Mayor finds out how Rotherham Harriers are setting a winning pace

The Mayor of Rotherham set the pace when he paid a visit to running club Rotherham Harriers.

Cllr Haroon Rashid attended a training evening at Herringthorpe Athletics Stadium where he got to see how the club supports runners of all ages and abilities.

He met athletes, coaches and volunteers and learnt about the different groups and opportunities available.

The evening started with the Mayor meeting club secretary Steve Gaines who introduced him to the Couch to 5K group.

The Mayor then talked to run leaders Helen Hollingworth, Marie Lomax and Brenda King and chatted to runners about their experiences and what being part of the programme means to them.

He also met with coaches and athletes, including those involved in the Fundamentals group and learnt how runners progress through the club.

Rotherham Harriers supports runners at every stage, whether they’re just starting out with Couch to 5K or competing at county, national and international level.

The Mayor’s visit came as Herringthorpe Athletics Stadium benefits from a £450,000 track resurfacing project currently underway, funded by Rotherham Council.

This year has been a successful year for the club, with Rotherham Harriers finishing top of the medal table at the Yorkshire Cross Country Championships, winning nine medals.

The individual gold medal winners were Mikey Bacon (U17 Men) and Issy Waugh (U20 Women), Abigail Andrews won silver in the U15 Girls race, Annabelle Sibley silver in the U20 Women’s race, and Daniel Reeve won bronze in the U20 Men’s race.

The U17 Women’s team (Matilda Homes 4th, Graihagh Turner 5th, and Maya Schofield 6th) won team gold medals and the U20 Men’s team (Daniel Reeve 3rd, Will Platts 6th, and Jack Williams 7th) won team silver medals.

The U17 Men’s team (Mikey Bacon 1st, Alfie Bedford 9th, and Seb Johnson 17th) and the Senior Men’s team (Toby Wildgoose 24th, Gareth Sampson 26th, Matt Parker 29th, Richard Harris 32nd, Phillip Hoole 35th, and Aidan Johnson 37th) both won bronze team medals.

A total of 20 athletes were selected to represent their counties at the English Schools Cross Country Championships.

The club also had Emily Cowper, Coles, and Graihagh Turner representing Great Britain in hill and mountain running.

Four Rotherham Harriers athletes are on the England Athletics Development Pathway - Mikey Bacon, Grace Igoe, Layla Roden, and Graihagh Turner.

Also, a record five athletes are studying at US universities on athletics scholarships - Zak Ferguson (University of Wyoming), Lilia Harris (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Sam Gilson (Wingate University), Luke Parker (Lamar University), and Daniel Reeve (Davis and Elkins College).

Anyone interested in joining Rotherham Harriers & AC or finding out more about the club’s training groups can get in touch via www.rotherhamharriers.org or follow the club on social media for further information.