CLUB NEWS
Welcome to our new Forres Harriers Website! Our old website is still available but will no longer be updated.
Link to old website: http://www.forresharriers.org.uk/
NEWS & UPDATES
FORRES PRIMARY SCHOOLS ASG CROSS COUNTRY 2024
Grant Park in Forres was the venue for the annual Forres Primary Schools cross
country races on Saturday 2 nd March. Organised and run by Forres Harriers with
promotion through Active Schools, 140 pupils from P1-P7 came together for the
event.
Conditions were not the best during course set up. However by 10am a window of
cool but dry weather provided near perfect running conditions. The challenging
course weaved its way around the park, providing spectators with great views of all
runners from Alves, Applegrove, Andersons, Dyke, Kinloss, and Logie Primary
Schools.
Forres Harrier Siobhan Evans was delighted with the turnout and how, thanks to the
support from fellow Harriers, the event unfolded. Notable was the enthusiasm of the
P1-3s in the fun run. “It was incredible. They were so inspiring – everyone of them!”
The P1-3 race was supported by the Village Café in Rafford. With the top three boys
and girls receiving a voucher for the café (the next one is on the 6 th April between 10-
12pm)
She went on to acknowledge the importance of the enthusiasm of the adults involved
in bringing the children to events like this. “Support of parents is vital. Similarly to
those teachers who turn up on a weekend to support their team. It just means so
much and sends such a strong message to those they support. Combine just one
enthusiastic person within schools who helps create a team camaraderie and that is
what encourages pupils to these events and who may never have considered it
before. This is why I believe we continue to see smaller schools have a bigger
presence within this event this year. Alves were an example of that – having the
second highest number of runners out of all seven school. It was great to see.”
Andersons Primary were the winners of the overall trophy with Alves close behind in
second and Kinloss finishing a strong third overall.
Results - Forres Primary School ASG XC 02 Mar 24
P4/5 Girls
1 Sky Hughes - Andersons
2 Freya Sutton - Kinloss
3 Ava Sutcliffe - Kinloss
P4/5 Boys
1 Finlay Bichan - Kinloss
2 Logan Smith - Andersons
3 Jessie Dye- Alves
P6/7 Girls
1 Rhian Gomez - Andersons
2 Emily Offer - Andersons
3 Ramina Rowe - Alves
P6/7 Boys
1 Fraser Heron - Applegrove
2 Fin Curruthers - Andersons
3 Jacob Forward - Kinloss
11 Feb 23
North District XC League Race No5 - See Results page for full race report written by Susan McRitchie.
28 Jan 23
North District XC League Race No4 - See Results page for full race report written by Susan McRitchie.
05 Feb 22
North District XC League Race No4 & Scottish Masters XC- See Results page for full race report written by Susan McRitchie.
15 Jan 22
North District XC League Race No3 - See Results page for full race report written by Susan McRitchie.
05 Dec 21
North District XC Champs - See Results page for the full race report written by Susan McRitchie.
04 Nov 21
JUNIOR HARRIERS - BACK UP AND
RUNNING
Junior training (age 9+) has started again. Thursday evenings during term time. Come along to Grant Park (near the public toilets) to get more info and have a try! Timings are: 1730-1815.
07 SEP 21 - UPDATES
As per Scottish Athletics guidance, Forres Harriers have returned to organised group training. Please join our Facebook Group (Forres Harriers 2021) to see the planned training session.
Sessions will meet in Grant Park:
Tuesday 0900 and 1830
Thursday 1830
Saturday 0900
New kit has arrived just in time for the XC season starting!! If anyone needs to purchase some, please get in touch with Jackie Nicol.
Prices:
Hoodies £21
Vest £16
Junior T-Shirt £13
Bobble Hat £12
Buffs £8
22 FEB 20 - NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS, FALKIRK
The culmination of the Scottish Cross Country Season for the majority of Scottish runners has to be the Lindsay's National Cross Country Championships. This year's event was held on Saturday 22nd February.
With the aftermath of recent storms; Ciara and Dennis leaving their mark on the grounds within Callender Park, Falkirk. The final planning of the course route was delayed until the week of the event. Although the Loch that had developed in front of Callender House was avoided, there was still plenty of leg sapping mud throughout the course, and to top this off; hailstones, sleet and gusty winds on the day of the event.
Forres Harriers had some difficult road conditions and weather to tackle before getting to the event, with Blizzard conditions on the Dava. This did not deter the hardy few. Michael Bischenden was first up in the Under 13 boys race, another strong performance saw Michael finish 31st and buzzing to run again next year. In the Under 15 boys race, Bruce Evans finished off his best cross country season to date, with another mature run to finish 21st. Next up was the Under 17 men; David Scott finished 65th with his trademark strong finish and David Spencer finished closely behind in 69th. Inverness Harrier Lucas Cairns won individual Gold in the Under 17 men and Silver in the Team event, making sure to keep the winning ways in the family after his sister; Anna, finished in the Bronze position in the Under 15 girls race.
With Scottish Athletics increasing the team numbers for the Senior Ladies event to six, Forres Harrier Ladies stepped up to the mark and managed to field a team of 7 Ladies on the day, the most the club has ever had running at this event. The Ladies were also the only North Club that managed to field a Senior Team. First Harrier to finish in 75th was Moira Davie, next up Siobhan Evans 95th, Susan McRitchie 126th, Hilary Cameron 154th, Carrie Ann Ward 196th, Kaisa Oikkonen 210th and Emily Cossey 234th in her first run for the club. The ladies finished 13th overall. Inverness Harriers continued their medal haul, with Mhairi McLennan taking Gold in the Senior Ladies race, followed up by Megan Keith winning Gold in the Under 20 Ladies race.
With the weather and course conditions continuing to worsen as the day went on, the Senior Men really deserve credit for finishing the race; Kevin Schenk had a strong run to finish 129th, with Captain Gary MacFadyen 576th.
16 FEB 20 - KINLOSS TO LOSSIEMOUTH HALF MARATHON
Moray really has been lucky with regards to the impact of the recent storms that have hit the United Kingdom. With Storm Dennis causing havoc, there were some very nervous runners who had entered the Kinloss to Lossiemouth Half Marathon on Sunday 16th February, praying for a tailwind and dry conditions........ their wishes were heard.
The front end of the race had local runner, Kenny Wilson of Moray Road Runners battling it out with Robbie Simpson, Commonwealth Marathon Bronze medal winner from Banchory, for a sprint finish, which saw Kenny take the win coming from behind to win in a personal best time of 64:55, to Robbie's 64:58.
First Forres Harrier to finish was Tim Baxter in 1:42:01, followed by Mark Brumby in a PB time of 1:42:37, Andrew Little 1:45:09, Ros Wright 1:45:37, Norma Beaton 1:45:47, Marisa Christie in a PB time of 1:53:46, Elisabeth Smart 1:57:04 and 1st F60, Anne Docherty 1:59:52 and 3rd F60 and Terri Gouge 2:10:35.
15 FEB 20 - NORTH DISTRICT XC RACE 6 - FORRES HARRIERS
Forres Harriers hosted the 6th and last race of the Run4it North District Cross Country League on Saturday 15th February at Grant Park. The course at Grant Park and through Clunyhill, always provides a hilly challenge to the runners, although this year the shelter in the woods provided respite from the winds of Storm Dennis.
The first race of the afternoon was the Under 11 girls, with Harrier Amelia Ward finishing 37th. In the Under 11 boys, Austin Davis finished 21st. Next up was the Under 13 girls with strong performances from Eva Esslemont in 5th and Scarlett Britain in 7th. Michael Bischenden had another strong race in the Under 13 boys to finish 4th and 4th overall in the league, with teammate Willis Christie running his first race for Forres, finishing 18th. Next up was Ida Oikkonen finishing 7th in the Under 15 girls race. Bruce Evans topped off a fantastic cross country season, with another win on the day and finishing overall league winner for the Under 15 boys. David Scott ran well to finish 4th in the Under 17 boys race, with Ewan Martin 10th.
Siobhan Evans had a strong run to take a 5th place finish in the Senior Women's race and 2nd F40 over the league. Siobhan was supported by Hilary Cameron finishing 10th, Susan McRitchie 13th and 3rd F40 over the league, Fran Britain 17th, Carrie Ann Ward 19th, Elizabeth Barr 22nd, Marisa Christie 32nd and Shona Spencer 34th. The Forres Harrier Ladies placed 2nd Team in the league behind Inverness Harriers.
Mark Docherty ran his first race for Forres Harriers and placed 32nd in the Senior Men's race, with Andrew Morgan close behind in 34th.
Next up for some of the Forres Harriers is the Scottish National Cross Country in Falkirk on the 22nd February and then the Forres Primary Schools Cross Country on the 29th February.
01 FEB 20- NORTH DISTRICT XC RACE 5 - NAIRN ROAD RUNNERS
Cross Country runners from across the North of Scotland travelled to Nairn, the "Brighton of the North", on Saturday 1st February, for the fifth Run4it North League race. The Nairn course offers something for every runner; with soft sand, river crossings, wooded trails and muddy marsh ground. Described by a few of the seniors as a tough course, with the Juniors looking forward to when they are old enough to be allowed to take on the river crossing.
First Harriers to run were Lucas Carruthers who finished 22nd, closely followed by Austin Davis 24th, in the Under 11 boys race. Next up were Sophie Howard 10th and Scarlett Britain 13th in the Under 13 girls. In the Under 13 boys race; Michael Bischenden had a another strong run to finish 3rd. Ida Oikkonen was 12th in the Under 15 girls. Bruce Evans has gone from strength to strength with each race, and now leads the overall standings in the Under 15 boys league with another race win. In the Under 17 boys race; David Scott finished 8th.
The Senior Women finished 3rd Team on the day, with Siobhan Evans 7th, Anna MacFadyen 12th, Hilary Cameron 13th, Fran Britain 16th, Lil Kenyon 21st, Kaisa Oikkonen 22nd and Shona Spencer 42nd.
Thomas Cameron made his debut for Forres Harriers finishing 27th in the Senior Men's race, closely followed by Colin Hall in 30th.
Forres Harriers would like to extend their thanks to Nairn Road Runners for their hospitality.
The final race of the league will be on Saturday 15th February at Grant Park, Forres, with Forres Harriers the hosts.
24 JAN 2020 - DUBAI 10K
Forres Harrier Jackie Nicol ran the Standard Chartered Dubai 10k 2020 on January 24th in what she would describe as perfect running conditions, although the race was a little congested at the start, she picked her way through the field to finish first in the F55 age group in a time of 46.34. Well done Jackie.
18 JAN 20 - NORTH DISTRICT XC RACE 4 - PETERHEAD ATHLETICS CLUB
There was a new stomping ground for Forres Harriers at the 4th race of the North District Cross Country League, with a small group of Harriers making the journey East along the Banffshire and Buchan Coast to the beautiful Aden Park, in Mintlaw. Peterhead Athletics Club were the hosts, with the support of neighbouring club Fraserburgh and the North District League Organisers. Course conditions were favourable for some fast running.
Bruce Evans was only the only Forres Junior competing, but he did it with style, by winning the Under 15 boys race by over 30 seconds and piling on the pressure on the current Under 15 boy League leader. Next up was Bruce's mum; Siobhan Evans, finishing 6th lady in the Senior Women's race, supported by Susan McRitchie 12th, Hilary Cameron 15th, and Shona Spencer 32nd. The ladies finished 3rd Team.
Raymond Hughes had a strong run in the Senior Men's race to finish 14th, with Colin Hall 26th and Gary MacFadyen 35th.
Forres Harriers would like to extend their thanks to Peterhead Athletics Club for their hospitality. Next league race is on 1st February at Nairn.
(Race report by Susan McRitchie).
2019 FORRES HARRIERS CLUB ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
The Women’s contest was close, with Clare Nicholas, who had enjoyed such a good season, leading the standings until the final 10 miles race in December. Jackie Nicol (sunshine powered?) became our champion, with Susan McRitchie, returning to impressive running form, finishing second, just in front of Clare, Paula Boon and Elaine Schiavone.
The Men’s contest should have resulted in a clear victory for Dave Weir, in front of Colin Hall. However, they only completed two distances, so Colin Youngson somehow retained the title he won last year. In 2020, hopefully, many more Forres Harriers will ensure that they race not only 5k and 10k but also a longer event.
For each interested Harrier, only three fastest times will contribute to the 2020 Club Championship results: 5 km; 10 km; and the best age-graded percentage from either 10 Miles or Half Marathon or Marathon. The percentages will be found using the online Good Run Guide age-graded calculator.
In 2020, please send the following information to Colin Youngson at cjyoungson@btinternet.com. Name; date of birth; name and date of race; distance; and finishing time.
Here is the final table (any queries to Colin Youngson).
15 Dec 19 - MRR 10 ml TURKEY TROT - LOSSIEMOUTH
The ever-popular Moray Road Runner's 10 Mile Turkey Trot, held on Sunday 15th December, enticed many of Scotland's top runners up to Lossiemouth. The event also incorporated the North District 10 Mile Champs. Cold temperatures and icy conditions underfoot, did not deter from some fast times.
Lachlan Oates of Shettleston Harriers was the overall winner in 52.53, James Wilson of Moray Road Runners was 2nd overall and took the North District title in a time of 54.34. Fiona Brian of Metro Aberdeen Running Club was 1st female overall in a time of 58.44, with Amy Hudson of Inverness Harriers finishing 3rd female overall and taking the North District female title in 60.28.
First Forres Harrier to finish was David Weir in 62.48. David was 1st M50 and 1st North District M50. James Ward took on the 10 miles with the extra challenge of running in a turkey outfit and finished in 68.56. First Harrier lady to finish was Susan McRitchie in 73.10. Jackie Nicol 76.50, finished 3rd F50 overall and North District 3rd F50. Jessica Haworth 79.10, closely followed by Paula Boon in 79.41. Kaisa Oikkonen 83.05, Andy Wonnacott 84.39. Elisabeth Smart 89.27, finished 2nd F60 overall and North District F60 title win. Elaine Bowler 90.00, Marisa Christie 90.11. Anne Docherty 92.15 and finished 3rd F60 overall. Terri Gouge 93.18.
Forres Harriers would like to extend their thanks to Moray Road Runners for hosting this successful event.
07 DEC 19 - NORTH DISTRICT XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - DORES
Tough conditions faced the Forres Harriers racing at Dores in the North District Cross Country Championships on Saturday 7th December. A bitterly cold wind, with rain, was an added extra to tackle on the leg sapping, undulating course.
Eva Esslemont and Sophie Howard were the first Harriers to take on the course, finishing 9th and 10th respectively, in the under 13 girls race. In the under 13 boys race, Michael Bishenden finished 4th with a strong run and was less than 20 seconds behind the eventual winner.
In the under 15 girls, Ida Oikkonen finished 15th and in the Under 15 boys, Bruce Evans had a good run and placed 7th overall.
David Scott and Ewan Martin ran in the under 17 boys race and finished 11th and 13th respectively.
Moira Davie proved that she has recovered well from recent injury and battled at the front end of the Senior Women's race and took the overall win. With Siobhan Evans finishing 10th, Susan McRitchie 12th and Carrie Ann Ward 17th, the Ladies clinched the overall Team win, with the support of Frances Britain 20th, Hilary Cameron 21st, Elizabeth Barr 28th, Jackie Nicol 35th and June McIntosh 38th. The Team of Evans, McRitchie and Ward also took the Masters Team win.
The Senior Men had Raymond Hughes 29th, Colin Hall 47th, Tim Pott 57th and Gary MacFadyen 60th.
Forres Harriers would like to extend their thanks to Inverness Harriers for putting together a successful event with great hospitality.