Weekly Update - 29th July 2026

England Athletics U16 & U18 Championships, Bedford (Sat. 25th / Sun. 26th July)

Another National Championships and another fantastic haul of medals for our exceptionally talented juniors, writes Mick Bond. The windy conditions made legal PBs difficult to achieve for the sprinters and also hampered those competing over one lap or more. Despite the challenging conditions, it was a hugely successful championships, with outstanding performances and plenty to celebrate.

Throws: Kendrick Onolememen was slightly off form in the shot on Sunday morning having to settle for bronze in a very competitive U16 competition, but bounced back in the afternoon to win gold in the discus with a best throw of 62.38m.

Sprints: Danielle Agyemang-Talbot had to run three rounds of 400m but it was worth it claiming gold in the final with a time of 55.85. Emily Cadman nearly made it two golds for our U18 sprinters battling hard to line as ever but just got beaten into second. Meanwhile Zavier Brathwaite made it to his second National final in two weeks running a PB of 22.06 in the heats before recording two windy sub-22’s in the semis and finals of the U18 200m.

Tess Hepple - Danielle Agyemang-Talbot

Hurdles: There were mixed fortunes for our hurdlers. On the plus side Tess Hepple made up for her disappointing English Schools with a huge PB and win in the U18 100m hurdles whilst training partner, Hans Nmaju was first Englishman home in the U18 110m hurdles, though frustratingly just behind an Egyptian guest athlete. On the down side both Elijah Olaleye and Ekene Ogbonna had to pull out of the 400/110m hurdles finals after picking up injuries in the heats.

Jumps: Phoebe Folarin jumped 1.65m for bronze in the U18 girls high Jump whilst Daniel Obike cleared 1.97m in the men’s equivalent for 4th

Beacons Way 100 – Race Across Bannau Brycheiniog (25/26th July)

The Beacons Way 100 is a 100-mile (163 km) journey along the full length of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, taking in the high-level line over the Carmarthen Fans before dropping to the finish at Llangadog Rugby Club, reports Christian Poulton. With big mountain crossings, remote western sections and generous helpings of Welsh weather, it's a proper test of navigation and self-sufficiency as much as running — and this year's edition served up just about everything: a heatwave on Saturday, thick hill fog and rain through the night, and gale-force winds with driving rain over the western tops on Sunday morning.

Having run the race in 2025, I came back with a detailed plan — and the mountains promptly rewrote it. Saturday's heat nearly caught me out twice, with an emergency water stop and a kind householder refilling my bottles keeping me moving through the hottest legs between checkpoints. Night brought fog thick enough to make every navigation choice earn its keep, and Sunday morning's gale on the Carmarthen Fans meant running hard just to stay warm, despite wearing two base layers and a waterproof jacket. Three changes of shoes and socks kept my feet (mostly) happy, and the weather finally relented for a fast, warm run to the finish. I crossed the line in 34 hours 55 minutes — almost identical to last year's time despite far harder conditions — and was delighted to take 1st MV60. A brutal, beautiful race, and one I'd recommend to anyone with a taste for the Welsh mountains.

Southern Counties Veterans League (Kent) Tonbridge (Fri. 24th July)

The club's men's and women's masters teams completed their summer league season at Tonbridge on Friday. The men's team produced another strong performance, finishing fourth on the night to secure their place in Division One for next season. Their consistent results throughout the campaign saw them finish third overall in the league. Unfortunately, the women's team could only manage fifth place on the night, which saw them drop to fifth in the final league standings. As a result, they will be relegated to Division Two for next season.

For the men, there were victories for Ed Adigwe in the M50 800m, winning in 2:07.3, and Alan Porter in the M50 discus with a throw of 37.95m.

The women also recorded two wins. Rose Baker produced a convincing victory in the W60 800m in 3:14.6, while Christine Bond once again claimed first place in the W60 high jump, clearing 1.20m.

A special mention goes to Amy Ramson, whose enthusiasm shone through in her first competition for the club. Hearing how much she enjoyed the experience was a real highlight of the evening. Joanna Parke was our busiest athlete, taking on three events during the match.