Tim Sanders running at the Baltonsborough Christmas Pudding run.
Harriers enjoyed a busy and highly successful end to the year, with strong performances across road racing, cross country and festive events at home and abroad. Highlights included standout results at the Baltonsborough Christmas Pudding Race, county medal success at the Four Counties Cross Country, record-breaking runs from Tom Webb, and international representation at the Lanzarote Marathon, alongside well-attended training sessions and socials to round off the year. The Club would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to sharing more impressive running, social gatherings and friendly competition in 2026.
Baltonsborough Christmas Pudding Race
A good turnout of Harriers.
Sunday 21st December saw near-perfect race conditions, a stark contrast to the extreme winds of 2025. Each finisher took home a Christmas pudding, ready for the big day on Thursday! First home among the 91 finishers was Neil Golding, who crossed the line in a fine time of 26:34. Harrier Alexander Coombs dipped just under 27 minutes to claim second place, while Chard’s Wayne Loveridge, winner of the summer edition, produced another solid run to finish third.
In the women’s race, it was a Harrier clean sweep. Charlotte Preece was the first female home in a time of 31:55. Second-claim Harrier Emma Rigby backed up her recent cross-country performances to finish second, with Amy Reakes doing just enough to hold off Eleanor Constable and secure third place.
Andrew Piper keeping his head warm.
All profits from the race go to Rowan Romania. This is a UK charity that was founded by a group of Baltonsborough villagers in 2004, and is still run and primarily supported by Baltonsborough villagers. The charity is committed to supporting adults with special needs in a long-stay psychiatric hospital in Zarnesti, Romania. This hospital has around 150 patients, and is severely over-crowded and under-funded. Read more about it here.
A lovely Grinch underlayer worn by Robbie.
Full results can be found here.
Harrier Results:
2nd Alexander Coombs - 26:59
5th Matt Lusby - 27:35
9th Stuart Nash - 30:28 (1st MV45)
13th Robbie Hawkins - 31:45
14th Charlotte Preece - 31:55 (1st Female)
18th Emma Rigby - 33:41
20th Andrew Piper - 34:23
22nd Paul Knight - 35:08 (1st MV60)
23rd Tim Sanders - 35:10
24th Matthew Wigley - 35:48
26th Amy Reakes - 36:08
27th Eleanor Constable - 26:24 (1st FV40)
53rd Michael Coombs - 42:01
63rd Kim Clark - 44:53
65th Gary Tubridy - 45:06
Watch a reel of the event here.
Alex and Amy with their medals.
Four Counties XC
Laurence Badman and Stuart Nash
The Four Counties XC took place on Sunday 14th December in Bath. The county championships were included in the 3rd race of the Gloucestershire XC League. There were plenty of Harriers who claimed Somerset medals and the opportunity to represent Somerset at the upcoming South West XC Championships in Ilton. Well done to all who raced.
Full race results can be found here.
County championship specific results can be found here.
U11 Girls – 1.9 km
Bella GURUNG – 1st (1st Somerset)
Sophia ROWE – 22nd
U11 Boys – 1.9 km
Heath HUGHES-DAVIES – 2nd – 06:43 (1st Somerset)
Jonah BARRINGTON – 8th – 06:58 (2nd Somerset)
Kieran OCONNELL – 9th – 07:08 (3rd Somerset)
Otis FACER GRAHAM – 53rd – 10:08
A podium clean sweep for the U11 boys representing Somerset
U13 Girls – 2.8 km
Ruby SHAW – 1st – 10:21 (1st Somerset)
Harriet SCOTT – 10th – 11:25 (3rd Somerset)
Zoe FROST – 12th – 11:32
Harriet TROTTER – 31st – 12:34
Florence PERKINS – 36th – 13:11
Poppy BROUGHTON – 46th – 18:39
A great turnout for the U13 Girls
U13 Boys – 2.8 km
Noah CHAPMAN – 9th – 10:17 (2nd Somerset)
Milo COOK – 42nd – 13:02
U15 Boys – 3.8 km
Jamie WILLIAMS – 4th – 12:18 (1st Somerset)
Oskar BECK – 6th – 12:28 (2nd Somerset)
Dominic COOK – 73rd – 15:38
U15 Girls – 3.8 km
Amelia DENNING – 86th – 19:25
U17 Men & Women – 5.7 km
Addie BUTCHER – 22nd – 20:10
Florence TIBBATTS – 39th – 21:56 (1st Somerset)
Daniel BYRANT – 40th – 21:58
Daniel Byrant
Senior & Masters Women – 6.6 km
Louisa WHITE – 34th – 27:15 (3rd Somerset)
Eleanor CONSTABLE (W40) – 56th – 29:16 (1st Somerset)
Senior & Masters Men – 10.3 km
Peter GRIST (M40) – 18th – 36:16 (1st Avon)
Matthew LUSBY (M35) – 19th – 36:17 (1st Somerset)
Laurence BADMAN – 86th – 41:15 (1st Somerset)
Oliver FROST (M40) – 103rd – 43:06 (2nd Somerset)
Bailey CLARK – 120th – 43:31 (2nd Somerset)
Bailey Clark
More photos can be found here.
Wessex League (Race 4)
The final race in the 2025 Wessex League series took place on Sunday 14th December at Canford School, Canford Magna. To complete the series, runners had to participate in three out of the four races.
Harrier Results:
U11 Boys
20th Hugo Pearse - 6.40 (Finished 14th in the series)
U13 Boys
13th Ronnie Legge 14.49 (Finished 12th in the series)
U13 Girls
9th Glennie Thorman 13.59 (Finished 7th in the series)
U15 Girls
4th Isla Hayes 14.48
U17 Women
2nd Daisy Abernethy 17.45
Senior Women
1st Daisy Davies 24.55
16th Amie Biss 36.14 (16th in the series)
Senior Men
29th Neil Biss 45.26 (17th in the series)
Full results can be found here.
Neil Biss
Well done to all that have competed in the Wessex League this year. It will return again in October 2026. If you still want to get your cross-country fix for this season, then there are two races left in the Gwent League. Please register your interest if you would like to run.
Telford 10K
Regarded as one of the fastest 10Ks in the country, the Telford 10K attracts runners from far and wide, with multiple waves ranging from elite athletes to those chasing a personal best over the distance. On this occasion, it wasn’t only PBs that were on offer, but British records too.
Tom Webb once again proved his exceptional talent with a superb performance. Targeting the seemingly unimaginable sub-30 barrier, he went one better—storming home in 29:45 to set a new British Under-18 record*. In doing so, he eclipsed a 36-year-old mark that had stood since 1989, bettering Jon Gascoyne’s 29:46 by just one second. Tom finished 31st in his wave, rounding off a truly remarkable race.
Also racing at Telford was Hannah Blundy. She also had a strong race, achieving a PB in a time of 35:26.
Full results can be found here.
*Still to be ratified.
Start Fitness Fast 5000
Tom in the zone.
For many of us, smashing a huge 10K PB would be enough to keep the endorphins flowing well into the New Year before setting new goals. However, just a week later, Tom Webb was back on the start line. On Sunday 21st December, Tom claimed a hard-fought victory at the Start Fitness Fast 5000 at Torbay Velopark, finishing in 14:36, just 12 seconds shy of the PB he set in November. Not a bad week’s work for Tom! Watch his post race interview here.
Full results here.
Tom did enough to edge ahead of Exeter’s Rory Barclay-Watt
Font Vella Marathon Lanzarote
Andrew and Robert post race.
On Saturday 6th December, a group of Harriers competed on the Canary Island of Lanzarote. The event featured a marathon, half marathon and 10K. In the marathon, Damien Pick recorded an impressive time of 3:17:50. Andrew Piper completed the half marathon in 1:48:34, while Robert Moore finished the 10K in 60:18. Well done to all involved!
Full results here.
Training Roundup
Christmas cheer from the juniors.
Training sessions have now concluded for 2025. It was fantastic to see so many juniors attending the Paarlauf event during the final Monday session. Well done to everyone for your hard work throughout the year. There was an equally strong turnout from the senior Harriers the following day, with plenty of teams taking part in the Paarlauf. Over 30 Harriers then gathered at the King Alfred in Street for a Christmas social, enjoying drinks and a curry together. On Thursday, the group concluded the year with a social run spotting the festive lights around Wells. Training resumes in the week commencing 5 January.
The winning paarlauf team.
Laurence, Joe and Damien
The new Tuesday training schedule for January and February can be found here.
A big thank you to all the coaches and volunteers who make these training sessions possible. A special shout-out to Jon James, who helps plan and lead the Tuesday sessions and regularly offers individual support and advice to many Harriers. Thanks also to Jonathan Williams and Nick Stevens, who have helped launch our well-attended, structured Thursday sessions. Finally a thanks for Paul Chadwick who plans for our older junior sessions, and the team of coaches that work together to plan the remaining Monday training sessions for our juniors. If you would like to become a coach or support the club in another way, please get in touch. Find out more about coaching here.
Thursday Christmas light run.
Laser Run/Penathlon Training
Harrier coach Stuart Dowden will be offering free coaching for January (just need to pay the £2.50 for use of the track) for laser run club training. All equipment and training included. Laser shooting when safe or run training in inclement weather. Open to ages 8+. Email
Somerset County Athletic Association Road Race Championship for 2026
The County Association has agreed to repeat the 2025 arrangement using the “league” version consisting of 3 existing road races from the Somerset Series. Athletes wanting to count in the Championship must complete 2 out of the 3 races.
The races are:
1. Wells 10K – May 24th
2. Baltonsborough 5 Miles – August 31st
3. Burnham Half Marathon – September 13th.
The County thanks the organisers of these races for agreeing to include the County
Championships in their events.
Scoring will be based on the order of finishing among Somerset eligible athletes. 1
point for 1st Somerset Man and Woman, 2 points for 2nd place, and so on. At the end of the series of 3 races the Man and Woman with least points will be champions. If there is a tie we will take into account relative finishing positions of those tied when competing against each other in the same race(s). Silver and Bronze medals will be decided on the same scoring basis. As in past years age categories will not be used for this trial championship.
Eligibility for Somerset for this Championship will follow UKA rules. Eligibility criteria
may be found through the following link: https://www.somerset-athletics.co.uk/eligibility%20criterion.htm
Residence in North Somerset or BANES Council areas does not count.
Unattached athletes will not be counted in the Championship.
Entry into the individual races and confirmation that athletes are Somerset eligible
via their entry processes gives automatic entry into the Championship. There are no
extra fees to take part in the Championship.
Club Welfare
Wells City Harriers has two club welfare officers, Sarah Massey and Jon James. They are available to support any concerns athletes, parents or coaches raise or would like to discuss in relation to safety and wellbeing, and to help the club implement welfare policies and procedures. All officials and coaches have DBS clearance and have received training related to safeguarding and health and safety.
Further details can be found on the WCH website safeguarding page: Safeguarding: including links to forms where incidents and concerns can be logged.
Please do contact us if you have questions:
News Reports
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this week’s report. If you’ve raced recently, please remember that we can only include your results if you send us a race report or photos to let us know about it. Send your race details and photos to
Dates For Your Diary
Here is a list of upcoming races, including WCH supported races, Somerset Series races, road relays, athletics league fixtures and other notable events. Contact club secretary Alexander Coombs if there is an event you would like adding. (SS = Somerset Series race, SRC = Somerset Road Championships)
January 2026
[SS] Thursday 1st January 2026 - Chard Flyer
Saturday 3rd January 2026 - South West Cross Country Championships (Ilton)
Monday 5th January 2026 - Junior training resumes
Tuesday 6th January 2026 - Senior training resumes
Thursday 8th January 2026 - Dave Jones Weston Prom Series (Race 5)
Sunday 11th January 2026 - Welsh Athletics Junior Open Meeting 2 (Indoor)
Wednesday 14th January 2026 - Street 5K (Race 4)
Saturday 17th January 2026 - Welsh Athletics Y.Ath. / U20 Championships (Indoor)
Sunday 17th January 2026 - Welsh Athletics Y.Ath. / U20 Championships (Indoor)
Saturday 24th January 2026 - SEAA Cross Country Championships (Beckenham)
Sunday 25th January 2026 - Cardiff Met. Non Thomas GP (Indoor)
Saturday 31st January 2026 - The National Running Show
February 2026
Sunday 1st February 2026 - The National Running Show
Saturday 7th February 2026 - Gwent League XC (Fixture 4 - Chepstow Race Course)
Saturday 7th February 2026 - Welsh Athletics Y.Ath. / Senior Championships (Indoor)
Sunday 8th February 2026 - Welsh Athletics Y.Ath. / Senior Championships (Indoor)
Wednesday 11th February 2026 - Street 5K (Race 5)
Thursday 12th February 2026 - Dave Jones Weston Prom Series (Race 6)
Saturday 21st February 2026 - English ‘National’ Cross Country Championships
[SS] Sunday 22nd February 2026 - Babcary Road Race
Saturday 28th February 2026 - Gwent League XC (Fixture 5 - Parc Bryn Bach)
March 2026
Saturday 7th March 2026 - UK CAU Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships
Wednesday 11th March 2026 - Street 5K (Race 6)
Thursday 12th March 2026 - Dave Jones Weston Prom Series (Race 7)
[SS] Sunday 22nd March 206 - The Humdinger Half (and Hurtle)
Sunday 29th March 2026 - Fleet Half Marathon
April 2026
Thursday 9th April 2026 - Dave Jones Weston Prom Series (Race 8)
Sunday 12th April 2026 - Exe to Axe
[SS] Sunday 12th April 2026 - The Big Cheese
[SS] Sunday 19th April 2026 - Ilminster 10K
May 2026
Sunday 3rd May 2026 - Senior Inter-Counties Mountain Race
Sunday 10th May 2026 - Great Bristol Run (Half Marathon and 10K)
[SS] Sunday 17th May 2026 - The Badrat Bolt
Thursday 21st May 2026 - Dave Jones Weston Prom Series (Race 9)
[SS] [SRC] Sunday 24th May 2026 - Wells Festival of Running
June 2026
[SS] Wednesday 24th June 2026 - The Forde Abbey 10K