All of the information from the ERRA males’s 12-stage and girls’s 6-stage highway relay champs at Sutton Park on April 11.
It’s a uncommon occasion when a membership retains their males’s 12-stage title however Bristol & West did simply that at wind-swept Sutton Park, whereas girls’s winner Belgrave Harriers had been on the rostrum of their 6-stage occasion for the primary time.
Golf equipment make use of completely different ways in highway relays. Whereas Salford Harriers front-loaded their staff to good impact, the constant Bristol outfit saved their two star turns to final, as did second-placed Tonbridge.
Belgrave too needed to come from behind to take the ladies’s race however had been all the time within the hunt.
With the dog-leg out to Streetley Gate once more restricted, the flip was a brief manner west of the Jamboree Stone which meant that the size, which was just lately remeasured at 5432 metres and the equal size phases now appear to fulfill with widespread approval.
Males
Bristol have historical past on this race and in 1980 had been the primary membership to strategy the what was thought-about ‘magic’ four-hour mark and since then had solely gained as soon as extra and that was final 12 months.
Their retention this 12 months was the primary time, since Leeds in 2014, to retain the title and so they did so with an especially constant set of particular person instances, a minimum of till the final two laps.
Flynn Jennings had set them on their manner with a fifth place on the opener, with a 16:00 cut up and so they then drifted out of rivalry till Peter Le Grice superior them to 3rd on stage 9 and Luke Burgess consolidated on leg 10 as he went forward after which stated: “I used to be 5 seconds sooner than within the Midlands.”
It was then nearly all Bristol as each Jack Millar and Will Battershill, who was quickest final 12 months, each went sub-16 minutes to seal victory by greater than a minute.
Again then, Battershill stated he had twisted his ankle however this 12 months stated: “This was extra annoying however there was nonetheless mud by the lake.”
This was forward of 2018 and 2022 winners Tonbridge who threw all the things at phases 10 and 12 however needed to be content material with second.
They’d began nicely sufficient after Jack Higgins first stage fourth place, however then drifted out of rivalry till they performed their ace card within the type of James Kingston. The 24-year-old could solely have gained 4 locations to second however his 15:19 was comfortably the quickest of the day.
Speaking about his profession to this point and what the long run could maintain, he stated that he could nicely go to longer distance highway operating sooner or later however with a marathon debut a few years away.
Tonbridge then performed one other card on the dying as Ted Higgins went third greatest total with a 15:37 return, nevertheless it was all too late and so they needed to be content material with the silver medals.
Cambridge & Coleridge staged a repeat of their third place from 2025 and, aside from a nippy fourth leg by Jack Grey, went largely un-noticed till they too performed their excessive scoring playing cards close to the top.
They had been to safe the bronze medals as firstly Callum Elson after which Jonathan Escalante-Phillips each went underneath 16 minutes to maintain them greater than a minute away from Kent, Salford and Western Tempo.
Nonetheless, Salford had earlier led for 2 thirds of the race after Harry Johnson’s 15:44 gave them a primary leg victory however then admitted to front-loading their staff. He stated: “I took the lead after which held it nevertheless it’s the primary 12-stage I’ve finished.”
That front-loading was confirmed by their stage 4 and second quickest runner, Harry Wakefield who had re-gained that first spot as he stated: “I picked the staff,” nevertheless it was solely on the penultimate lap that they slipped away from the rostrum.
They did admit that they knew they had been going to slide again and stage six runner Jacob Wooden-Doyle, who once more stored them forward at midway stated: “I assumed that I used to be going to get caught.”
Western Tempo had gained the Midland race on this identical course and introduced in Jacob Cann to bolster their trigger. He did so with a 12-place development to 3rd on stage 4 with the second quickest effort of 15:21 however admitted: “We’re lacking just a few.”
They then took the general lead on stage 9 because of Dom James’ 16:01, however they flattered to deceive and couldn’t stand up to the back-loading of their rivals and wound up sixth.
It had been Bristol and second positioned Tonbridge who had successfully back-loaded their dozen runners however one factor the race did show was that golf equipment have to have all of their runners inside 17 minutes on this course, or about 15:30 for 5km, if they need medals. First and second did this and third positioned Cambridge & Coleridge had only a single runner outdoors 17:00, however golf equipment with extra had been unnoticed within the chilly.
Deep within the discipline, on leg two, Jake Wightman, the 2022 world 1500m gold medallist and 2025 runner-up, put in an look for Edinburgh and was timed at 16:03 after gaining 15 slots to thirty sixth place.
He stated: “It was good to run by the sector.”
Watchers observed that Wightman seemed to be operating simply and never flat out.
Requested about his plans for the summer time the 1500m man stated that he could be going for each European and Commonwealth titles.
Males (12×5.424m): 1 Bristol & W 3:16:49 (F Jennings 16:00, W Parkin 16:52, D Rigby 16:43, D Minors 16:51, F McGrath 16:16, T Lefroy 16:32, M Campion 16:39, J Morrow 16:41, P Le Grice 16:12, L Burgess 16:13, J Millar 15:59, W Battershill 15:46); 2 Tonbridge 3:17:26 (J Higgins 15:58, L Mills 16:41, C Chambers 17:24, J MacDonald 17:16, H Fraser 16:44, T Bawtree 16:44, A Howard 16:09, J Chambers 17:07, J Crombie 16:51, J Kingston 15:19, Okay Reilly 16:30, T Higgins 15:37); 3 Cambridge & Coleridge 3:18:14 (C Benyan 16:38, E Spencer 16:27, J Moynihan 16:57, J Grey 15:58, M Morgan 16:38, J Teagle 16:15, W Newcombe 17:30, M Bartram 16:59, L McCarron 16:28, D Jones 16:24, C Elson 15:54, J Escalante-Phillips 15:59)
4 Kent 3:19:17 (R Sesemann 16:37, J Collier 16:06, B Clarke 17:18, J Gilbert 16:32, O Buck 17:05, Okay Wilkinson 16:48, I Parker 17:03, N Acfield 16:38, N Armitage-Hookes 16:25, R Braden 16:43, O Hind 16:03, J English 15:53); 5 Salford 3:19:33 (J Johnso n 15:54, J Birmingham 15:21, J Moores 16:57, H Wakefield 15:50, D Barratt 16:22, J Wooden-Doyle 16:48, Okay Davidson 16:34, Okay Darcy 16:52, M Mannings 17:06, C Rowlinson 17:04, G Priestley 17:13, T Cornthwaite 16:35); 6 W Tempo 3:19:40 (C Jones 16:20, L Carroll 16:47, L Davis 16:58, J Cann 15:21, M Kelly 16:43, G Jones 16:48, B Robinson 16:33, A Lygo 17:00, D James 16:01, R de Camps 17:1`2, C Wright 17:19, D Owen 16:31;7 Herne Hill 3:19:48 (H Bell 16:22, A Ludewick 15:45, D Shaw 16:33, L Laylee 16:52, F Whitelock 17:07, S Bramwell 15:42, E Brown 16:56, D Brashaw 16:56, T Austin 16:55, M Roberts 16:39, A Russell 16:49, T O’Mahoney 17:08): 8 Highgate 3:21:32 (H Grierson 15:55, A Lepretre 16:19, F Kent 17:13, J Allen 16:22, R Brown 17:02, S Gharfari 16:40, R Wilson 17:14, R Poolman 16:39, T Burns 17:20, L Fawden 17:48, D Lewis 17:06, S Jinks 16:49): 9 Leeds 3:22:14 (W Indelbu 17:03, N Marsh 17:04, J Corridor 16:49, O Meslek 17:17, D Franks 16:58, W Tighe 16:37, M Abshir 17:11, J Firth 16:20, S Atkinson 18:16, J Beattie 16:17, S Flanagan 16:55, G Chalmers 16:23); 10 Swansea 3:23:12 (C Rogers 16:34, E Slaughter 17:10, M Verran 17:06, A Robinson 18:16, J Hopkins 16:55, E Lawrence 17:24, J Butler 16:22, M James 17:21, D Jones 6:08, D Rothwell 16:51, D Griffiths 16:10, M Rees 16:50); 11 Central 3:23:32; 12 Meirionnydd 3:23:58; 13 Bedford & C3:24:24; 14 VP&TH 3:26:33; 15 Corstophine 3:27:09
Quickest: J Kingston (Ton) 15:19; J Cann (W Tempo) 15:21; Ted Higgins (Ton) 15:37; S Barnwell (Herne H) 15:42; H Johnson (Salf) 15:44; A Ludewick/WBattersill (B&W) 15:46; M Clisham (Cov G) 15:48; H Wakefield (Salf) 15:50; J English (Kent) 15:53
Ladies
Final 12 months the ladies ran six legs of what was beforehand their brief stage and statistics buffs had been moderately happy at a measure of consistency. This 12 months, nonetheless it was all change for the ladies who ran their six phases of equal 5432 metres to that of the lads.
Winners Belgrave topped the rostrum for the primary time and had been all the time within the prime three after Alexandra Barbour gave them a superb begin in third spot. That was behind first stage ‘winner’ Bethany Reid who introduced an incomplete Trafford squad dwelling with a fourth total quickest 18:24 forward of Salford’s Sinead Bent.
Reid stated: “It was so windy and we had been collectively then I took the lead on the backside of the hill.”
Belgrave then see-sawed between second and first as Juliet Hodder introduced them dwelling with the sixth greatest time of 18:30.
This added to their South of England crown from two weeks earlier and theirs was a race of consistency as sooner instances had been elsewhere.
On leg two Saron Haileselaise had gained slot to second, behind Metropolis of Leeds’ Heather Townsend, who stated: “I handed 4 or 5.”
Nancie Bowley’s 18:18, the day’s second quickest, then took Belgrave forward mid-race and she or he stated: “I missed the win within the Southern and we must always maintain on as we’ve obtained weapons on 4, 5 and 6.”
It was once more Leeds who challenged and led on the finish of phases 4, because of Katrina Ballantyne, who stated: “The wind didn’t really feel too dangerous” – and 5, by Eilidh Bell, who stated: “I attempted to ease downhill then be sturdy on the ups.”
Lastly, Hodder’s 18:30 sealed the Belgrave win by 36 seconds on the glory leg. She stated: “It’s nicer beginning off second and I attempted to go off pretty relaxed then squeezed it the second half.”
For Leeds it was the third 12 months in a row that they’d taken the silver medals having gained 4 instances between 2017 and 2023.
In 2024, it was Thames Valley Harriers who got here out on prime with their Yvie Lock quickest on the lengthy leg and, right here, it was Lock who gained eight slots to 3rd place on stage two with a fifth quickest 18:27.
A drop to fourth mid-race adopted and regular laps then got here their manner, earlier than Roxana Lopez Ramierez took them again to the rostrum place.
That was on the expense of holders and eight-time winners Aldershot, who had moved as much as third on stage 4 because of Phillipa Bowden’s third quickest of the day 18:20, nonetheless, they may not preserve their edge and slipped again during the last two laps.
Largely unnoticed, fifth positioned Bristol & West, like their males, saved their greatest to the top of the race as firstly Chelsea Baker, who was sixth quickest, with 18:30 after which Charlotte Taylor who moved them firstly from eleventh to sixth after which into the highest 5.
For Taylor it yielded comfortably the quickest lap time of 17:53, regardless of operating in a vacuum for almost all of the lap.
Deep within the girls’s discipline there have been good efficiency from two of the nation’s prime masters’ runners. Holder of a number of W55 greatest highway instances Karima Harris ran 20:24 for Highgate on leg two whereas a number of W60 document and highway greatest holder Clare Elms was faster with a 20:16 cut up on the primary stage.
Ladies (6×5.424km): 1 Belgrave 1:52:55 (A Barbour 18:35, S Haileselaisse 19:00, N Bowley 18:18, M Cordon-Lloyd 19:32, E Fennelly 18:58, J Hodder 18:30); 2 Leeds 1:53:31 (S Pennycook 18:40, H Townsend 18:41, G Malir 18:34, Okay Ballantyne 19:09, E Bell 19:11, Z Hunter 19:13); 3 TVH 1:55:21 (C Buckley 19:15, Y Lock 18:27, A Mundell 20:04, L Sterritt 20:38, T Barlow 19:22, R Lopez-Ramierez 18:34): 4 AFD 1:55:27 (M Grice 19:11, H Preedy 18:38, E Stevens 20:01, P Bowden 18:20, L Gent 19:49, A Griffiths 19:26); 5 Bristol & West 1:56:32 (S Duval 19:27, M Jones 20:25, B Shepherd 19:57, A Nicholls 20;17, C Baker 18:30, C Taylor 17:53); 6 Cambridge & C 1:58:36 (J Leggate 18:49, I Mansley 20:04, Okay Lowery 19:24, J Colley 20:42, J Edmunds 20:32, E Ruane 19:02); 7 Herne H 1:59:38 (M Coogan 19:19, M Smith 18:35, S Lockwood 21:04, O Stillman 20;11, G Layland 19:53, Okay Balme 20:33); 8 Belgrave B 2:00:08 (A Gandee 19:35, S Riceman 20:38, G Rowley 19: 05, P Oliver 21:08, A Alloula 19:54, L Mangan 19:45); 9 Edinburgh 2:00:16 (L Naga 20:28, A McAuley-Orr 20:45, A Thompson 21:49, H Cox 19:39, I Cubitt 19:01, Okay Walker 18:31); 10 Swansea 2:01:00 (M Gold 19:18, D Bass 19:36, B Stratton-Thomas 21:19, N McDonald 20:02, H Williams 20:34, B Rusby 20:08); 11 T Tub 2:01:14; 12 VP&TH 2:01:41; 13 Highgate 2:02:12; 15 Bury 2:05:40
Quickest: C Taylor (B&W) 17:53; N Bowley (Belg) 18:18; P Bowden (AFD) 18:20; B Reid (Traff) 18:24; Y Lock (TVH) 18:27; C Baker (B&W)/J Hodder (Belg) 18:30
