Category Archives: News

One week ago I crossed the London Marathon finish line. In the lead-up to the race I was in two minds: target a sub-3, or settle for a Good for Age. At 59, the M55 GFA standard is 3:12, so anything under 3:10 would hopefully secure my place for next year.

By race morning I’d made my decision: focus on the GFA. It came down to four factors:

A holiday in Madeira two weeks before the race where I’d done next to nothing. I felt stiff on my return, particularly in my left calf, and I couldn’t fully shake it.

It was a fairly warm day. I’m a bigger runner at just under 80 kg, and I knew this probably wasn’t going to be the day for a big sub-3 effort.

Starting at the back of Wave 3 in a very crowded field.

Most importantly, what would a sub-3 at 59 actually mean to me? There are far fewer runners doing this in the M60 age category and it would make for a better, more meaningful challenge to save myself this year and go for it properly next year.

So I ran London as a hard tr

Some of you will know Will Haw. He’s our 800m specialist who headed out to Michigan last year on an athletics scholarship at Northwood University, competing in one of the toughest NCAA Division II conferences in the country. He’s just wrapped up his first ever indoor track season, and has provided us with this update.

His headline number for the 800 is 1:52. He ran it five times indoors this season and Will says he’s happy with it. Though Will being Will, he’d have liked to go a bit faster.

Boom! I started March with a very hilly half marathon around the hills of Cleckhuddersfax. I was really apprehensive about the Liversedge Half on 1 March, despite running the Brass Monkey in January on very little training plus a few 10 milers. I guess the pressure to perform is now mounting. There was no expectation back in January. My legs were tired and anyone who knows me knows how I love a hill, but it turns out that I needn’t have worried. I finished in 2:16 — only one minute slower than a very flat Brass Monkey course.

A trio of junior athletes represented Vale of York at the South Yorkshire Athletics Indoor Series in Sheffield on Sunday (22 March).

The series tested athletes across a range of disciplines including sprinting, jumping, endurance and throwing events.

For the last two years, Vale of York has made dressing up for the PECO XC Relays a tradition. Inspired by our University of York members, who have their “challenge week” at the same time as the relays, raising money for their University Athletics and Running Club, fancy dress is just too much fun to miss.

And 2026 proved to be the best for fancy dress participation we’ve ever had.

Standout costume this year had to be Bananaman, A.K.A James Leadbeater, father of Ewan and Isabella. His full length costume as the 1980s TV cartoon superhero, was accompanied by three giant size bananas (Sarah, Beverley and Steve) for good measure.

At Vale of York, we like to encourage all our young athletes to perform at the best of their abilities. We’ve seen league wins, national qualifiers, personal bests and solid commitment from children across all age groups. But medals and times are not the measure that matters most to us.

Athletics is a long-term development sport.

Children develop at different rates, and while some mature early and look physically dominant at twelve or thirteen, others develop later and quietly catch up. Some balance athletics with football, hockey or other sports. Others just enjoy turning up once a week to work out and be with friends. All of those pathways are valid.

Our responsibility as Vale of York Athletic Community is to protect long-term development, wellbeing and enjoyment so that young people stay in sport for a lifetime.

On Saturday 27 June, Vale of York Athletic Community will be hosting a Funetics Multi Challenge (FMC) Quadrathlon at the University of York athletics facility. The event will give U10 and U12 athletes from schools and clubs across the region a chance to take part in an inclusive athletics competition designed specially for younger children.