Junior runners ready at the Wells Festival of Running
The Wells Festival of Running took place over the weekend, following a packed schedule of racing for the Harriers across a busy few days of competition. We also have reports from the LA Track Fest, where Elise Thorner smashed her 3000m steeplechase PB, the Millfield BMC PB Classic, the National Athletics League fixture at Yate, and a series of local road and trail events including the North Dorset Village Marathon, Portcullis Trail 10K, the Dave Jones Weston Prom Run series, and the debut of the Badrat Bolt in the Somerset Series.
The Wells Festival of Running itself took place on Sunday 24th May 2026, attracting more than 900 runners across a 5K, junior 1.2K race, and 10K, alongside an under-8s event on the Cathedral Green supported by Wells Rotary Club. Despite soaring temperatures, the event delivered a fantastic atmosphere throughout, with strong crowds lining Wells High Street and the finishing straight by the Bishop’s Palace. The 10K also formed Race 7 of the Somerset Series and counted towards the Somerset Road Championships, adding extra significance to the feature race of the day. Read on to find out more.
Wells Festival of Running
Sunday 24th May 2026
What a scorcher! This year’s Wells Festival of Running attracted a huge turnout, with more than 900 runners taking part across the three events. Plenty of spectators lined Wells High Street and the finishing straight beside the moat at the Bishop’s Palace, creating a fantastic atmosphere despite the soaring temperatures. The 10K race also served as Race 7 in the Somerset Series and formed part of the Somerset Road Championships.
The day began with the 5K event, where 255 runners tackled the challenging loop through Dulcote and up the famous Constitution Hill. Despite the heat, there were some impressive performances at the front of the field.
Leading the way home was Wells City Harrier Oskar Beck, who crossed the line in a superb 16:32. He was closely followed by fellow Harriers Jamie Williams and Casper Rawbone, completing a clean sweep for the club in the top three places.
Fourth overall and first female was Wells City Harrier Sophie Nicholls, marking her return from the USA with an outstanding run of 17:15. Aimiee Porter of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers finished second female, with Wells City Harrier Ruby Shaw taking third.
Somer AC brought big numbers in all three races.
5K Results
Men
1st Oskar Beck - 16:32
2nd Jamie Williams - 16:52
3rd Casper Rawbone - 17:00
Women
1st Sophie Nicholls - 17:15
2nd Aimee Porter - 18:38
3rd Ruby Shaw - 19:15
M35 Finn Lynch - 22:39
F35 Emily Bolton - 23:46
M45 Andrew Porter - 21:11
F45 Claire Rice - 23:24
M55 Mark Ashurst - 20:24
F55 Andrea Short - 23:23
M65 Paul Barber - 22:49
F65 Teresa Lovern - 25:54
M75 Pete Wright - 28:13
F75 Leslie Harris - 40:40
M(BA5) Nicholas Euripidou - 18:33
F(BA5) Danielle Van Gilst - 19:27
Full results here.
A big shout out to our Couch to 5K runners who completed our course and smashed the Wells 5K! Well done!
Couch to 5K ✅ Wells 5K ✅
Off they go!
Next up were the junior runners, who tackled the 1.2K course down the High Street before returning along Silver Street by Wells Recreation Ground and onto the finishing straight. It was fantastic to see such a strong turnout of young athletes, with 82 finishers taking part. It is wonderful to see the next generation of talent enjoying their running and taking pride in their achievements.
Leading the field home was Heath Hughes-Davies in 4:25, with Roxy Lear of Somer AC close behind in second place overall, finishing in 4:28. Freddie Hughes was the second boy home, followed by Cecil Thomas in third. In the girls’ race, Edna Jacobs of North Somerset AC finished second, while Neve Corthorn claimed third place just one second later.
Sunny smiles from the juniors
1.2K Results
Boys
1st Heath Hughes-Davies - 4:25
2nd Freddie Hughes - 4:34
3rd Cecil Thomas - 4:35
Girls
1st Roxy Lear - 4:28
2nd Edna Jacobs - 4:47
3rd Neve Corthorn - 4:54
8 Y/O Boy Hunter Hawkins - 4:43
8 Y/O Girl Serena Cook - 6:15
9 Y/O Boy Albie Simpson - 4:57
9 Y/O Girl Georgie Smith - 6:04
10 Y/O Boy Hugo-Fox Young - 5:05
10 Y/O Girl Grace Speyers - 4:54
11 Y/O Boy Harry House - 4:38
11 Y/O Girl Summer Hurrell - 5:18
12 Y/O Boy Giorgio Nicodemi - 4:41
12 Y/O Girl Isla Creed - 6:28
Full results here.
The final race of the day was the 10K, with temperatures continuing to rise as runners headed out onto the course. The water stations proved especially welcome in the heat. Competitors completed the challenging loop twice, meaning two climbs up Constitution Hill, but their efforts were rewarded with a fast final kilometre downhill into the finish, where large crowds still lined the course to cheer runners home.
Leading the way was Jamie Williamson of Bristol and West AC, who stormed to victory in a remarkable 32:48. There was a photo finish for second and third places, with James Plumstead just edging ahead of Neil Golding on the line.
In the women’s race, veteran runner Niki Morgan of Chepstow Harriers produced an impressive performance to take victory in 42:31, making the journey across the River Severn well worthwhile. Tanya Batten of Minehead RC was next home, followed by a smiling Connie Jordan in third.
The winners of the 10K race
10K Results
Men
1st Jamie Williamson - 32:48
2nd James Plumstead - 34:31
3rd Neil Golding - 34:33
Women
1st Niki Morgan - 42:31
2nd Tanya Batten - 43:42
3rd Connie Jordan - 43:42
M35 Mark Alfred - 35:10
F35 Eleanor Constable - 47:57
M45 Peter Trask - 37:23
F45 Kate Noel - 48:32
M55 Martin Shoots - 40:45
F55 Melissa Grafton - 48:51
M65 Kevin Shelton-Smith 41:43
F65 Eleanor Wood - 49:39
M75 Ron Seward - 51:55
M(BA5) Christopher King - 35:29
F(BA5) Alexia Grant - 45:27
Full results here.
Joe Nelson finishing in style
The Wells Festival of Running also hosted an under 8s race on the Cathedral Green with the support from the Wells Rotary Club who also helped with the organisation of the different food and drink stalls in the Market Square. A big thank you to Jamie Williamson’s Kinisi Run Hub who sponsored the prizes across the different races. Also thanks to Shepton and Wells Vets and Bowleys Garage who also sponsored the event. We hope you all had a fantastic day and make sure you visit our social media pages for photos and videos of the day. Don’t forget to upload your own photos and be sure to tag us in it!
See a reel of the festival here.
More photos here.
Enjoyed running the Wells Festival of Running? Why not come along to one of our training sessions. Click on the links to find out more details about training and membership or get in touch! Your name could be on the list below next year.
Wells City Harriers
Harrier Results:
1.2K
1st – Heath Hughes-Davies – 4:25
6th – Giorgio Nicodemi – 4:39
7th – Hunter Hawkins – 4:42
10th – Grace Speyers – 4:53
13th – Milo Cook – 4:55
15th – Albie Simpson – 4:56
18th – Rufus Green – 4:56
26th – Summer Hurrell – 5:16
27th – Thomas Bruford – 5:22
44th – Tyra Masters – 6:05
46th – Serena Cook – 6:13
73rd – Leo Dampier – 7:14
Milo Cook
5K
1st – Oskar Beck – 16:32
2nd – Jamie Williams – 16:52
3rd – Casper Rawbone – 17:00
4th – Sophie Nicholls – 17:15
12th – Toby Hirst – 19:14
13th – Ruby Shaw – 19:15
22nd – Jamie Dawson – 20:59
32nd – Paul Barber – 22:46
39th – Chloe Moss – 23:47
66th – Poppy Shaw – 26:01
93rd – Geoff Stubbs – 28:32
114th – Jeannie Fullman – 29:47
151st – Alex Ho – 31:54
194th – Sherri Gardener – 35:59
201st – Sharon Bowles – 36:13
222nd – Rachel Whitcombe – 38:10
244th – Leslie Harris – 40:27
246th – Adele Millard – 40:52
247th – Christine Scott – 40:53
Harriers dominated the 5K
10K
11th – Tim Ingle – 37:34
12th – Matthew Lusby – 37:35
14th – David Hirst – 37:47
17th – Laurence Badman – 39:06
18th – Harry Dawson – 39:28
21st – Ray Rawbone – 39:45
26th – Jeremy Linter – 39:56
28th – Joseph Nelson – 39:59
31st – Reuben Frith – 40:20
41st – Frederick Rawbone – 41:43
55th – James Robert Shaw – 42:50
61st – Neil Locke – 44:12
71st – Milo Mead – 44:48
95th – Joshua White – 46:46
97th – Tim Sanders – 46:59
98th – Louisa White – 47:08
109th – Eleanor Constable – 47:57
115th – Kate Noel – 48:23
117th – Amy Reakes – 48:38
120th – Melissa Grafton – 48:45
134th – Sean Rose – 49:51
140th – Evelyn Wigley – 50:03
142nd – Fergus Crawford – 50:01
143rd – Susan Williams – 50:18
156th – Natalie Wcislak – 51:05
160th – Robert Moore – 51:21
200th – Chloe Gardener – 53:41
300th – Kim Clark – 1:01:15
334th – Mike Ommanney – 1:03:41
415th – Christopher Clark – 1:14:50
Sean Rose
LA Track Fest
Saturday 23rd May 2026
A PB and new British lead-time for Elise
Elise Thorner produced a huge personal best at the LA Track Fest, part of the USATF Tour and a World Athletics Silver Label meeting featuring some of the world’s top athletes across events from 100m to 5000m.
Thorner broke away from the field in her 3000m Steeplechase shortly after halfway and continued to extend her lead with each lap, eventually winning the race in 9:07.39 and shaving seven seconds off her previous best. This time puts her second on the all time British rankings only 3 seconds shy of Lizzie Bird’s British record set in 2024.
Full result here.
See her in action here.
Thorner punches the air as she crosses the line
[Report by Al Thorner]
Wells City Harriers Senior International Athlete Elise Thorner opened up her track season in great style at the Sound Running festival at the Drake Stadium, Los Angeles on Saturday 23rd May in the 3000m steeplechase. Coming down from a months altitude training in Flagstaff, Arizona the 25 year old lined up against a truly international field including London 2017 World Champion and Rio Olympic bronze medallist Emma Coburn. Thorner went through half way at a fast pace in a group of four before making a move to the front pulling away to an impressive 14 second victory and a 7 second improvement on her personal best to close in 9 mins 07.39 seconds over the seven and a half lap race. This performance currently places her 6th on the world rankings for 2026 and she became only the second British woman ever to run under 9.10 for the distance. This starts a big summer for the New Balance sponsored athlete where she will be hoping for selection to two major home championships, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the European Championships in Birmingham during July and August but next up she travels to Stockholm on Sunday 7th June for the Wanda Diamond League.
North Dorset Village Marathon
Sunday 3rd May 2026
A great exchange from Rachel and Helen
The NDVM allows individuals to run the course or teams of up to four runners. A team of Harriers entered the mixed relays covering the four segments of 11.6k, 7.2k, 12.4k and 11k. Helen Allen, Rachel Astington and Owen Astington managed to finish 5th overall and 2nd mixed team.
Full results here.
A strong run from Owen
Millfield BMC PB Classic
Saturday 16th May 2026
The BMC PB Classic is a great opportunity for athletes to achieve a PB as the different races all have pacers, a rare opportunity for many runners, whilst also being on a familiar track for the Harriers.
Harriers/YOAC Results:
800m Race C (Mens)
7th Robbie Hawkins - 2:06.71
800m Race A (Womens)
5th Gemma Tolputt - 2:14.46
800m Race B (Womens)
3rd Ruby Shaw - 2:21.42
4th Pollyanna Warman - 2:21.98
9th Lucy Acott - 2:25.29
800m Race C (Womens)
3rd Mia Shore - 2:29.32
800m Race F (Mixed)
4th Jonah Barrington - 2:30.14
1500m Race A (Mens)
10th Alexander Coombs - 4:07.85
1500m Race B (Mixed)
13th Casper Rawbone - 4:29.79
1500m Race D (Mixed)
7th Noah Chapman - 4:49.39
1500m Race F (Mixed)
10th Zoe Frost - 5:23.11
16th Emily Dockerty - 5:35.08
3000m Race A (Mens)
7th Tom Webb - 8:29.70
3000m Race B (Mixed)
1st Reuben Cawley - 8:46.80
7th Matthew Lusby - 9:14.64
Full results here.
National Athletics League (Division 1 West) Fixture 1
Saturday 24th May 2026
Chris Green and Matt Lusby battled hard in the 3000m Steeplechase
A group of Harriers travelled to Yate for the opening fixture of the National Athletics League (NAL) season. The NAL Premier Division features the top athletics clubs in the country, competing across a full programme of track and field events for men and women to score points for their team. These points are combined across three fixtures to determine the final league standings, with the club accumulating the highest total crowned champions.
Below the Premier Division, the league is divided into four regional divisions: North, South, East and West. Yeovil Olympiads currently compete in the West Division alongside Bournemouth AC, Cardiff Athletics, Swindon Harriers, Winchester & District AC, and Yate & District AC. The top two teams from each regional division after the three fixtures will progress to a final playoff fixture, where they will compete for promotion to the Premier Division.
Our unique partnership with Yeovil Olympiads allows Harriers to race competitively in track events across the season. It was great to see many scoring lots of points for the Olympiads, contributing to a third place finish after the first fixture. Many Harriers even ventured into unknown territory racing 400m, 400m hurdles and even a relay alongside the usual middle distance events. All contributing vital points.
You may notice from the times below there are no female results. Although we had a strong presence of women in the field events and sprints, we were unable to fill many of the middle distance events, automatically missing out on points. It would be great to have more women competing at the next fixture. If you’re interested, please get in touch! The next fixture is in Bournemouth on Saturday 11th July.
Harrier Results:
Men’s 400m Hurdles (Race B)
2nd Matt Lusby - 1:05.10
Men’s 800m (Race A)
5th Curtis Stevens - 2:04.70
Men’s 800m (Race B)
4th Alexander Coombs - 2:14.43
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
2nd Christian Green - 10:15.62
3rd Matt Lusby - 10:24.18
Men’s 400m (Race A)
4th Curtis Stevens - 55.52
Men’s 400m (Race B)
3rd Matt Lusby - 58.11
Men’s 1500m
5th Alexander Coombs - 4:16.00
8th Matt Lusby - 4:25.13
Men’s 5000m
2nd Adam Gibson - 15:33.95
6th Chris Green - 16:24.54
Men’s 4x 400m Relay
3rd Curtis Stevens, Chris Green, Matt Lusby, Alexander Coombs - 3:55.6
Full results here.
More photos here.
Fixture 1 Standings:
Swindon Harriers - 582
Cardiff Athletics - 460.5
Yeovil Olympiads AC- 434
Yate & District AC - 419
Bournemouth AC - 327
Winchester & District AC - 196.5
Curtis Stevens had strong performances in the 800m and 400m
Dave Jones Weston Prom
Thursday 21st May 2026
[Report by John Davies]
Jonah and Heath finished 1st and 2nd in the 1 Mile
Tonight was the final round of nine of the Dave Jones Weston Prom Run over 1 mile for primary schools. Jonah and Heath pushed each other to a couple of pretty handy 1 mile PBs. Jonah came 1st in 5:24 and Heath came 2nd in 5:26. Both times would have been course records for primary school runners.
Heath retained his overall title winning 7 of the 9 races over the series and means he has won the overall title two years in a row. Being in Year 5 means he has another year to grab a hat-trick of overall titles and push that record down closer to 5 mins.
Heath with his series award
Harrier Results:
1 Mile
1st Jonah Barrington - 5:24
2nd Heath Hughes-Davies -5:26
5 Mile
204th Mike Rusca - 42:16
247th Kathryn Williams - 48:57
Full results here.
Portcullis Trail 10K
Sunday 17th May 2026
[Report by David Hall]
Chris, Kim and David post race.
Five Harriers took on the Portcullis Trail 10K organised by Langport Runners on Sunday 17th May.
The race starts and finishes on Cocklemoor in Langport. The race covers mixed terrain trails, including levels, droves, fields, stiles through countryside with beautiful scenery and spectacular views.
A welcome return to racing for the Clark's after their trip round India and a warm up for Matthew Wigley prior to his Grand Union Canal Race (145 miles) next week on the 23rd May.
Harrier's Results:
5th David Hall (1st MV60)
37th Evelyn Wigley
38th Matthew Wigley
73rd Kim Clark
113th Chris Clark
Badrat Bolt
Sunday 17th May 2026
Race 6 in the Somerset Series saw the debut of the Badrat Bolt on the race calendar. Starting and finishing at Chilton Trinity School near Bridgwater, the route took runners through the scenic countryside and surrounding villages of Chilton Trinity and Wembdon, offering a fast, picturesque, and atmospheric racing experience.
You can always rely on a sprint finish from Tim
Harrier Results
1st Tom Addison-Wood - 34:25
2nd Tim Ingle - 36:37
20th Nick Stevens - 40:44
27th Jonathan Williams - 41:21
47th Mike Bosley - 44:41
88th Mark Pople - 49:15
143rd Sue Pople - 54:45
Full results here.
Cape Town 22K
Saturday 23rd May 2026
The Cape Town Trail Marathon has runners traversing above the city of Cape Town allowing them to experience the flora, fauna and sweeping vistas of the Table Mountain National Park and Atlantic Ocean. The trails weave through one of the world’s most diverse and rare floral kingdoms, the Cape Floristic Region, and many of the species seen on this trail, cannot be found anywhere else on Earth. The event hosts 43K, 22K and 11K distances. Harrier Mark Duffett raced the 22K half marathon course and finished in a superb time of 1:53:17 earning him a 7th place finish. On reflection after the race, Mark concluded “trail running is hard”. We are all impressed! Well done.
Full results here.
There are worse places to run
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)
May 2026
Wednesday 27th May 2026 - Wells City Harriers AGM (19:30 - Wells Rugby Club)
Thursday 28th May - YOAC Evening Open 1
June 2026
Saturday 6th June 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run
Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th June 2026 - U20/Senior Track & Field Outdoor Championships (Bedford)
Tuesday 9th June 2026- Westbury 5K
Wednesday 10th June 2026 - Yeovilton 5K (Race 3)
Wednesday 10th June 2026 - South West PB 5K Series (Race 2)
[SS] Saturday 13th June 2026 - Neroche 10K
[SS] Wednesday 24th June 2026 - The Forde Abbey 10K
Thursday 25th June 2026 - YOAC Evening Open 2
Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th June 2026 - U14/U16/U18 Track & Field Outdoor Championships (Chelmsford)
Sunday 28th June 2026 - The Heron Half-Marathon
July 2026
Saturday 4th July 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run
Wednesday 8th July 2026 - Yeovilton 5K (Race 4)
Wednesday 8th July 2026 - South West PB 5K Series (Race 3)
Saturday 11th July 2026 - National Athletics League Division 1 West (Fixture 2 - Bournemouth)
Tuesday 14th July 2026 - Westbury 5K
Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th July 2026 - Combined Events Track & Field Outdoor Championships (Horspath)
Thursday 30th July 2026 - YOAC Evening Open 3
August 2026
Saturday 1st August 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run
Tuesday 11th August 2026 - Westbury 5K
Wednesday 12th August 2026 - Yeovilton 5K (Race 5)
Saturday 22nd August 2026 - National Athletics League Division 1 West (Fixture 3 - Yeovil)
Thursday 27th August 2026 - YOAC Evening Open 4
[SS] [SRC] Monday 31st August 2026 - Baltonsborough 5 Mile
September 2026
Saturday 5th September 2026 - Midsomer Norton Town Park Community Run
Wednesday 9th September 2026 - Yeovilton 5K (Race 6)
Saturday 12th/Sunday 13th September 2026 - The Isle of Wight Fell Running Championship Series
Saturday 12th September 2026 - National Athletics League Promotion Playoff (Oxford) TBC
Saturday 12th September 2026 - U20/Senior Inter Counties Track & Field Outdoor Championships (Kingston)
Sunday 13th September 2026 - U16/U18 Inter Counties Track & Field Outdoor Championships
[SS] [SRC] Sunday 13th September 2026 - Burnham Half Marathon
Sunday 20th September 2026 - Swansea Bay 10K
Sunday 27th September 2025 - The Black Nore 10K
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)