Hambleton Athletics & Running Club

Lakeland Trails Coniston Marathon Event Weekend

13th June 20216th July 2021 By Sara SherwoodNo Comments

HARC Runners at Lakeland Trails Coniston Marathon Event Weekend Lakeland Trails hosted their annual ‘Marathon Event’ in Coniston on Sunday 6th June. Three runners from Hambleton Athletics and Running Club took part. The marathon and half marathon courses wound their way through the foothills below Coniston Old Man, before taking in a lap of the extraordinarily beautiful Tarn Hows. The half-marathoners then headed back down to the village while the marathon runners ran all the way around Lake Coniston. Alasdair McWilliam took on the full marathon – 26.2 miles of challenging hills and terrain – a fantastic achievement, especially in the scorching heat. Gemma Birtles faced her first ever half marathon with support from Head Coach, Chris Lees. They finished the course despite a comic book head injury and celebrated with a paddle in Lake Coniston after crossing the line. Alasdair and Gemma are both qualified run leaders and have recently assisted the rest of the coaching team in delivering a Couch to 5k...

Hambleton Athletics and Running Club hit the Tracks

26th May 20216th July 2021 By Sara SherwoodNo Comments

On Saturday 8th May HARC members travelled to the Eastbourne Sports Complex in Darlington for a Track Experience Day. The weather was anything but kind with very heavy rain and an icy cold wind. The athletes started off with a 5000m run on the track – for some it was the first chance to run on a track and while the flat, even, surface provided a welcome contrast to potholes on the lanes around Bedale completing 12.5 laps of the track without hills or scenery as distraction was a tough challenge. Despite this, all the athletes were close to or ahead of their personal records for the distance which was a great boost given the conditions. After welcome warm refreshments and some coaching tips the group went on to try their hands at the 800m middle distance run followed by 200m and 100m sprints. The day finished with a lesson in baton handovers and a 4x100m relay race. In spite of the...

Gribdale Gate

18th May 20216th July 2021 By Sara SherwoodNo Comments

Hambleton Athletics and Running Club enjoyed a morning on the North York Moors earlier this month. Team HARC headed over to Gribdale Gate to enjoy a trail run across the moors, taking in the views from Little Roseberry and The Hanging Stone, on May 2. One group continued to Highcliff Nab and tackled the infamous Collapsed Lung hill, while the other group headed along the Cleveland Way to Percy Cross. The groups reconvened at a nearby farm shop for well-deserved hot drinks and bacon butties. We are a growing club offering 15 sessions per week from our bases in Bedale, Stokesley and Northallerton. “These include speed intervals, couch to 5K programmes and social runs.” If you would like to find out more about our friendly, inclusive, coaching-led club, please visit http://www.harc.uk or contact coaching@harc.uk....

Swainby Sweep Trail Race

15th April 202115th April 2021 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

Members of our club attended the Swainby Sweep Trail Race on Sunday. After months of cancelled events, it was fantastic for athletes to experience the return to a race atmosphere. Eight runners, including some of our Stokesley based members, braved the snow and wind to tackle the challenging trail event, taking in views of the Yorkshire Moors and across to the Dales. Sunshine prevailed, despite the early snowfall that led to the rerouting of the 16 mile race. Runners who had entered that distance were instead asked to complete two laps of the seven mile course – two miles shorter, yes, but with the added psychological hurdle of passing the finish line to continue for a second lap! In the seven mile race, Head Coach Chris Lees came 6th in his category (25th overall) with a time of 58:23, and Kay Kelly crossed the finish line in 1:13:16 to take 7th in her group. Anna Bonner (1:31:57) and Sara Sherwood (1:31:58) completed...

Back to Running in Groups

16th March 202116th March 2021 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

We can’t wait to get back to running together as a group – fingers crossed for 29th March! In the meantime, we are continuing to offer virtual sessions via Zoom (Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6.00pm, Saturdays at 9.00am and Sundays at 9.30am) with our fabulous buddy system. Please contact us if you’d like to find out more about all that our friendly club has to offer....

Couch to 5k – Stokesley, Northallerton, Bedale & Virtual

16th March 202116th March 2021 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

Our next Couch to 5k is starting on Tuesday 6th April and registration is now open! You can find further details and register by visiting https://harc.uk/c25k. The programme is suitable for complete beginners and those returning from injury. The sessions will be offered in-person from our Stokesley hub (and in Bedale/Northallerton if there is demand). You can also join in via Zoom (from anywhere!), and this will be the method of delivery for everyone if Government plans change and Covid restrictions at the time do not allow us to meet in groups. If you have any questions at all, please get in touch - coaching@harc.uk....

Stokesley Couch to 5k

2nd January 202113th January 2021 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

Our Stokesley Couch to 5k is starting on Tuesday 19th January and registration is now open! Please visit https://harc.uk/c25k for further details and to register. It is suitable for complete beginners and those returning from injury. We will be running the programme from our Stokesley hub (meeting outside Let's Run) and virtually (via Zoom). If you have any questions at all, please get in touch - coaching@harc.uk....

What a year for HARC!

31st December 202031st December 2020 By Gemma WardleNo Comments

2020 brought the formation of our wonderful club, which has swelled to 70 members in its first six months. This has led to lots of fun and laughter with friends old and new. We have managed to keep on running throughout these strange times, in groups or with “buddies” around Bedale, and through our pioneering virtual running option, which has been a huge success. We are proud to have welcomed 24 new athletes to the world of running via two Couch to 5k programmes, with a further eight due to graduate in January. Plans to develop a hub in Stokesley have progressed as we begin interval sessions and a Couch to 5k programme there. Although many events have been cancelled, our determined club members have tackled several Lakeland Trails courses, a couple of Gin Runs, the Falls and Castle, and the Three Peaks Challenge, not to mention a first marathon achievement. We even squeezed in a few “away runs” – Cod Beck,...

Stokesley – new year, new hub!

30th December 202030th December 2020 By Chris LeesNo Comments

We are very excited to announce a Couch to 5k programme and speed intervals in Stokesley, the first steps in establishing our Stokesley hub. This will mirror our Bedale hub and ultimately provide the same range of activities as we do from the established Bedale venues. The new Couch to 5k programme is starting on Tuesday January 19th. This is suitable for complete beginners or those returning from injury, and will be run both in-person (meeting outside our good friends Let's Run in College Square) and virtually (using our pioneering Zoom-based system). We have found that running these sessions virtually not only allows us to carry on even if the strictest lockdown restrictions are imposed, but also allows you to join in from a little further afield or if you prefer to start out on your own rather than in a group. This C25K programme will be led by Caroline Horton, who we are delighted to welcome to the club. Caroline is...

Lee Kemp and Shelli Gordon speak to head coach Chris Lees

25th September 202025th September 2020 By (anonymized)No Comments

Last night our head coach, Chris Lees, headed over to Stokesley in the east of our Hambleton district to meet up with Lee Kemp and Shelli Gordon in their running shop, Let's Run. As always, there was a warm welcome and what followed was a fascinating, instructive, but above all fun thirty minute chat covering Lee's team GB ultra-running experience, Shelli's record holding performances, and lots of solid advice for people about getting started with running clothing and equipment. The discussion was streamed live on Facebook and Q&A from those watching led to some great insights and interesting digressions! Grab a cuppa and a biscuit and enjoy the 30 minute recording on Facebook here: https://harc.uk/lee-and-shelli...