Congratulations to Ash Walden, Northern Masters M40 400 metre champion 2026.
Ash ran one lap of the Trafford track last month in a M40 personal best time of 56.47 and is now rapidly closing in on his season’s goal of sub-56 seconds.
Pushing Ash every step of the way this season have been fellow Vale of York athletes Harry Bromley and JJ Grice, who have each taken different approaches to mastering the longest sprint in track and field.
While Ash focused initially on sharpening his raw speed and power base to catapult him out of the blocks to a fast 100, JJ concentrated on speed endurance and running economy with longer distance work. Meanwhile the youngest of the three, Harry Bromley, came back to the event after a lay-off due to injury and relied on his athleticism and well-rested legs to remain competitive with his fellow older sub-60 runners. All three men ran within a second of each other across two very close heats at the start of the season at the West Yorkshire Track and Field League at Wakefield, with Harry and Ash battling it out in one heat and JJ going again after an early 1500 in the other (Harry – 56.9, Ash – 57.4, JJ – 57.7). JJ has since pushed on, improving to 56.50 at a later event in the same series at Cleckheaton after a 3000 metre race this time.
For now, though, it’s Ash who is back on top with his 56.47 and he is eagerly seeking out those last few opportunities to break the 56 barrier by the end of the year.
Healthy competition and a dedicated approach to training has undoubtedly helped all three. We look forward to the rivalry continuing before the 2026 track and field season draws to a close.
