Darlington 10k Festival 2025 – Come Rain or Shine… or Both!

Darlington 10k Festival 2025 – Come Rain or Shine… or Both!

By Gemma WardleNo Comments
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....
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C25k Graduation at Fountains Abbey

C25k Graduation at Fountains Abbey

By Gemma WardleNo Comments
A huge congratulations to our latest group of Couch to 5k runners who completed their programme with a fantastic 5km run at the breathtaking Fountains Abbey parkrun last Saturday! Over the past ten weeks, this amazing group has worked their way from walking and jogging short intervals to confidently running a full 5km. The Couch to 5k programme is designed to support beginners in building fitness, confidence and a love for running – and this group has truly embraced the journey, showing determination, perseverance, and team spirit every step of the way. The course was led by our newly qualified Leaders in Running Fitness, Rich and Garry – this was their first ever C25K programme – and what a brilliant job they’ve done! Their dedication, encouragement and positivity have helped guide each runner to achieve their personal goal. We’re incredibly proud of them for taking this step into leadership and inspiring others in our community. The grand finale took place in glorious sunshine...
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Age Group Changes

Age Group Changes

By Chris LeesNo Comments
From 1st April 2026, the age groups for UK Athletics are changing. This post sets out the new groups, competition regulation distances, weights and sizes, and the anticipated progressions. Age Groups The age groups themselves are switching from largely odd numbered ages (U13, U15, U17 and U20) to even numbers age groups (U12, U14, U16, U18, U20). The table below shows how school years map to age groups: The 'cut-off' date for everyone up to U18 will be 31st August. This means the athletes age on the 31st August determines the age group they compete in for the whole season that follows. Event Progressions With these changes, the distances, weights and sizes of the events have be realigned. The tables below show the competition progressions for track & field, cross-country, and endurance events: Hurdles In addition to the above, the following specifications apply for hurdles: Steeplechase In addition to the above, the following specifications apply for steeplechase: Throws In addition to the above, the following specifications apply for throws:...
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Fabulous Day at Northallerton Carnival

Fabulous Day at Northallerton Carnival

By Gemma WardleNo Comments
We were delighted to support Northallerton Carnival again this year by organising a free kids’ fun run. About 25 youngsters took part, dashing around the park to earn themselves a cool drink and some sweets at the finish line. Our HARC team stayed for the rest of the day, raising funds for Hambleton Community Action. The total was £70.64, which will be added to the pot for our donation at the end of the year. The big bear star of our “Guess the Bear’s Name” game turned out to be called Luna. She was won by Lynn, who took her home as a gift for her great nephews. In our “Kids’ Target Game”, lots of children won some bubbles, but only three super-accurate throwers managed to get all three beanbags in the hoop to be entered in the draw for the top prize. Oscar was the lucky winner - well done! The “Chain Game” was won by Lewis who managed a chain of six...
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HARC Members Saddle Up for Fun!

HARC Members Saddle Up for Fun!

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...
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Relaxing with Sound Bath Therapy

Relaxing with Sound Bath Therapy

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!...
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Record HARC Attendance at Northallerton 10k

Record HARC Attendance at Northallerton 10k

By Gemma WardleNo Comments
Despite being a tough race with a huge hill, Northallerton 10k never fails to attract plenty of HARC runners. This year, a record 41 Team HARC athletes took part, meaning we had more runners than any other club! The event is always well-organised and the race director even arranged good weather for the 2025 run, a welcome relief for runners and supporters alike after last year’s torrential rain. Our runners had a wide range of goals for the day with some seeking a PB, others hoping to achieve a particular time, several aiming to conquer their first 10k (and first ever race for some!), and a fair few just out to enjoy the run. And whether sprinting to the finish line or run/walking the whole way, we’re proud of every single one of them! Congratulations, everyone! And a big thank you to our support crew who stationed themselves around the course as well as at the start/finish area to give Team HARC strategic...
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