Track and Field Athletics

The Track and Field Athletics season runs through the spring/summer.  If it’s your first time, don’t panic.  Please talk to the coaches and we’ll recommend what’ll suit you best.  It’s very much a team thing and fun to do together with your Harrier pals.

We have a number of England Athletics qualified coaches who’ll be delighted to give you coaching in track, jumps or throws if you’d either like to try something out or improve your skills.

Oxfordshire Junior League

We enter a Harriers junior team into the Oxfordshire Junior Track and Field League over the summer season.

There are usually three fixtures in each season. 

2023 

• Sunday 30th April – Horspath
• Sunday 13th August – Banbury
• Sunday 3rd September – Tilsley Park

Events

Each competition will have a range of events for the competitors.

• For Under 9 & Under 11’s they have the ‘Quad Kids’ (inc 75m, 600m, Long Jump & Vortex)
• For U13’s, U15’s & U17, there are a range of events to choose from inc 100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m, Relay, Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump, Discus, Javelin & Shot Putt.

OJL Rules for 2023 season can be downloaded Competition Rules (ojl.org.uk)  Athletes age categories are taken from the 31st Aug 2023.  E.g. if you are still 10 years old on the 31st Aug, you are classed as U11.

Helpers

We will need parent/helpers at each of the fixtures to help out the organizers with things like Long Jump, etc.  Please let us know if you’re able to help out, as it’ll make your afternoon as a spectator much more interesting.

Details

More details of the events, timings, etc can be found at the OJL website.

Please contact simonmarcleech@gmail.com to register for the team, ask any questions and volunteer to help on the day.

Open Graded Meetings

If you haven’t run on the track since school, Open Graded meetings are a fantastic (re)introduction to Track & Field.

Athletes estimate their finish time when they enter.  Each distance (100m, 400m, etc) may have four or five different races.  Athletes of a similar finish time are grouped together in a race.  For example, the first 1500m race may be of runners with estimated finish times between 5m.40s – 6m.20s – so you compete with runners of a similar pace.

As races are based on pace, not age or gender, everyone has enjoyed the novelty of mixing it up with the juniors and seniors.

2023 Open Fixtures

 

Oxford City AC (Horspath) Open Graded Meeting & now called the ‘Oxon and Bucks Midweek Open’ 

You may find this race time predictor useful.  Click here

The competitive juniors will attend nominated ‘Open Meeting’ with coach, Tom King.

Please note the Opens Graded meetings require you to enter individually.  You’ll find entries forms on the links.

Masters Series

Men & Women vets (over 35) have the opportunity to compete in the local Southern Counties Veterans Athletics League. This is usually a series of four fixtures 6.30pm – 9.30pm on Monday evenings and has events for over-50s as well as over-35s.

2023 VETS League Fixtures

• Monday 24th April (18:30) Horspath Our Track | Oxford City Athletic Club (oxfordcityac.com)
• Tuesday 9th May (18:30) Tillsley Park  Overview – Abingdon Leisure
• Thursday 15th June (18:30) Tillsley Park  Overview – Abingdon Leisure
• Sunday 2nd July (13:30) Palmer Park, Reading Palmer Park Sports Stadium | Reading | Better

The club pays the affiliation fees for our teams to participate in the vets league, so this is a great way to try track and field athletics in a friendly encouraging atmosphere.  Please contact team manager Kathryn Leech, if you are interested or have any questions. 

Coaching

We have a number of England Athletics qualified coaches who’ll be delighted to give you coaching in track, jumps or throws.  Please let us know if you’d either like to try something out or improve your skills.