Age Group changes: transition plan

In January 2024, following a consultation process involving all Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAFs), UK Athletics’ decision to approve changes to the current competition age groups was announced.

This means that the age groups in which young athletes compete will change from U13, U15, U17 and U20, as is currently the case, to U12, U14, U16, U18 and U20 from 1 April 2026.

The objectives of the age group changes are to:

• Simplify age group dates for all disciplines
• Support athletes in their long-term development
• Retain and recruit more young people in athletics 
• Provide a clear, simplified pathway for all areas of the sport, from U10s - Seniors
• Provide better gradual progression for all athletics events
• And in creating an additional age group, better support age and stage appropriate competition formats & events

It’s important to point out that the age group changes alone are not viewed as the sole answer to the challenges we face as a sport in retaining and recruiting athletes and are part of a wider approach to arresting participation decline and increasing the number of young people engaged in track and field particularly.

Ahead of the implementation of the new age groups, the HCAFs have been undertaking further consultation with the sport as well as convening a task group and associated sub groups to ensure a smooth transition.

The key objective of phase one of the implementation process was to establish clear principles around the transition and to establish the key technical aspects of the change.

For more information see the England athletics website. Link here.

The Northern Cross Country Championships – Tatton Park January 2025

The Northern Cross-Country Championships are the penultimate pinnacle of the cross-country season, a challenge for every club. This year's cauldron was Tatton Park, unusually on the club's doorstep! A club succeeds when it rises to its challenges and Sale Harriers shone bright.....

• The U15 girls continued their winning ways! The club section who've been so exceptionally successful throughout the past 12 months, they merit the front cover of the emerging club magazine, won the Northern Title for the first time since 2017 and the 4th time in their section's 30 year history -2008, 1999 and 1993.
• The Senior Men flexed their formidable muscle in a way they'd not done since last spring’s 12 Stage Relay and they were rewarded with brilliant Bronze medals. They could not have done more again strong champions Leeds City & Salford who've shared the top two positions for the past four years......in fact since Sale Harriers repeatedly 'whopped' both of them as Champions in the previous four years. MAX WHARTON finished like a steam train in 5th, NIGEL MARTIN, who's represented the section with distinction in every championship except one since 2016 did so again in 9th, PHIL ROBERTSON who's also represented the club with distinction in the past six of seven championships and then there were NICK BARRY, JOE GODWOOD and BEN BRUNSWICK who made their Northern debuts and were understandably delighted to win prestigious Northern medals.
• The senior women also showed what a formidable force they can be by winning magnificent silver medals, their best result since they became Northern Relay Champions and National Relay Bronze medallists last spring. LUCY ARMITAGE, the club's lead runner in last year's Junior Northern title, was again the club's lead in the senior race. Just a few places behind her was ALICE WRIGHT, a key member of the team in the past four championships and AINE CUNNINGHAM, the club's lead runner as an U15 when her section won Silver way back in 2015, the U17 Northern Title in 2017 and the U20 Title in 2019. LAURA BARBER brought home the booty!
• Individual Northern Titles and medals were also battled for. Though some came very close and understandably were disappointed, they've the consolidation of knowing their talent and ability brought their team tremendous success.
• Septuagenarians DAVE RODGERS and BRIAN GOULDEN deserve gold medals for delivering a very successful championship on home territory as clerks of the course. Few will know the amount of work they put into it......not just on the day but for several days beforehand.
• Sale Harriers course marshals were the pride of the North, dotted around the course pulling their weight more than any other Northern or Regional club. The car-park were virtually empty and darkness falling when they were finally stood down.

The pinnacle of the cross-country year, the National XC Championships are on February 22ndat Parliament Hill . Go! Get 'em!

Full results

Fechin Mc Cormick

Northern Cross Country Championships 2025

Northern Boys

Noble Lads

Sunny Tatton

Trophy Girls

U17 Women

U15 Girls

Tatton Park 25

Northern Xc

Northern Men

Nigel Martin

Sophie And Olivia

Ladies

NORTHERN INDOOR CHAMPIONS

Senior, U17 and U 20 held in Sheffield 11^th\12^th Jan 2025.

Sale Harriers had an impressive tally from the Northern Athletics Senior, U20 & U17 Championship in Sheffield - 9 Titles, 4 Silver and 1 Bronze medal. It was also a great championship for our Sale Harrier coaches and well done to them! BOB GAISIE coached 3 Champions, JESS TAYLOR-JEMMETT 2 Champions, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medallist, ANITA RICHARDSON & KEITH HUNTER 2 Champions each, ALEX WORT 1 Champion & 2 bronze medallists, MIKE FENNELL 1 Champion and DAVE LOWE a Silver medallist. Beat that ! Congratulations & well done also to the following..

• ANDY ROBERTSON, honoured in 2024 with Sale Harrier Life Membership for representing Sale Harrier's with distinction throughout his 25 year sprint career that included World, European, Commonwealth Games & Multi UK sprint titles, and rarely ever competing without his Sale vest, easily won his 2nd ever Northern Indoor 60m Tile.
• RACHEL BENNETThad a fantastic championship! She not only became the Northern Senior 60m Champion, her finest performance since she won the title in 2015 as a 15-year old and she did it with PB's in both the heats and final (7.43)
• TESS McHUGH is surging ! Last year's 400m Northern Senior Indoor Silver medallist became the 2025 Champion with the bonus of a new championship record beating that held by Bolton's Hannah Kelly who made the Paris Olympic 4x 400 team.
• MOLLY MILLS became the U17 60m Hurdles Champion to add to her U15 title and it ranks her 4th in the UK
• STEPHANIE JONES retained her senior Long Jump title and added it to her double U20 Indoor Titles and U20 silver medal.
• SEUN OKOME retained his senior Triple Jump Title for the 4th consecutive year and his 7th senior title in eight year.
• SHAUNNA THOMPSON retained her 4th consecutive Senior Indoor Shot-Putt Title.
• MIGUEL GAISAH improved last year's Long Jump Silver medal to become the 2025 Champion.
• ANNABEL AMADIN continued her clean sweep of U20 Indoor Titles with her 3rd consecutive Championship Title. She also holds U17 & U15 titles.
• ROXY Mc HUGH: In her first championship race as an U17 she won the 300m silver medal with a PB in her heat and final (41.25). This was probably Roxy's best ever championship surpassing even last summer's Welsh Athletics 300m silver and Gtr. Manchester silver.
• LOLA RICHARDSON won the U17 1500m Silver medal in a great PB of 5:22.91 and one of her best championship performances.
• FREYA DOCKERTY: Last year's 60m Hurdles Indoor Champion became the 2025 silver medallist
• ELLISE-FRYER-FRANCIS became the U23 Shot Putt Silver medallist in a PB of 11.93 and the 60m Hurdles Bronze medallist with another PB (8.89) to rank her 7th in the UK.
• ALEX PARKINSON won his first Northern medal, senior Bronze in the 60m Hurdles .

In the same weekend Sophie Ashurst came 2nd in the Loughborough Pole Vault Meet with a seasons best jump of 4:15.

Sheffield Indoors Jan 25

Sheffield Indoors 1

Sheffield Indoors 2

Sheffield Indoors 3

Sheffield Indoors 4

Sheffield Indoors 5

Sheffield Indoors 6

Sheffield Indoors 7

Saturday 26/10/2024 – Long Eaton

By Men's Team Manager Glenn Savage

After cancellation in 2023, due to the venue, West Park in Long Eaton, being flooded by Storm Babet, this much-loved event returned to the racing calendar at its traditional home.  Building works in progress at the site resulted in a new course, by and large a reversal of the familiar tried and tested 3km route.  However, it still retained its fast and flat profile, as evidenced by some super-quick times throughout the day. 

Sale Harriers had 4 teams that made the journey to the East Midlands.  These were led by the ladies, who, under the guidance of Team Manager Anne Chinoy, had enjoyed podium finishes at recent BMAF Relays on road and cross country, including silver for our W45 team the last time these championships were held in 2022.

An injury to one of our key W35 runners meant that Anne had to reshuffle the squad in an effort to make us as competitive as we possibly could be in both the W35 & W45 races.  Our W35 A team were relatively inexperienced, but the trio were not daunted by the opposition.  First up was Rachael Rozhdestvenskaya, a consistent performer for the club, and fresh from a recent Sub-3 Marathon PB.  It was clear that a very strong Charnwood outfit were going to take some beating, with the very good Potter twins and former European Cross Country Champion Gemma Steel making up the team, and their intentions were clear from the start.  Nevertheless, Rachael kept a close order and was prominent throughout, giving the team a great start in 4th place (11:57).  Club newcomer Jess Welsh was next.  She didn’t let nerves get the better of her, and ran a great race to take us into 3^rd (12:03).  Bizunesh Deggefa represented Sale at last year’s BMAF Road Relays and has clearly got the relay bug now.  Biz is not afraid to mix it at the sharp end. Here, it was a very controlled effort (12:02) to retain 3^rd place and bag bronze medals for the team.  Amazing that only 6 seconds separated all 3 ladies – what a consistent team effort! 

A little further back, our W35 B team were presenting their own challenge.  Newcomer to the veteran ranks, Sarah Goulden, was making a return to racing after some time out.  Sarah gave her usual gutsy performance, coming home in 11^th place (14:05).  Club legend Carla Ousey dropped down an age group (you wouldn’t know it, looking at the evergreen Mrs Ousey), and her solid run, finishing in 13^th place (15:15), even included the customary double thumbs-up for the cameras!  The baton then passed to Harriet Hamilton, another club stalwart.  Despite still recovering from the tough Yorkshire Marathon only 6 days before, Harriet ran a storming leg (12:24) to bring the team home in 10^th place and 1^st B Team.

As previously mentioned, our W45 team had enjoyed some success at recent BMAF Relays, so hopes were high that we could yet again challenge for medals.  Team Manager Anne Chinoy led the team out.  Anne is another recovering from a recent marathon (Chester), but this didn’t get in the way of another excellent performance.  Anne ended the first leg with the team in 2^nd place, and her 12:25 was the 4^th fastest W45 time of the day.  The team reshuffling meant that Caroline Kinghorn, a W55 runner, answered the call and dropped an age group to the W45 team.  She didn’t let anybody down, finishing her leg in 3^rd place (14:47), with a fantastic run.  Caroline was starting to get excited at the prospect of a medal, and it was understandable with the reliable Helen Armitage on the last leg.  Helen didn’t disappoint, making that 3^rd place her own, and storming on to the podium, her 12:56 being the 6^th quickest W45 time.

The call to arms had been met with a rather muted response from our veteran men, and we were just represented by one team at these championships.  But what a team it was!  It has not gone unnoticed that in recent times we have had a number of elite Sale athletes moving into the M35 ranks, and their availability for events such as this would represent a great opportunity to win medals.

Will Onek, an 800 metres specialist, was well equipped to take on the hustle and bustle of the first leg.  Many clubs will put their faster runners on this stage to get the best possible start.  Will certainly got us off to a great start, coming home in 3^rd place in 9:50.  The Charnwood runner who led on the first leg was their only runner, which effectively left us in 2^nd place as leg 2 got underway.  Nigel Martin had made a recent return to racing following a long term injury problem, and his fitness is clearly coming back, as he wasted no time in closing the gap on Salford’s Joe Bailey, before opening up an impressive lead.  His time of 9:10 was the second fastest of the day.  It was shaping up to be a straight battle between us and Salford, but at this stage it went somewhat unnoticed that Bristol & West were making steady progress through the field.

Marathon runner Rob Dunn could have been forgiven for feeling like a hunted man, as he set off on leg 3 with the rest of the field chasing him.  It certainly didn’t affect his running, as his 9:59 maintained a healthy lead with just 2 legs remaining.  Leg 4 saw a superb run from Nick Barry, his 9:22 being the joint 4^th fastest of the day, and identical to the Salford runner on the same leg, meaning the lead had not been shortened.  When Carl Hardman set off on leg 5 for Salford, it soon became apparent that, barring a disaster, he would not catch our Phil Richardson, and gold medals were looking increasingly more likely.  However, there was to be a twist in the tale.  As Phil emerged into the long straight just before the final turn, it was evident that Salford had been overtaken by Bristol & West, whose leg 5 runner, Ben Robinson, was on his way to the fastest time of the day (8:51), and making inroads into what seemed an unassailable lead for us.  Clearly, Phil had something in reserve (he wasn’t on the glory leg without justification), and a posse of Sale runners and supporters shouted him home to a brilliant victory, the gap being just 13 seconds at the finish.  Phil’s time of 9:22 was also the joint 4^th fastest of the day.

All in all, it was a hugely successful and very enjoyable day.  These championships are well worth supporting.  They provide an excellent standard of competition, but they are also very friendly events, and typify the great camaraderie that exists within the running community.

Well done Sale Harriers Manchester!