Alton Runners : HRRL 2025/26 Season Review

HRRL 2025/26 Season Review

Lydia Andrews
03/08/2026

From the early-morning starts at the Totton 10k last August to the sun-drenched final strides at Lordshill this July, the 2025/26 Hampshire Road Race League (HRRL) season has been an unforgettable one for Alton Runners.

The HRRL is a test of our club's depth, and this year, the 'yellow vests of Alton' were everywhere, with an incredible 87 individual runners stepping up to represent the club. From seasoned veterans to newcomers, and across every pace and age group.

Here is how an unforgettable 2025/26 season wrapped up for Alton Runners...

Individual Brilliance & Dedication

The commitment from our members this year was nothing short of outstanding, with dozens of Alton Runners tackling the county’s best road courses to earn some highly coveted league swag. Anyone completing seven or more races is awarded an HRRL 25/26 leaderboard mug, whilst an elite few pushed through all 12 fixtures to earn the legendary ‘Done the Dozen’ t-shirt.

Women’s Squad

Total Representatives: 39 Alton Runners
Mug Winners: 7
T-Shirt Winners: 2 - Kathryn Powell & Lydia Andrews
Season Highlight: A massive congratulations to Rachel Walsh, who finished 1st overall in the entire league! Rachel won three races outright and finished the season with a staggering average score of 99.26 out of 100.

Men’s Squad

Total Representatives: 48 Alton Runners
Mug Winners: 10
T-Shirt Winners: 1 - Christian Coles
Season Highlight: Alex Hall led the charge for the men, securing a brilliant 7th place overall in the league with a stellar average score of 95.06.

Steve Drysdale, Men’s Captain said “It was fantastic to see the men’s teams improve their league placings from last season, despite being without some of our faster runners from recent years. This is testament to the strength in depth at the club, and so many of our runners showing up on the start line throughout the season. A brilliant effort from everyone and hopefully we’ll see more of the same next season!“

Age Group Success

To qualify for the final standings, runners needed to complete at least seven races, with results calculated using the average of their best seven performances. Alton Runners dominated several categories this year, capturing multiple podium places:

Open Categories: Rachel Walsh took an incredible 1st place for the Open Women, whilst Alex Hall secured 7th place for the Open Men.
MV40: Steve Drysdale claimed a superb 2nd place step on the podium, closely followed by Christian Coles in an excellent 4th place.
WV50: Di Byrne ran brilliantly across the season to secure a top-ten finish in 9th place.
MV60: Andrew Lowton took a fantastic 2nd place, with Jack Shepherd backing him up strongly in 6th place.
WV60: Steph Erskine narrowly missed the podium with a fantastic 4th place finish.
MV80: A special shoutout to Hugh Bethell, who took a magnificent 1st place to win his category!

League Team Standings & Promotions

Alton Runners entered three men's teams and two women's teams this season. With a strong turnout at every single fixture, we fort for honours and promotion across multiple divisions.

Women’s A Team: Battled hard in the top tier to finish 8th in Division A1, successfully avoiding relegation to stay amongst the county's best.
Women’s B Team (CHAMPIONS & PROMOTED): A spectacular season for the B squad, who won Division B2 outright and will be promoted to Division B1 next year!
Men’s A Team: Challenged at the very top, finishing an impressive 3rd place in the highest flight, Division A1.
Men’s B Team: Solidified their status amongst the elites, finishing 4th in Division B1.
Men’s C Team (PROMOTED): A fantastic campaign saw the C team finish 2nd in Division B3, booking their automatic promotion to B2 for next season!

A massive congratulations and a huge thank you goes out to every single runner who laced up their trainers, every spectator who cheered from the sidelines, and every volunteer who gave up their time. You have all made the 2025/26 season an absolute triumph for Alton Runners!