Support system: Friendship helping girls go the distance at Harmeny AC

Thursday 9th July 2026

Nancy Corrie and Rachel Caves at Harmeny AC (photos by Simon Wootton)

By Eilidh Miller

For many young athletes, the teenage years can be a time when staying involved in sport becomes more challenging.

But at Harmeny AC training partners Rachel Caves and Nancy Corrie believe the friendships they’ve built through athletics have been one of the biggest reasons they’ve continued to thrive in the sport.

The pair have trained together for around seven years at the club, while also sharing a passion and talent for triathlon outside of athletics.

Spending so much time together in training and competition has created a friendship that extends beyond sessions and start lines, with both athletes emphasising how they push each other to improve while making their time in sport fun and meaningful.

‘We’ve known each other for such a long time,’ said Rachel, with both athletes coached by Craig Stewart.

‘It’s nice to have some friendly competition. We go on cycles and runs together, so it’s good to have someone doing similar sports all the time to push each other on and have fun.’

That sense of support is something both athletes feel is especially important for teenage girls in all sports.

Alongside their own friendship, Rachel and Nancy are part of a close-knit group of girls at Harmeny AC who have grown up training and racing together.

‘We’re in quite a large group of girls at Harmeny and we’ve all been running together for a lot of years,’ Nancy explained.

‘I think just encouraging each other and pushing each other on is really important because a lot of girls do drop out during their teenage years.’

Rachel agrees, adding that having a strong group of girls and female friendships around you makes a real difference.

‘It’s really nice to have a close group of girls to run with,’ she said. ‘We have fun together, but we also work hard. It’s a really supportive group.’

Both athletes hope younger girls coming through the sport recognise the value of sticking with athletics, even when balancing school, other commitments, and the challenges that can come during the teenage years.

‘My advice would be to keep persevering,’ said Rachel. ‘Around this age, lots of girls stop participating, but if you stick with it there’s such a strong community around running. Everyone supports each other and helps you keep improving.’

Rachel wins Lindsays National XC gold at Falkirk (photo by Bobby Gavin)

Nancy believes the friendships built through athletics can last far beyond the sport itself.

‘It’s so important to build friendships that last on and off the track,’ she said. ‘You also get to know girls from other clubs and see them again at races and championship events. That really encourages you to keep racing and keep enjoying the sport.’

As the summer season continues, both athletes have plenty to aim for. Rachel is chasing personal bests on the track and hopes to gain more experience racing further afield before turning her attention towards cross country, following her superb U17 Gold at the Lindsays National Cross Country Championships earlier this year.

Nancy is looking to finish a busy hill running season strongly after a bronze medal at the U18 International Youth Mountain Running Cup in Italy last month, with qualification for the Junior Home International in Ireland among her ambitions, before returning to the track to sharpen her speed ahead of the autumn.

Whatever the results, one thing is certain: having training partners to share the journey with continues to be one of the biggest motivations for the girls to stay in the sport.

Their story is a reminder that while athletics is often measured in PBs and podium finishes, the friendships formed along the way can be just as important in helping young athletes stay involved, keep developing, and enjoy the sport for many more years to come.