Jake Ireland and Cian Taylor represented England and Ireland, respectively, at the U17 Junior Home International in County Wicklow, Ireland on 14th September 2024.
Both athletes had an amazing experience and wish to thank Alison Hartopp for all her hard work coaching and supporting them.
Here are a few words about their experience…
Jake Ireland
On Thursday 12th September Jake set off from Leeds with the rest of the England squad (U17 and U20 boys’ and girls’ teams). The 16 strong squad looked quite the part fully kitted out in their England tracksuit as they boarded the plane to Dublin.
Arriving by mid-afternoon at their first hostel in Knockree, there was time for a ‘shake out’ run around the picturesque local area before a game of football and tea of Irish stew. This was a great opportunity for the team members to get to know each other a bit better, having come together from across Yorkshire, Trafford, the Wirral, the Lake District, the Peak district and of course Macclesfield.
On Friday the squad moved on to Glendalough and had a chance to reccie the race route and plan their strategies. There was more football, a walk to the lake, getting up close to a friendly deer and an evening meal at a local hotel! It was also a chance for Jake to seek out fellow Macclesfield Harrier Cian Taylor, who was also staying at the hostel having been selected to run for Ireland.
Saturday 14th September…race day! Jake was competing in the U17 boys race with other teams from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and two Ireland teams. The route started on a long fire track, not the usual fell running terrain, before reaching a grassy hill and a steep climb to the top. Jake started strong in around 10th place, but chipped away on the steep climb, pulling himself into the leading pack. He remained in 3rd place for the start of the steep decent but was pipped in the last few hundred metres by one of the Scottish team, finishing 4th overall – a superb result considering Jake is only 14 years old and the rest of the competitors were 1 or 2 years older. Overall, the England U17 boys’ team finished first, winning themselves gold medals, and the overall England squad received the Winner’s trophy for securing wins in the U17 and U20 girls’ and U17 boys’ teams, and 2nd place for the U20 boys.
“I’ve always hoped to run for England, and so I really tried my best in the trial race. I couldn’t believe it when the England manager gave me the call up. Getting to run in Ireland was such a great experience, especially to be accompanied by Macclesfield teammate Cian Taylor who was representing Ireland and who ran incredibly well. I’d like to thank my coach Alison Hartopp for all her encouragement and being the best coach.” Jake Ireland
Cian Taylor
Cian’s journey was slightly different to jake’s. Cian has always held an Irish passport and always thought of himself as Irish , especially when it came to sport. Thiis was much to his fathers disappointment!
Cian has a large extended family over in Ireland. They live in the County of Wicklow. Cian has spent the last few summers training in the Wicklow mountains so this very much felt like a ‘Home’ race for him.
Cian travelled over on his own and then joined up with his team at the youth hostel in Glendalough. The athletes all stayed in the same venue and enjoyed a meal out together the night before ….
“I had a great experience meeting some new people. My performance wasn’t what I hoped and trained for but learned a lot from the experience and ready to try make some more teams in the future” Cian Taylor
Huge congratulations to Jake and Cian for making it to this championship and representing their respective countries, a fantastic achievement and an amazing experience!
For more information there is also an article by England Athletics – LINK TO ARTICLE