Welcome to Beacon Hill Striders (Leicestershire)
** HOT NEWS: Joe Pollard claimed the overall Year 7 Boys' Individual Leicestershire Schools XC League title with an emphatic victory in the final league race @ Market Harborough on Saturday, January 21st. **
** See: 'Latest News' (below) for further details **
Access the Leicestershire Secondary Schools Cross-Country League webpages
Individual (Top 20) & Team Results from the opening 4 League races & the County Schools XC Relays can be found here.
Results from the final league race to follow shortly.
(Full fixture list for the 2011/12 Leicestershire Secondary Schools' XC League can be found at this page.)
Beacon Hill Striders is an independent (non-affiliated) training group open to all ambitious cross-country and middle-distance runners of secondary school age in Leicestershire (& beyond). We currently have around thirty regular members including some of the leading young runners in Leicestershire & the East Midlands Region. We aim to provide a friendly and relaxed environment BUT have a strong competitive focus and set high standards and expectations amongst our members.
Training across various locations in and around the Charnwood Forest area of Leicestershire, Beacon Hill Striders offers an athlete-centred approach to the development of young distance runners. Training sessions, designed to develop speed, strength and stamina are conducted up to four times each week under the guidance of a former international athlete and county senior cross-country champion.
Further information is available by following the 'Beacon Hill Striders' link in the navigation bar on the left of this page.
Membership of the Beacon Hill Striders training group is FREE! .... Just turn up and run!
Guest Runners always welcome!
If you would like to come along to any of our sessions just contact the group co-ordinator for further information.
NOTABLE SUCCESSES: 2010/2011 (To be updated)
During the past 2 Years our athletes have recorded the following notable achievements at county, regional, & national level:
National / Regional Level:
- Ben Dijkstra wins the U13 Boys race @ the Liverpool McCain XC Challenge. (Alfie Thompson finishes 4th.) (November 2011)
- Ben Dijkstra records the fastest individual Under 13 Boys' laps @ both the National Young Athletes Road Relays & the English National XC Relays. Ben's time of 12 minutes & 59 seconds @ the National Young Athletes Road Relays was the fastest time ever recorded by an Under 13 boy on the Sutton Park course. (October - November 2011)
- Alfie Thompson & Ben Dijkstra both contribute to Leicester Coritanian U13 Boys Gold Medal winning Teams @ the Midlands & National Young Athletes Road Relays, & the English National XC Relay Championships. (September - November 2011)
- Under 13 Boys Ben Dijkstra (3rd: 4-36.4) & Alfie Thompson (9th: 4-39.4) are both ranked in the top 10 for 1500m for the 2011 Power-of-10 UK National Track & Field Rankings. ... In total 10 group members are top 12 ranked @ 800m and/or 1500m @ regional (East Midlands) level. (Summer 2011)
- Alfie Thompson is crowned the 2011 U12 Boys' English Fell Running Champion following 4 consecutive race victories.
- Group members Ben Dijkstra & Alfie Thompson gain national team Gold medals (as part of the Leicester Coritanians' U13 Boys' team) @ the English National XC Championships held @ Alton Towers, to add to the team Silver medals that they won in both the National Young Athletes Road Relays and English National XC Relays held earlier in the season. (February 2011)
- In 2010, five group members (Ben Dijkstra, Phillip Maddocks, Elizabeth Mulvaney, William Rawlinson, & Alfie Thompson) represented the East Midlands in the Virgin London Mini-Marathon. Alfie was the highest placed Leicestershire runner taking part in this event when finishing 14th in the Age 11-12 category. (April 2010)
- In 2011, three group members (Alex Abell, Ben Dijkstra, & Alfie Thompson) represented the East Midlands in the Virgin London Mini-Marathon. Alfie took the individual Bronze in the U13 Boys' race with Ben finishing 10th overall, helping the East Midlands take the team title in this category. (April 2011)
- Four group members (Phillip Maddocks, Stephen Maddocks, William Rawlinson, & Joe Tambini) represented Leicestershire Schools in the 2010 English Schools' X-Country Championships. (Stephen was part of the Senior Boys' Silver Medal winning team). Joe Tambini represented Leicestershire in the 2011 Championships. (March 2010 / March 2011)
- Four group members (Ben Dijkstra, Alfie Thompson, William Rawlinson, & Phillip Maddocks) contributed to team Gold medals for their club (Leicester Coritanian AC) in the Under 13 & Under 15 Boys races @ the 2011 Midland Counties XC Championships. In addition, Ben took individual Bronze in the Under 13s Race. (January 2011)
- Five group members (Alex Abell, Ben Dijkstra, Phillip Maddocks, Elizabeth Mulvaney, & William Rawlinson) represented Leicestershire @ the UK Inter-counties XC Championships held @ Cofton Park, Birmingham. (March 2011)
County Level:
- At the 2011 Leicestershire Secondary Schools' T&F Championships five group members claimed individual medals. Ben Dijkstra (Y7 Boys' 800m) & Alfie Thompson (Y7 Boys' 1500m) took Gold, whilst our other medallists were: Pascal Bouttier-Butler (Y7 Boys' 1500m Silver); Alex Abell (Y7 Girls' 800m Bronze); & Elizabeth Mulvaney (Y7 Girls' 1200m Bronze) (June 2011)
- At the 2010 Leicestershire Secondary Schools' T&F Championships individual track medals were achieved by three of our group members. They were Andrew Halliwell (Silver: Inter Boys 800m); William Rawlinson (Silver: Junior Boys 1500m); & Phillip Maddocks (Bronze: Junior Boys 400m) (June 2010)
- At the 2011 Leicestershire & Rutland AA T&F Championships Ben Dijkstra scored a notable middle-distance double by taking Gold (& recording new championship bests) in both the U13 Boys' 800m & 1500m. Our other medallists in these championships were: Alfie Thompson (U13 Boys' 1500m Silver & 800m Bronze); Alex Abell (U13 Girls' 800m & 1500m Bronze); Jazzmin Kiffin (U13 Girls' 200m Silver); & Pascal Bouttier-Butler (U13 Boys' 1500m Bronze)
- Group Members Ben Dijkstra (Y7 Boys) & Andrew Halliwell (Inter Boys) claimed individual League titles in the 2010 Leicestershire & Rutland Secondary Schools' XC League. Individual Silvers were claimed by Elizabeth Mulvaney (Y7 Girls) and Alfie Thompson (Y7 Boys), whilst Ben Tansley (Y7 Boys) claimed the Bronze. (December 2010)
- Ben Dijkstra added the individual County Secondary Schools XC title to his Leicestershire Secondary Schools' League success. In the same category (Year 7 Boys) Alfie Thompson claimed the individual Silver medal & Pascal Bouttier-Butler claimed the individual Bronze medal (January 2011)
LATEST NEWS (January 2012):
- Alfie Thompson took the County U13 Boys' XC title @ the Leicestershire & Rutland XC Championships held @ Rotherby on Saturday, January 7th. Alfie was followed home by fellow group members, Joe Pollard (2nd.); Pascal Bouttier-Butler (3rd.), & Archie Banks (4th.). In the equivalent U13 Girls' race Jazzmin Kiffin & Elizabeth Mulvaney took silver & bronze respectively. Other top 10 finishers (all Under 13) from our training group were: Alex Abell (U13G: 5th.); Amber Stevens (U13G: 6th); Ben Tansley (U13B: 7th), & Edward Thomas (U13B: 9th). (07/01)
- Under 17 Men Phillip Maddocks & Will Rawlinson kicked off their 2012 campaign with solid top 10 performances @ the monthly Derby Midweek Races. Phillip ran the mile in 5 minutes & 07 seconds, whilst Will completed the 5K in 17 minutes & 50 seconds. Both Phillip & Will were the top U20 competitors in their respective races. (11/07)
- At the final fixture of the North Midlands XC League @ Wollaton Park, Nottingham Ben Dijkstra and Alfie Thompson finish 1st & 2nd in the Under 13 Boys' race. In the same race group members Archie Banks (6th), Pascal Bouttier-Butler (9th); Ben Tansley (10th), and Edward Thomas (11th) all finish in the top third of the field. (14/01)
- Ben Dijkstra was selected as the Junior 'Sportsman of the Year' for 2011 @ the annual Leicester Mercury Sports Awards. (19/01)
- At the final league race of the Secondary Schools XC League held @ Market Harborough Joe Pollard recorded a resounding victory in the Year 7 Boys' race. In the equivalent Year 7 girls race, Jazzmin Kiffin finished 2nd., with Amber Stevens 3rd.. Others to record top 10 places were: Alex Abell (JG: 4th); Phillip Maddocks (IB: 6th); Joe Tambini (SB: 7th); Will Rawlinson (IB: 8th); Alice Daniel (JG: 9th); & Harry Thompson (IB: 10th). (21/01)
- Following on from the above race the final league placings saw 4 of our athletes claim individual league medals. Joe Pollard was a convincing winner of the Year 7 Boys title (having won 4 of the 5 races), with Archie Banks taking the Bronze. In the Year 7 Girls' category Jazzmin Kiffin took Silver with Amber Stevens Bronze (Jazzmin & Amber had recorded top three places in each of the races). In the team events, Phillip Maddocks & Harry Thompson (who both recorded top 10 places in each League race) were instrumental in securing team Gold for their school (Rawlins College) in the Inter Boys' category. (21/01)
For earlier news go to our "Archived News" page.
This week's training / racing is as follows:
- Wednesday, January 25th: Up-Tempo Training Run (& Hill Sprints) @ Quorn (meet in the Station Road Car Park) @ 6.30pm.
- Saturday, January 28th: Midland Counties XC Championships) @ Wollaton Park, Nottingham
- Sunday, January 29th: Long/Easy Run @ Bradgate Park (meet in the Newtown Linford Car Park) @ 10.00am.
Local Links:
(To follow shortly)