COLCHESTER Harriers produced an impressive performance in the National Road Relay Finals, in Birmingham.

They ran superbly in the 6x6 kilometre event at Sutton Park, after qualifying at Crystal Palace last month.

With the best 90 teams in the country in action, it was going to be tough but Harriers finished 54th.

Harriers times and finishing positions: 37 Ramadam Osman 18-29, 27 Jordan Rowe 18-08, 49 Nathan Filer 20-46, 58 Oscar Dawson 20-57, 58 Chris Sellens 20-30, 54 Adrian Mussett 18-51.

Swansea Harriers won in one hour 45 minutes 16 seconds, with Dewi Griffiths running their fastest leg in 16 minutes 40 seconds.

The Essex Cross Country Relay Championships were held at Stubbers Outdoor Centre, in Upminster.

Harriers fielded weakened teams due to the National Road Relays but some good results were still found.

The Green Vests men's A team suffered an early injury blow to Jon Nears on the first leg, forcing them to retire.

However, Harriers' spirit came through and they were rewarded with team bronze medals in the mixed team of four event thanks to Sarah Stradling, Rebecca Cooke, Mark Harrod, and Richard Heath.

Harriers fielded 20 teams on the day, with the under-17 boys' team of Ermcos Afwerki, Danny Millward and Max Caulfield finishing a fine fourth in high-class company.

The club's under-17 B team of Joseph Boden, Sam Shorter and Fergus Crouch finished 16th.

Harriers' under-15 girls' team of Ebba Paterson, Madeline Claydon and Milly Presland were seventh, with the under-15 girls' B team of Grace Rothwell, Isabelle Minder and Hannah Rodgers finishing 15th, while the under-17 ladies' squad of Elizabeth Woods, Savannah Harrison and Daisy Hilton were ninth.

Harriers' senior ladies A team of Samantha Hart, Annette Oakman and Hasnnah Watson were tenth, while the club's B team of Vicky Presland, Helen Thurlow and Louise Yates were 22nd.

Harriers' C team of Becky Bjotter, Rachel Rodgers and Rachel Richardson-Wright were 39th.

The club's B mixed team of James Waterson, Ffion Harris, Cheryl Appleby and Paul Rodgers were sixth, with the C mixed team of Lily Waterson, Sean Gifford, Simon Smith and Colin Ridley finishing tenth.

Harriers' men recovered from the shock of losing the A team to run well with all the other four teams.

There were exceptional runs from Ollie Gifford, Keiron O’Callaghan and Keith Marley.

The Tiptree ten-mile road race saw a great second place for Angus Holford in 54m 45s.

Harriers won the male team event thanks to Colin Ridley, Keith Marley, Andy Jobling, and Tom Cresswell, with Laura Shewbridge running brilliantly to be the overall ladies winner and first Veteran in a new standard of 64m 47s.

Good times came from Paul Rodgers and Richard Boden, who ran a personal best (PB) of 65m 23s, while Chris Patton knocked three minutes off his PB.

Ridley was seventh overall in 58m 59s and first veteran over 50 and Louise Yates also ran a PB.

Cameron Humphries became the first Harrier to ever complete the Spartathon ultra event held from Athens to Sparta.

He stuck to the task, clocking 35h 31m and 22s for 241st place.

Harriers swept to victory in the Ipswich Jaffa 40-year Anniversary 40-lap relay event held at Northgate Stadium, in Ipswich.

Their track experience paid dividends as the team of Colin Ridley, Tom Cresswell, Becky Cooke, Danny Millward, Lily Waterson and Richard Flutter just managed to get away from runners-up Ipswich Jaffa in the last few laps, to win in 47m 50s.

At the Southend 10km race, Laura Shewbridge was a fine third in 38m 38s.

Wayne Cook won the first-ever Claire Castle Run in 18m 23s while Max Caulfield triumphed in the Colchester Castle race.

Mark Harrod was second, with Jon Nears (fourth), Andy Raynor (fifth), Craig Mitchell (eighth) and Richard Boden (ninth) just behind.

Richard Flutter celebrated his 50th birthday with a new age category record at the Lowestoft park run in 18m 49s, finishing seventh overall.

Steph Horner won the over-45 ladies category at the Martlesham 10km after a long injury lay-off.