England Selection, Fleet Half, Prague Half, Yeovil Half, New Membership Year and Junior Age Group Changes, and Remembering Mary Rand

Details: Written by: Alexander Coombs; Created: 03 April 2026; Last Updated: 03 April 2026; Hits: 430

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Happy memories being a Harrier

Harriet and Ruby at the Yeovil Mini Mile

The latest Harrier news reflects both achievement and reflection across the club community. Across recent road and trail events, athletes produced a strong set of performances, with three Harriers earning selection to represent England following standout qualifying results at major age-group races.

We also have results from the Keith Hall Memorial 10K, Forest of Dean Half Marathon, Fleet Half Marathon, Yeovil Half Marathon, 10K and Mini Mile events, and the Prague Half Marathon. In addition, please note that the Club AGM has been confirmed for Wednesday 27th May, please save the date, and members should have now received an email regarding the renewal of their membership.

The club also pays tribute to its Honorary President, the late Mary Rand, Olympic gold medallist and inspirational figure whose decades of support for the Harriers, particularly its junior section, left a lasting legacy, from her Olympic triumph in Tokyo 1964 to her continued involvement with the club right up to modern times. Her encouragement, visits to training sessions, and role in inspiring generations of athletes are warmly remembered, and the club extends its heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.

Remembering Mary Rand

[Words from Paul Chadwick]

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Mary track side with Monday night juniors 2012

The Harriers are very saddened to hear of the death of the Club’s Honorary President Mary Rand.

As many will know, or will have read in other media announcements, Mary won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the 1964 Olympics held in Tokyo. Her Gold medal winning long jump performance is forever commemorated in the Wells Market Place.

Mary accepted the invitation of the Harriers to become the Club President on December 10th 1984 and has always been supportive of her home City Club over the past 40+ years.

Whenever she returned to the UK from her home in California she made time to come and see us and was particularly supportive of our junior section. Her presence and encouragement has undoubtedly inspired our members over the years.

In the Summer of 1994 we held a very special Sunday afternoon event at the track when Mary, together with fellow Olympians Lyn Davies (Long Jump Gold 1964), Ken Matthews (Race Walk Gold 1964) and Mary Peters (Pentathlon Gold 1968), attended to pass on some advice to the Clubs junior & senior athletes.

Later that day a number of the Harrier committee members attended a Gala Dinner to celebrate Mary’s achievements from 1964 and she spoke fondly of her time growing up in Wells, coming from a humble background and going on to compete and succeed on the Global stage.

In 2012, in the run up to the London Olympics, one of the Harrier’s original members, Tony Williams, successfully requested that the Wells City Council confer Freedom of the City on Mary.

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The Harriers recreated Mary’s 1964 return to Wells after her Olympic success, with a procession in 2012.

In the run up to the conferment of that title, the Harriers were out in force on a Saturday market day in Wells and re-enacted the procession that had originally greeted Mary back in 1964 when she had returned from Tokyo. The same open top car and billboard placard was used to once again celebrate her achievements. Tony, who was a Torch bearer for the 2012 Olympics, led the way.

On the following Monday evening Mary again came down to the track, this time with one of her granddaughters, to inspire our youngsters and pass on tips from her successful career.

She kindly presented medals to our top juniors that night, including to a young 11 year old Elise Thorner who followed in Mary’s footsteps by competing on the global stage at the World Athletics Championships last September in Tokyo. (From that particular cohort of Monday juniors from 2012 four have gone on to represent TeamGB and a further two competed for Wales.)

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Mary presenting 11 year old Elise Thorner with her medal at our Monday night session in 2012

The Club send their heartfelt condolences to Mary’s family and friends at this particularly sad time.

Keith Hall Memorial 10K

22nd March 2026

JonKeith Hall Memorial 10K

Jon leading a group of runners

Jon James travelled to Thorney in Cambridgeshire to compete in the Keith Hall Memorial 10K, an Age Group Masters qualifying event under England Athletics. A strong performance could see selection to represent England at the Bideford 10K.

He delivered a solid run, finishing 33rd overall in 35:01, taking 2nd place in the V60 category and securing selection for an England vest to be part of the Age Group Masters teams. Well done Jon!

Full results here.

JonKeith Hall Memorial 10K2

Job done!

Forest of Dean Half

Sunday 22nd March

A medal and smile from David Hall

A challenging, undulating off-road course set the stage for an impressive performance at the British Trail Running Championships, where veteran runner David Hall delivered a standout result in dry, fast conditions.

Navigating compact, technical trails that demanded both endurance and precision, Hall completed the course in a time of 1:28:59. The performance secured 3rd place in the Vet 60 category, earning him a bronze medal against strong national competition.

The race also carried added significance, serving as a qualifier for the England Athletics Age Group Masters team. Following this result, Hall is now expected to be selected in the M60 category to represent England at the upcoming international trail race later this year.

Trofeo Opitergium

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Squad selection

Harrier Tom Webb has been selected to represent England Athletics on 1 May 2026 in Oderzo, Italy at the U20 European Road Race.

Tom brings valuable experience to the event, having competed there last year as a 17-year-old, where he finished an impressive 12th place. Now a year older and stronger, he will be aiming to build on that performance against Europe’s top junior athletes.

He follows in the footsteps of fellow harrier Dan Maydew, who represented England at the same event in 2022 and was part of the team that secured a third-place podium finish.

Fleet Half

Sunday 29th March

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Post race

A group of Harriers made their way down the A303 to Fleet to race at the 45th Fleet Half Marathon. Conditions were near perfect, despite the loss of an hour of sleep due to the clocks going forward. Two Harriers managed a PB with a competitive field stacked at the front of the race.

Harrier Results:

21st Christian Green 01:11:25

41st Alexander Coombs 01:13:18

139th Jeremy Linter 01:19:23

309th Oliver Rowe 01:25:30

312th Victoria Ryan 01:25:40 (2nd F50) [PB]

441st Jonathan Williams 01:29:05 [PB]

Full results can be found here.

Jeremy Linter

Yeovil Half, 10K and Mini Mile

Sunday 29th March

Matt Yeovil Half

Matt Rawlingson-Plant at the Yeovil Half Marathon

The Yeovil Half Marathon started and finished in Yeovil Town Centre.

The course used closed roads around the town centre before heading through the full length of Yeovil Country Park. It then left the town on the western side towards Montacute House, before returning on quiet country roads for a lively finish back in the town centre.

Harrier Hannah Blundy made the headlines in the half marathon, finishing 1st on her debut over the distance. Graham Goldsmid, freshly back from Japan, didn’t suffer from jetlag, finishing first V60. In the 10K, junior runner Casper Rawbone reached the podium in 3rd place, with Harry Dawson and Joseph Whelan were not far behind. The three of them were 1st, 2nd and 3rd from the U20s racing in the 10K. In the Mini Mile races Harriers claimed the top four finishing positions, showcasing impressive strength and depth across our junior squad.

Freddie Yeovil Half

Oli Willmott and Freddie Rawbone

Harrier Results:

Half Marathon

5th - Thomas ADDISON-WOOD – 1:13:00

13th - Hannah BLUNDY – 1:18:06 (1st Female)

16th - Freddie RAWBONE – 1:19:23 (1st U20)

22nd - Oli WILLMOTT – 1:21:47

73rd - Joe NELSON – 1:28:55

94th - James SHAW – 1:31:41

128th - Graham GOLDSMID – 1:34:15 (1st V60)

160th - Matt RAWLINGSON-PLANT – 1:36:46

207th - Tim SANDERS – 1:39:13

221st - Matthew WIGLEY – 1:40:32

295th - Sean HONAN – 1:44:55

377th - Fergus CRAWFORD – 1:49:12

397th - Neil LOCKE – 1:50:12

837th - Nikki HONAN – 2:14:04

10K

3rd - Casper RAWBONE – 34:59 (1st U20)

4th - Harry DAWSON – 35:38

6th - Joseph WHELAN – 37.31

116th - Poppy SHAW – 51:55

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Joseph, Casper and Harry with their medals

Mini Mile

1st - William PACKER – 5:29.2

2nd - Ruby SHAW – 5:31.6

3rd - Harriet SCOTT – 5:56.7

4th - Ronnie LEGGE – 6:05.5

Full results can be found here.

Prague Half

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Another SuperHalf completed for Sharon and Lynne

One of the most prestigious half marathons in the world, boasting the World Athletics Elite Label and part of the renowned SuperHalfs series of European half marathons. The route runs through the heart of historic Prague and offers a unique atmosphere.

Harrier Results:

534th – Ray Rawbone – 1:23:51

14939th – Sharon Bowles – 2:40:29

15593rd – Lynne Elstob – 3:05:32

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A well-earned beer Ray!

Couch to 5K Group Returns

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Week 1 complete

Wednesday 1st April marked the return of our Couch to 5K course, led by Harrier coaches Sharon Bowles and Lynne Elstob. It was fantastic to see 16 participants begin their journey, supported by several of our regular Wednesday runners.

Sharon and Lynne have guided many runners to successful graduations over the years, so everyone taking part is in very safe hands. We look forward to seeing how you all progress over the next few weeks.

Davy Jones Prom Series

Heath Hughes-Davies has had an incredible season at the Dave Jones Weston Promenade 1-mile races, winning all 7 out of 7 events. He also made history by becoming the first primary school boy to run under 5:40 on the course, setting a new personal best of 5:38.

What makes this even more impressive is that Heath achieved this in the Year 6 and under category while still in Year 5. He has also successfully retained the overall primary school title, which he first won when he was in Year 4. Well done Heath.

EA Age Group Changes

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From 1 April 2026, the age groups in which young athletes compete under UKA rules changed from U13, U15, U17 and U20, to U14, U16, U18 and U20. These changes are grounded in a desire to support athletes with their progression through the sport, to help grow participant numbers and to retain more young participants in the sport.

More information can be found on the England Athletics website here.

AGM Date

Our 2026 AGM has been confirmed for Wednesday 27th May at Wells Rugby Club, arriving from 7:30pm to start at 8:00pm.

We’ll also be presenting our annual club awards. It would be fantastic to see as many members there as possible.

Harrier Membership Update

All registered Harriers* should have received an email on 2nd April requesting their membership payment for the year ahead, to be paid online.

If you are also needing England Athletics registration then the fee for that (£23) is included in the request.

If you didn’t previously have EA but now need it then please let our membership secretary, Paul Chadwick, know before you pay the online request and he will re-send an updated invoice.

When paying your fee please remember to go online onto your myAthletics Portal ensuring you indicate that you accept the Athletics Code of Conduct and update any contact details or medical issues that coaches or team managers need to be aware of.

If you no longer need Club membership then please also let us know and we can remove you from the database.

Many thanks to those who have now paid.

(* Life members, coaches and committee members will have their fees paid by the Club)

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)

April 2026

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

Saturday 4th April 2026 - YOAC Spring Open (Day 1)

Monday 6th April 2026 - YOAC Spring Open (Day 2)

Monday 6th April 2026 - Shapwick Bunny Hop

Monday 6th April 2026 - The Track is Back - Team Interval Run

Wednesday 8th April 2026 - Yeovilton 5K (Race 1)

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

Sunday 12th April 2026 - Exe to Axe

Sunday 12th April 2026 - Dartmoor Marathon

Sunday 12th April 2026 - Pen Selwood 10K (+5K & 2K)

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