That was hard. That was very hard

Will Hovell after his superlative 1000m run.

Below are the fastest documented performances from major U17/18 UK age-group championships, showing Will in 3rd place on the all-time list, just a couple of seconds behind the second quickest time, achieved 21 years ago, a few years before Master Hovell was born!

2:36.22 – Rory Howorth (Team Bath AC) at the England Athletics Indoor CombinedEvents Championships in Sheffield (2018).

2:41.12 – Lewis Robson (Middlesbrough AC)during an U18 international octathlon in Marrakesh (2005).

2:43.16 – Will Hovell (Stratford upon Avon AC) at the England Athletics Indoor Combined Events Championships in Sheffield (2026).

2:46.58 – Freddie (surname not provided) at the Sheffield Indoor Heptathlon (2018).

2:47.11 – Guy Stroud (Southampton) at theWoodford U18 Octathlon (2005).

England Athletics U15/U17 Indoor Combined Events (CE)

Report – Paul Bearman


The English Institute of Sport in Sheffield hosted these Championships that are essentially the UK championships.

3 Stratford junior aspiring multi eventers Will Hovell, Lila Gallinagh and Fynn Allen took part alongside a very impressive array of a new generation of British multi eventers.

With technical event training severely hampered by the extremely poor weather this year, managing to be able to put together a competitive series of performances was always going to be difficult but remarkably, between them, they produced some outstanding performances where “points make prizes”.

U17 Will’s 2 day 7 event Heptathlon competition was literally one of ups and downs. He was consistently just below his PBs in the 60m (7.98s), Long Jump (5.33m), Shot (9.21m) and 60m Hurdles (9.63s), “disappointed” with his High Jump (1.53m) after some issues with his run up but his Pole Vault, where he’s still a novice, was a different story.

He had a rocky start to the competition but with growing confidence and maturity he managed his jumps, even having to swap poles midway. He finished by equalling his PB 3.30m, 60cm higher than last year.

The final event was the gruelling 1000m and in his heat he flew round the 200m track from gun to tape clocking a personal best time of 2:43.16, the fastest time ever for an U17 in Heptathlon. He finished in 13th place with a total of 3744 points which is a massive 688 points more than 2025.

Fynn Allen is still technically an U13 but was allowed to compete in the U15 Pentathlon in his first ever CE. Nothing like starting in the deep end in a national championship and he did himself proud.

He PBd in the High Jump (1.41), Long Jump (4.53m), Shot (8.87m) and was just outside his PB in the 60m Hurdles (10.27s). This left the 800m and knowing a good run might get him into the top 10, he ran hard for the first 300m and although he faded in the final stretch he still ran an 11 second PB of 2:29.06.

This gave him a total of 2030 points finishing 11^th, just 26 points off the top 10.

U15 Lila Gallinagh had the competition of her young athletics life. In her heat of the 60m Hurdles she dipped on the line to finish with a PB of 10.28s and her Shot “wasn’t my best” but still threw 7.64m and despite severe run up problems in her Long Jump she pulled out a good last jump to finish with 4.55m. 

All these consistent performances kept the points accumulating and then she had the drama of the High Jump. With only 3 training sessions behind her because of the poor weather she started slowly and gradually built her height step by step and even after knocking the bar off she kept her composure and rode her luck to finish with 1.53, a 6cm PB.

This left her in 6^th place overall going into the final 800m and she was in the top heat with all the girls battling for the medals. Lila is a sprinter/jumper, but she led from gun to tape and after a stunning last 200m she finished in 2:35.90. She ran so hard it took her 10 minutes to get the use back in her legs afterwards.

Her run took her from 6th to 4^th overall finishing with 2754 points, 529 more than 2025 but unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough and she ended up just a mere10 points adrift of the bronze medal

Combined events competition is all about swings and roundabouts with some disappointments but also some wonderful highs and surprises for us coaches.

For Will, Fynn and Lila they can all look back with a sense of achievement with far more highs than disappointments. They all learned a lot about competing at this level and what they can work on to improve and they all said they’re looking forward to the outdoor season so back on the training treadmill.

Inter Counties Cross Country

 Wollaton Park, Nottingham 

Report – Paul Hawkins

British titles were at stake at Wollaton Park in Nottingham on Saturday where the event was celebrating its 100th anniversary.

With the  recent wet weather the ground was surprisingly dry and firm underfoot.

There were ten Stratford upon Avon AC runners representing Warwickshire over the different races and first to race were the Under 20 men where Dougie Garnett (65th) was second for the Warwickshire team after another strong run. Zak Lambert (94) was under par due to a cold so was 4th in the team after qualifying first. Will Mayes (105) was pleased with his run and was 6th in the team. 

The next race was the Under 13 girls with Eliza McLeod making her debut at this level. Eliza really enjoyed the experience  and was pleased with her performance despite being slightly overwhelmed by the size and quality of the event. She said after that she couldn’t quite believe how many runners there were for each age category which was a new dynamic for her to navigate but it was a beautiful venue and a great atmosphere to be a part of. Eliza’s reflections post-race were to step up her training sessions to help build her stamina for hills!  She is looking forward to the next one on Saturday.

The Under 17 women were next and raced over a slightly longer course. Marijke Tear-Verweij continued her strong form to finish 51st and first for Warwickshire ahead of team mate Holly Burt (58)

Going into the in the U17 6000m men’s race Stratford runner Sam Lambert was one of the favourites and was in the lead group when he unfortunately rolled his ankle and had to pull out. However, Tom Fisher was on top form and pulled out a tremendous run to finish 2nd for the county and a brilliant 26th overall 

The under 13 boys ran 3000m and included Charlie Cassells who had qualified third for the team but was delighted to lead the team home. 

The final race involving Stratford runners was the Under 15 girls featuring Lucia Ogilvie-Putt fresh from her schools win the week before. Lucia was not at her best and came in 175 and 4th for the team. 

Most of the Stratford runners will move on to Sefton Park at Liverpool next week for the English Schools Championships to finish the cross country season. 

Meanwhile up and coming prospect Rafe White finished 6th out of about 80 runners in the Gloucestershire Primary Schools Cross Country Championships in Cheltenham on Sunday and as the top ten qualified for the National Championships at Stoneleigh on the 21st, his family were very proud of him. He will be the only year 6 boy representing North Cotswolds at the Stoneleigh event. 

While at the  Warwickshire School Cross Country Championships, school friends Nell Wheeler (year 5) and Saskia Atkins (year 6), both picked up 3rd place respectively, so both girls will now represent Warwickshire at National Championships on the 21st March at Stoneleigh 

The Grizzly Challenge

Report – Kate Sergent

On Sunday I took part in my 5th Grizzly challenge. 

The Grizzly is one of the most iconic multi-terrain races in the South West, with over 2100 entries across 20 miles,  plus the Cub 9 mile course. Places are in huge demand and awarded on a ballot system.

I entered the 20 miler. 

This year I was joined by Emma Davis as my Grizzly club mate Sarah Odell had to give up her place due to injury. 

It is one tough challenge, starting on the stony beach at Seaton in Devon and climbing cliffs and hills and dipping into valleys of mud!

Due to recent weather conditions the course was the toughest I have experienced and unfortunately, Emma, who had a slight knee niggle at around mile 6, struggled and by mile 12, deep into the hills, the descents were proving really painful.

Anyone who knows Emma knows how strong she is and she was determined to finish, so we persuaded the race director at Branscombe, with 4 miles to go ( including a mile along Branscombe stony beach and the famous climb up Stairway to Heaven ) to let us complete the race. 

The whole event is incredible and so well organised.

The weather was grizzly and misty, so the views were not so breathtaking but we still managed to laugh and enjoy the challenge and have great banter with the fabulous marshals who were so positive and encouraging. 

Now …. who can I break next year?? 

The London Masters International Indoors Event

Following the success of the inaugural outdoor event in 2025, which saw World, European, National and countless stadium records, the organisers were thrilled to bring this competition indoors for the very first time. 

The London Masters International continues to grow as a unique event where experience meets passion and where athletes of all generations come together to perform, connect and inspire.

The overwhelming support from the global athletics community to the first edition – from packed start lists and electric performances – showed how powerful athlete-centered competition can be. 

This event was for those who compete, coach and love the sport. 

Every race, every jump, every throw, every performance matters.

Dave Wilson, our sole competitor at this event, thought doing 2 x 60m in the afternoon took it out of him and so his 200m and 400m weren’t as fast as he would have liked, although he felt very strong at the end of his races, just not as sharp in the earlier stages.  

He managed to get a silver in 400m and bronze in his 200m despite being disappointed with his times.

However he now thinks he knows what he needs to work on for the outdoor season.