We had hoped to hold this event in 2022.  However major parking problems have emerged with our usual plot not being available resulting in the event not going ahead this year.

Hopefully we will find a solution for 2023.

South Bucks had another good match in the third of four Southern Athletics League matches on Saturday. The sun shone on the track at Sandy near Biggleswade and the match had a nice atmosphere.
 
The composite team of Chiltern Harriers and Wycombe Phoenix athletes recorded a third consecutive win, finishing on 329 points, well ahead of Northampton in second. There were ten Chiltern athletes taking part in the thirty-strong South Bucks contingent.
 
Senior Woman Sarah Cross had a busy day coming second in B string javelin with a season’s best 30.83m, second in A string shot with another season’s best 9.20m, and second in B string 100m: another season’s best of 13.40. Also contributing to the women’s team was U20 Olivia Cameron, racing on the track for the first time since 2017. Olivia was third in A string 800m in a promising 2.33.5. Also making a return to the track after a break was U17 Marea Logan, winning B string 800m in 2.38.00. U17 Frankie Baxter also made her SAL debut, scoring an impressive win in A string 2000m steeplechase in 7.53.80.
 
On the men’s side Senior Man Aran Davidson ran a well-paced race to win A string 5000m in 15.42.7, a very impressive performance given the hot conditions. Vet 55 Ian Lawson ran 19.13.4 as a non-scorer. U20 Max McGarvie was second in A string 1500m in a season’s best 4.22.7 and U17 Matt Evans scored a PB in the same race, running 4.33.2 to win the B string. Isaac Jessop-Tranter won B string 400m in a PB of 54.4 with Tom Askey just behind as a non-scorer in the same race. Isaac and Tom teamed up with Wycombe’s David Clark and James Twallin to win 4 x 400m relay in a brisk 3.42.7.
 
The final match is at Luton on Saturday August 13th which should see South Bucks confirmed as winners of Division 3 North, gaining promotion to Division 2 next year.

There were seven Chiltern Harriers taking part in the biggest meeting of the season for juniors, the English Schools Track and Field Championships, held this year at Sportcity, Manchester. All bar one were competing for Buckinghamshire Schools, one for Middlesex Schools. Warm sunshine made for great conditions.
 
All did well and the highlight was second place in the Inter Boys 800m for Oakley Denson. The first two in the Intermediate age group events are offered the chance to represent England in the SIAB meeting the following Saturday, so Oakley is off to Belfast next weekend to do that.
 
Oakley was in a tough heat on the Friday, comprising all three athletes at the top of the rankings. Fortunately all three made it through to Saturday’s final with Oakley logging 1.56.42. In the closing straight in that final it was those three again that contested the places and Oakley, who was always well placed, finished strongly to secure second and his ticket to Belfast. His time was 1.54.07.
 
Also in Inter Boys 800m was Isaac Jessop-Tranter, who ran well in his heat to record 1.58.35, fourth place and two hundredths off his PB, but not enough to make the final. Lily Jessop-Tranter got a late call up to run Junior Girls 800m and gained her first experience of a meeting at this level. Lily was outside her recently set best and was tenth in her heat in 2.25.10. Tom Emery was selected for Senior Boys 1500m for Middlesex Schools and ran well to record 4.02.49 for tenth in his heat, not enough for the final but a great effort in his first English Schools Championships.
 
On the Saturday the remaining Chiltern athletes were all involved in straight finals. First up was Thomas Redmond who ran well to be 16th in Inter Boys 3000m in 9.05.08, just outside his recently set best. Immediately after that Maddie Hughes ran well for seventh in Inter Girls 3000m, gaining a PB of 10.05.83. Frankie Baxter continued her progress in a new event for her, running a PB of 5.18.84 to be sixth in Inter Girls 1500m steeplechase.
 
All the athletes enjoyed their experience of top level athletics.

Chiltern Harriers U13s and U15s had another good match at Guildford on Sunday 3rd July in the third match in the YDL Lower Age Group season.
 
In the highest calibre match in the series so far, Chiltern came a creditable fourth, and are fourth in the seven team division with one match remaining. The match was well organised with good facilities such as electronic timing, photo finish and a working wind gauge.
 
U15 Boys
The Chiltern U15 boys had perhaps their strongest team of the season out. In 100m Issa Phillips-Pope was fifth in A string 100m in 13.16 and Nirva Raj Khanturaban was third in B string in a PB of 12.68. In 200m Issa ran 26.82 with Cameron McGuffin getting a PB of 27.31 in B string. In 300m Callum Powell ran a PB of 44.85 and Cameron McGuffin ran 45.04 in B string. The 800m saw a second place from Callum in 2.17.73 and Hari Mistry was fifth in B string. A superb PB of 4.34.60 came from James Holdsworth in 1500m A string, and there was a further PB from Aidan Suleyman of 4.53.53 in B string. Aidan picked up useful points in A string long jump and high jump. Cameron helped out in shot, Nirva Raj and James in discus, and Callum in javelin. The 4 x 100m relay team of Cameron, Issa, Nirva Raj and James were fourth, and in the 4 x 300m the quartet of James, Hari, Aidan and Callum were third.
 
U15 Girls
Abi Masters and Eleanor Horne ran 100m and Iris Foreman and Lily Jessop-Tranter 200m. In 300m Alice Peckham ran A string with Iris looking after B string. The 800m saw third place from Izzy Martin in 2.26.43 and there was third place in B string for Issy Robinson in 2.32.45. Marlie Nkoane and Katie Allsop ran well in 1500m. Issy ran A string 75m hurdles with Lydia Cross looking after B string. In long jump Abi Masters gained a PB with 4.11m to be fourth and Rebecca Lawson was second in B string with 3.87m. Issy Robinson jumped 1.35m in high jump and Alice Peckham and Eleanor Horne helped out in shot. Eleanor and Marlie looked after discus and Lily Jessop-Tranter was second in A string hammer. In javelin Katie Allsop threw a PB of 17.53m to be fifth and Izzy Martin was fourth in B string. The 4 x 100m relay team of Alice, Iris, Abi and Issy were fifth and the 4 x 300m relay squad of Izzy, Katie, Marlie and Lily were third.
 
U13 Boys
Jack Martin ran an impressive 10.81 in 75m with Felix Danielli running 11.27 in B string. Luke Coultate ran 11.80 non-scoring. Aarav Johnson and Luke looked after 150m. In 800m A string Charlie Quantrill ran well for third in 2.27.45 and Felix won B string in 2.30.42. Eddie O’Brien was fourth in non-scoring 800m, and Hugo Mundy and Kit Dixon ran well in 1200m. Felix and Kit helped out with 75m hurdles. Charlie and Eddie contributed in long jump, Felix and Luke in high jump. Hugo Mundy threw a big PB of 27.01m to win A string javelin and Jack Martin took care of B string. Kit helped out in shot. The 4 x 100m team of Hugo, Aarav, Kit and Jack were fourth.
 
U13 Girls
Nia Clarke ran A string 75m, Megan Lockwood A string 150m. In 800m Nia had a great race to be second and Carys Jones was second in B string. In A string 1200m Evelyn Wildman was third in 4.10.23 and Megan won B string in 4.21.89. Zoe Partridge ran A string hurdles and Evelyn was third in B string. Nia and Megan did long jump, and Evelyn and Carys high jump. Zoe and Carys teamed up for shot and Zoe helped in javelin. The 4 x 100m relay team of Evelyn, Zoe, Megan and Nia was fifth.
 
The final match is at Eton on July 30th. The team are placed fourth currently and should end up mid table: an excellent result in a division of large, strong track clubs.

We are now operating a more standardised monthly posting of training session details, and in order to locate the meeting points we are using: what3words.com  to enable the accurate location of the car parking and meeting point for each training session during July:
 
Tuesdays:
Ready to run at 7pm.  The Tuesday night routes will be predominantly on trails, however, there may be a road session occasionally for various reasons.
 
Tuesday July 5 -
7pm - Parking and meeting at ‘The Lazy Pig In The Pantry’ Public House, Chesham Road HP5 3PF, between Nashleigh Hill and Ashley Green (ideas.wrong.again)
If you are staying for food and/or drinks after the session, normal menu service will apply. Food served until 9 pm.
 
Tuesday July 12 -
7pm - Tylers Hill, Chesham – Parking and Meeting opposite The Crown Public House, Blackwell Hall Lane at Ley Hill (pads.epic.artist)
 
Tuesday July 19 -
7pm - Parking and meeting at Star Yard Car Park, Chesham (stove.simply.froze).
 
Tuesday July 26 -
7pm - Parking and meeting at the Blue Ball Pub, Asheridge. HP5 2UX (cool.talker.plums) with the offer of ‘Sandwiches and Chips’ after the session, at a bargain price of £6 per person. Please book with Steve and pay in advance, either at the Tuesday evening training sessions, or by emailing [email protected])
 
Thusdays:
Ready to run at 7pm on the running track, or on the grass playing field if preferred.
 
Thursday 7 July -
7pm - The Running Track (inspector.once.reader) at Merchant Taylors School, Moor Park,
parking in the school car park at (activism.space.pills)
 
Thursday 14 July -
7pm - The Running Track (inspector.once.reader) at Merchant Taylors School, Moor Park,
parking in the school car park at (activism.space.pills)
 
Thursday 21 July - 
7pm - The Running Track (inspector.once.reader) at Merchant Taylors School, Moor Park,
parking in the school car park at (activism.space.pills)​

Thursday 28 July -
7pm - The Running Track (inspector.once.reader) at Merchant Taylors School, Moor Park,
parking in the school car park at (activism.space.pills)

 Sunday morning social runs – See website for details

Well, what a Race Report you’ve got ahead of you, that’s all I can say! What it loses in quantity, it makes up for in sheer, unadulterated quality. ​

We’ll start with a belated well done to Jo Culver, who completed the Midsummer Murder 10 mile event last Sunday, 26 June, in a time of 1.48.57. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Neil Turner came home 7th overall (out of a total 67 finishers) and 2nd for GB, in his age category at the World Sprint Triathlon Championships in Montreal. Neil clocked a total time of 1.07.45, which included a cool 18.56 5k run to finish off the swim-bike-run race. Amazing stuff!