turn up and run.
Please collect your race numbers from the respective team managers – SIMON KEENE, JEREMY SOTHCOTT and JO KENT

START FITNESS METROPOLITAN LEAGUE RACE NUMBERS – I have been asked to remind you that your race number must be kept by yourselves, and is to be used for all 5 fixtures.

SBH WINTER POINTS CHAMPIONSHIPS – The third Start Fitness Metropolitan League fixture at Uxbridge, is the third fixture in the Winter Points Series for all age-groups.
Age-Groups Under 13 to Veteran Men and Women, the final positions are based on the best 5 results from the 7 fixtures available. Age-Groups Under 11 Boys and Girls, the final positions are based on the best 4 results from the 6 fixtures available.

SBH WINTER CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS – The Start Fitness Metropolitan League fixture at Uxbridge, is the club championship race for the Under 20 Men, 5 Miles Senior Men and Masters Men 40+

LEE VALLEY INDOOR OPEN MEETING – Takes place on Sunday 1 December, at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton (Satnav N9 0AR).
Events are 60m, 300m, 600m, 60m Hurdles and Long Jump. For all age-groups including U13s.
Entries Closed

SOUTHERN INTER COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place on Saturday 7 December, venue TBC.
Timetable – 11.00 U13 Girls (Approximately 3k), 11.20 U13 Boys (Approximately 3k), 11.40 U15 Girls (Approximately 4k), 12.25 U15 Boys (Approximately 4k), 12.50 U17 Men (Approximately 5k), 13.15 U17 Women (Approximately 5k), 13.40 U20 Women and Senior Women (Approximately 6k)
Note: You will have to be pre-entered by your County Team Manager

SOUTHERN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place on Saturday 7 December, venue TBC.
Timetable – 11.45 Women 40+ 50+, 60+ (Approximately 6k), 14.10 Men 40+, 50+, 60+ (Approximately 10k)
Entries Closing Date Friday 22 November
Note: If you wish to be entered please contact your Team Manager

LEE VALLEY MINITHON – Takes place on Saturday 7 December, at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton (Satnav N9 0AR).
For school years 3 to 7.
To enter please use this link – https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/lee-valley/athletics-centre/minithon
Note: You will have to enter yourself and pay the appropriate entry fee – Please be advised that events may be full before the fixture date.

20TH EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place on Sunday 8 December at Antiayla, Turkey.
Note: You will be selected following the trials on the 23 November

BE FIT TODAY INDOOR OPEN MEETING – Takes place on Sunday 8 December, at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton (Satnav N9 0AR).
Events are 60m, 200m, 300m, 600m, 800m, 60m Hurdles, High Jump (2 spaces left), Long Jump and Triple Jump. For all age-groups including U13s.
To enter please use this link – https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2024/GBR/bftta-indoor-1/
Entries Closing Date Sunday 1 December – Please be advised that events may be full before the closing date.
Note: You will have to enter yourself and pay the appropriate entry fee

SOUTHERN U15/U17/U20 AND SENIOR COMBINED EVENTS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place at Lee Valley Athletics Centre are 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton (Satnav N9 0AR) on Saturday 14 December and Sunday 15 December.
To enter please use this link – http://www.seaa.org.uk/index.php
Entries Closing Date Tuesday 3 December
Note: You will have to enter yourself and pay the appropriate entry fee

BOXING DAY BONANZA RUN – Takes place on Thursday 26 December at StoneX Stadium.
DAVE BEDFORD will be organising this event, with the racing starting at 11.00. 
The issuing of numbers, refreshments and prize giving takes place in the Indoor Track area. Distance 2 miles and  1 mile for Under 11. Only £2 entry fee! There will be prizes, raffle (bring cash) and free refreshments……why not come in fancy dress.
A run or even walk for all the family including pets!. Last year we had 50 runners!  Donations to the raffle welcome with winners galore!

LEE VALLEY INDOOR FIXTURES – The following 4 fixture are now open to enter from 1 October. Please remember to enter as early as possible, to avoid not to be disappointed. New Years Open Meeting 1 January (Closing Date Sunday 29 December), London U20 and Senior Indoor Games 18/19 January (Closing Date Thursday 9 January), London U13, U15 and U17 Indoor Games 25/26 January (Closing Date Thursday 16 January) and Middle Distance Open Meeting 19 February (Closing Date Sunday 16 February)
Link to the 4 fixture details – Lee Valley 4 Indoor Fixture Fixtures Opening 1 October 2024

LEE VALLEY MINITHON INDOOR FIXTURES – Is for School years 3 to 7, in which you compete in 3 events from the following – 60m, 200m, 600, 60m Hurdles, High Jump (Year 6 and 7 only), Long Jump, Shot Put and Javelin (Year 6 and 7 only).
There are 2 fixtures on Saturday 17 December and Saturday 22 March.
Link to information guide on the Minithon – Information Guide For Lee Valley Minithon
To enter please use this link – https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/lee-valley/athletics-centre/kids-activities#%20
Entries Closing Date Wednesday 16 October – Please be advised that events may be full before the closing date.
Note: You will have to enter yourself and pay the appropriate entry fee

LAVIAI AND LINA NIELSEN ON WHY THEY WANT TO TRAIN IN LONDON  The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently.

The sisters have seized the chance to stay put in the British capital and work alongside coach TONY LESTER, as they seek to establish the UK’s premier sprint group. Having lost track of the number of air miles they have racked up over recent years, LAVIAI and LINA NIELSEN are relieved to be home with a new aspiration: to help their coach TONY LESTER create the top sprint group in Britain. It was back in 2021, post-Tokyo Olympics, that their foreign ventures began; not by choice but – the way they see it – by necessity. “I knew I needed to make the step up but couldn’t find a coach in the UK that was a good fit or had training partners around,” explains LAVIAI. “I could see a lot of our sprinters were going to the US so I thought that could be an option.” Spells in Florida, Austria and Denmark duly then followed but, after a 2024 season that saw them both earn Olympic 4×400 metres bronze medals, they jumped at the opportunity to return to London this autumn.

The sisters had never particularly wanted to leave their home country in the first place, but felt they had few options. Of the five female British sprinters (100-400m) announced on top-level UK Athletics funding earlier this month, all train overseas with foreign coaches. The NIELSENS and LESTER believe that speaks volumes about athletics coaching in Britain – and they want to do something about it. “I think we have a lack of coaching in the UK, especially across the sprints,” states LAVIAI. It was this dearth that initially prompted the move abroad and subsequently led them to their current coach in the Danish city of Aarhus. LESTER knows more than a thing or two about his art. During a 14-year period in various roles for UK Athletics, he helped the likes of ROGER BLACK, MARK RICHARDSON, NICOLA SANDERS, ABI OYEPITAN, TIM BENJAMIN and MARLON DEVENISH all compete on the global stage. A series of disagreements with the governing body’s combative head coach CHARLES VAN COMMENEE caused him to leave athletics, before he returned for stints with national federations in Germany and Denmark. Now he is preparing to head for Brunel in west London, where he hopes to fill the void for British sprinters seeking a world-class group at home. So far, five Olympians are onboard, with Team GB relay athletes AMA PIPI and NICLAS BAKER joining the NIELSEN twins and Ireland’s SHARLENE MAWDSLEY. The door is permanently open for further additions.

LESTER, like the NIELSENS, does not believe sprint coaching is currently up to the required standard in Britain. He places the blame firmly on governing bodies rather than the coaches themselves. “The UK doesn’t lend itself to supporting coaches,” he says. “Even when I was a national coach back in the day, we never had coach education. So how can we upskill our coaches? We need seminars and need to send coaches to workshops around Europe. “All the money was spent elsewhere and I think that’s unfair because our coaches get judged as being s**t when they are not. I just don’t think they get enough support from the people in charge, be that UK Athletics or UK Sport or whoever. “So athletes come through the system and do the same stuff they did 15 years ago. I’m not going to sit and diss UK coaches, but I look around and think: ‘Who is there that is a really good coach?’ I don’t know. “Why are DARYLL NEITA and JEREMIAH AZU in Italy? Why did these guys [NIELSENS] go to Austria? Why do so many guys go to America?”

LESTER began coaching the twins after a chance encounter with LINA in a hotel lobby at the 2023 Lausanne Diamond League. “We always laugh because it took him three days to then reply to my text, which left us thinking we weren’t good enough for him,” says LINA. In their first year under his charge, both sisters ran personal bests, and their bond grew unexpectedly closer when he suffered a distressing cardiac arrest while taking a training session in Denmark exactly a week before the European Championships. “It was a very lucky day that there were so many people at the track,” recalls LAVIAI. “There was a doctor on site pretty much immediately so his life was saved very quickly.” LESTER adds: “Had I been on my own, I wouldn’t be here talking to you now.” The addition of a new pacemaker has left him feeling “bulletproof”, but the episode was one of the catalysts for him to return to his family at home and attempt to build an elite group around the NIELSENS..

“We want to emulate what the sprint coaches are doing in the US and set up a really good group in the UK,” says Lina. “The only other similar group I can think of is TREVOR PAINTER’S group, but that’s for middle distance. That’s what we want to create in London.” PAINTER, and his wife JENNY MEADOWS, have become standard bearers on the UK coaching scene after seeing their M11 Track Club go from strength to strength, with KEELY HODGKINSON, GEORGIA BELL and LEWIS DAVEY all winning medals at the Paris Olympics. “I’ve known TREVOR forever and he’s done some great work,” says LESTER. “But he’s had to work hard to get to this level – it hasn’t been easy. I was very lucky because I was employed by UK Athletics for 14 years. TREVOR r wasn’t even employed by UK Athletics so he’s done an amazing job.” As his athletes – old and new – begin making their way to their new west London home over the coming weeks, LESTER is readying himself to leave his role in Denmark before beginning his new step into the unknown from the start of January. Success for him and the NIELSENS is the initial aim, but it could have far wider implications for British sprinting.

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF EUROPEAN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS  The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently. Photograph taken by MARK SHEARMAN show PAULA RADCLIFFE (074), SONIA O’SULLIVAN (106) and HAYLEY YELLING (076) in the 2003 Championships.

This year marks 30 years since the championships first took place in Alnwick The SPAR European Cross Country Championships is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, set to take place in Antalya, Turkey, on December 8. The prestigious event first debuted in 1994 at Alnwick Castle in the UK, a location famously known for its role as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. Since the first edition, the championships have gone from strength to strength, taking place every year, apart from 2020, in the European Athletics calendar.

In 1994, the competition featured only senior men’s and women’s races, a sharp contrast to today’s more diverse format, which includes under-23, under-20, and mixed relay categories. The first-ever European cross country champion was Portugal’s PAULO GUERRA, who clinched victory by 16 seconds, also leading his team to a gold medal. His team-mate, DOMINGOS CASTRO, took second place, while Spain’s ANTONIO SERRANO secured the bronze. Interestingly, GUERRA nearly withdrew from the race just days before the event, as reported by AW in 1994: “He was concerned about a sinus problem.” In hindsight, his decision to compete paid off. The women’s race saw a memorable victory for Ireland’s CATHERINA MCKIERNAN, who was determined to take the gold after her streak of three runner-up finishes at the World Championships. Spain’s JULIA VAQUERO finished just one second behind MCKIERNAN as Romania’s ELENA FIDATOV took the bronze. Romania also triumphed in the team standings, narrowly edging out France and Portugal by just two points. Over the years, the championships have seen many of Europe’s greatest distance runners claim gold. In the late 1990s, PAULA RADCLIFFE made her mark, winning in 1998 and 2003, while HAYLEY YELLING also triumphed for Great Britain in both 2004 and 2009. In 2014, GEMMA STEEL led Great Britain to a historic one-two finish in the women’s race, alongside KATE AVERY, as the team topped the medal table.

On the men’s side, MO FARAH secured his first senior title at the 2006 championships, marking the beginning of his legendary cross country career. More recently, Norway’s JAKOB INGEBRIGTSEN has dominated the senior men’s event, winning back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. Ingebrigtsen, who missed last year’s competition due to injury, will look to defend his title in Turkey this December.  Jakob Ingebrigtsen to race European Cross Country Champs in Turkey

The under-20 races were introduced in 1997, with athletes like INGEBRIGTSEN (2016-2019) and KAROLINA NJERKELI GROVDAL (2009), NADIA BATTOCLETTI (2018-2019) and Britain’s INNES FITZGERALD (2023) making their mark on the international stage. The under-23 category was added in 2006, with Britain’s WILL BARNICOAT and MEGAN KEITH both winning the gold last year.

The mixed relay event debuted most recently in 2017. Last year, the mixed relay was won by France in dramatic fashion, defeating Great Britain and the Netherlands to take the title.

WORLD ATHLETICS CONSIDERING A WORLD TREADMILL CHAMPIONSHIPS  The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently.

World Athletics is considering a World Treadmill Championships. The global governing body, in an effort to broaden the sport to new markets, wants to ‘develop the virtual running scene’. If the concept materialises, then World Athletics – who are already close to signing a deal with a technology partner for it – will follow the likes of rowing and cycling in having a global championships using gym equipment.

The World Indoor Rowing Championships, which started in 2018, sees athletes – over a variety of disciplines – compete against each other on rowing machines. In cycling, you’ve got an Esports World Championships, where competitors ride bikes indoors on turbo trainers, using a virtual platform.

“There are millions of people around the world that just go to the gym and run on the treadmill,” World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon told The Daily Mail. “We should create products for those people. We should have a Treadmill World Championships. You are an athlete if you go for a 30-minute run on a treadmill or if you win an Olympic gold medal in the 100m. It is all athletics.” World Athletics’ decision to advocate for a global treadmill competition shouldn’t be particularly surprising, given the fitness and running world has experienced a recent boom in popularity. For example, Hyrox – a fitness competition that combines five miles of running and eight functional workout stations – has witnessed a 1000% increase in participation over the past five years.

In regards to running’s popularity, next year’s London Marathon saw a world record-breaking 840,318 people apply in the public ballot for an entry at the event. That was up from 578,304 applications for this year’s edition, a 45.3% increase in just twelve months. SEBASTIAN COE, president of World Athletics, when asked about a treadmill championships, added: “You might have to watch this space, but ultimately, why not? We have to embrace and we have got to take our sport to where people are. That is crucial. “Whether it is through virtual, whether it is through Esports, whether it is through treadmill, these are all the things that we want to really explore.”

ENGLAND ATHLETICS THROWS COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER Just received the October issue from NICK RIDGEON of England Athletics – Throws Newsletter Oct-24 (5)

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS NEW INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT– Many thanks to SEAN SUTHERLAND who undertook a review on the best way forward, following this a decision was made to set up a new account, and SEAN has now set that account up.

To follow our newInstagram account, from your own account, by searching for ‘shaftesbury_barnet’ or by clicking https://www.instagram.com/shaftesbury_barnet/
To Members and Parents, if you wish for any photographs to be posted on Instagram, please email them to sbh.instagram@outlook.com  If you can at the same time give details on when and where the photographs was taken, plus any other comments.
Please feel free to post photographs of any special occasion, for example, your wedding day, an addition to the family.

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS ON INSTAGRAM – Since the account was setup, there has been an amazing amount of Videos and Photographs contributed with many comments. There is no posts this week.

THE FOLLOWING IS CLUB INFORMATION ON VARIOUS TOPICS

SBH 2024-2025 WINTER FIXTURE CARD – The Updated SBH 2024-2025 Winter Fixture Card and Information Sheet is now available on the SBH Website. Please access these and print a copy for your reference

The Fixture Card has been updated on 14 November, and those changes are as follows – Cross Country – SEAA Inter-County Championships on 7 December, venue is now Croydon – BUCS Championships on 1 February, venue is now Cardiff – CAU Inter Counties on 8 March at Nottingham – English Schools on 15 March at West Sussex – Indoors all at Lee Valley – VAC and EMAC on 9 February – British Masters on 16 February – Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Kent Championships on 15/16 March – Essex and Eatern Championships on 1/2 March.

Link to the Fixture Card and Information Sheet – https://sbharriers.co.uk/fixtures-results/fixture-cards/
Document explaining what is contained on the Fixture Card and Information Sheet – SBH 2024-2025 Winter Fixture Card – Information on Front Sheet, Fixtures And Information Sheet
Any changes/information will be published in the SBH Weekly Newsletter as and when available, this is the link to the current and previous SBH Weekly Newsletter – https://sbharriers.co.uk/news/

SBH 2024-2025 CROSS COUNTRY POINTS RACES – Take place throughout the season, these are races that are available to run.
Under 11 Boys and Girls – All 5 Start Fitness Metropolitan League fixtures, plus Hertfordshire or Middlesex Championships. Best 4 out of 6 results to count.
Under 13, Under 15, Under 17, Under 20, Senior and Masters Men and Women – All 5 Start Fitness Metropolitan League fixtures, plus Southern and National. Best 5 out of 7 results to count.
Link to the updated Men and Women’s points tables, following the 12 October Start Fitness Metropolitan League fixture – Mens Cross Country Points Tables 2024-2025 Updated 12-10-24  Womens Cross Country Points Tables 2024-2025 Updated 12-10-24

SBH 2024-2025 CROSS COUNTRY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RACES – Take place throughout the season, these are races that are available to run.
Under 11 Boys and Girls – Start Fitness Metropolitan League on 11 January at Welwyn Garden City.
Under 20 Men, 5 Miles Senior Men and Masters Men 40+ – Start Fitness Metropolitan League on 30 November at Uxbridge.
Under 13, Under 15, Under 17, and 9 Miles Senior Men – Southern Championships on 25 January at Beckenham.
Under 13, Under 15, Under 17, Under 20, Senior and Masters 40+ Women – Southern Championships on 25 January at Beckenham.
Updated document of winners will be published in the SBH Weekly Newsletter and Website, following the Start Fitness Metropolitan League fixture on 30 November at Uxbridge.

STONEX STADIUM MEMBERSHIP – To use the StoneX Stadium facilities for training, SBH members are required to pay a fee. You can register as a member (which is free) which then entitles you to a discount. This is the link to the form to apply for membership – SBH StoneX Membership 2024-2025  The entrance fee on the membership form, cover the period 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025.

JAMIE BATH MEMBERS MASSAGE SERVICE  Since joining SBH he has been working closely with TY HOLDEN in his quest for Athlete and Athletics Development. To help support the club members he has (with the club’s support) set up a Members Massage Service available on club nights at a small charge of £15 (as compared to outside masseurs who charge £60) to simply cover materials and insurance.
Please contact JAMIE at jamiebath@live.co.uk or text him on 07902 592561. You can also see him on training nights for availability.

GEORGE HARRISON MBE MEMORIAL DOCUMENT – The document has been put together with contributors from LISA WEBB, MARTIN ROCHFORD, NADEEM SHAIKH, RACHEL FELTON, LIAM and JAMIE DEE, JAMES LOVELL, EMILIA ECONOMU, ALAN WELLERKAREN HARRISONTIM UNDERHILL, GLEN WATTS, JOANNA WINFIELD, SHAUN CLIFFORD and EUAN MACKENZIEShaftesbury Barnet Harriers Memorial To George Harrison From Friends And Members 20 April 2023
If you wish to contribute your own memories and/or photographs of GEORGE, please email them to me, either within the email or as a separate attached word document.

CODES OF CONDUCT – SBH have now adopted the UK Athletics (UKA) and the Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAF) Codes of Conduct which set out national standards of conduct for all clubs, coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes in the sport.  The purpose of the codes are to clarify what behaviours are acceptable and unacceptable, the standards of practice expected and the basis for challenging and improving practice.  The Codes are similar to our previous Codes of Conduct which were part of the previous ClubMark scheme.  All club member and anyone undertaking a relevant role must agree to abide by the codes of conduct. The Codes of Conduct have now been put onto our Website, please read these to understand the commitments you are making by being a member of SBH.
Link to the Code of Conduct document – Codes Of Conduct Booklet 2021 (1)

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION OF INTEREST CAN BE FOUND ON THE SBH WEBSITE BY USING THIS LINKhttp://sbharriers.co.uk/
Section ‘About Us’, includes Annual Reports, Best Performance Trophy Awards, Individual And Relay Best Performances By Year, Club Records and SBH All-Time Top 10 T&F Performances.
Section ‘Team Managers And Competitions’, shows details of Track & Field, Cross Country and Road Relays Team Managers.
Section ‘Future Information/Results’, includes Information On Each Fixture, Summer & Winter Fixture Cards, Winter X/C Points Tables and Winter Club Championships Winners.

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS NEW CLUB KIT They are now available to purchase from our club kit supplier, Supreme Sports – click on the link for the full range – https://www.supreme-sports.co.uk/webshop/schools-and-clubs/shaftesbury-barnet-harriers/
By opening the link, you will be on the front page, which displays the men’s items. Click on SBH LADIES for the women’s items, or click on SBH KIDS for the young athletes’ items.

CLUB HOODIES– With well over eight hundred hoodies already in circulation, this is your opportunity to join the club. The bright red hoody is made to order and has your name embroidered on the front along with the club badge and has the Club name on the back. We now have 2 styles, the original pull over style at £37 + P&P or the new one with a full zip at £40 + P&P.
Here is the link to the Supreme Sports website which if you click on it, will take YOU to the new Club Hoody and allow you to then view the full range of Club kit online – https://www.supreme-sports.co.uk/webshop/schools-and-clubs/shaftesbury-barnet-harriers/

ACCESS TO SBH CLUBHOUSE – The new Keyholders to the outside door are TY HOLDEN, CLYDE GORDON, NEVILLE THOMPSON, GREG THOMPSON, COLIN GODFREY and YAMILLE ALDAMA who all use the Clubhouse outside of normal stadium opening hours. GEOFF MORPHITIS and DAVE BEDFORD will also have a key. All other key fob holders can continue to gain access to the clubhouse via the (New) West Stand Entrance and the Trackside Door to the Clubhouse.
Link to note and details for further information – SBH Club House Door 20-01-23

PHOTOGRAPH’S – From time to time we have photographs of our members taken at meetings or presentations which we would like to use both on the website or incorporated within our report to our local newspaper. Can you please let me know if you do NOT want your photograph to be published. Also, I would appreciate if you could send me any photographs, which I can then publish on the website and newsletter.

FACEBOOK – Photographs can be found on the SBH page.

CAN YOU HELP PLEASE I would welcome any contributions From Yourselves, any impending marriages, or additions to the family, any running or competing incidents, also past warm weather training/holidays (No Club 24 please). Currently the response has been excellent, but if you have anything that could make it into next week’s Newsletter – please email me.

CURRENT DISTRIBUTION OF SHAFTESBURY INFORMATION Currently I notify members (by email) using “MailChimp”. The reason I changed, was in November 2017 “Gmail” put a limit of 100 addresses that users could send to in a 24-hour period, and currently I send to approximately 850 members each issue.

On seeking technical advice “MailChimp” was recommended as the best way for SBH to go forward. There is one thing you should be aware off is that when you receive an email from me, the footer at the bottom has 4 options, of which one is “Unsubscribe Me From List”. Could I ask you not to select this as if you do you will be automatically removed from my distribution list.

SBH MIDWEEK POLE VAULT CLUB AT STONEX STADIUM – The current arrangements until further notice are that Pole Vault training is on Monday’s and Wednesday’s from 18.30pm to 21.00pm. Please contact the session administrator CLYDE GORDON at clydeg67@hotmail.co.uk in advance and let him know if you are planning to attend.

SBH HIGH JUMPS GROUP AT STONEX STADIUM  High Jump training takes place on Monday’s from 19.00pm to 21.00pm. These sessions will be run by our High Jump Coach GRANT BROWN. There will be a charge of £10 per session.
Please contact the session administrator CLYDE GORDON at clydeg67@hotmail.co.uk in advance and let him know if you are planning to attend

SBH TRAINING AND COACHING – Please see the 2024 Summer Fixture Card, which gives full details of Training and Coaching – A SBH Summer 2024 Fixture Card Front Sheet Re-Issued 10-03-24

POLE VAULTERS REQUIRED FOR 2025 To all athletes young & old – are you aware of the SBH Pole Vault sessions held at StoneX Stadium on Monday & Wednesday evenings from 18.30pm. We have room to coach more of you, why not come along and watch a session and the get involved – give it a try NOW.
Please contact the session administrator CLYDE GORDON at clydeg67@hotmail.co.uk for more details.

STEEPLECHASE TRAINING AT STONEX STADIUM  Check with your Coach for details of training times.

SBH PRIVACY STATEMENT – In becoming a member, SBH will collect certain information about you. Can you please read the attached ‘Privacy Statement’ which contains Information on General Data Protection Regulations  SBH Privacy Statement Final April 2018

STONEX STADIUM – Main Switchboard telephone number is 020 3675 7250.

STONEX STADIUM AWARDED TRACKMARK STANDARD – Congratulations on achieving the UK Athletics Quality Assurance Standards for StoneX Stadium. This is the letter from UK Athletics and certificate showing all area that achieved compliance – StoneX Stadium Award Letter 09.11.21StoneX Stadium Certificate

ALAN WELLER – SBH NEWSLETTER EDITOR AND WEBSITE MANAGER