Welcome to White Horse Harriers

Club Handicap and Results

Each year there are two Handicap Runs for Club Members. These are the:

New Years Day Handicap.

Handicap NY17

Our traditional New Year’s Day Handicap run starts and finishes by the Lord Nelson Public House on the edge of Wantage. The first runner sets off at 11am.    

Each and every harrier has the opportunity to compete on a level footing.  Each runner is given a handicap time based on a recent 5k or 10k time.  The slower runners start first, the speedier runners start later (some much later)

Handicap Course

Distance about 4 miles. Follow the track and then road through West Lockinge to the T-junction in Lockinge. Turn right. Follow the road up the hill and left in front of the monument. After the church the road sweeps down to the left then bears right, Immediately after this right turn as the road starts to climb take the left fork up a private road. When this meets the lane at the top carry straight ahead and follow the road past Ardington Sports club into the village of Ardington. In Ardington turn left. Follow that road to a T-junction. However, at this point follow the track straight ahead. After a few hundred yards this rejoins the outbound route. Turn right and retrace your steps to the finish.

In 2022 New Year’s Day fell on a Saturday. Instead of a separate handicap race the runners participated in the local Grove Fields parkrun after which a set of simulated handicap results were produced.

See the link here for course map.

Here is a link to the results since 2018.

Previous Victors (actual times): 2015 Handicap Aden

1991 Richard Mulvany 33:44
1992 Steve McGuigan 28:28
1993 Alan Jones 28:18
1995 Arthur Strain 25:24
1996 Marion Jones 32:50
1997 Clifford Mills 25:26
1998 Sheila Bailey 29:06
1999 Steve McGuigan 20:53 (uncertain)
2000 Melanie Roberts 31:30
2001 Tom Penfold 20:35
2002 Dave Murfin 23:18
2003 Arthur Strain 32:40
2004 Sheila Bailey 29:03
2007 Frank Briscoe
2008 Alex Mills 30:59
2009 Alex Mills 25:22
2010 Graham Wiggins 26:55
2011 Barbara Margetts  37:17
2012 Susan Christie  35:38
2013 Katherine Boyce 39:06
2014 Suzie Sheehy 30:16
2015 Alex Harrison 36:51
2015 Ben Claridge 23:11
2017 Lucy Blackwell 32:04
2018 Lucia Singer 29:24
2019 Alan Rixon 31:43
2020 Esme & Jacqueline Hall 32:36
2021 Matilda Brodie 38:06 (Virtual event over same course.)
2022 Simon Leech 20:32 (Run as part of local parkrun)
2023 Martin Attwood 27:50
2024 Laura Legate 46:55
 
 
Prior to 2005 the run was over a roughly four-mile course that started and finised at “The Fox” in Denchworth.
Top Ten Times for this course:
1    20:19 Tim Hughes
2    20:20 Tom Penfold 2003
3    20:36 Dave Wright 1996
4    20:53 Steve McGuigan  1998
5    21:05 Richard Frame 1991
6    21:18 Chris James 1995
7    21:26 Pete Mulvany 1991
8    21:35 John Schutterlin 1991
9    21:39 Dave Murfin 1993
10  21:47 Frank Briscoe 1992


 

Cross Country Handicap.

2023 – Thursday 13th July. 7pm Sparsholt Firs.

The 2023 event was held on a lovely summer’s evening. The organising team were: Neil McColl, Gareth Smith, Rachel Smith, Pete Gillam, Richard Jegou. Special mention to Alan Rixon on “recovery” duty.

Participants in the 2023 Summer Handicap. Photo: Richard Jegou

The handicap runs every year to provide each and every senior & masters Harrier with the opportunity to compete on a level footing, and even win some silverware!

Each runner is given a handicap time as indicated above this is based on a recent performance.  The slower runners start first, the speedier runners start later (some much later). The first runner will be set off at 7pm.

The race starts at Sparsholt Firs, by the B4001 Lambourn Road, and takes an undulating 5.5 mile route around the Ridgeway. A link to the venue is here A map of the course can be seen here Note that the start is on a small road off the B4001 and the finish is on the Ridgeway Path. It is not quite a full loop. This is run in an ant-clockwise direction. Please familiarize yourself with this. On the day there will only be some very limited marking of the course.

Details of the Start and Finish Positions

These details were added when the event was run as a virtual competition in 2020 but have been left here as they apply to the ‘real’ event too..

  • The start is on the small road off the B4001. Start by the sign attached to the fence as shown in the picture below.
  • The finish is at the Restricted Byway sign at point you reach the car park – again as shown in the pictures below.
Start by Greendown Farm sign
Finish at entrance to car park by sign
View looking back down course showing front of sign by finish
 
 For results for 2017 to 2023 click here.

 

Previous Victors (actual times)

1991  Stuart Scott 35:13
1992  Gareth Smith 39:00
1995  Nick Ponting 37:13
1996  Simon Williamson 36:09
1997  Clifford Jones 42:54
1998  Jason Cooke 34:18
1999  Terry Gashe 41.21
2000 Josephine Rhodes 44:03
2001  Dave Murfin (held at Ardington because of foot & mouth)
2002  Sheila Morrison 51:35
2003  Dave Wright 34:26
2004  Dan New 39:14
2005  Kevin Harris 45:41
2006  Dave Martin 47:15
2007  Frank Briscoe 39:05
2008 Simon Leech 41:08
2009 Stephen Casey 39:59
2010  Jason Cooke 34:37
2011  Paul Finch  41:26
2012  Jan McCabe 52:58
2013  Becky Colliass 55:17
2014  Sheila Bailey 53:09
2015  Clare Norrish 41.23
2016  Claire Nunn 53.31
2017  Vanessa Marment 59:04
2018  Mark McClintock 45:17
2019  Alan Rixon 45:45
2020  Sheila Bailey 56:39
2021  Helen Frankland 52:33
2022  Georgina Phillips 51:38
2023  Karen Froud 52:26

Top 12 times for the course

1     32:33 Pete Wilson 1989
2     32:47 Derek Green 1996
3     33:54 Paul Jegou 2010
4     34:18 Jason Cooke 1998
5     34:26 Dave Wright  2003
6     34:28 Phil Smith 1992
7     34:30 Owain Bristow 2003
8     34:41 Chris James  1998
9     34:48 John Schutterlin 1998
10   34:49 Paul Wileman 2017
10 34:57 Charlie Todd 2019
12   34:58 Nick Ponting 1996