Weekly Update - 23rd July 2025
- Noel Carmody
- Jul 23
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 24
S.I.A.B Schools International, Derby (Sat. 19th July)
Fresh from their performances at the English Schools Championships the previous weekend Daniel Obike, Elijah Olaleye and Hans Nmaju got their first international vest representing England Schools in the home countries international, against Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Despite the wet weather in Derby all three performed magnificently to come away with three first places in the high jump, 400m hurdles and 100m hurdles respectively.
Southern Counties Veterans League (Kent) #5, Ashford (Fri. 18th July)
Men - Div.1: An outstanding team performance to gain 2nd place on the night and to consolidate our 4th overall position just a mere three points behind B&B who are 3rd.
Many super performances with five individual winners - Duncan showing his long strong sprinting prowess in the M35B 400m - 56.6s, James Macdonald a tenacious performance in the M35B 3000m - 9:33.4s, Peter Wishart (M65) near a SB in the M60 hammer - 28.36m and two very solid long jumps by Wole Odele and Tim Carter in the M60 and M70 categories respectively.
Women - Div. 2: The women strengthened their position at the top of division 2 with another comprehensive win, recording ten wins on the night.
Joanna Parke recorded a PB of 76.2s to win the W35A 400m, whilst first timer Olesya Golovina took the B-string win. Christine Bond took the honours in the W50 400. The team swept the board in the 3000m - Katie Sanders (11:41.3s), Chantelle McGinty (12:51.8s PB), Julie Backley (12:17.7s) and Rose Baker (12:34.9s PB).
Natalie Mann (W40) won the W35 hammer by 18 metres with a best of 32.35m and Christine Bond recorded an age group PB of 6.78m to win W60 triple jump. The women rounded off the evening with a win in the 4 x 400m relay (Joanna Parke, Christine Bond, Rose Baker & Chantelle McGinty).
Club Connect Relays London Stadium (Sat. 19th July)
Billed as part of the warm up show for the London Diamond League the club was invited to send mixed 4x100 teams in the Under 20 and Under 17 age groups. With preparations on the warm up track, alongside the famous names who would follow them out, it was a great experience for all concerned. The under 17’s got the worst of Saturday’s downpours but got the baton round safely finishing in an excellent second place to a Croydon team who had two athletes who turned down the school’s international to race here instead! The Under 20's were 4th beating some of the top teams from across the South East.
Ras Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon Race, 10 miles, 1000m ascent) (Sat. 19th July)
This year Italy brought a strong men's team to the International Snowdon Race taking all three podium places but the fastest of them was still almost four minutes shy of the course record set by Kenny Stuart forty years ago, reports Clem Dixon. Similarly the first female was almost eight minutes off the women's record which is almost as long-standing. It is not just Snowdon: Kenny Stuart still holds the Ben Nevis record and most of the other classic British fell races also have course records set in the last century that now seem unbeatable. Are there any other sports where this is the case? To its shame athletics has some; Marita Koch's 400m record still stands and was set in the same year as Kenny's Snowdon record but it is, to put it mildly, tainted, whereas there is no suggestion that Kenny was on drugs.
What is the explanation? The mountains haven't got any higher and you certainly don't get the feeling that this is a sport in decline what with the carnival like atmosphere in Llanberis, the enthusiastic support on the mountain and the TV coverage (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0lng297/ras-yr-wyddfa-ras-yr-wyddfa-2025). Perhaps it is that in the 1980s there was no money to be made from distance running whereas now there is, but it isn't in fell running, so someone of Kenny's ability will now be lured away from the fells to other endurance disciplines. Unlike most of the fell running greats from his era, Kenny did eventually have a crack at road running setting a marathon PB of 2:11:36 in 1989 before ill health forced him to retire.
Just as Kenny was in the 1980's, all of us, from the elite proudly wearing their national vests to the three Cambridge Harriers among the mere mortals behind them, were just doing it for the glory. And how glorious it was: the leg and chest burning steep tarmac at the start; the rocky but runnable lower slopes; the hard graft of the steeper upper slopes with the panorama of Snowdonia opening out around you; the elation as the summit cone finally comes into view; and then the exhilarating descent.
Results: 1. Luca Magri (Italy) 1:06:11 (summit 42:57), 28. Nancy Scott (England, 1st female) 1:20:30 (51:56), 134. Christian Poulton 1:44:53 (1:07:27), 215. James Floyd 1:57:19 (1:16:54), 256. Clem Dixon 2:03:11 (1:18:34). Records: Kenny Stuart (1985) 1:02:29 (39:47) - Carol Greenwood (1993) 1:12:48.
Youth Development League - Lower, Dartford (Sun. 20th July)
Another solid 4th place against the seven other teams in the Division meant a 4th place position overall. Good to see the number of Under 13’s competing increasing, writes Mick Bond. The YDL will be restructuring next year to fit with the new junior age groups coming into place in April 2026 so this squad will remain the same just rebranded as Under 16’s and under 14’s.
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