Geoff Newton was competing Great Britain in the M80 category at the European Masters Non-Stadia Championships

“The European Masters Championships run on a two-year cycle. The main stadia championships happened in the summer of 2025 over two weeks in the summer. The Indoors and the Non -Stadia happened in the spring of 2026. The Indoors happened over 8 days in Torun, Poland and the Non -Stadia a month later over a long weekend in Catania, Sicily.
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I think the format of the Non-Stadia stinks, but in the past, I have turned it to my advantage. Basically, there is a 10K road race on the Friday, a cross-country relay on the Saturday and a Half Marathon on the Sunday. Now I am an old man I need at least two clear days to recover from the 10K and as the half marathon has always in the past been the better event for me, I gave the 10K a miss. This gives me a relative advantage over the runners who have done the 10K. That’s the theory. Unfortunately, I have done very little training recently due to foot problems (more of that later) so perhaps this was the wrong choice of race. There were also  programmes of Race Walking and Nordic Race Walking but that sort of thing has no appeal for me.
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Catania, situated in the shadow of Mount Etna, is the second city of Sicily and a city of contrasts. Etna erupted in 1693 and razed the city to the ground, so the entire city was rebuilt in the same baroque style, which has mostly survived to the present day as in recent times the city has not prospered. So away from the posh shops in the centre there is much graffiti, litter and dereliction. There is however a lot for the tourist to see in the daytime and in the evening the city centre is thronged with people enjoying the performance of the street entertainers and eating and drinking.
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The city centre is unsuitable for running, as the streets are all surfaced with black, uneven lava blocks, polished shiny by the scariest drivers in all Italy (which really says something). A few Km away from the centre there are quiet tarmac roads by the coast, lined with a scattering of posh hotels and private beaches. These have been bypassed by a new fast road, so it was possible to close these roads for the duration of the races.
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The half marathon was two laps of an almost flat out and back course. No shade. The start and finish were located a few hundred metres from a turning point.
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Not inspiring but at least the four turning points provided opportunities to view the rest of the field. Runners over 80 are always thin on the ground, particularly over the longer distances. There were only six M80 entries for the half marathon. Two Swiss including Hans Weidermeier who won the 10K, another Brit Martin Ford (4^th in the 10K), Ake Jonson a Swede who was 2^nd in the 10K , and Letterio de Lorenzo an Italian. The Italian like me had given the 10K a miss.
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On the day Martin and the other Swiss did not run. Thinking the Italian to be the main threat I tracked him until the just before the turn at nearly 5km and as I felt good by then I pushed on a bit and caught up Mike Mann, an M75 I know well and ran with him for the rest of the 1^st lap. At the 2^nd turning-point I was well clear of the Italian and the Swede with the Swiss a long way back. However, at halfway my lack of training began to make its presence felt. Mike speeded up and I gradually slowed. I was still clear of Ake and Letterio  (Hans had dropped out) but perhaps they were slightly closer by the third turn.  By this time my feet were becoming quite painful.
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With less than 1km to go and the last turn in sight, I heard the sounds of pursuit. My old foe Ake Jonson. At the last turn I accelerated as best I could and drew away for a short while. However, this did not last, and Ake came past like I was standing still and the gold turned to silver in sight of the finish. Can’t blame it on my tactics, just the lack of training. The Italian had slowed even more than me, but at least he was assured of the bronze as the Swiss had dropped out. Times were very slow with Ake 2:03:02, me 2:03:38. L de L 2:07:16. Ake and me had come up against each other seven times previously with the results Five to Two in my favour. It’s now Five to Three.
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Afterwards even walking was painful. I had planned to visit Mount Etna 2 or 3 days later and look at some of the craters but gave up on that idea as too much walking might be involved.
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Geoff came close to gold but had to settle for silver in the end

Basically, I need to sort out my feet so I can enjoy running again. My provisional diagnosis is that its either arthritis or just a combination of old age and too many miles on the clock from 60+ years of running. So, no easy answers. I don’t get on too well with current trainers with their stacked heels which cause me more pain than my old lightweight racing flats.
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My current plan is to give up on road racing and concentrate on more forgiving surfaces like cross country, trail racing and track and to repurpose my 15 years old road racing flats for training and to wear the trainers down the pub instead. Hopefully this may give me another year or so before I retire from the sport for good. Will my body give out first or will these already much-mended old flats fall apart first? Time will tell.
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Brits were well represented in Torun but surprisingly less so in Catania. The first 6 male finishers overall in the half marathon were Italian and the first Brit finished in 50^th position. In an ideal world I should have been drafted into the GB M75 team in the HM and come away with a “silver” team medal. Alas the GB Team Manager declared Martin Ford instead of me, but Martin decided not to run. The other members of the M75 team Mike Mann and Trevor Edgeley were spitting feathers when they found out. This sort of thing was never a problem in the past when we indicated our availability on a notice board at the registration venue. Now everything is done on WhatsApp, but a procedure for sorting this out seems yet to have been developed. Mobile phones are supposed to make communication easier!”

By Geoff Newton

A Bournemouth AC team strong in numbers and high in quality had been assembled for the May 5

After what had been a highly encouraging start to the Dorset Road Race League season, Bournemouth AC found themselves in an unfamiliar position heading into the fifth race of the campaign. Despite strong performances earlier in the year, both the men’s and women’s teams had failed to field scoring teams in the previous two fixtures and were desperately in need of getting their season back on track at the May 5.

Fortunately, if there was one race capable of reigniting Bournemouth AC’s challenge, this was it.

Bournemouth needed a good performance from both their men’s and ladies teams

Historically, the yellow and blues had always managed to produce strong turnouts at the popular five-mile fixture around Ashdown Athletics Stadium, often fielding highly competitive teams. This year they arrived with one of their strongest line-ups of the season and, spearheading the charge, was a young man rapidly establishing himself as one of the most exciting talents in the region.

Jon Pepin was one of the lead contenders

With Jon Pepin in their ranks, Bournemouth AC always had a chance.

The 18-year-old superstar arrived at the race carrying a remarkable collection of recent performances. Having already won the Run Bournemouth Supersonic 10k in a time under his previous best, he had recently clocked 4:36 for the mile at the Bannister Miles meeting in Oxford alongside a 4:16 1500m. His season had also included a personal best of 8:33.50 for 3000m, second place at the South East Schools’ Inter Counties Cross Country Championships, fourth in the Hampshire Schools’ Championships and a highly respectable 64th at the English Schools’ Championships.

Jon arrived with great pedigree

As if that wasn’t enough, he had blasted a new 10k personal best of 31:38 at the RunThrough Battersea Park 10k in February, underlining the exceptional form he was carrying into the race.

Luke De-Benedictis

Supporting him in the men’s squad were several runners who had already contributed strongly throughout the season. Luke De-Benedictis had impressed with 11th place at the Broadstone Quarter Marathon, 19th at the Stubbington 10k in a PB of 33:48 and 13th place finishes at both the Lytchett 10 and Bournemouth Bay Half Marathon.

Matt Brown returned to league action following a third-place finish in the opening race of the Upton Summer Series, while Jake Mowat arrived fresh from a Stubbington 10k PB of 35:16 and fifth place at the Bournemouth Bay 10k in 36:16.

Matt Brown

James Hulbert may not have quite hit top gear so far this season, but a runner of his calibre is always a major asset and he came into the race having recently completed the London Marathon in under 2 hours 55 minutes.

Jake Mowat

Arthur Riley was another valuable inclusion. After recording a sub-1:21 performance at the Yeovil Half Marathon in March, he had been enjoying some shorter racing following his astonishing completion of the Arc 100 in January – a gruelling 104-mile ultra along the Cornish coast featuring over 20,000 feet of elevation in stormy conditions.

Seventeen-year-old Harry Butcher continued his emergence through the ranks and was beginning to demonstrate that he could become an important contributor to the club’s future success, while Casper Jakobsen arrived with a recent 33:42 clocking from the Running Grand Prix at Goodwood.

Harry Butcher

The women’s team also looked capable of making an impact.

Emma Caplan

Emma Caplan lined up after claiming first female honours at the opening race of the Upton Summer Series and looked well placed to lead Bournemouth’s challenge. Kitty Cook had been making noticeable improvements throughout the year and was edging ever closer to breaking the elusive 20-minute barrier for 5k. Kate Bowers, sixth female at this race twelve months earlier when Bournemouth AC claimed victory in Division One, brought further strength to the squad.

Helen Beddoe completed the team after recently achieving a sub-four-hour marathon debut at the ABP Southampton Marathon just a fortnight earlier.

Kitty Cook

The race itself is a twisting and turning five-mile test that starts and finishes on the track at Ashdown Athletics Stadium, home to both Poole AC and Poole Runners. Home advantage appeared firmly in Poole AC’s favour with Tommy Corbin, Lewis Clarke, Brian Underwood, Callum Wadlow and Luke Terry all lining up in what looked a formidable men’s team.

Kate Bowers

Elsewhere, Chris Wood returned after his superb victory at the North Dorset Village Marathon, while Rich White, Mark Savage and current men’s individual league leader Louis Verdi all added further quality to the field. The women’s race also featured several leading contenders including Lizzy Allison, Vicki Ingham, Helen O’Neile, Emma Mogridge and current standings leader Victoria Pye.

Luke De-Benedictis starting the race

Jon Pepin setting the pace

When the race got underway, Jon Pepin immediately took control.

Luke De-Benedictis

In truth, “took control” barely does it justice.

The Bournemouth AC youngster simply grabbed the race by the scruff of the neck and ran away from everyone.

Matt Brown

Rich Brawn

Arthur Riley

Tom Casson

Emma Caplan

James Hulbert

Kitty Cook

Nathan Mearns

Chris O’Brien

Jon Pepin led the race throughout

Covering the opening mile in just under five minutes, Jon followed with splits of 5:13 and 5:18. Behind him, Tommy Corbin, Lewis Clarke and Callum Wadlow attempted to organise a pursuit, but the gap stubbornly refused to come down.

Jon won the race in 26:08

Jon showed no signs of weakening. A fourth mile of 5:19 kept the pressure firmly on his pursuers before he accelerated again with a blistering 4:57 final mile. By the time he reached the track for the finish, the race was effectively over.

Crossing the line in a superb time of 26:08, Jon secured a commanding victory.

Tommy Corbin claimed second in 26:54, Lewis Clarke followed in 27:06 and Callum Wadlow took fourth in 27:11. Dorset Doddlers’ Rich White was fifth and first veteran in 27:13, while Brian Underwood completed the top six in 27:51.

Lewis Clarke couldn’t catch Jon Pepin

Casper Jakobsen showed he’s going to be quite an asset

Casper Jakobsen produced another strong performance for Bournemouth AC. After opening with a 5:19 mile, he maintained his rhythm throughout to finish seventh overall in 27:59.

Casper got round in just under 28 minutes

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was close behind. Consistent early pacing helped him secure eighth place in 28:08, giving Bournemouth AC two runners inside the top ten.

Matt finished 8th in 28:08

Steve Kellaway, Philip Bridge, Gergely Arvay and Lee Dempster occupied the next positions before Luke Terry completed Poole AC’s scoring quartet, sealing a fourth First Division victory from five races and reinforcing their status as the dominant men’s team this season.

Luke De-Benedictis finished 18th in 28:41

Harry Butcher performed with admirable maturity

Further down the field, Bournemouth AC’s depth began to show.

Luke De-Benedictis (28:41), Harry Butcher (28:43) and Jake Mowat (28:46) crossed in 18th, 19th and 20th places respectively to complete Bournemouth AC‘s scoring team and secure second place in the Men’s First Division behind only Poole AC.

James Hulbert finished 24th in 29:13

James Hulbert was next home for the club in 24th place with 29:13. Arthur Riley battled through after perhaps going out a little enthusiastically and still managed a respectable 29:41 for 33rd.

Tom Casson

Tom ran really well

Tom Casson continued his impressive progression with 37th place in 29:49.

Tom finishing 37th in 29:49

One of the most dramatic finishes of the day belonged to Rich Brawn. Glancing at his watch as he entered the track, he realised he had around thirty seconds remaining to break the thirty-minute barrier. A desperate sprint followed and his watch stopped on exactly 30:00.

Rich Brawn

Rich Brawn

The wait for the official results felt considerably longer than the final lap.

Rich just managed to scrape a sub 30

When they finally appeared, the verdict could hardly have been closer.

Official time: 29:59.5.Sub-thirty achieved. That put him in 39th place.

Julian Critchlow, now competing for Poole Runners, was first M60 in 30:15.

Nicolay Rusnachenko

Nicolay finished 52nd in 31:16

Nicolay Rusnachenko (31:17), Patrick Kingston (31:41), Stephen Ellerby (32:08), Nathan Mearns (32:18) and Chris O’Brien (32:31) all added valuable finishes for Bournemouth AC, with Chris producing a particularly pleasing run that was over a minute quicker than his previous May 5 performance four years earlier.

Patrick Kingston

Stephen Ellerby

Nathan Mearns

Chris O’Brien

Chris O’Brien put in a controlled performance

David Crowther

Further back, David Crowther improved by almost ninety seconds compared to last year (35:19), while Helen Beddoe completed her first ever five-mile race in 35:28. She finished just ahead of Lara Hudson, who has recently started training with Bournemouth AC and crossed in 35:34.

Helen Beddoe

David Crowther ran it a minute-and-a-half faster than last year

It was Helen’s first ever five mile race

David finished 135th in 35:19

Tim Hughes

Tim Hughes wasn’t quite as quick as he had been in his previous two attempts (38:40) but used the race as a fitness benchmark, while Emma Lewis (40:19), Janine Pattison (40:51) and Julia Austin (41:48) all completed the course strongly.

Julia Austin

Emma Lewis

Janine Pattison

Tim Hughes

Julia batting it out at the end of the race

Janine sprints it out at the end

At the sharp end of the women’s race, Lizzy Allison of Poole Runners took top honours in 29:26, finishing 28th overall. Team-mate Vicki Ingham was second female in 31:12.

Tim finished in 38:40

Emma Caplan

Emma Caplan led Bournemouth AC’s challenge superbly, taking third female overall and first in the F45 category with 32:02.

Emma Caplan was third female in 32:02

Kitty Cook ran her fastest ever 5k within the five race

Emma Mogridge and Victoria Pye completed the top five women before Helen O’Neile narrowly edged out Kitty Cook.

Patrick came 58th in 31:41

Stephen Ellerby

Despite missing out on sixth female by just three seconds, Kitty still had every reason to celebrate. Hidden within her 33:11 finishing time was her first ever sub-20-minute 5k split, achieved in the midst of a five-mile race – a remarkable breakthrough.

Nathan Mearns finished 72nd in 32:18

Chris O’Brien finished 79th in 32:31

Kate Bowers completed Bournemouth’s scoring trio with 33:58, ensuring the club comfortably topped the Ladies Second Division standings on the day.

Kate Bowers was third scorer for the Bournemouth AC ladies

Stephen finished 69th in 32:08

Poole Runners claimed victory in the Ladies First Division ahead of Poole AC, while league leaders Egdon Heath Harriers had to settle for third.

Emma Lewis finished 211th in 40:19

Elsewhere, Littledown Harriers topped the Men’s Second Division, while Purbeck Runners narrowly edged Verwood Runners in a tightly contested Men’s Third Division battle.

Janine Pattison finished 7th in her age category

Julia Austin was 229th in 41:48

The result leaves Bournemouth AC and Dorchester RIOT tied at the top of the Ladies Second Division standings after five races.

Most importantly, however, after two frustrating fixtures without scoring teams, Bournemouth AC were firmly back in business.

Emma Caplan collects her prizes for third female and first in the 45 to 54 category

The men produced an excellent second-place finish in Division One behind the seemingly unstoppable Poole AC, while the women delivered another Division Two victory.

The result put the Bournemouth AC men level on points with Egdon Heath Harriers and Wimborne AC, with Twemlow Track Club currently second behind Poole AC. It looks like it could be very tight in the battle to avoid the drop.

It was a great day a round for the Bournemouth AC squad

After desperately needing a response, Bournemouth AC found one.

And with Jon Pepin leading from the front in spectacular fashion, it was quite some statement.

Luke Martin was in action for Bournemouth AC in the undulating Alton 10 race

A no-show at the Salisbury 10 had all but extinguished Bournemouth AC‘s fading hopes of survival in the Men’s A1 Division of the Hampshire Road Race League.

Having secured back-to-back promotions before being crowned league champions last season, it has been a frustrating campaign for the club, with a lack of numbers and appetite proving costly throughout the year. Realistically, Bournemouth AC would probably have needed victories in all four remaining fixtures to retain any chance of avoiding relegation, starting with the Alton 10.

Unfortunately, only two BAC members made the trip to Hampshire’s notoriously undulating 10-mile test, meaning another race without a scoring team and another missed opportunity in the league battle.

The Alton 10 is one of the more challenging fixtures on the HRRL calendar, featuring a scenic but relentlessly hilly route through the Hampshire countryside. A sell-out field of 478 runners gathered under favourable conditions for the ninth race of the season.

Leading the Bournemouth AC challenge was Luke Martin, returning to racing after an unfortunate London Marathon where stomach problems prevented him from delivering the performance his fitness deserved.

Luke had been one of the key architects of BAC’s league title success last season and once again demonstrated the quality he possesses over the shorter distances.

Luke was back in form for the yellow and blues

He opened conservatively enough with a 5:43 first mile before climbing through a largely uphill second mile in 5:56. The next section of the course offered more favourable terrain and Luke immediately responded, clocking 5:37 and 5:26 for miles three and four respectively.

The fifth mile was perhaps the toughest on the course, consisting almost entirely of climbing, but Luke remained composed and powered through it in 6:01.

With the hardest work done, he produced an impressively consistent second half. Miles six through nine were covered in 5:41, 5:36, 5:38 and 5:38 before he closed strongly with a 5:33 final mile.

Luke finished third in 57:03

The result was an outstanding finishing time of 57:03, securing third place overall from the 478 finishers and a well-deserved place on the podium.

Joshua Price won the race convincingly

Only two athletes were able to better than Luke on the day. Joshua Price of Vectis Academy claimed a convincing victory in 54:18, while Henry Edwards of Winchester Running Club took second place in exactly 56 minutes. Price’s victory was his third of the season and continued a remarkably consistent campaign which has seen him finish inside the top three in all but one HRRL race this year.

Joshua got round in an outstanding time of 54:18

Ross Holme of Ryde Harriers finished fourth in 58:35, while Jack Townsend of Windle Valley Runners recorded 58:45. Christopher Dettmar of Liss Runners completed the top six in 58:56 and was also first veteran despite competing in the M55 category.

Henry Edwards of Winchester Running Club claimed second place

The club’s second representative, Patrick Kingston, was tackling the event for the third consecutive year.

Patrick Kingston wasn’t afraid of a hilly encounter

Kingston’s running CV contains some formidable mountain ultras, making the hills around Alton look relatively tame by comparison. Among his recent achievements are 58 miles at the TOR130 Tot Dret in Italy, the demanding 70-kilometre La Moins’Hard in Chamonix featuring 5,600 metres of ascent, and the Ultra Trail Vipava Valley in Slovenia, where he covered 110 kilometres with 4,800 metres of climbing.

Ross Holme of Ryde Harriers finished fourth

Even so, the Alton course always commands respect.

Having recorded 1:07:56 on the same course last year, Patrick produced a significant improvement this time around, stopping the clock at 1:05:12.

Patrick got round in 1:05:12

His average pace of 6:31 per mile, achieved over a route containing more than 600 feet of elevation gain, earned him 36th place overall and seventh from 49 runners in the M45-49 category.

The women’s race was won impressively by Becky Dew of Totton Running Club, whose time of 1:04:28 placed her 31st overall. Becky Hutton of Winchester Running Club was second female in 1:05:17, crossing the line immediately behind Patrick, while Alexa King of Hart Road Runners completed the podium in 1:05:26. Emma Jolley of City of Portsmouth was fourth female and first veteran in 1:05:57.

Patrick improved on his time from last year by almost three minutes

In the team competition, Winchester Running Club continued their march towards the Men’s A1 title. With their first three scorers finishing 15th, 16th and 17th overall, they claimed another divisional victory and moved ever closer to securing the championship. Alton Runners finished second, while Liss Runners produced an excellent performance to take third despite sitting near the bottom of the standings. Defending runners-up Denmead Striders endured a difficult day and could only manage fifth.

Winchester were equally dominant in the Women’s A1 Division, recording a seventh victory of the season to strengthen their grip on the title race.

Luke earned a well deserved podium place

Elsewhere, Vectis Academy won the Men’s A2 Division ahead of Hedge End Running Club and Portsmouth Joggers, while Totton Running Club extended their winning streak to five races in the Women’s A2 competition.

Isle of Wight Road Runners strengthened their position at the top of Men’s A3 with another victory, while Hamwic Harriers continued their dominance of Women’s A3.

The top three at the Alton 10 collect their prizes

Winchester also completed a clean sweep in the men’s reserve divisions, taking honours in both Men’s B1 and Men’s B2 to remain top of both tables.

Attention now turns to the next HRRL fixture, the Netley 10k. However, that race clashes with the ever-popular May 5 event at Canford Heath and sold out rapidly. As things stand, Tom Ralph is the only Bournemouth AC athlete entered for the trip to Netley.

The Bournemouth AC men were out in force in the first race of Upton Summer Series

Two races into the six-race Upton Summer Series and Bournemouth AC athletes have already made their mark, collecting individual victories, team honours and age-group successes as they look to build on some impressive performances from previous years.

The opening race saw a strong Bournemouth AC turnout with Riley Austin, Matt Brown, Tom Casson and Callum Pearson representing the men, while Emma Caplan, Kitty Cook, Helen Beddoe, Michelle Dorrington and Emma Biggs flew the yellow and blue flag in the women’s competition.

The start of the first Senior race of the Upton Summer Series

Tom Casson and Riley Austin in Race 1

Matt Brown starting Race 1

Matt Brown

Matt Brown and Riley Austin in Race 1

Riley Austin arrived at Upton in excellent form. Having won the Junior Summer Series two years ago before stepping up to finish fifth overall in last year’s senior competition, he had recently demonstrated his credentials with a third-place finish at the Bournemouth Bay 10k in a time of 35:44.

Matt Brown and Riley Austin

He produced a performance to match that promise.

In what became a display of Bournemouth AC dominance, Riley surged clear to take victory in a superb 19:36. Ben Shawyer was the only athlete able to challenge the Bournemouth AC contingent, taking second place in 19:47, while three of the top four finishers wore yellow and blue.

Matt Brown continued the fine form that has seen him run 34:29 at the Eastleigh 10k and record a marathon personal best of 2:40:11 in December. Going through the first mile in 5:30, Matt followed up with consecutive 5:43 miles before closing out the race at 5:53 pace to stop the clock at 19:53.

Riley Austin and Matt Brown in Race 3

Matt Brown in Race 1

Matt Brown

Tom Casson in Race 1

Tom Casson was another Bournemouth AC athlete enjoying a strong run of form. Having recently clocked 5:08 in the Community Mile at the Bannister Miles meeting in Oxford, he opened with a rapid 5:28 first mile before covering the next two miles in 5:56 and 6:06. Maintaining a 6:11 pace for the final section, Tom crossed the line in an impressive 20:36.

Tom Casson

Tom Casson

Tom Casson

Callum Pearson in Race 1

Callum Pearson completed Bournemouth AC’s outstanding men’s performance. Splits of 6:02, 6:12 and 6:19, followed by a 6:39 pace finish, saw him record 21:34 and claim 11th place overall as the club enjoyed one of its strongest collective showings in recent editions of the series.

Callum Pearson

Callum Pearson

Emma Caplan in Race 1

The success did not end there.

Emma Caplan

Emma Caplan

Emma Caplan led the women’s race from a Bournemouth AC perspective, producing an excellent run to finish as first female and 22nd overall in 22:31.

Emma Caplan was first female

Kitty Cook in Race 1

Kitty Cook continued where she left off last year. Cook finished fifth female overall in the 2025 series after completing all six races and had recently placed seventh female at the Bannister Miles Community Mile in Oxford. Her consistency was again on show as she recorded mile splits of 6:19, 6:29 and 6:43 before closing strongly to finish second female and 30th overall in 22:49.

Kitty Cook

Michelle Dorrington in Race 1

Carys Gallagher of Westbourne was third female in 23:49.

Michelle Dorrington

Michelle Dorrington, ninth female overall in last year’s series and a member of Bournemouth AC’s winning women’s team, ensured there were three Bournemouth AC women inside the top eight. Splits of 7:02, 7:04 and 7:09 helped her to a time of 24:50 and 54th place overall.

Michelle Dorrington

Helen Beddoe in Race 1

Helen Beddoe was the fourth Bournemouth AC woman home. Having completed all six races last year and improved her time at every event, she arrived at Upton following a successful spring marathon campaign which saw her break four hours at the ABP Southampton Marathon. She completed the course in 27:04, finishing 90th overall, 21st female and second in the F40-44 category.

Helen Beddoe

Helen Beddoe

Emma Biggs in Race 1

Emma Biggs completed the Bournemouth AC scoring contingent. Her time of 32:17 placed her 149th overall and 48th female.

Emma Biggs

With 190 runners successfully completing the course, Bournemouth AC rounded off a memorable evening by claiming victory in both the men’s and women’s team competitions, which are determined by the first three finishers from each club.

Emma Biggs

Emma Biggs

Tougher Conditions in Race Two

The start of Race 2

The second race of the series proved a sterner test.

Andrew Smith of Poole Runners took victory in 19:47, with Ben Shawyer again finishing runner-up in 19:57. Oscar Ewan Matthews of Poole AC claimed third in 20:16, while Ed Davies of Twemlow Track Club was fourth in 20:34.

Callum Pearson starting the race

Callum Pearson was Bournemouth AC’s leading male athlete on this occasion. Although unable to reproduce the performance that had seen him finish 11th overall in race one, he still ran strongly to place 22nd in 22:44.

Callum Pearson

Callum Pearson in Race 2

The warmer conditions appeared to take their toll across the field.

Callum Pearson

Helen O’Neile of Poole Runners was first female and 20th overall in 22:26, with Imogen Thorne second female in 22:53.

Kitty Cook once again featured prominently, taking third female spot in 23:31. While some way outside the 22:49 she managed in the opening race, the significantly hotter conditions made comparisons difficult and her placing kept her firmly in contention at the top of the overall standings.

Kitty Cook in Race 2

Kitty Cook

Carys Gallagher finished fourth female in 23:54.

Helen Beddoe in Race 2

One of the performances of the evening came from Helen Beddoe. Locked in a close contest with Vicky Rutter of Littledown Harriers, Beddoe narrowly missed fifth female place by just one second as she crossed the line in 25:12. The time was quicker than four of her six performances from last year’s series and moved her to the top of the F40-44 standings after two races.

Helen Beddoe

Emma Biggs starting Race 2

Matilde Blagden made her Upton Summer Series debut in Bournemouth AC colours and completed the course in 30:38, placing 28th female.

Emma Biggs in Race 2

Emma Biggs returned for her second outing of the series and finished in 34:57, placing 148th overall.

A total of 168 runners completed the second race, with the Bournemouth AC trio of Kitty Cook, Helen Beddoe and Matilde Blagden securing second place in the women’s team competition.

Early Standings

Emma Biggs

Following two races, Ben Shawyer heads the overall standings thanks to consecutive runner-up finishes.

The BAC ladies team finished second in Race 2

Kitty Cook sits at the top of the women‘s standings, while Bournemouth AC also lead the women’s team competition heading into the third race of the series.

With four races still remaining, there is plenty of running left to be done, but Bournemouth AC have already established themselves as one of the clubs to watch this summer.

Junior Summer Series

The start of the first Junior Summer Series race

The club’s younger athletes have also made an excellent start to their campaigns.

Edward Davies was featuring in the first race of the Junior Summer Series

Race one saw Aiden Blagden produce his fastest Junior Summer Series performance to date, finishing fifth in 5:27. Having ended last year’s competition seventh overall, the Bournemouth AC youngster looks set for another strong season.

Aiden Blagden in the Junior Summer Series Race 1

Edward Davies also recorded a personal best for the series, clocking 5:40 to finish eighth. He was 15th overall in last year’s standings.

Aiden Blagden

Imogen Davies completed the course in 6:39 to place 52nd overall and ninth girl. She was also the fastest athlete in the Girls 9 category.

Aiden Blagden

Adam Ewen Matthews of Poole AC won the race in 4:57, ahead of Seth Hollyman of Poole Runners in 5:16 and Stelios Pavlou, also of Poole Runners, in 5:17. Imogen Beisley of Poole AC was first girl and 12th overall in 5:48.

Aiden Blagden

Race two brought another excellent performance from Aiden Blagden, who improved his placing to fourth while recording 5:28.

Edward Davies in Race 1 of the Junior Summer Series

Marlon Moxey was the other Bournemouth AC representative and finished 14th overall in 5:57, making him the fastest boy in the 8-year-old category.

Edward Davies

At the front, Adam Ewen Matthews made it two wins from two starts, lowering his winning time to 4:53. Seth Hollyman again took second in 5:06, while Zacary Armitage of New Forest Juniors was third in 5:25. Imogen Beisley was once more the first girl home, finishing ninth overall in 5:47.

Adam Ewen Matthews won the first two Junior Summer Series races

After two races, Aiden Blagden occupies fourth place in the overall Junior Summer Series standings.

Athletes from U18 upwards can compete in the National Athletics League (NAL) though all athletes must use senior throwing implements and hurdles.

The NAL is the UK’s top athletics league so always a privilege to compete for the team. Sadly, a combination of peak exam period compounded by long travel led to a much-depleted team setting out for Yate. Our rivals had much shorter journeys. It turned out to be a glorious day, just short of being too hot, providing perfect conditions for competition. With only 13 men and 5 women in the team, many completed in the full 5 events allowed (3 events for U18). Our masters were out in force filling many spaces and bringing in much needed points. The team really pulled together providing huge encouragement for all athletes leading to a creditable 5^th place.

With apologies for any omissions, the team consisted of:

Women

Isabel Cherrett

Janet Dickinson

Seni Purnell

Nikki Sandell

Isabella Shepherd

Men

Simon Armstrong

Henry Bramwell-Reeks

Andrew Brown

Oliver Canavan

Ben Collins

Stewart Cotterill

Steve Cox

Stevie Kasparis

William Launder

Adam Nicholass

Josh Smith

Dante Thompson

Rob Woolgar

Notable performances included:

Nikki Sandell running almost continuously plus doing pole vault.

Our U18s preforming well with Will Launder winning Long Jump, Isabel Cherrett 3^rd in 3000m, Seni Purnell 2^nd in Long Jump, 5^th in Javelin and 6^th in 200m, Oliver Canavan 3^rd in 5000m.

Full results can be found on the Power of 10

Our officials were:

• Dave Clarke (timekeeper)
• Tim Hughes (starter’s assistant)
• Juliet Dobson (Field)

Team managers: Tim Hughes and Suzi Shepherd

The next NAL match will be on Saturday 11^th July at Bournemouth. Get this date in your diary if you want to compete in our top league.

Chloe Johnson leading in the 100m

Athletes from U18 upwards can compete in the Southern Athletics League (SAL) though all athletes must use senior throwing implements and hurdles. The SAL is our local senior league covering southern England. The team was impacted by peak exam period, so we were without many of our U18 and U20 athletes who normally thrive in this league. With seniors having no limits on the number of events (U20 max 5 events, U18 max 4 events one of which being a relay) the small team pitched in to cover a lot of events.

With apologies for any omissions, the team consisted of:

Women

Chloe Burrows

Isabel Cherrett

Janet Dickinson

Florence Dootson

Chloe Johnson

Nikki Sandell

Men

Henry Bramwell-Reeks

Stewart Cotterill

Steve Cox

Joe Haywood

Adrian James

William Launder

James Lelliott

Adam Nicholass

Manuel Stone

Dante Thompson

Notable performances included almost everyone for filling multiple events, including Janet who also officiated in field events while competing.

Full results can be found on the Power of 10

Our officials were:

• Dave Clarke (timekeeper)
• Janet Dickinson (field)

Team managers: Jemma Bates and Adam Nicholass

The next SAL match will be on Sunday 21^st June at Oxford.

Making her debut for the distance, Helen Beddoe took on the ABP Southampton Marathon

The ABP Southampton Marathon Festival once again brought thousands of runners to the south coast for a day of racing that featured a full marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k. Among them were two Bournemouth AC members with very different objectives: Helen Beddoe tackling her first ever marathon and Jason Coltman making a welcome return to racing over 10 kilometres.

For Helen, reaching the start line represented the culmination of a remarkable twelve months of progress. One of the club’s most improved runners throughout 2025, she had transformed herself from a solid club athlete into a genuine force in local road racing.

Helen had made great strides since joining Bournemouth AC

At the beginning of last year she clocked 49:40 at the Bournemouth Bay 10k. By the end of August she had sliced more than six minutes from that mark, recording an impressive 43:29 at the Totton 10k. Her commitment was evident throughout the season, contesting numerous Dorset Road Race League fixtures and completing all six races in the Upton Summer Series.

Being a test that Helen hadn’t faced before, it would be interesting to see how she coped

The improvement there was equally striking. Starting the series with a time of 26:19 for the demanding 3.5-mile multi-terrain course, she steadily got quicker with every outing and rounded off the competition in 24:28, almost two minutes faster than her opening effort. Along the way she also reduced her 5k best to an excellent 21:06.

Although Southampton would be her first official marathon, she already knew she could cover the distance. Back in October she had successfully completed the Run to the Sea 50k, proving both her endurance and determination over an even greater challenge.

It was quite an undulating route which would add to the challenge for Helen

Preparations for Southampton had gone well. Helen opened her spring campaign with a 45:09 performance at the Bournemouth Bay 10k before enjoying the scenic Combe Gibbet to Overton 16-mile trail race, where she finished in 2:17 and claimed eighth female position, 52nd overall and third place in the W40 category.

Helen was aiming for a sub four hour time

The Southampton Marathon itself starts at Dock Gate 8 within the city cruise port before taking runners along the waterfront, past Mayflower Park and the ferry terminals before tackling the distinctive Itchen Bridge. Marathon competitors cross the bridge four times during the two-lap course, while also passing St Mary’s Stadium, Riverside Park, Southampton Common and many of the city’s best-known landmarks.

Helen settled into a controlled rhythm during the opening stages. At the first checkpoint, 4.5 miles into the race, she reached the timing mat in 38:38, placing 503rd overall and 45th female. By halfway she remained 45th woman, passing 13.1 miles in 1:57.

The hills took their toll in the end but Helen kept going

The second half proved considerably more challenging. However, as often happens in marathon running, patience and persistence began to pay dividends. By the 17.6-mile checkpoint she had moved significantly through the field, climbing to 440th overall and 36th female in 2:36:42.

Helen heads down the the finishing straight with a sub four hour time in sight

The closing miles were made tougher by a hilly section of the route. Like many runners around her, Helen found herself forced to walk some of the steeper inclines as fatigue took hold. Nevertheless, she kept battling forward and remained firmly on course for her primary objective.

Crossing the line on Above Bar Street in a chip time of 3:55:28, she comfortably achieved her target of breaking the four-hour barrier. Her debut effort earned 476th place overall from 1,501 finishers, while she was 44th female from 350 runners and 13th in the V40 category.

She wasn’t sure if she enjoyed it but she got the outcome she wanted

While pleased with both the result and the achievement, Helen admitted afterwards that she did not particularly enjoy the marathon experience and may prefer to concentrate on shorter events in future. Given the success she has enjoyed over 10k and 10-mile distances, that is perhaps understandable.

Jason Coltman was featuring in the 10k race

The marathon was won by Winchester athlete Andrew Greenleaf in 2:32:16. Goncalo Miguel finished second in 2:37:40, with Sean Barwick third in 2:39:34. The women’s race was won by Madisyn Dominy in 2:56:42, while former Bournemouth AC runner Helen O’Neile produced an outstanding personal best of 2:57:54 to finish second female and 20th overall. Kerry Riches completed the podium places and was first V40 athlete in 3:11:23.

Meanwhile, Jason Coltman lined up in the popular 10k race, which follows the waterfront before crossing the Itchen Bridge twice and, for the first time in the event’s history, takes runners through St Mary’s Stadium before finishing in the city centre.

After coming bac from three fractured ribs, Jason had to play it safe

The Bournemouth AC runner’s appearance was notable in itself. After suffering heart issues during 2024, he had understandably been forced to moderate his racing efforts. Encouraging signs emerged towards the end of last year when he recorded 44:50 at the Boscombe 10k, close to the personal best of 44:36 he had set at Round the Lakes in September 2024.

Jason heads down the finishing straight in St Mary’s Stadium

More recently, however, another setback had threatened his participation. Jason fractured three ribs in March in a go-karting accident at Silverstone and had been uncertain whether racing would be possible. A successful test run at parkrun the previous weekend gave him enough confidence to take his place on the start line.

Working in the marine industry, Jason was also running in support of Stella Maris, the charity which provides practical and pastoral support for seafarers around the world.

Jason celebrates as he reaches the finish line

Recognising the limitations imposed by his recent injury, he wisely resisted the temptation to chase a fast time. Instead, he focused on enjoying the occasion, soaking up the atmosphere around the course and distributing plenty of high-fives to fellow participants and spectators.

Even with that relaxed approach, he still produced a highly respectable performance. Passing the first checkpoint in 82nd position, he gradually worked his way through the field before finishing 74th overall from a huge field of 1,553 runners. His official gun time was 48:37, while his chip time of 47:05 secured eighth place in the V50 category from 113 competitors.

The 10k race was won by Niclas Olley in 32:37 ahead of Stanley Phillips and Aaron Froukhians. Hayley Weston was first female in 41:29, followed by Lucy Short and Indy Miller.

Jason was part of the Stella Maris charity team

Elsewhere at the festival, the half marathon was won by Even Bentzen Lovas in 1:12:24 ahead of Kieran Babbage and Henry Piper. Tina Christmann claimed the women’s title in 1:22:02 and finished 18th overall.

The 5k produced another impressive performance from young Theo Cobley of Poole AC, who won in 16:38 despite still being under 16 years of age. He narrowly held off Brandon Cuell, while Lucy Waterer was first female and 12th overall in 19:34.

For Bournemouth AC, however, the day belonged to Helen and Jason. One celebrated a successful first step into marathon running with a sub-four-hour debut, while the other demonstrated admirable resilience simply by returning to the start line after injury. Both performances reflected the determination and commitment that continue to characterise the club’s runners.

Paddy McCalister selected the Belfast City Marathon as his big Spring target race and he was looking to launch a sub three attempt

The search for an elusive sub-three-hour marathon continues for Bournemouth AC‘s Paddy McCalister, who tackled the Belfast City Marathon with high hopes after a strong training block but ultimately found the challenging course profile too much to overcome.

Having recorded a personal best of 3:04:55 at the Paris Marathon last year, Paddy arrived in Northern Ireland knowing he was not far away from the magical barrier. His preparation had gone well and there were plenty of signs that he was in excellent shape.

The first encouraging result came back in February when he produced a superb personal best of 1:07:15 at the Lytchett 10, despite the race forming part of a long-run sandwich rather than being a standalone target. He followed that up in March as Bournemouth AC’s sole representative at the Solent Half Marathon, again using the race as part of a longer training run and comfortably running inside marathon pace to finish in 1:28:24. Alongside those performances were a number of quality long runs, including a particularly impressive 22-mile session featuring 18 miles at an average pace of 6:53 per mile – exactly the sort of workout that suggested a breakthrough performance could be on the cards.

The Belfast course offered both opportunity and danger. Paddy opened sensibly with a 6:47 first mile before negotiating the predominantly downhill second and third miles in 6:41 and 6:46 respectively. It would have been easy to get carried away on the early descents, but he showed discipline and kept his effort under control.

A slight rise on mile four saw him record 6:52 before settling into a solid rhythm. Miles five, six and seven were covered in 6:44, 6:49 and 6:53, followed by splits of 6:46 and 6:49 for miles eight and nine. At that stage everything appeared to be progressing nicely.

Paddy gave it his all but in the end the hills got the better of him

The race then entered a prolonged uphill section and the challenge began to reveal itself. Paddy battled gamely to maintain his pace, holding around 6:50 per mile through the opening part of the climb before posting 7:11 and 7:08 miles. The effort required to keep moving at that speed on the rising terrain had taken its toll, however, and the wheels gradually began to come off.

His 15th mile was completed in 7:24 before he reached 16 miles in 7:16. The 17th mile took 7:43 and the race’s toughest climbing section followed. Those relentless gradients pushed him beyond eight-minute-mile pace and, although some welcome downhill sections eventually arrived, the damage had already been done.

As Paddy later reflected, by that point his goose was already cooked.

There was still work to do. A final incline during the 25th mile was negotiated in 8:15 before he dug deep to complete the last mile in 8:46 and bring his Belfast challenge to an end.

His finishing time of 3:14:15 was well outside both his sub-three ambition and his personal best, but the result should be viewed in the context of a course containing around 700 feet of elevation gain. It was a demanding marathon that punished anyone who got their pacing wrong or simply lacked the strength for the hills. Paddy came 505th overall out of 5,216.

Paddy’s Belfast City Marathon medal and customary pint of Guiness

Importantly, the training block was completed without injury and Paddy emerged from the race unscathed too. He was soon back running and training normally, giving him a solid platform for future marathon attempts. There will undoubtedly be more opportunities to chase that sub-three target and Newport has already been mentioned as a possible destination next year.

For now though, a summer of shorter-distance racing and a chance to enjoy the sport without the demands of marathon preparation may be exactly what is needed before another assault on the three-hour barrier.

At the sharp end of the race, Abay Alemu and Teadese Mamo were both credited with the winning time of 2:16:24, suggesting the pair were inseparable in a thrilling finish. Joshua Griffiths claimed fourth place in 2:18:01, while local favourite Jonathan Cornish, well known on the Dorset racing scene, produced a magnificent run to finish in 2:19:29.

There was also a remarkable achievement from Bournemouth AC junior coach Nick Marshall, who completed his third marathon in as many weeks while dressed as a giant screw to raise money for Prostate Cancer. Having already conquered Newport and London, Nick added Belfast to his growing list with a finishing time of 4:47:18. The challenge is not over yet either, with the Edinburgh Marathon still to come and Dublin now added to the schedule later in the year. Through both his fundraising efforts and the considerable media attention the challenge has generated, Nick has raised an impressive amount for a worthy cause while continuing to inspire the club’s younger athletes.

The YDL lower is another composite team comprising Bournemouth AC and New Forest Juniors with U14 and U16 athletes competing. Nice weather brought many podium performances, but also great work across the team to fill events resulting in a match win!

With apologies for any omissions, the team consisted of:

U14s

Lonnee Archibong

Zachary Armitage

Liberty Batt

Wilfie Bessant

Leo Bholah

Joey Cullis

Reuben Gates

Lara Brixton Lee

Khaleesi Mensah

Sofia Roscoe

Albert Skrzynska

Benjamin Trimby

Arthur Turner

Hugo Walker

U16s

Riley Austin

Mikey Bean

Junior Buron

Paddy Butler

Isabella Crawford

Eleanor Fisher

Issac Grey

Connor Grocott

Fin Hurst-Atkins

Jessica Long

Ben Lyon

Isla May

Sienna Munden

Callum Pearson

Ryley Polmeer

Imogen Pope

Sienna Pope

Logan Potter

Ava Richmond

Colm Robertson

Ellie Taylor

Thomas Taylor

Lola Thomasson

Notable performances included:

• Logan Potter in the top 10 athletes of the match by points for his hammer throw of 51.09m (in the Power of 10 UK10 target)
• Imogen Pope HJ 1.64m (in the Power of 10 UK10 target)
• Junior Buron 100m 11.30 (in the Power of 10 UK10 target)

Full results can be found on the Power of 10

Our officials were:

• Dave Clarke (BAC timekeeper)
• Adie Saunders (BAC field)
• Simon Saunders (BAC track)
• Janet Dickinson (BAC track)
• Dave McManus (NFJ field)
• Tina Wilding (NFJ field

Team manager: Bernard Buron (BAC), Tom Butler(NFJ) and Keira Everit (NFJ)

The next YDL lower match will be at Portsmouth on Sunday 31^st May.