Mansfield Harriers out in force to take on the cream of the Midlands this weekend

The club have 52 athletes racing, the best number they have had at this event for many years.

The week after comes the County Schools race at Worksop College where the club’ s athletes will be looking to get into the top eight to represent the County Schools team in the National championships in March at Pontefract.

Following the successful County Cross County Championships held at Bulwell Hall at the beginning of the Month the club will also have a strong contingent in the County AAA team which is also held in March at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham.

Last weekend the fourth in this winter BDL series was held at Bramcote Hills Park in Nottingham. This is one of the toughest races on the local circuit with an incredibly challenging hill and downhill stretch.

This winter has seen Sue Lomas step up into the role as team manager for the club as she has brought fresh impetus to the league for the club.

First home was U17 and Junior England International Jacob Nugent, who is returning from injury, and he put in a terrific comeback race to place seventh closely followed by Dan Nugent in ninth.

Reece Carver picked up an injury on the course but still ran strongly to place 18th, followed by Charlie Taylor 31st, Wayne Lowe 45th, Geoff Bottomore 68th, Paul Castledine 81st, Neil Halstead 88th, Jason Taylor 92nd and Shaun Arrowsmith 132nd.

For the ladies second claim athlete and U17 Amy Newbould had a promising first run for the team coming home 16th, Holly Colton 32nd, Natasha Carver 38th, Claire Croll 50th, Carol Fickling 58th and Marta Warren 61st.

January has seen a busy month of Indoor Athletics competition for Harriers with fixtures at both the English Institute of Sport at Sheffield and Loughborough.

The Mansfield athletes have been using the fixtures as both preparation for indoor championships and to sharpen up for the upcoming track and field season.

Racing at the British Milers Grand Prix at Sheffield current British indoors and outdoors Masters 35 champion Paul Wright was looking for a fast race before the European Masters Championships in March at Torun, Poland.

Paul had one of the best races of his career, recording 1.56.29, which is only a fraction of a second outside his personal best time and showed he is in great shape a few weeks before the major championship.

At the same event Ben Smith, Johar Ali and Beth Hamilton all recorded impressive times of 1.55.27, 1.56.99 and 2.26.18 respectively.

At the Run Jump Throw fixture last weekend U17 athlete Eddie Holden put in a superb personal best run of 1.59.29 to join the Mansfield sub two minute club and now looks forward to the National Championships next month in great shape.

Kristian Watson used the 3000m as preparation for his upcoming race over 5K in Armagh, recording 9.15.88 with the fast improving Brad Caress finishing close behind in 9.18.99.

Racing over 60m, rising star Matt Smart continued his fine winter season as he recorded 7.01, Oliver Salmon with 7.49, Matthew Young 7.56 plus 23.29 for 200m, Nathan Salmon 7.73, Joel Brereton 8.07 plus 26.14 for 200m and Jemima Waller 29.63 for 200m.

Amelia Arbon recorded 30.45 for the 200 and recorded a much improved 2.30.23 for 800m.

Racing at the Midlands Indoor Championships, U20 Rhys Elias showed he has come back from a season wrecked by injury with a phenomenal series in the 60m.

After a 6.82 to comfortably win the semi-final, he had a battle in the final as he took the gold medal in 6.85, a desperately close finish with the runner-up recording 6.89.

Brandon Lee continued where he left off in 2023, taking the gold medal in the Triple Jump with 14.15 and Sophie Peet had a successful day taking a bronze medal in the Shot with 7.81m, racing to a new best of 10.45 in the 60 Hurdles, also getting to the final in the Long Jump.

At the same venue Serenity Joynt took the win in the U20 Discus at the Midlands Outdoor throws meeting with a distance of 33.23m.

At an earlier Loughborough Open meeting, three Mansfield athletes competed in the 60m Hurdles event.

All three put in impressive displays with a new personal best for U15 Sophie Peet of 10.61, U17 Katie Biggs 9.89 and Master Stef Wilcockson 8.91.