Photo Special.

Written by David Jones on 18/09/2025. Posted in News

This absolutely sums up the latter part of the day. Announcer supreme Michelle Bartlett alongside organiser supreme Carolyne Johnston.
The eagle eyed of you might spot yours truly trundling along in the background. What was it Paul Simon sang – Still Crazy After All These years.

This is the first of two newsletters this week and it is primarily a photo special on last Sunday’s truly memorable Club Championships, in which a record number of 207 athletes competed across 650 events. Huge thanks to Mike Sheppard’s superb photos of the day, many of which are featured here. These are the photos that made this special edition possible.

Paul Bearman reflects on the day below but as someone who competed I just have to add my thanks, respect and admiration to the army of volunteers who made this happen, both before and on the day.

I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of work involved.

My abiding memory is similar to Paul’s and it involves the 5000m which I competed in. It is the memory of a soaking wet and bedraggled Paul Hawkins calling out our times as we completed each of the 12.5 laps.

Paul Bearman’s comment, printed below, says it all “we finished the programme, in no small way due to the fantastic stoic and indomitable spirit that runs through our T&F support team like a stick of rock and was exemplified by the 70 Coaches, Officials and volunteer parents who I mustered to support the day’s timekeeping, track judging, starting, managing the field events etc to make it happen”.

Final words from Nikki Hillard: Another brilliant club champs…. Rain didn’t stop play …. It felt like an even more united T&F volunteer team that actually helped play to carry on.

Sincere thanks to you all.

David Jones

Paul Bearman.
I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be!

Rain didn’t stop play !

( with thanks to Nikki Hillard for the title )

A reflection on a truly memorable day from Paul Bearman

After time to reflect on what was the most different Club Champs I can recall in 30 years, due to the weather, we just want to say thank you to all who supported the champs; whether it was in a big and small way it doesn’t matter because it was appreciated especially by our athletes..

Carolyne and I had spent days doing the prep as usual but we knew several days before that we were going to get battered by the weather but we never anticipated the apocalyptic monsoon conditions we endured in the latter stages of the afternoon.

However, we finished the programme, in no small way due to the fantastic stoic and indomitable spirit that runs through our T&F support team like a stick of rock and exemplified by the 70 Coaches, Officials and volunteer parents who I mustered to support the day timekeeping, track judging, starting, managing the field events etc to make it happen.

If Noah had drifted by with some animal heads poking out the windows I wouldn’t have been surprised!! .

We had a record 207 athletes w entered competing in well over 650 events, including a record 24 seniors.

We finished the competitive Champs programme but because of the late deluge we had the disappointment of the lousy weather that meant we couldn’t run the relays or the hotly anticipated and contested Fun Novelty events (we are thinking about how we can still do them in training), nor did we manage the iconic group picture at the end but it’s actually the indefatigable small army of people who help on the day who pull together and “just get on with it” that still made it a very successful 2025 Club Champs.

There were so many brilliant competitive races but my abiding memory is going to be the incredible drenched and bedraggled track judges and timekeepers who stayed on for the 5000m Shakespeare Race to be completed, coming into the pavilion with Daf muttering about her soggy results sheets she couldn’t read followed by a bunch of equally bedraggled athletes with some literally wringing their soaked vests out but all done in a wonderful spirit.

Pure synchronicity. Casper Willis and Otis Lesatele

Sam Lambert powering his way to victory in the 5000m race. I’d have felt a little bit better if Sam and brother Zak hadn’t lapped me every other lap. I’m not exaggerating. They lapped me the first time when I was about to complete my 1st lap. That’s just mean. And I thought I was a family friend !

Nathan Darby powers his way off the bend.

Martha Edwards

Joe Lewis leads Dave Wilson

Elsie Pipitone

Clare Goodwin. Clare how on earth could you be smiling in those conditions ? Unless of course it’s a grimace.

Sort of sums up the second half of the day.

Nell Wheeler leads Marnie Short.

Hannah Wilkinson, who earlier in the day had run the Big 10k. leads Kathryn Woodcock.

George Stacey Harper under the watchful eye of Danny Tolhurst.

Henry Stacey Harper.

Will Hovell leads Alex Wood in the 800m, followed by Will Mayes

L to R: Martha Silvers, Ava Sheppard and Annie Silvers.

Henry Yates on his way to victory against Rafe White.

Amelie Marshall.

Otis Tustin, Joel Milner and James Day

Ade Mason battling the elements in the final race of the day – the 5000m. Ade had run the Big 10k earlier in the day.

Not forgetting – never forgetting our volunteer officials

The Beatles once sang “if the rain comes they run and hide their heads”
Well the rain most certainly did come but our army of officials, coaches and volunteer parents most certainly did not run and hide their heads.
Thankfully

What is it they say in the army – never volunteer. We’re all eternally grateful that they ignored that maxim.

Absolute concentration

And yet more concentration.