Wells City Harriers

"A FRIENDLY RUNNING CLUB THAT WELCOMES ATHLETES OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES"

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Ruby Shaw racing at the County Schools XC

It’s been a packed and highly successful period for Wells City Harriers, with standout performances across road racing, cross country, and junior competitions. From Tom Webb’s record-breaking runs at the Street 5K and Stoke Stampede, to strong team showings at the Speedway 10K and County Schools XC Championships, Harriers of all ages have been delivering impressive results. Alongside the racing action, there’s plenty to look ahead to, entries are open for the Babcary Road Race, a new Couch to 5K course launching in April, and key dates in the Gwent League and Somerset Series fast approaching.

Street 5K (Race 4)

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Start of the January race

Race 4 of the 2025/26 Street 5K series took place on Wednesday 14 January and saw a strong turnout of 73 finishers. Tom Webb led the field in his first appearance of the series, posting an outstanding time of 15:03 — the fastest recorded so far this season.

Phoebe Aspinall was the first female finisher, completing a Harriers clean sweep with a time of 18:51. You can watch the race from Phoebe’s view here.

With two races remaining, the series is reaching a decisive stage. The latest standings can now be viewed here. Remember, runners must complete five of the six races to qualify for the overall series. Currently leading the way are Oskar Beck and Louise Mills.

Full January results can be found here.

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The camera just managed to catch Tom Webb speed around the course

Harrier Results:

1 – Tom Webb – 00:15:03

2 – Oskar Beck – 00:16:34

7 – Addie Butcher – 00:16:55

8 – Jamie Williams – 00:16:57

13 – Owen Astington – 00:17:30

14 – Casper Rawbone – 00:17:33

15 – Dan Bryant – 00:18:12

16 – Noah Chapman – 00:18:13

17 – Fred Rawbone – 00:18:15

18 – Laurence Badman – 00:18:16

20 – Benjamin Thomas – 00:18:23

22 – Phoebe Aspinall – 00:18:51

24 – Ray Rawbone – 00:19:18

28 – Dan Williams – 00:19:57

31 – Andrew Piper – 00:20:15

34 – Zoe Dale – 00:20:36

39 – Helen Allen – 00:21:07

44 – Thomas Kendrick – 00:22:24

45 – Paul Knight – 00:22:26

48 – Fergus Crawford – 00:22:54

49 – Emma Woodcock – 00:22:59

52 – Eva Dowden – 00:23:26

55 – Susan Williams – 00:23:52

56 – Mark Pople – 00:24:06

63 – Robert Moore – 00:25:21

67 – Kim Clark – 00:27:35

70 – Chris Clark – 00:31:46

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Jamie Williams racing

In the junior races, Jonah Barrington claimed first place in the boys’ 1K with a time of 3:35, while Grace Speyers topped the girls’ field in 4:01. Over the 2K distance, Heath Hughes Davies took the win in 7:05, with Ruby Shaw finishing close behind in 7:08.

Junior results can be found here.

The penultimate race will take place on Wednesday 11th February 2026. Enter here.

 

Schools XC Championships

[Report by Paul Chadwick]

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Many of our Monday night juniors raced at the county schools XC

Saturday 17th January

Over 20 of the Harrier juniors were in action this past weekend for their Area Schools teams at the County Schools XC Championships for secondary school pupils. 

The Somerset edition was held at RNAS Ilton whilst the Avon edition was held at Kingswood School.

There were three outright Harrier winners in different age groups at the Somerset Championships: Ruby Shaw, Florence Tibbatts and Tom Webb.

 

Harrier Results Somerset Schools Championships:

Minor Girls (School Year 7)

4th Zoe Frost

6th Elodie Burdett

9th Glennie Thorman

18th Harriet Trotter

32nd Florence Perkins

 

Minor Boys 

14th Benjamin Hutchins

18th Ronnie Legge

24th Milo Cook

 

Junior Girls (School Years 8&9)

1st Ruby Shaw

7th Harriet Scott

16th Mia Shore

21st Emily Dockerty

 

Junior Boys

42nd William McAslan

 

Inter Girls (School Years 10&11)

15th Jemima Tibbatts 

 

Inter Boys 

2nd Jamie Williams

6th Casper Rawbone

8th Oskar Beck

9th Stellan Corp 

10th Harry Dawson

29th Reuben Frith

38th Dominic Cook

 

Senior Girls

1st Florence Tibbatts 

 

Senior Boys

1st Tom Webb

 

Avon Schools Championships

Minor Boys

20th Giorgio Nicodemi

Junior Boys

13th Toby Hirst

Inter Boys

8th Addie Butcher

The majority of the Harriers finishing in the top ten have now put themselves in the frame to represent their County Schools teams at the SW Schools Championships in Exeter on 7th February. A good run there might mean selection to the English Schools Championships in March.

Apologies to any Harriers missed out of the above list of results, and there were probably some of our partner YOAC members competing at the Dorset Schools XC Championships.

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Junior Girls Ruby and Harriet

Stoke Stampede

11th January 2026

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Tom Webb into the record books again

Tom Webb made the headlines once again at this year’s Stoke Stampede, smashing the course record by an impressive 1 minute and 8 seconds. Returning to the course where he made his 10K debut, Tom led from the gun and secured a commanding victory, finishing more than three minutes clear of second place, Wells City Harriers debutant Thomas Addison-Wood.

Karen Shears also travelled to Stoke St Gregory to take on the challenging 10K course.

Tom’s outstanding performance did not go unnoticed, earning recognition from the local BBC. You can read the BBC article here.

Harrier Results:

1st - Tom Webb - 30:37

2nd - Thomas Addison-Wood - 34:00

321st - Karen Shears - 1:07:41

 

Full results can be found here.

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Tom Addison-Wood claimed second place

Speedway 10K

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Zak Hurrell, Pete Grist and Alex Coombs finished within 2 seconds of one another

Advertised as “a race for racers”, the Speedway 10K is bare bones, with no fluff, t-shirts, medals or goody bags. A flat, fast course with PB potential. It’s about going out and getting the job done with a load of other people who want to run fast. With this in mind, the entry criteria isn’t on a first come, first served basis, however entrants must fill in an online application form, providing their best recent 10km time. Entrants are then ranked by gender and speed. The number of male/female entrants are then decided upon the entry split and depth/quality of the field. 

Seven Harriers secured places in the entry field and raced in near-perfect conditions on the flat, fast course. All delivered excellent performances, with Alex Coombs and Victoria Ryan both recording new PBs. Jon James claimed first V60 as he continues his impressive return from a long injury lay-off. Mark Duffett led the Harriers home with a superb 32:15, while Pete Grist recorded his fastest 10K in over 16 years. Chris Green and Zak Hurrell also impressed, each dipping under 33 minutes once again.

A highly successful morning for the Harriers, capped off by the Senior men finishing 4th in the team competition. 

Full results can be found here.

Harrier Results:
25th – Mark Duffett (Senior) — 32:15
33rd – Christian Green (Senior) — 32:38
40th – Alexander Coombs (Senior) — 32:54 (PB)
43rd – Zak Hurrell (Senior) — 32:55
45th – Peter Grist (V40) — 32:56
97th – Jon James (V60) — 34:48 (1st V60)
173rd – Victoria Ryan (V40) — 39:19 (PB)

See a reel of the race here.

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Mark Duffett finished in 32:15

Couch to 5K Group Returns

Sharon Bowles will be running another 8-week Couch to 5K course, starting on Wednesday 1st April. This programme is ideal for runners aiming to complete the course in time for the Wells Festival of Running weekend, or for anyone looking to start running for the first time or return after a long break.

If you’re interested in joining, or know a family member or friend who might be, this is a fantastic place to begin. For more information or to book your place, please email Sharon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The course costs £20, which also includes club membership, and is delivered by UKA-qualified coaches.

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The 2025 couch to 5k group

Babcary Road Race

Don’t forget to enter the Babcary Road Race, taking place on Sunday 22nd February at 11:00.

The course follows a circular route from Babcary to South Barrow, continuing to the North Barrow crossroads, before returning to Babcary via Foddington.

This race is the second event in the 2026 Somerset Series. To enter click here.

 

Gwent League XC Registration

There are two remaining fixtures in this season’s Gwent League. If you or your child would like to compete in either event, please get in touch with us to ensure registration is completed in time. The club will cover the race entry fees. If you have already raced this season, you do not need to reregister, just make sure you bring your race number to the event.

Saturday 7th February 2026 - Chepstow Race Course

Saturday 28th February 2026 - Parc Bryn Bach

 

Kit Offer

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Visit here to buy our latest club kit.

 

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: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be featured in the next report.

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

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 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

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

Saturday 7th March 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

Wednesday 11th March 2026 - Street 5K (Race 6)

Thursday 12th March 2026 - Dave Jones Weston Prom Series (Race 7)

Sunday 15th March 2026 - Bath Half Marathon

[SS] Sunday 22nd March 206 - The Humdinger Half (and Hurtle)

Sunday 29th March 2026 - Fleet Half Marathon

April 2026

Wednesday 1st April 2026 - Couch to 5K course starts (Details TBC)

Saturday 4th April 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

Thursday 9th April 2026 - Dave Jones Weston Prom Series (Race 8)

Sunday 12th April 2026 - Exe to Axe

Sunday 12th April 2026 - Dartmoor Marathon

[SS] Sunday 12th April 2026 - The Big Cheese

[SS] Sunday 19th April 2026 - Ilminster 10K

Sunday 26th April 2026 - TCS London Marathon

May 2026

Saturday 2nd May 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

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

Saturday 6th June 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

[SS] Saturday 13th June 2026 - Neroche 10K

[SS] Wednesday 24th June 2026 - The Forde Abbey 10K

Sunday 28th June 2026 - The Heron Half-Marathon

July 2026

Saturday 4th July 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

August 2026

Saturday 1st August 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

[SS] [SRC]  Monday 31st August 2026 - Baltonsborough 5 Mile

September 2026

Saturday 5th September 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

[SS] [SRC] Sunday 13th September 2026 - Burnham Half Marathon

October 2026

Saturday 3rd October 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

Wednesday 14th October 2026 - Street 5K (Race 1)

[SS] Sunday 25th October 2026 - Herepath Half

November 2026

Saturday 7th November 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

Wednesday 11th November 2026 - Street 5K (Race 2)

[SS] Sunday 22nd November 2026 - Brent Knoll MT

December 2026

Saturday 5th December 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run

Wednesday 9th December 2026 - Street 5K (Race 3)