7th April - 11th April Competition Report
12 April 2021
Woolley Breaks 20!
An incredible run by Ellis Woolley at the Hereford 5k saw the Under 13 athlete break 20 minutes for the first time, with a time of 19:48, ranking her 10th in the UK. The competition was started in two waves and, despite starting in the second wave, dubbed the ‘over 20’ wave, Woolley still smashed through the barrier that many athletes chase. Under 15, Milly Foster, also ran a huge personal best of 22:28, beating her previous best, set last year, by 2 minutes.
(Photo Credit: Jane Woolley)
In the first wave, Richard De-Camps maintained his impressive 2020 form, finishing 11th in 15:18, his third fastest time ever and quicker than his track best. Martin Foster completed the course in 17:20 to finish 11th in his age category, knocking 10 seconds from his personal best. Nick Holliday finished as 2nd V60 in 18:27, his fastest time for around 10 years (according to PoT). Steve Bradley finished as 17th V45 with a strong run of 19:28 and Mel Schofield finished 14th in her age category in a time of 23:25.
More 5k success came on Saturday at the BMC 5ks in Tameside. Kaitlyn Sheppard made a long awaited return to competition. Committing to the fast leading pace from the gun and passing the first mile in 5 minutes made for a tough final 2km. But the long trip up North was made worthwhile, as Sheppard was rewarded with a PB of 17:03 and 3rd in the UK rankings.
(Photo Credit: TeamLowesRun from Andy Nixon)
The following day the Nuneaton Open welcomed the return of track and field competitions for the Harriers. Ellis Woolley was back in action, coming 3rd in the 800m in 2:36.23, always consistent over 800, this was Woolley’s 5th 2:36 clocking. Woolley then returned to the track to finish 7th in her debut 300m in 49.70. Younger sister Heidi was also back competing, beginning with a 2nd place in the 75m (12.82), and then finishing 4th in the 600m, with a huge personal best of 2:12.64.
Over in the field events, the Woolley sisters made it a trio of events, with Ellis finishing 3rd and Heidi 4th in the Long Jump with jumps of 3.30m and 2.58m respectively. Sulaiman Ouiles and Billy Buxton began their 2021 seasons together in the High Jump. Ouiles jumped a 4cm personal best of 1.65m to finish in 5th place, and a solid performance from Buxton saw him come 7th with a 1.50m clearance. Ouiles then made it a PB double in the Javelin, finishing 8th with a throw of 35.26m. Buxton completed a successful return to competition with 7th place in Discus with a throw of 31.09m.
The action didn’t stop there, Nicola Knight and Sam Pickering raced at the DBMax Chilly 10k, finishing 7th Vet40 (48:42.5) and 5th Vet50 (50:05.4) respectively.
Also on Sunday, Jo Wilkie was getting back into the competition groove at the Tempo Spring Duathlon. Wilkie battled tough conditions, including snow, and over 10 miles of running to finish as 3rd Female.