Supporting Athletics and Running

County Success at Sportshall Regional Finals
Our U11 Girls came 3rd, U11 Boys 1st, U13 Girls 2nd, U13 Boys 2nd, U15 Girls 1st and U15 Boys 1st. Well done to all of our team members. Our U15 teams will now compete in the National Finals in Stoke on Trent on 6th April. In the individual U15 competition our athletes took the top 3 places: Maddy Cufflin 1st, Lilia Wilkins 2nd and Isla Fillary 3rd. For the boys, Marcel Ewertowski took joint 2nd. A big thank you to Gary and Sharon Smith and their fellow team managers for helping the athletes to do so well.

2024 Inter-counties Cross Country Championships, Wollaton Park
Well done to all of our team members and congratulations to Tom Evans on his silver medal and Daniel Van Aardt on a top 10 finish.
U13 Girls (27th): Elizabeth Griffiths (24th), Finnuala Brotherton (130th), Freya Ives (191st), Daisy Green (208th), Florence Rudkin (218th), Aimee Walczak (225th), Abigail Puttnam (234th), Fifi Ball (235th)
U13 Boys (25th): Harry Fletcher (75th), Lucas Wayman (93rd), Aubrey Elmer (132nd), Krish Rayarel (166th), Rudkin (191st), Toby Bronnert (194th), Edward Jacob King (254th), Finley Melbourne (263rd)
U15 Girls (20th): Emma Graham-Brown (20th), Phoebe Langlands (62nd), Ruby West (109th), Elizabeth Morley (177th),Eleanor Morley (209th), Freya Suart (283rd)
U15 Boys (19th): Harry Campion (39th), Olly Lockton (97th), William Griffiths (100th), Joshua Adkin (111th), Max Muddle (121st), Edward Orchard (125th), Charlie Allen (168th), Ewan McKittrick (179th)
U17 Women (18th): Rosie West (59th), Leonora Parr (99th), Lucy Donaghey (135th), Imogen Saunders (110th), Lillie Holford (208th), Jess Parker (228th), Madeleine Stavens (248th)
U17 Men (29th): Jack Lewellyn (20th), Finlay Friedersdorff (97th), Louie Paddison (160th), Joseph Pickering (200th), Harry Warburton (215th), Joe Matthews (238th), Samuel Tansey (241st), Josh Hatherley (255th)
U20 Women (18th): Isobella Wrightam (51st), Lyla Bryan (74th), Gracie-rose Walters (107th), Isobel Sykes (125th), Cassandra Dodge (139th)
U20 Men (n/c): Daniel Van Aardt (9th), Sam Haines (134th), Ben Higginbottom (144th)
Senior Women (17th): Emily Smith (54th), Amy Jackson (56th), Aimee Seager (74th), Rachel Nealon (132nd), Rachel Bentley (227th), Joanne Sanders (235th)
Senior Men (12th): Tom Evans (2nd), Cameron Main (22nd), Lewis Moses (74th), Simon Allen (97th), Chris Perham (143rd), Ben Plummer (200th), Tom Mahon (207th), Tim Don (217th), Luke Ingram (219th)

97th Leicestershire & Rutland Cross Country Championships
Congratulations to County XC Champions Tom Evans and Sophie Coldwell, and to all of our medal winners. A big thank you to Rotherby Lodge Farm for hosting us and to Race Director John Heywood, Race Referee Phil Drage, Chief Marshal Ramon Howe, Results man Simon Mayes and all of our wonderful officials, marshals and helpers. Results.

National Champions!
Congratulations to Wreake & Soar Valley, who were crowned U17 Women’s National Road Relay Champions at Sutton Park on Saturday. The trio of Patience Lamb (13.58), Imogen Saunders (13.37) and Shaikira King (13.22) won by over a minute from City of Portsmouth, with AFD in third. Completing a good day for the club, there were also Silver medals for the U15 boys; Noah Homer (12.26), Samuel Collins (12.23) and Jake Tyrrell (12.34).

Mo Hussein Wins Endurance Challenge
Congratulations to Mo Hussein of Roadhoggs, winner of the 2023 Endurance Challenge and runner-up Simon Allen of OWLS, who will both receive training grants for their efforts over the year. Unfortunately, no women recorded the necessary four scoring performances to qualify. Full report on the Endurance Challenge page.

Rebecca and Mo Crowned County Half Marathon Champions
Rebecca Randell of Shepshed took her first County Half marathon title, from Charlie Nurse (West End Runners) and Kirsty Dale (Poplar RC). The race overall was dominated by Mo Hussein (Roadhoggs Leicester AC), who retainied his county title in 66.58. Jamie Short (Leicester Coritanian AC) gained Silver and Simon Allen (OWLS AC) Bronze. Full report on the endurance page.

Finn takes Gold
Congratulations to Finn Lydon (Charnwood AC) who dominated the 10,000m championship and to Lisa Bettoney (Desford Striders) who won the Women’s Masters’ Gold unopposed. Well done to the other medal winners: Tim Hartley (Notts AC, Masters’ Gold), Simon Allen (OWLS AC, Senior Silver), Mark Couldwell (Charnwood AC, Masters’ Silver), Alex Percy (Hermitage Harriers, Senior Bronze) and Gordon Lee (Leicester Coritanian, Masters’ Bronze). Full report on the endurance page.

Mo Makes it Two
Mo Hussein of Roadhoggs added the County Fell Running Championships to his recent 10km title, beating defending champion Simon Allen (OWLS) into second, with U20 runner Jayjay Rathod (Huncote Harriers) taking the bronze. Sarah Horner of host club West End won the ladies title from Amy Freeman-Hughes and Nicola Stevenson, both of Poplar Runners. Full report on the Endurance page.

Mo Hussein and Emily Smith Crowned 10km Champs
Congratulations to Mo Hussein (Roadhoggs Leicester AC) and Emily Smith (Charnwood AC), who overcame challenging conditions to take the County road 10k titles. In the men’s race there was a Silver for Tom Mahon (Wreake & Soar Valley AC) and Bronze for Luke Ingham (OWLS AC). For the ladies, Laura Whittle (Barrow Runners) took Silver and Joanna Male (West End Runners) Bronze. Full report on the Endurance page.

Recognition for County Officials
England Athletics are recognising the outstanding service our officials give to the sport with service badges for 5, 10 and 20 years contribution. The first batch were awarded theirs at our recent county championships.

County Track & Field Championships
Results have been submitted to Power of 10 and are available here. A massive thank you to our technical officials and volunteers, to our colleagues at NAA for the invitation and to Corby AC for hosting.

Inter-counties Fell Championships
Congratulations to our Leicestershire & Rutland teams who did a brilliant job. The men finished 10th (out of 20 teams) and the ladies 11th (out of 17). A full report from Team Manager Jason Williams will follow.

County 5K Road Race Championships
Congratulations to County 5k champions Daniel Van Aaart (Wreake & Soar Valley) and Jo Male (West End Runners). read the full report on the endurance page.

The remaining County Road Race Championship events for 2023 are:
• 25/06: 10K: Prestwold 10K … https://www.barrowrunners.co.uk/events/prestwold
• 01/10: Half-Marathon: Leicester Half Marathon … https://leicestermarathon.org.uk/

Sportshall Success
Well done to those young athletes who represented Leicestershire & Rutland in the Regional and National Sportshall competitions. There were medals for our U15 boys 4×2 relay team and captains Luca Axton (3rd in the all round athlete competion, a first for the county) and Mia Hancox (10th all round), also marked their final Sportshall competitions with well deserved successes. Both won individual Silvers as well. Full report of the 2022-23 season from Team Managers Gary and Sharon Smith.

County Track & Field Championships
Entries for our T&F Championships, which are being staged jointly with Northamptonshire AA and held at Corby on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th May have now closed. Entries can be viewed (via Roster) and a timetable will be posted shortly. Prospectus. This year we are pleased to be able to offer hammer, pole vault and a race walk as part of the main championships. As per normal, we will endeavour to make alternative arangements for any disciplines that are not included in the joint event, if there is demand. Entry instructions.

Leicestershire & Rutland Make their Mark at the Inter-counties


Today our athletes made us all proud. Our Senior men were crowned Inter-counties XC Champions and our Senior women were runners up. There were also individual silvers for Tom Evans (Senior men), Gemma Steel (Senior women) and Shaikira King (U15 girls). Behind Gemma Steel, who overcame a bad fall to finish a typically gutsy second, Nikki Bartlet 21st, Hannah Seager 27th, Sophia Green 33rd, Emily Smith 46th and Aimee Seager 69th all ran brilliantly to secure Leicestershire & Rutland a first visit to the podium. In the final race of the day, Tom Evans led the senior men in second and our other team members packed superbly with Mo Hussein 21st, Danny Hallam 22nd, Alastair Watson 24th, Cameron Main 31st and Luke Pollard 56th to take a comanding win. Well done to all of our athletes and a big thank you to our Team Managers. All full report can be found on the Endurance page. Full results Update: Our Senior Men also won the ‘9 to score’ trophy as well. That means our other team members, Harry Lupton (114th), Finn Lydon (118th) and Simon Allen (151st) will receive medals as well.

The Endurance Challenge is Back!
Our Endurance Challenge is being repeated in 2023. This initiative links our endurance events and provides the opportunity for runners to win small grants towards their training and racing expenses. The Challenge kicked off with our County Cross Country Championships, meaning that the early leaders in the challenge are Tom Evans and Gemma Steel. Full details can be found on the Endurance Challenge page. Challenge events for 2023:

  • County XC Championships (07/01)
  • County 5K Road Race Championships (23/04)
  • County 5000m Championships (13-14/05)
  • County 10K Road Race Championships (25/06)
  • County Fell Running Championships (12/07)
  • County 10000m Championships (09/08)
  • County Half-Marathon Championships (01/10)

Brian Bland
It is with great sadness that I pass on the news that Brian Bland died on Saturday (28/1/23). As many will know, he had been undergoing treatment for cancer for over two years, but continued to support local athletics whenever he physically could.
Brian was an official for over 30 years, acting as starter, timekeeper and endurance official. He was a great servant of Leicestershire athletics, covering Sportshall, Quadkids, schools’ athletics, club athletics and cross country. For many years, he worked in partnership with Ivan Taylor and was a regular sight at Charnwood Open Meetings. As well as making his own ammunition, so that he could provide timekeepers with just the right amount of flash or smoke for the conditions, he would purchase shot in bulk each season, making sure that the starting community always got their supplies at the best price.
Those that had the pleasure to work with Brian will miss the twinkle in his eyes, his endless supply of sweets and corny jokes and above all, his friendship. He acted as a great recruiter of officials, teaching countless people the rudiments of timekeeping or starting, and was a wonderful mentor to many; kind, perceptive, always encouraging and above all, calm when you made the inevitable mistake. He had a great rapport with athletes and thousands of youngsters took their first tentative steps in the sport under his reassuring guidance. Dave Lodwick, Chair.

Chris Smith
We were saddened to learn that Chris Smith passed away in early January. Chris was a talented walker, gaining international honours, but will be best remembered for the coaching and support that he gave to so many other walkers. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the sport and despite significant health challenges, was always keen to help athletes achieve their goals. He also made a major contribution to wheelchair racing in the county. He was also an official and served a term as President of L&RAA.

County Cross Country Championships
Thank you to everyone who supported our County Cross Country Championships. A big thank you to Race Director John Heywood, Chief Marshal Ramon Howe, officials, marshals and volunteers. The weather caused a few issues with finish recording, but we believe most (if not all) of these issues have been resolved. Results. Congratulations to overall County Champions Gemma Steel of Charnwood AC and Tom Evans of Lewes AC, and all our medal winners. Full reports to follow.

County Winners
Congratulations to Lynda Plumpton and Phil Fleetwood, both strong supporters of county athletics, on their recognition in the England Athletics Regional Volunteer awards. Lynda won an award for being an ‘Inspiring Official’ and Phil was runner-up for the Coach of the Year award.

Tom Mahon Wins Endurance Challenge
A massive well done to Tom Mahaon of Wreake & Soar Valley who claimed the prize in inaugural County Endurance Challenge. Tom will now receive a training grant of £250. Sadly, no women completed sufficient races to qualify.

County Half Marathon Championships
Congratulations to Mo Hussein of Roadhoggs and Vicky Baddick of Charnwood who were crowned County Champions at the Leicester Half Marathon. Full report on the endurance page.

County 5000m Championships
The 2022 5000m champions are Kieran Cann, Isabella Wrightam (U20) and Gill Bland (Senior). Report on the endurance page.

County 5K Road Race Championships
Congratulations to County 5K road race champions Alastair Watson and Gill Bland. Several medalists set PBs in what proved to be a successful evening at Mallory Park. Full report on the endurance page.

Junior Inter-Counties Team Announced
Team manager Claire Palmer has revealed the names of the young athletes who have been selected to represent Leicestershire & Rutland at the Junior Inter-Counties match to be held at Moorways Stadium, Derby on September 10th. Selection. Congratulations to all those that have made the team; we’re sure you’ll do us proud.

Etty gets Ticket to Cali
Congratulations to Etty Sisson on her selection for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland 4x400m squad for the World U20 Championships in Calli, Columbia.

County Endurance Challenge
For a full list of the remaining rounds, see the Endurance page.

English Schools Medalists
Congratulations to our county medalists, Indienne King (Senior 800m Gold) and Shaikira King (Junior 1500m Gold), who succesfully defended their titles, and Oliver Parker (Intermediate 100mH Bronze) who was making his English Schools debut. Full county results are on the Schools page.

Etty Grabs European Gold
Massive congratulations to Etty Sisson of Charnwood AC who ran a fine tactical 400m anchor leg for the Great Britain Girls Medley Relay team in the European U18 Championships. Taking the baton in second place, Etty kept her cool to preserve sufficient energy for a final decisive kick to take gold on the line.

Simon Allen and Gemma Steel Take County Fell Running Championships
The 2022 County Fell Running Championships – held in conjunction with the West End Runners promoted Windmill Hill Fell Race (a Category B Fell Race) at Woodhouse Eaves – produced record-breaking performances, as the former course records (32-06 Men / & 36-34 Women) were obliterated on the night.

Over a 2-lap 5 Mile course taking in Windmill Hill & Broombriggs Farm, the Men’s race soon developed into a fascinating duel as last year’s runner-up Simon Allen (OWLS AC) shadowed the 2022 County 10000m Champion Tom Mahon (Wreake & Soar Valley AC) on the opening lap. As the race developed on the second lap, Simon stretched away to claim the County title in a new course record of 30 minutes & 36 seconds. Tom (31-44) held on to claim the Silver medal, whilst Mark Powell (Leicester Coritanian AC) secured the Bronze (& Masters Gold) in a time of 33-29.

The Women’s race saw the in-form Gemma Steel (Charnwood AC) dominate from the outset to add another County title to her growing collection. Making her way steadily through the leading men, Gemma finished 3rd overall, in the process taking more than three minutes off the previous Women’s course record with a time of 33 minutes & 14 seconds. … The remaining medallists (all representing West End Runners) were: Sarah Horner (Silver: 38-06); Lucy Ellis (Bronze: 39-50); and Laura Davison (Master’s Gold: 43-00).

The County Association wish to express our thanks to Mark Lambell (and his team from West End Runners) for offering us the opportunity to hold the County Championships as part of their event.

Full race results can be found here.

Endurance Challenge Update
Tom Mahon’s win in the 10,000m has taken him to the top of the leaderboard for the county Endurance Challenge. After 2 events, he has 7 points and Tony Woodward’s second place has taken him to 4 points and joint second with Alistair Watson, who will race at the Night of the 10,000m PBs and missed the county event. Women’s standings remain as they were after the XC Champs, with a 1,2,3 of Justine Anthony, Emily Smith and Emma Richards.

County T&F Championships
It is with regret that we have taken the decision to cancel this year’s T&F Championships. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are left with insufficient officials to satisfy the requirements of UKA and Po10. We are extremely grateful to those officials who made themselves availble, but changes to UKA procedures mean that we were left short of the numbers required.

Tom Mahon takes 10,000m Title
Congratulations to Tom Mahon of Wreake & Soar Valley, who was crowned County 10,000m in a well contested race at the Pingles Stadium. From the gun, Tom and Northamptonshire contender John Wayland led a strong pack of runners, including Mark Couldwell, former champion Gordon Lee and Tony Woodward. After a few laps the leading pair started to break clear. Around mid-distance, Tom established a small advantage, which he built to nearly a minute over the rest of the race. Behind him, there was a keen contest for the remaining Leicestershire & Rutland medals. Mark Cauldwell and Tony Woodward both held the upper hand for periods of the race, but in the end Tony proved stronger. Pascal Bouttier-Butler had a good race and at one point looked like he might close the gap to 3rd place, but Mark was able to respond and successfully defended his advantage to the line. Regretably, there were no female entries for the championships.
1. Tom Mahon, Wreake & Soar Valley, 32.49.1
2. Tony Woodward, Notts AC, 34.34.4
3. Mark Couldwell, Charnwood AC, 34.39.2
Full results.

Liz Pearson
It is with a very heavy heart that we report the death of County Officials Secretary and Level 4 Field Judge Liz Pearson. Liz was universally respected in the athletics world, and her warmth and friendliness will be remembered by all who had the good fortune to experience it. Whether you were an international level official or a trainee taking your first steps at a local meeting, you were treated in the same friendly and supportive way. Our thoughts are with Jim, Tom and the family, and with her colleagues at Charnwood AC.

Shaikira King takes English Schools Title
Shaikira King added the English Schools Junior XC crown to the 1500m title that she won last Summer. Like the Inter-Counties, she took it out hard, but this time benefited from the dry conditions at Hop Farm in Kent and was able to use her track speed, staying clear to win by 3 seconds. Added to 4th at the Inter-Counties, 4th and Team gold in the English National with Wreake and Soar Valley teammates Zoe Gilbody, Imogen Saunders and Rebecca Van Aardt, and an age-group record for the mile, it has been a very successful winter campaign for the young athlete.

CAU Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships
Well done to all of our county athletes. A full report from the County Team managers is on the endurance page.

95th County Cross Country Championships
A huge thank you to Race Director John Heywood, President Phil Watts, Chief Marshal Ramon Howe, Referee Phil Drage and all the volunteers who worked so hard to stage a successful championships. Congratulations to County Champions Alastair Watson, Justine Anthony and all of the medal winners. A full report is on the endurance page. Results (V3: With correction to Masters Men).

Sportshall Athletics
Another successful County Sportshall League has drawn to a close and attention is now turning to the Regional Finals to be held in February. Congratulations to all of the athletes who competed and to the winners:

Under 11 combined winners were Charnwood AC
Under 13 combined winners were Ivanhoe Robins 
Under 15 combined winners were Ivanhoe Robins
 
Under 15’s individual competition
Girls overall winner was Evie Donnelly – Charnwood AC
2nd Place was Mia Hancox – Charnwood AC
3rd Place was Khara Bowlay-Williams – Charnwood AC
Boys overall winner was Samuel Smith – Ivanhoe Robins
2nd Place was Henry Carlile – Hinckley RC
3rd Place was Josh Cooling – HInckley RC
A big thank you to organisers Gary and Sharon Smith and all of the officials and volunteers who made it all possible.

County Success in England Athletics Volunteer Awards
A massive well done to award winners Hinckley Running Club (East Midlands Club of the Year) and Gary Smith of Ivanhoe Robins (East Midlands Coach of the Year). Congratulations too, to Rob Beers and Sharon Smith who finished runners up (Coach and Unsung Hero, respectively).

County 10K Road Race Championships
Congratulations to County Champions Jordan Rowe and Justine Anthony.  Race report

County Road Race Championships Oct 2021
Report

London Mini-Marathon
Congratulations to all of our county athletes who represented the East Midlands in the London Mini Marathon. Successes included a second place for Shaikira King, as the U15 Girls finished 3rd overall. Full results.

County 5000m Track Championships
Covid meant that we couldn’t hold a 5000m as part of our T&F Championships this year, so we are grateful to Sam and Olly Stabler for for incorporating a county 5000m event within their 5K Track Challenge. Report.

County T&F Championships
We apologise for the delay in posting results from the 2021 Championships. There were issues with both the output from photofinish and the entry provider. Results have been submitted to Power of 10 and are available here.

Ivan Taylor
We are greatly saddened to hear of the death of Ivan Taylor. Ivan gave great service to Charnwood AC as a coach to countless athletes, volunteer, and as a field referee and starter for their club and open events. Ivan wasn’t just a loyal club man, he was also a huge supporter of county athletics in all its forms, acting as starter for Sportshall, Quadkids, Schools Athletics, Disability Athletics, League fixtures and Championships. He was a reassuring presence as generations of young athletes took their first steps in competition, and athletes and colleagues alike, will all have fond memories of his dry sense of humour. He will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.

News updates:
King Sisters’ Triumphs Featured in AW
AW (Athletics Weekly) reported the success of sisters Indienne and Shaikira King in taking their first English Schools titles. Article.

County Athletes Achieve Paralympic Selection
Congratulations to Richard Whitehead (T61 200m), Stef Reid (T64 Long Jump), Libby Clegg  (T11 200m and 4x100m Universal Relay), Sophie Hahn (T38 100m and 4x100m Universal Relay), Dan Greaves (F64 Discus), Jonnie Peacock (T64 100m and 4x100m Universal Relay), Thomas Young (T38 100m) and Luke Nuttall (T46 1500m) on their selection for Tokyo.

Inaugural County Fell Running Champs
A small but good quality field resisted the counter-attractions of an England semi-final and contested county medals at the Windmill race. Report.
 
English Schools T&F Champs 2021
Congratulations to our County athletes who competed in the championships (and their coaches): County results

2021 Livingston Relays
The Livingston Relays will not now go ahead on May 2nd as originally planned. A decision will shortly be made as to whether to seek an alternative date in 2021 or postpone to 2022.

County Road Race Championships
Dates have been agreed for the County 5K & 10K Road Race Championship (both to be organised by Race Rapid at Mallory Park). The dates are as follows:
Sunday, October 31st (31/10): County 5K Championships
Sunday, December 12th (12/12): County 10K Championships

Other News