Hambleton Athletics & Running Club

HARC’s First Ever Sports Day!

16th September 20258th October 2025 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

What a fantastic day we had at Catterick Athletics Track for our very first club sports day! It may have been cold, but we were lucky enough to dodge the rain and spirits were high throughout. We welcomed adults and juniors alike – club members and non-members – to compete in a brilliant mix of traditional athletics disciplines and fun challenges. Everyone had great fun competing in: 100m sprint 4 x 100m relay Long jump Javelin Shot put And the more adventurous events proved very popular, with lots of laughter echoing around the track… The Croc-throwing competition was Michelle’s favourite… even though she wasn’t allowed a fire pit to aim for! The tug of war saw some epic battles and a few grass-stained bottoms! There was fierce competition for the top spot in the three-legged race… and, miraculously, nobody fell over! The egg and spoon obstacle challenge was trickier than it looked and the eagle-eyed officials were handing out time penalties for those...

SUP Fun

26th August 202518th September 2025 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

An adventurous group of HARC members swapped running shoes for paddle boards to take part in an ‘Intro to SUP’ session at Ellerton Lake. After being shown the basics on dry land, the group set off wobbly-legged across the water to practise different types of paddle strokes and turning techniques. It wasn’t long before the shrieks and splashes started, as people experienced some unplanned dismounts from their boards. Danny and Sarah from SUP Active Yorkshire were on hand to give instruction and advice, as well as a helping hand to those getting back on their boards. A game of SUP Polo followed, which could equally have been named ‘SUP carnage’! The two teams got a little competitive as they battled each other to score goals, resulting in numerous “accidental” crashes, a few hilarious falls, and some questionable ball handling! The group were then allowed some free time to explore the lake via SUP - most chose to stick with their solo boards, one...

Sun, Games & Grills – What a Party!

27th July 202518th September 2025 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

Our summer BBQ garden party was an absolute blast. From mouth-watering treats from the grill to sunny skies, it was the perfect day. Our bingo games were every bit as amusing as last year, with some questionable bingo calling from Head Coach, Chris, who also managed to drop all the bingo balls partway through the game. We battled it out in a few intense rounds of giant Jenga, which resulted in some nail-biting moments and a couple of near misses for crushed toes! We also played the Heads or Tails game, raising a fantastic £45.60 for Hambleton Community Action. This will be added to our fundraising pot and donated to the charity at the end of the 2025/26 year. Huge thanks to our fabulous ‘hostess with the mostess’, Annabel. And, of course, we’re very grateful to the amazing catering team – Head Chef Gav and Sous Chef Nick — for cooking up an outstanding feast. Thanks also to everyone who came along and made...

HARC Members Saddle Up for Fun!

19th June 20252nd July 2025 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

Following the success of our ‘HARC Juniors Pony Fun Day’ at Miniature World Riding Academy last year, the club returned for two evening sessions over the last couple of weeks – this time with adult members. There was a broad range of experience amongst the participants, but they were well looked after by Gill and Sarah. Grooming time came first, with the groups learning how to use the different types of brushes, pick out a horse’s feet, and how to stay safe when handling equines on the ground. Next came preparations for riding – learning how to tack up and then ensuring that everyone had the necessary safety equipment. And finally, a fantastic riding session for each group! The riders’ faces displayed a few nerves and a great deal of concentration at first, followed by lots of smiles and laughter as their confidence grew. By the end of the session, there was marked progress with everyone’s ‘sitting trot’! Rachel commented, “I had just...

Relaxing with Sound Bath Therapy

2nd June 20252nd July 2025 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

We like to offer our members a broad range of experiences through our social calendar. Our most recent opportunity to try something a little different was a ‘sound bath’ with Angela Smith Therapy. Described as a holistic therapy that taps in to the healing vibrations of music and frequencies, the session involved us getting comfy on mats, cushions and blankets while a variety of instruments were played around us. A very interesting and relaxing experience to recharge us ready for a week of running! Thank you, Angela - we all slept very well after the session!...

HARC does Taskmaster Season Two

16th May 202516th May 2025 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

Season Two of ‘HARC does Taskmaster’ culminated in the live finale last month. Five of our bravest HARC members faced a series of hilarious tasks set out by our Taskmaster (Head Coach, Chris Lees) and his long-suffering assistant, Little Katy “Bamber” Foster. This year, the contestants had to put their artistic skills to the test via Strava, with some very questionable results and estimate the Taskmaster’s height… in beans, with some even more questionable results! Emma Haresign will never hear the last of the characters in her backwards video… beep, boop, boo, bop! Erin Marley made a rod for her own back, bringing a homemade HARC scarf for the prize task… now everybody wants one so watch out in the club shop for details of how to order! 😜 Kate Stead’s spud and skewer tower in the grand finale was truly impressive and won by, well, several centimetres. Nick Wilson’s (unbelievably successful!) attempt to mime ‘duck-billed platypus’ will stay with us all for a very...

HARC C25K Graduation at Fabulous Fountains Abbey

30th September 202430th September 2024 By Sara SherwoodNo Comments

Report by Ruth Hancock Another Couch25K programme, another graduation, and what better place to hold it than at Fountains Abbey which was named most scenic parkrun in the UK in the new book ‘The Ultimate Guide to Parkrun’. Hambleton Athletics and Running Club are proud to have another gaggle of newbie and returning runners swelling their burgeoning ranks, and lots of current members turned out to support and encourage them around the stunning 2 lap course. After the recent rain for their practice runs, athletes were blessed with a fine, dry start, and the sun eventually made a welcome appearance. Mike Hollinshead, one of the leaders of the course, had this to say: “It was fantastic to see so many club members turning out to support the graduation of the latest C25K cohort. It really does lift their spirits, and shows what HARC stands for!” Head coach, Chris Lees, found himself as a participant on the course this time round, using it as a...

Super Turnout for Snape 5k & 10k

25th September 202425th September 2024 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

Another great turnout for a local event! The annual Snape 5k and 10k has become a firm favourite in our race calendar, with no less than 20 HARC runners competing this year. The morning started with many shivering at the registration desks and rain showers threatening. However, once the running got underway, the temperature rose and the rain stayed away – perhaps a blessing and a curse! This event was particularly special for Annabel MacGregor, who has volunteered at Snape for several years prior to challenging herself to run the 10k. She said, “I’ve been wanting to run one of the races in Snape since 2021 when I first helped manage the 10k finish line. I finally managed it in 2024 - it was lovely to start and finish in my village and run past my house. Running over the finish line was brilliant with so many of the club members and marshals there to give me a cheer. Can’t wait to...

Sessay Swift 6k

14th August 202425th September 2024 By Ruth HancockNo Comments

It was the perfect evening for this local race held by Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers, and true to form HARC were out in force to enjoy it. The course was easy enough to navigate, being a left, left and left turn on open, but quiet, country lanes around the village of Sessay. And afterwards, there was a well-deserved BBQ for our competitors. Most members were competing for the first time at Sessay but worthy of special note are Emma Haresign, who won a prize for being the first junior back; Lucille Allen, who completed her first ever road race; and Sara Sherwood, for her course PB. Well done! As ever, athletes all had their own targets in mind as they set out, and a few ran in support of their buddies to help them with their achievements, demonstrating the HARC ethos in bucket-loads. Special thanks to the marshals for keeping us safe, and to the HARC support crew who waved us off and cheered...

Smiling Faces at Darlington 10k

8th August 202425th September 2024 By Sara SherwoodNo Comments

Team HARC enjoyed a fantastic morning at the Darlington 10k event. First up was one of our youngest members, six year old George Martinson, who took part in the Fun Run with his dad, Paul. George, who is already asking when he can take part in the 10k event, was the envy of the club, as the only one of our runners to receive a medal! In the 10k race, our wave of blue vests headed out on the two lap course with great gusto, cheered on at various points by our lovely band of sideline supporters. Despite the muggy weather and lack of medals, there was a huge haul of PBs. It was Caroline Pounder’s first big road race. She said, “This was my first major race since returning to running following a cycling accident, and Darlington 10k provided a safe closed road course with plenty of marshals and public support. I thoroughly enjoyed the fairly flat two loop course and the...