Oh What a Night. You had to be there!

England Athletics Under 16 & 18 Combined Event Championships 2026

 Report – Paul Bearman

England Athletics’ organised championships are the pinnacle of the domestic season and this year the Combined Events were held at the Bedford International stadium with the cream of junior national combined eventers taking part, looking to emulate the success of the likes of Katerina Johnson-Thompson and Jessica Ennis Hill.

SUAAC were represented in the U16 girls event by Annabel Stacey, Lila Gallinagh, Lolita Newby Vincent and Lucia Ogilvie Putt, with the U18 boys represented by Will Hovell. I’s fair to say for all of them this was a big step up and it was an experience that opened their eyes to the quality they were competing against….it’s very tough!

To be able to enter, athletes have to reach exacting standards and with all of the SUAAC athletes having competed at the Midlands Schools Championships they duly qualified.

The 4 girls competed over 2 days in the 7 event Heptathlon and Will in the 10 event Decathlon. These competitions tests the athletes both mentally as well as physically.

In Combined Events there is far more scope for ebbs and flows in performances than in  normal single event competitions. It all depends on the day how things go and it was definitely 2 days of highs and some “not so highs”.

Lila and Annabel are well versed in the stresses and strains of CE whereas Lolita and Lucia are relatively newcomers to CE, but as with all multi eventers they all played to their strengths and worked hard on their relative weaker events to produce fine performances across their 7 events.

Lucia epitomised the competitive spirit all the girls have and reflected “this was my very first heptathlon and the weekend was a roller coaster of emotions. From feeling completely exhausted to laughing and having fun with my friends. It is safe to say heptathlon is a brilliant event.

I have also learnt a lot about myself and about athletics as a sport. My first day was amazing with 4/4 PB’s,

I went home buzzing feeling ready for the following events.

However, the next day all four of us struggled with high jump. I was quite disappointed at the time but now I look back and think I was actually very brave. I kept jumping and even when I didn’t want my last jump I did it with as much effort as I could muster “

Coaches note: Lucia was clearly upset things weren’t going well but with a gentle bit of persuasion she took the next jump and despite it being a foul she tried and did her best and that’s what counts).

“I am very proud of my first heptathlon, especially my 600m and all my PBs and I can’t wait to try the indoor season”.

Annabel added “It was challenging to compete against national level athletes and was an amazing experience to learn how to improve whilst still being proud of my accomplishments. I am very excited for my next competition at the English Schools AA national combined events championships in September representing Warwickshire.

Lila’s comments on her two days were as follows: ” It was my first time competing in a heptathlon, so there was a mixture of excitement and nerves going into it. I didn’t have the best start in my hurdles, which was disappointing, but I had to put that aside and carry on! I also took part in three events that I had never competed in before.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience. It wasn’t my best performance but I finished in the top 20 overall and 4th in my age group, which I’m pleased with.

I’m looking forward to competing in a heptathlon again, as I now know what to expect and feel I can come back better and stronger!”

The highlight was watching all 4 girls in the 600m which isn’t a normal event for them. They were all in the same heat and Lucia and Lolita blasted off and maintained a nip and tuck pace to the finish with Lucia dipping over the line 1st, Lolita second, Annabel fourth and Lila fifth.

Will Hovell is a seasoned combined eventer, but this was the first time he had stepped up and into the national outdoor championships arena.

Will said, “I was really happy and excited to compete at my first outdoor national combined events and my first full decathlon.

I started the weekend strongly with a pb in the 100m and the long jump. I then had okay performances in the shot put, high jump, and 400m with each of them being not as close to my pbs as I would have liked but I was still happy with them. So I ended day 1 pleased with how it had gone so far.

Day 2 started with a steady performance in the 110hurdles and a pb in the discus. Pole Vault was next and that didn’t go to plan, but I put that behind me and moved onto the javelin which was again an okay performance

The highlight of my weekend was the 1500m, running a pb and leading from the start and winning the race by over 14seconds. I ended the decathlon with well over 5000 points for the first time which was my objective. I was also hoping for a top 10 finish and just fell short by finishing 12th which I’m very happy with against some very experienced and talented multi eventers.

What a great experience and I’m grateful to everyone who supports the development of my athletics”.

We have an exceptional bunch of hard working multi event athletes (3 others couldn’t make it) and Carolyne, Sandy and I came away from the weekend full of pride and knowing the hard graft that had gone into their training had paid off against such top notch opposition, holding their own, performing so well and knowing what we need to do to improve going forward.

• Senior competitors i.e. Under 20 plus can compete in as many events as they wish, however, 2events must be 1 Track and 1 Field to be scored for the championship.
  We are pleased to be running the 5000m which is a race that will be included in the Shakespeare Race Series.
• Junior competitors – Under 12, 14, 16 & 18 can compete in a maximum of 4 events. Under 20athletes can compete in a maximum of 5 events. 2 events must be 1 Track and 1 Field to be scored for the championship.
• Please note Under 14, 16 & 18 athletes can only compete in either the 800m or the1500m not both. U12s can’t compete in either.
• Relays will be organised on the day and do not count towards the championship.
  
  Points are allocated to each event. The athletes highest score for 1 Track and 1 Field in their respective age/gender group will be used for the championship scoring.

• You will need to select the event that you are completing the form for ‘Someone Else (Child)’ NOT you the parent.
• The system requires you to repeat the athlete’s details for each event that you are entering.
• You need to keep a note of the events you have entered for each athlete.
• You will receive a general email acknowledgement for each event but it will not detail the events you have entered.

Borrowdale Trails Half Marathon

23rd August 2026

Report – Simon Penson

671m ascent

Yet again I showed my romantic side by entering Fiona and me into the Borrowdale Trails Half Marathon for our wedding anniversary!

To be clear, Fiona was more than up for it as the Derwentwater area is one of her favourite places.

Starting at Lingholm, the route took us out along the lakeside for around 4 miles. I’d been nursing a niggling calf so we ran together until the first climb up past Castle Crags. Just before the climb I had to stop for a stretch as  I was worried that my calf was going to dictate a DNF.

Fortunately it settled on the climb. 

At the top of Castle Crags the half marathon route dropped down into the lovely hamlet of Rosthwaite, leaving the Sca Fell marathoneers to carry on.

All good and the running conditions were superb. A sensible descent kept everything moving!

The joy of the valley was short lived as the climb up to Watendlath kicked off. Having mountain biked down the route a few years ago, I knew what was coming. Dig in, keep moving and look forward to the downhill return to Keswick.

A slightly narrow path alongside Watendlath Beck made overtaking awkward but once out of the bottlenecks the route opened up.

An easy road section from Ashness Bridge took us into a technical single track above the road until we finally dropped down to cross the Borrowdale Road and head towards the finish.

Dodging the hordes of tourists, we made the final return past Friars Crag and onto the finish line in Crow Park. 

Well marked and marshalled, the course was a great piece of Lakeland running. Sunshine always helps!

Fiona came in with a time of 2-35 and second FV50. I was also pleased to finish in one piece in 2-30 and really enjoyed the route.

Thoroughly recommended for those who love Cumbria and a bit of climbing!

WMYACCL PROPOSED VENUES, AGE GROUPS AND TIMETABLE 2026/2027

There are lots of changes for the West Midland Young Athlete Cross Country League this season, mostly due to the change in age groups.

This is the most important junior competition in the winter season and we need as many of you supporting us in it as we can. So here goes 

Proposed Dates and venues for the 2026/2027 season 

 11/10/2026 – Walsall Arboretum, Birchfield 

 08/11/2026 –  Warley Wood, Tipton Harriers(Remembrance Sunday)

• 06/12/2026 – Newbold Revel, Rugby and Northampton AC (SAC providing volunteers please!)
• 10/01/2027 – Pingles Stadium, Nuneaton 
• 07/02/2027 – Ipsley Meadows, Redditch

Timetable

It’s a bit more hectic with an extra race to fit in. The below is based on including one joint under 10 race and also shows the new recommend distances for all the venues 

10.30   U18 Women          5000m

11.05   U10 Boys &Girls   1600m

11.20   U12 Boys              2000m

11.40   U18 Men               5000m     

12.10   U12 Girls                2000m            

12.30   U16 Boys               4000m         

12.55    U14 Girls             3000m       

13.15    U14 Boys              3000m

13.35    U16 Girls              4000m

As before all the athletes will have to register themselves with the league. I don’t have details yet but will publish them as soon as I get them. 

Please ask if you have any questions

Paul Hawkins