Junior Section Report for October 2025
October was a relatively quiet month for our Juniors with only two races to report on.
Sunday, 5th October
Dovedale Dash
Sharna Burbidge ran this race along with her mum and dad, which is a cross-country course over a distance of 4.75 miles, and held in the picturesque areas of Thorpe near Ashbourne and Dovedale in the south of the Derbyshire Peak District. Sharna finished in a respectable time of 54:52 in 708th position out of 1169 runners, beating both her mum and dad! Well done Sharna!
Saturday, 18th October
2nd North Staffs Cross Country Race, Stafford Common
We had 6 Juniors running on home ground, on what turned out to be a sunny autumnal afternoon, as follows:-
Under 11 Boys
Name |
Position |
Time |
Douglas Crawford |
40 |
6:47 |
Total number of finishers: 43
Under 13 Girls
Name |
Position |
Time |
Sharna Burbidge |
16 |
6:26 |
Ivy Piercy |
20 |
6:36 |
Total number of finishers: 30
Under 13 Boys
Name |
Position |
Time |
William Temple |
18 |
12:47 |
Total number of finishers: 18
Under 15 Boys
Name |
Position |
Time |
Jenson Dixon |
19 |
16:54 |
Total number of finishers: 24
Under 17 Boys
Name |
Position |
Time |
Branden Fenton |
15 |
20:53 |
Total number of finishers: 16
Well done to all that took part in this event.
Some of our juniors continue to participate in the local park runs all putting in some great times and continuing to get PB’s – well done to all and keep up the great work!
Despite the darker nights now being with us, we have been seeing between 12 and 22 juniors in attendance at the Monday night training sessions which is reasonable, and a few continue to attend the Wednesday night adult sessions, which has pushed them further.
Junior Section Report for September 2025
September has been a busier month for the Juniors in terms of races and events, which has been pleasing to see.
Thursday, 11th September
Harriers Handicap
Finley Hayes and Jenson Dixon both ran in this event held on the Chase, as follows.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
2 |
26:51 |
Jenson Dixon |
3 |
29:43 |
Total number of runners in field: 15
Well done to both for putting in top effort and achieving some great times!
Wednesday, 24th September
Harriers Time Trial, Castlefields
We had five juniors running in this event, which was the final one for the summer, with Finley Hayes being the first runner back home – well done Fin!
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
1 |
20:35 |
Jenson Dixon |
5 |
22:46 |
Charlie Tokeley |
6 |
23:12 |
Ivy Piercy |
10 |
27:38 |
Carter Whitfield |
11 |
28:07 |
Total number of runners in field: 17
Saturday, 27th September
North Staffs Cross Country League – Betley Court Farm
With the return of the NSCCL, this race being the first in a series of four – a lovely rural but hilly course, on what turned out to be a sunny afternoon. We had seven running as follows.
Under 13 Girls – 2K
Name |
Position |
Time |
Sharna Burbidge |
19 |
7:19 |
Ivy Piercy |
28 |
7:49 |
Total number runners in field: 38
Under 11 Boys – 2K
Name |
Position |
Time |
Douglas Crawford |
40 |
8:06 |
Total number runners in field: 46
Under 13 Boys – 3.5K
Name |
Position |
Time |
William Temple |
16 |
16:14 |
Total number runners in field: 17
Under 15 Boys – 4.5K
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
14 |
14:19 |
Jenson Dixon |
15 |
14:26 |
Total number runners in field: 22
Under 17 Boys – 5.0K
Name |
Position |
Time |
Branden Fenton |
15 |
21:24 |
Total number runners in field: 17
Well done to everyone who ran in this event, all putting in some fantastic effort and achieving some great times.
Having settled back into the school term, we have seen a slight increase in Juniors attending the Monday night training sessions at the Cricket Club, with some new faces coming along, which has been encouraging to see with attendance being typically between 15 and 20.
Junior Section Report for August 2025
August is traditionally a quiet month for the Juniors and races, with many people away on holiday, and we are aware of only a small number participating in racing events.
27th August 2025
5k Time Trial
We had five of our juniors running in this event, organised by the Harriers, this one being the fifth in the summer series. Finley Hayes was not only the first Junior back but also the winner in an excellent time of 21:08 – a big well done to Fin and of course to all of the other Juniors for taking part and putting in some fantastic performances.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
1 |
21:08 |
Jenson Dixon |
11 |
25:02 |
Charlie Tokeley |
12 |
26:16 |
Sharna Burbidge |
17 |
31:09 |
Maisey Tokeley |
25 |
41:12 |
Total Number of Runners: 25
Participation in the various local Park Runs has continued with Dougie Crawford, Dan Plimmer and Oliver Richardson regularly competing in the Isabel Trail and Cannock Chase events and all producing some good times – well done all and keep up the great work!
We have over the last month continued to witness reasonable attendance at the Monday and Wednesday Junior training sessions held at the Cricket Club, which has been pleasing to see, and we are now seeing some interest in the forthcoming North Staffs Cross Country League races due to start later this month.
Finally, we continue to see some Juniors wanting to use running as a sport to count towards their Duke of Edinburgh scheme, which is very commendable and should be actively encouraged, but the Coaches have decided in order to achieve their sign off on this, they should equally put something back into the Club such as participation in the local Cross Country or Road Relay events. Over time this will be monitored to see what impact it may have.
Junior Section Report for July 2025
July has been a busier month for our Juniors with three known events to report on.
5th July 2025
Derrington Dash 5k
We had Theo Evans running in this brand-new event, organised by Stafford Harriers, and despite falling over, bravely battled on and completed it in a time of 50:25 – so well done Theo!
16th July 2025
Staffs Knot 2 Mile Fun Run
We had six of our juniors running in this event, which was organised by the Harriers, and for some this being their first time competing. Finley Hayes was the first Junior Harrier back in 2nd place in an excellent time of 14:07 – well done to Fin and of course to all of the other Juniors for representing the Club, putting in some fantastic performances.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
2 |
14:07 |
Daniel Plimmer |
3 |
14:22 |
Matthew Plimmer |
4 |
15:51 |
Douglas Crawford |
5 |
17:20 |
Ivy Piercy |
7 |
17:37 |
Stanley Crawford |
15 |
21:28 |
Total Number of Runners: 16
30th July 2025
Harriers 5k Time Trial
We had five juniors running in this monthly Wednesday night event along the disused railway track. Well done to everyone who took part.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
2 |
21:54 |
Charlie Tokeley |
9 |
27:44 |
Jude Hall |
13 |
30:24 |
Jayden Turner |
14 |
30:24 |
Ivy Piercy |
15 |
30:57 |
Total Number of Runners: 20
In terms of attendance over the last month it has been fairly consistent at the Monday and Wednesday Junior training sessions held at the Cricket Club, although this is expected to drop off during August due to the holiday season, but then pick up once again during September, once the schools start back.
Junior Section Report for June 2025
June has been a busier month for the juniors, with several known events to report on.
11th June 2025
Showground 2 Mile Relays
We had two teams running in this Harrier-organised event, on what turned out to be a lovely summer’s evening at the County Showground.
Team Name: Harriers Boy Racers
Name |
Leg |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
A |
13:16 |
Jenson Dixon |
B |
14:12 |
Dan Plimmer |
C |
13:10 |
Theo Evans |
D |
17:48 |
Team Time |
00:58:28 |
Overall finishing place: 4 out of 7 teams
Team Name: Harriers Young Flyers
Name |
Leg |
Time |
Sharna Burbidge |
A |
14:44 |
Douglas Crawford |
B |
16:42 |
Ivy Piercy |
C |
16:43 |
Matthew Plimmer |
D |
14:40 |
Team Time |
01:02:51 |
Overall finishing place: 5 out of 6 teams
This is always a great competitive event for the Juniors, who are able to run alongside the adults, all putting in some fantastic performances, and for many giving the adults a run for their money! Well done all!
25th June 2025
5K Time Trial
We had two Juniors running in this event held on the last Wednesday of each month over the summer, these being Ivy Piercy and Jenson Dixon. Jenson was the first runner back in a time of 24:20 and Ivy 7th in a time of 32:30 – well done both!
Attendance at the local Park Runs has continued to take place by some of the juniors, which is always pleasing to see, and also provides a great opportunity to benchmark performances and monitor improvement. Sharna Burbidge ran the Trentham Parkrun on 14th June and received a medal as part of Stoke’s Centenary celebrations. Also doing the local Parkruns have been Douglas Crawford and Theo Evans. Congratulations both.
Junior Section Report for May 2025
May was a quiet month for the Juniors, with no known races to report on other than seeing some continue to compete in the local Park Runs, which is always pleasing to see, particularly with them being non-Harrier events. Regular participation in these really does help in bringing people’s times down over the weeks and months. Well done to everyone who took part in these various events.
We have seen a few new Juniors join the Monday night sessions with numbers continuing to be in the region of between 12 and 20, and the Wednesday night sessions have seen typically between 4 and 5 run alongside the seniors. Well done and keep up the fantastic effort.
Junior Section Report for April 2025
April has been a quiet month for the Juniors, with only one event to report on.
Wednesday, 30th April
5K Time Trial, Castlefields
We had five juniors compete in this event running against the seniors, the first in the series to be held on a Wednesday evening from April through to September and is intended for people to measure their improvement on the same course over a period of time.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
3 |
22:18 |
Jenson Dixon |
10 |
25:51 |
Ned Stanbridge |
12 |
27:03 |
Ivy Piercy |
15 |
28:16 |
Isla Stanbridge |
18 |
31:02 |
A big well done to everyone who took part in this event. Can you run a faster time next time?
A few of our juniors continue to participate in the local Parkruns, which is pleasing to see, and like the time trial, provide a great opportunity for them to assess their performance over time on the same course. Theo Evans ran his first full Parkrun during the early part of April and has since been regularly running them, putting in some great effort and enjoying them too. Dougie Crawford also continues to run them. Well done Theo and Dougie!
The Monday night training sessions at the Cricket Club have continued to be steady with typically around 15 Juniors in attendance, and some new faces showing up, which has been encouraging to see. The Wednesday night sessions also continue to see a few juniors attend and the lighter nights now offer more scope for improved and varied training sessions.
Junior Section Report for March 2025
Sunday, 23rd March
Stafford Half Marathon 1mile Fun Run
We saw Dougie Crawford run in this event (there may be more but unfortunately the results are not published), heading his way around the streets of Stafford, putting in a fantastic performance, so well done to Dougie and any other Juniors that ran in this run!
Saturday, 29th March
Midland U13/U15/U17 5k Championships, Sutton Park
We had two Juniors running in this event, as follows.
Under 13 Boys
Name |
Position |
Time |
Jenson Dixon |
13 |
21:44 |
Total No. Runners: 17
U15 Boys
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
37 |
24:52 |
Total No. Runners: 37
A big well done to Jenson and Finley for running in this tough event, one that always presents some tough competition and provides some excellent experience.
Junior Section Report for February 2025
February has been a quiet month for the Juniors with no race participation as far as we know.
Some of the Juniors however have been participating in the local Parkruns, achieving some excellent times and great results, we’ve seen Dan Plimmer get a PB at the Isabel Trail venue (22:00) and the Cannock Chase venue (22:13), then there have been Oliver Richardson and Finley Hayes out in force too – well done all and keep up the good work!
The Monday evening training sessions have seen steady attendance with around 15 or so Juniors attending, and the Wednesday joint Junior and Senior sessions have proven to be popular with them being off site at the likes of Avon Rise and Marlborough Avenue, which have pushed the Juniors that little bit extra.
Junior Section Report for January 2025
January has been a quiet month for the Juniors with no known race participation taking place, but there has been ongoing attendance at the local Parkruns, where we have had a few taking part, and all putting in some top performances.
On the 18th January we saw Ivy Piercy run her first Parkrun in a time of 29:02 and was second in her age group. This was a massive achievement for Ivy and has hopefully inspired her to continue to run in these weekly events and build on this success. Meanwhile, Dan Plimmer recently ran his 100th Parkrun which is a magnificent achievement and demonstrates true dedication through and through. Well done Ivy and Dan, and of course all of the Juniors who continue to run in these events, week in week out.
Following the Christmas break the Monday night training sessions at the Cricket Club started back up on 6th January and have proved to be popular with some new faces showing up, and there has been further interest in the Wednesday night sessions, which has been encouraging to see.