Amy-Eloise Markovc heads up impressive performances by Wakefield Harriers athletes

In an event that incorporated the British Championships and World Championships Trials, Amy finished second, behind Jessica Judd, and recorded a new club 10,000m record of 31 minutes; 25.57 seconds, trimming a few tenths off her previous record she set 12 months ago to the day.

Harriers’ Nicky Steel competed in the ESSAR Chester Half Marathon, which was part of the England Athletics Masters representative race programme and so included many of the country’s leading Masters runners.

She had qualified to wear an England representative masters vest and did well to finish 22nd lady and fourth in the F45 category, in 87:03.

There was a strong contingent of Harriers competing in the Pontefract 10k road race. Ben Butler 34:08, Chris Hunter 34:46, Simon Midwood 34:57 and Stewart Knowles 35:16 all ran strongly to finish fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh respectively, to easily win the team prize.

Andrew Teasdale was not too far behind, finishing 13th in 35:57, and Angela Dales was first in the F50 category.

There was another good turnout of younger members of the Harriers at the second meeting of the West Yorkshire Track & Field League at Cleckheaton and Wakefield has a good lead in the team standings.

Five Harriers are leading the individual standings: Ethan Ford (U11 boys), Cole McAndrew (U15 boys), Ben Smith (U17 men), Alexander Bostwick (U20 men) and Lily Keeler (U11 girls).

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At the first match of the Yorkshire & District Athletics League at Cleckheaton the club had a great start, Harriers coming out on top, ahead of Cleethorpes and Longwood.

Best performance for the Wakefield club was a new club U13 Boys high jump record of 1.60m from Joshua Akintolu, beating the previous record pf 1.55m set by future Olympian Martyn Bernard in 1997.

At the first match in the East Premier division of the North of England Track & Field League at York, the club did well to finish fourth despite having many athletes missing.

Daniel Franks was the club’s top performer, winning the ‘A’ 800m in 1:56.42 and ‘A’ 3,000m streeplechase in 10:02.92.

Also deserving a special mention is Jennifer Ibbitson, who is now in the F65 age category and scored points for the club in the pole vault, discus, hammer and javelin.

Match Result: City of York AC 495.5, City of Sheffield & Dearne AC 357.5, Rotherham Harriers & AC 312, Wakefield District Harriers & AC 289, Leeds City AC 282, Holmfirth Harriers & AC 196.