Well, summer is finally over and we can look back to a glorious Summer League for Queen's Park Harriers. With the exception of Perivale our attendance broke records again.
Five races in great warm and sunny conditions, starting with our first race at Dulwich where we received the winner's shield and again broke records for attendance. We kept our lead at Harrow and Perivale, lost it at Regents Park before finally triumphing at Battersea.
So next season, we step forward at the end of the first summer league race to take the Winner's Shield again for a third time.
A few facts from this year’s summer league report:
Over the five races 91 different members participated, including 21 who were taking part in their first summer league.
We had two visually impaired runners taking part with members stepping up to guide them. As far as I am aware there is only one other club with a visually impaired runner.
Because of location we have also been allowed to accept runners with buggies. We took taken advantage with several members taking on the added burden.
Thankfully no injuries over the 400ish-metre relays, which were competitive from first to last, even with our reverse hoops non-scoring team.
It’s not just adults, but also the younger runners who have helped us win, with 25 different children taking part in the tenderfoot races. It’s a shame that the summer league clashed with some of the junior track league, but hopefully next year we can get a few more juniors to attend.
Just a reminder that it was your best three scores that counted in the individual awards, and there were individual success stories aplenty with 13 adults in medal positions and
11 tenderfoot in medal positions. Here are those medal winners in full by category
Female 35
Jen Armson squeezed her way past her Ealing Eagle rival to take first place with Michelle Maddick taking third place.
F40
Another first place with Fiona Eagle taking the honours in this age category.
F45
Karima Harris took first place with Sophie Barnard sandwiching another Ealing Eagle to take third place.
F50
Second place for our very own Michelle Ford.
F55
Susan Kennedy took third for the Hoops.
F60
Third for Alice Galal, though we are awaiting final confirmation.
F65
Frances Sutherland took third spot in her debut Summer League.
Senior men
First place went to our very own Matt Kitching with Edwin Mooney in fourth place,pipped to third by just one point. Queen's Park Harriers held four of the top seven places in this category.
M40
Third was Maciej Kolterniak, beating Michal Dmitrzak by two points.
M50
Honourable mention to Peter Reupke who was beaten into fourth place after the final race of the season.
M55
Andrew Jackson finished first.
M65
Dan Levy took second.
For our budding runners in the tenderfoot category:
F6
1st Penelope Heaton
3rd Iris Steer
Then a whole swathe of young harriers swelling our total with much needed points and almost swallowing the age category:
5 Betsy Steer
6 Ella Braine
7 Jessica Braine
8 Jessica Mailer
9 Gracie Green
12 Marissa McCorron
13 Serena McCorron
14 Abigail Cross
15 Emma Ekblom
F7
3rd Eleanor Stuart
F8
1st Bella Harris
Just outside the medals was Evie Green in 4th place
F11
1st Eadi Solanki-Jackson
F13
1st Roisin Quirke
M6
One race only for
James Ekblom and Leo Amlani who finished in 16th and 18th places
M8
1st place for Adam Reupke
Aleks Chajecka competed in the final race of the year and finished in 8th place overall.
M9
1st Laurence Heaton
3rd Sunni Jabar
7th Reggie Birrell
M10
3rd Tom Harris
M11
3rd Fergus Birrill