Horwich RMI Harriers roam the continent to compete
The HORWICH Harriers have traveled the world recently to pursue their passion for running.
James Kevan was once again in the colors of Ireland in Italy for the Nation’s Cup mountain race and won the 1,000m ascent and 19km in his stride despite cramping during the race.
Meanwhile, Steve Thomasson was in Åland, Finland for a 10k, returning to racing after six months of calf problems.
He now has an itinerary of Norway, Poland, Germany and the Faroe Islands lined up for 2022.
Closer to home, Rob Jackson is having an impressive year and after his recent triumphs at the British Masters he was back at Heaton Park for the “We Love NHS” 10k where he was first at home in the U50 and M55 with a smart time of 38 minutes. 27 seconds.
The Harriers have improved their game by fielding several teams at recent cross country events and at Wythenshawe Park, for the 55th University of Manchester cross country relay, Horwich had two scratch women’s teams, some of which competed in their very first cross-country race. .
The A team of Milly Lever, Jodie Adamson and Alison Mort finished 34th out of 69 teams and the B team of Helen MacDonald, Johanna Dodsworth and Rachel Holland finished 50th.
They are now eager to repeat and improve upon these results built on the hard work of the past few weeks on the track.
MacDonald, as a rookie, said the experience was “tough but fun and we all had a big smile on our faces once it was over, eager to run again.”
The men’s teams had more experience of cross country challenges and placed 20th and 39th out of 53 teams.
Team A was sent off with a quick first leg from Luke Foley, then on the last leg Nick Leigh moved up several places with an even faster time.
Team B, also a scratch team, will be looking to build on a good effort with Jonathan Bruton and Dominic Jones giving them a solid platform.
The men had also had a great time at the South East Lancs Cross-Country League at Heaton Park, where the new course proved to be a difficult improvement over the previous setup.
Foley was second, Leigh was fourth and together with Jones and Richard O’Reilly they took third tag team out of 14 clubs.
In the juniors, Grace Mort was second in the Under-13s and Charlotte Wilkinson took third in the Under-15s – a result she repeated in the Mid-Lancs League at Hyndburn.
The club’s AGM celebrated the achievements through a very difficult time for everyone and he looks forward to ambitious plans for further developments, including the club’s centenary celebrations in 2024.
Members also congratulated the club’s mainstay, Alastair Murray, who filled many roles for the club for 20 years and was rewarded with a lifetime membership.