What a fantastic day for Hambleton Athletics and Running Club at the Darlington 10km, 5km, and Junior 3km! The day began under a grey and rainy sky, with a steady downpour soaking the early starters. By the time the final 10km runners crossed the finish line, the sun had broken through – perfect timing to end the event on a high.
A special shout-out to Oscar, our sole junior representative, who ran superbly in the Junior 3km and said afterwards, “The atmosphere was really good. It made me want to run even faster!” Great effort and determination from one of our rising stars – we’re very proud of you!
This year saw the introduction of the 5km event. Well done to Rose Kirk and Emma Anderson, who both took on this new distance and represented the club with strength and smiles. It’s always exciting to see new events on the calendar – especially with our athletes there at the inaugural starting line. This was even more special for Rose, as it was her first ever race!
A huge congratulations to the 22 HARC runners who took on the 10km, showing true club spirit and grit through the changing weather conditions. Rain-soaked roads and bursts of sunshine didn’t slow anyone down – there was determination in spades as every one of them finished the race to claim their medals and t-shirts.
Luke Allen was thrilled to achieve a sub-40 result, a goal toward which he has worked incredibly hard. He said, “After four months in the sun of the Middle East, there was something refreshing about racing in the rain. Support and encouragement from HARC and the general public was excellent out there.”
In true HARC style, several club members who weren’t racing turned out to support and lift spirits around the course. The crowd of blue at the finishing straight grew steadily as the HARC runners joined the support crew after their own races, sticking around to cheer for the rest of the team.
Whether you were racing, supporting, or just enjoying the event, thanks for making it another brilliant day out for Hambleton Athletics and Running Club.
