Get Ready to Run, Jump, and Throw at Selby Fun Day 2025

Selby Fun Day 2025

Mark your calendars! Selby Fun Day is just around the corner, promising an afternoon of athletic excitement for the whole family. We’re thrilled to invite you to join us on Sunday, June 22nd, from 12 PM to 3 PM, at the astroturf facilities of Selby Leisure Centre.

This year, we are once again focusing on getting kids aged 5-15 active and excited about athletics. Imagine your children running, jumping, sprinting, throwing, and even hurdling their way through a series of fun and challenging activities designed to test their skills and boost their confidence. It’s not just about winning; it’s about participation, pushing personal limits, and discovering the variety of athletics.

Chasing a London Marathon Good For Age: A Tale from the Edinburgh Marathon 2025

London Marathon 2026 GFA qualifying times

This bank holiday weekend, I packed my Alphaflys and headed north to the Edinburgh Marathon with one goal: securing a Good For Age (GFA) qualifying time for the 2026 London Marathon.

As a 58-year-old runner, I needed a sub-3:12 finish to stand any chance of a London slot—though aiming for sub 3:10 felt safer given the potential for a tightening of the cutoff times.

This is the story of my pursuit of a London Marathon GFA at Edinburgh Marathon 2025.

A Huge Thank You to Selby Town Council for Supporting Athletics at Selby Fun Day

VOYAC-Vale-of-York-Selby-Fun-Day-2025-Grant-Selby-Town-Council-Grant-Cheque.jpg

We’ve got some exciting news to share that will directly benefit the young aspiring athletes of Selby. We are thrilled to announce that we’ve received a generous grant cheque from Selby Town Council to support our upcoming activities right here in Selby.

This money will go directly towards providing athletics activities for local children at Selby Fun Day on Sunday, June 22nd, 2025.

First day of the YVAA Grand Prix Series with the Yorkshire Vets

Challenging? Absolutely! Worth it? You bet! We recently experienced this firsthand, and a huge thank you goes out to Holmfirth Harriers for once again hosting such a well-organised event.

What truly made the day special? The incredible buzz of the race itself, the superb social gathering afterwards, and of course, keeping the YVAA prize-giving tradition alive. It was fantastic to see every single Vale of York member who ran today come home with a prize! Talk about a great start to the Grand Prix series.

More than Medals: Building Camaraderie in Children’s Track and Field Athletics

Vale of York Cheerleading Pyramid

Yesterday marked the first meet of the West Yorkshire Track and Field League series for 2025. For my daughter, like many young athletes facing first-time athletics competition, it brought understandable nerves.

While she had cross-country experience, track and field athletics presents unique pressures: the feeling of being individually watched, the vulnerability of competing alone, and the technical uncertainties of starts and jumps. Moments like these can trigger anxieties and fear of failure, but can also build confidence and improve self-esteem.

I am a strong believer that positive and negative outcomes from competition are facilitated by parents, coaches, officials, volunteers, clubs and event promoters. The West Yorkshire Track and Field League does a great job of providing structured but relaxed competition that serves as a great introduction to track and field athletics for young people in our region.

Coaching Hurdles with Under-13 Athletes: Holistic Long-Term Development

Hurdling is a complex blend of speed, coordination, flexibility, and rhythm. Introducing this track and field event group to young athletes requires careful consideration, patience, and time.

We know that coaching hurdling is not just about teaching technicalities. It involves coaching the whole athlete more than any other track and field event.

As a responsible coach, you must respect the ongoing physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of the U13 age group. Get this wrong and you increase the risk of injury, knock a child’s confidence, and potentially contribute to athlete burnout and dropout from the sport.

The Heart of the Masters

Ian Martin GB at World Indoor Masters Gainesville Florida

Sitting here at Tampa airport, waiting for my delayed flight back home to the UK, gives me time to reflect on special week in Gainesville, Florida, competing in my first World Masters Athletics Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Ahead of the event, I was excited and a little nervous, but, just like at the European Masters Championships in Pescara in 2023, what I looked forward to most was connecting with athletes from all over the world and watching some genuinely inspirational performances.

If you’re reading this and thinking about getting involved or returning to athletics as a Masters athlete (age 35+), I cannot recommend it enough.

Safeguarding in Athletics: Lessons from the Ingebrigtsen Court Case

Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s recent courtroom testimony detailing alleged abuse at the hands of his father serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of safeguarding in the athletics world. Just days after securing double gold medals in the 3,000 and 1,500 meters at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, Jakob’s statements against his father and former coach, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, painted a grim picture spanning several years.

Flying the Pink and Blue: A Big Weekend of 5K Racing for Vale of York

It was another fantastic weekend of racing for Vale of York senior and masters athletes, with runners representing the club in pink and blue kit across multiple events. From Friday night’s EvenSplits 5K in York to parkrun on Saturday morning and the elite fields on Saturday afternoon at the Podium 5K in Leicester, our athletes showed up in force, supporting each other and putting in great performances.

A Safe Space to Speak: Empowering Young Athletes in Our Community

At Vale of York Athletic Community, the safety and well-being of our young members form the bedrock of everything we do. Our founder, Ian Martin, shared an inspiring message at an England Athletics safeguarding conference in York this morning.

“We are deeply committed to creating an environment where young athletes can flourish in a safe, supportive, and inclusive atmosphere,” Ian stated. “We want to be proactive in our athletics clubs and not only remove the barriers to safeguarding but also accentuate the positives that athletics and running can have on young people’s lives”.