And so it begins, the 2026 athletics summer season. ‘Summer’ being relative: in athletics it means from 1st April to 30 September.

And I was back on the field with the rest of my field judge tribe: Petra, Michelle, Claire, Ivan, Jackie, Janet, Dennis, Jane, Karl.

Athletics officials are all volunteers in this country. We get paid travel expenses and a packed lunch is provided. That’s it. And yet we turn out in all weathers - and British weather being what it is, that means the whole gamut from driving sleet to torrential rain to heatwave, sometimes all on the same day.

And yet for three weekends out of four for the next few months, me and my tribe will be on tracks around the country making competition possible for athletes ranging from 10 year old first timers to team GB internationals. And we had both ends of that spectrum on the field today.

Full credit to Jake Norris, current GB hammer champ, for turning up at his home club open today.

Photo taken at the end of the day. It was much busier earlier!