Ahead of this year’s Tour - the iconic four-day running event which gets underway in June - we’re shining a light on some of the local athletics clubs taking part.
This week, we’re focusing on Ashton based club East Cheshire Harriers (ECH).
The club, also known as East Cheshire Harriers & Tameside Athletic Club, has a rich history, which spans over 100 years.
Founded in 1922, following the merging of Dukinfield and Tintwistle Harriers, the club is still going strong today, with hundreds of members across Greater Manchester.
East Cheshire Harriers cater for virtually all ages, with members ranging from age eight all the way up to 70+, and specialise in a number of events, including track and field, cross country and more.
With sessions running throughout the week, there truly is something for everyone.
Many athletes from the club have gone onto achieve great things in the world of athletics, none more so than Olympic gold medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown, who started her career at ECH.
The Ashton-based club also had five athletes represent Greater Manchester last month at the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships in Nottingham.
“The club is flourishing,” said membership secretary and club coach Glenn Piper.
“We’ve got hundreds of members, and a huge waiting list of under 16’s.
“We have members from the age of eight, and one of our older members who ran at the Wilmslow Half last weekend, she’s well into her 70’s and is still running.
“We’ve got members who have been at the club for 50 and 60 years.
“But we’re desperate for more coaches, we could have another 100-200 people in the club if we could get some more coaches in.
“So if there’s anyone out there who wants to spend some time coaching athletics, you’d be very welcome here.
“We’ll pay for all your training, qualifications and give you lots of support.”
For more information, or contact details, visit the club’s website: www.eastcheshireharriers.com.
As is the case almost every year, several East Cheshire Harriers members will be taking part in this year’s Tour.
Their iconic green and yellow vests have been seen at the iconic event since its inception, with 2026 set to be no exception.
Many ECH athletes have produced stellar performances in past Tour events, with Gavin Browne and Katie Kay both finishing as runners-up as recently as 2024 and 2023 respectively.
“We always get a good turnout every year,” said club runner and coach James Hartshorne, who is looking forward to taking part this June.
“It’s always good The Tour, because you get that competitiveness whatever level you’re at.
“It’s just a unique race; there aren’t many events where you race day after day.
“You see the same runners, and there’s a great community feel.
“The X-Trail 10k is probably our favourite of the four, it’s local to the club so we always feel like we need to do well on that one - it’s like our home ground really.”
The Tour 2026 gets underway on June 18 with Thursday’s X-Trail 10k, and concludes on June 21 with Sunday’s Dr Ron Hill Hyde 7.
Full-Tour entries are now full, to join this year’s waiting list, visit the following link: https://www.thetourevents.co.uk/
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