A very busy weekend of racing saw Morpeth Harriers in successful action on both Saturday and Sunday, with the club’s Senior Men travelling south for the English Road Running Association Autumn Relays while blue and white vests were also prominent in races at Kielder and Jarrow. 
 
ERRA Autumn Road Relays
 
Another strong performance from the club’s Senior Men in the ERRA Road Relays held at Sutton Park just North of Birmingham on Saturday afternoon saw the long journey south rewarded with an outstanding top ten finish over the six challenging stages.
 
Finn Brodie led out once again, clocking 17 minutes 21 seconds for the 5.84 kilometre leg and coming back in 11th place, but Carl Avery – who had recorded the fastest time at the qualifying Northern Relay a fortnight beforehand – moved the team right up to 4th after running one second faster.
 
On third leg George Lowry’s 18:21 meant they moved down to 9th, but Josh Fiddaman (17:47) moved up two places on leg four and Phil Winkler, recording the same time on leg five, moved up a further two to 5th.
 
Drafted in at relatively short notice and still not fully race fit, Sam Hancox’s 18:47 on last leg saw the club finish in 8th place of some 67 teams with an overall time of 1:47:23, an excellent placing by the team with Morpeth the only club to fly the flag for the North East region.
 
In fact the only other team from the North of England to finish ahead of Morpeth were, perhaps unsurprisingly, Leeds City AC, for whom Olympian Emile Cairess, who had competed so strongly in the Paris Marathon in August, ran the day’s fastest time of 16:38 to move the Yorkshire outfit into a lead on leg two which they comfortably held on to, recording an overall time of 1 hour 43 minutes 36 seconds, with Shaftesbury Barnet in 2nd (1:44:19) and Cambridge and Coleridge AC in 3rd (1:44:51). t
 
The women’s four stage relay was won by Herne Hill Harriers in 58:12 with Vale Royal 2nd and Thames Valley 3rd.
 
Disappointingly, aside from Gateshead’s Senior Men, who were 25th here, the only other NE representation appears to have been in the U/17 Boys, where NSP finished in 14th. A good job that Morpeth, at least, are travelling.
 
Full results

Kielder Marathon Weekend
 
Closer to home, the west of the county welcomed 3,000 competitors for the Kielder Marathon Weekend, with a range of events that included both a duathlon and a 10k race on the Saturday, while Sunday saw both half and full marathons held over the challenging circuit around the reservoir.
 
The 10k race saw a double Morpeth victory, with Amble-based Over 40 veteran, the redoubtable Ian Harding taking the title in 33 minutes 51 seconds, while club colleague Cat Macdonald was 1st woman and 10th overall, recording 38:39.
 
Dave Stabler also made the top ten, finishing in 8th place in 37:03, while Jane Kirby was 1st O/50 in 46:14 and Jamie Johnson 1st male O/50 in 41:46. Lindsey Quinn was 7th female runner and 47th overall in 45:57, with Rich Kirby on the comeback trail, 114th in 51:29.
 
Good to see Emma Holt back in action too, 2nd woman in 42:29, with another returning athlete, Tom Innes, 11th in 38:41 and a Kielder ever-present Mark Snowball 13th in 39:22. Like they say, form is temporary, class permanent…Some 781 in total finished the 10k.
 
Sunday’s half marathon was won by a visitor from Yorkshire, with Pudsey and Bramley AC’s Callum Hanson winning in 1:14:29 with Lucisa Hartley 1st woman in 1:30:39.
 
Another regular visitor to the weekend’s racing, Andrew Hebden finished in 13th for Morpeth in 1:25:41, while Lorna Macdonald was 3rd female finisher in 1:34:03.
 
There was another winner for the club however in the very demanding marathon, with Morpeth’s Jane Hodgson – who also won her some 13 years ago! - over five minutes ahead of the next female finisher as she came home in 10th place overall to win the women’s race in 3:16:05.

First home in the race itself was Ricky Lightfoot of Ellenborough AC with a hugely impressive 2:34:24, well over ten minutes ahead of the 2nd place finisher Jack Mcatear of Eden Runners (2:49:51). 2nd woman was City of Stoke’s Chloe Hawkins in 3:22:40.
 
Anna Wright was 3rd Over 40, 4th woman and 27th overall in 3:31:44, and Jane Briggs 233rd  and 6th O/50 in 4:23:35.
 
There were some 897 in the half marathon and 725 in the full. Well done to all blue and white finishers – an excellent showing across the board by the club.
 
Full results

Run Through Jarrow 10k
 
Sunday morning also witnessed nearly 1000 runners taking to the streets around Jarrow and Hebburn for the Run Through Jarrow 10k.
 
With the same model of an elite A race and a mass participation B race that the organisers had used for the Morpeth 10k in June, the A race was won by Birchfield Harrier Omar Ahmed in an outstanding 29 minutes and 15 seconds, with Sunderland Harrier Joe Armstrong 2nd,  late of this parish, in 30:39 and Morpeth’s Alex Brown 3rd (30:49).
 
Liverpool Pembroke Sefton athlete Kirstly Langley travelled over the country to win the women’s race in 35:03, with Houghton Harrier Charlotte Dillon 2nd in 35:32 and local lass Alex Sneddon 3rd in 36:34.
 
Also running for Morpeth in the A race were Connor Marshall, 8th in 31:55, Kirsty Burville, 1st O/40 in 40:48 and James Dixon, 52nd in 36:37, all having good runs.
 
There were over 800 in the B race, won by Michael Donkin with Olivia Clark 1st woman in 40:42.
 
Laura Mclean was 138th in 45:49, running with Sophie Ward, 150th in 45:50, with both running pbs.
 
Results
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Cross country action got under way at the weekend with the first round of the 2024/25 season in the North East Harrier League, sponsored once again by Start Fitness.
 
Where the previous year’s first fixture have traditionally been held at Wrekenton, this year organisers, mindful of the great difficulties caused by last winter’s rains, switched the opening races to Thornley Farm, just South of Peterlee - and were rewarded with some fine autumn sunshine over a course firmer than many could remember in a long while (although the lake at the flat bottom end of the course looks like it’s there for good).
 
From Morpeth’s point of view, it was good to see five eager Under 11s out in the day’s first race, several of them running in a blue and white vest for the first time.
 
They were led home by Mason Ellison, competing in blue and white for the first ever time and looking to the manor born in 18th place, clocking 6 minutes 49 seconds for the one mile course, with support coming from Will Fawcett (24th), Luke Thompson (24th), Jacob Raper (66th) and Jared Derbyshire (72nd).
 
One of the finest runs of the day for the club came from Mason Gaylor in the Under 13 Boys, who was the day’s overall winner, running from the Slow Pack, with team support coming from Jack Dhawar (35th) and Jacob Thompson (45th) and setting a towering example of team spirit following on from their trip to Blackpool last week.
 
Mason’s achievement was matched by that of club colleague Heidi Wilkinson, a winner also, this time in the U/13 Girls, although disappointingly she was the club’s only representative. We need to look to getting a full squad around her in future fixtures.
 
Faye Heatley also had a fine run, in her first race as an U/15, to come home 2nd with Emma Tomlinson 25th.   Sadly they also missed a counter.
 
The Junior races were completed in the U/17s where Ben Moll was 16th and Emma’s  older brother Oliver 17th in the Boys, with Molly Roche 5th, Megan Potrac 22nd and Lucie Todd 23rd in the Girls. Great to see a full squad out in the U/17 girls for the first time in several seasons – again, something to build on.
 
Penultimate race was once again the Senior and Veteran Women, where changes to the rules for this season meaning U/20s were now joining the field of over 300, three of these featuring in the top four, although the winner was the experienced Lydia Turner of Birtley, taking just over 23 minutes to complete the roughly four mile course.
 
Morpeth’s contingent of eight were led once again by club stalwart Jane Hodgson, finishing in 22nd place from Fast Pack with the fourth fastest overall time of the day and fastest O/40, with Nicola McCoy 36th from Slow Pack. Nicola also had a great run, and was 2nd O/55 also.
 
The team count of four was made up by Poppy Buck, 46th and Robyn Bennett, 72nd, both of these coming from Fast Pack.
 
Good to see a strong showing of Morpeth vests too, with Jane Briggs 83rd from Slow and third O/55, Kirsty Burville 107th from Fast, Lizzie Rank 141st from Fast and Sarah Henry 269th from Slow.
 
Final race of the day saw the day’s largest field of 415, although this number, like the size of the Women’s field, was noticeably down on previous seasons, where there’s often been 600 plus (one suspects a combination of the unpopularity of the venue and perhaps the clash with a televised NUFC game may have contributed).
 
Morpeth vests were also very much to the fore here, with Josh Fiddaman winning in a time of 30 minutes 16 seconds over the three-lap, six-mile course, and U/20 Joe Close also making the top ten in 8th place. Josh’s time, which saw him win by over two minutes, was the day’s fastest, with Joe’s fourth fastest O/20.
 
The team count of six was made up by Liam Ramsay (14th from Slow on his debut), O/35 Rob Balmbra (35th from Fast), Dom Harris (36th from Slow, again on debut) and Lee Bennett (86th from Slow), with the club putting up a strong defence of their team title – one for the last three years running – at a venue which is amongst the most challenging.
 
There were three further Morpeth runs, with Ian Armstrong 109th from Medium, Jason Dawson back on the XC after a season on the track in 140th and Lee Cuthbertson 179th following promotion to Fast Pack at Alnwick in the final fixture last year.
 
Well done to all who turned out: it’s always good to get the first one out of the way, but as we keep saying – it’s all about the numbers, especially in the Young Athletes races, and we need to keep building on these.
 
Action moves close to home in a fortnight’s time at Druridge Bay, where Morpeth will be looking to build further at what is pretty much a home fixture for us only fifteen minutes away. Remember it’s a Sunday, however, and that parking is both chargeable and at a premium. If you ran at Thornley, don’t forget your number: these are £10 for on the day replacements now and the club doesn’t pay for those who either threw it away or put it in the wash…
 
Perhaps worth mentioning also that the league had to look around for a new chip timing system this year following the retirement of the guy from Sunderland Strollers who did it so effectively for so long. Results now appear on Timing Up North, but don’t show either clubs – unless you apply one of the filters – nor teams, which the old one did very quickly of course. Teams will appear ‘in due course’ on the NEHL site when someone has had the chance to draw breath and work them out.
 
Full results here and link to photos by Stuart Whitman here.
 
See you at Druridge; you can check if you’re registered or not here and if you’re not, please email Peter. 
 

The local cross-country season gets under way this Saturday at Thornley Farm, just south of Peterlee. With several cancellations last year, the league have juggled the fixtures round, scheduling Thornley – where car parking has at times been an issue in the past – early to get it out of the way.
Registrations for Morpeth Harriers are now in and there are NO on-the-day registrations, unfortunately, for the first fixture. However, if you’re not yet registered you can be for any future fixtures: the next one is at Druridge Bay on Sunday 13 October with Lambton falling hard on the heels the following weekend, also on a Sunday this time.
If you’re new to the league, please make sure you bring a change of clothes for afterwards, some pins for your number (which you will need to retain for all future fixtures – please note that, having paid for registrations, the cost of which has gone up, the club will not pay for lost or misplaced numbers, which have gone up to the princely sum of £10!) and suitable footwear: Thornley might be suitable for trail shoes or spikes, maybe even road shoes, but the course will need looking at on the day.
Can we please remind all runners of the importance of getting there in good time – ideally an hour beforehand – and also to bring £3 IN CASH for parking. Best route is via A19 then A181 just south of Peterlee. The venue is on the left after crossing back over A19 onto A181, about ten minutes up the road – it is a sharp left turn and there should be signposts and marshals present. Sat Nav is DH6 3LY.
Club tent will be in normal spot, first on the left as you access the field, just past the house.
Refreshments are normally available, and portaloos. I’m told the bar at the farm will also be open, although whether this is to provide dutch courage or to drown sorrows isn’t clear.
Link to registered runners and packs here (a number against your name – but not a zero – indicates you have been registered): List of registered runners for Morpeth Harriers & AC (harrierleague.com)
Link to NEHL page is here. Course map is on their facebook page. Start Fitness North East Harrier League

Something of an anomaly this, of course, the rearranged National XC  Championships from last February – when they had had to be cancelled due to a waterlogged car park – being uncomfortably sandwiched in at the end of the track season and before regional leagues had got under way.
Held at Weston Park, near Telford in Shropshire, it was clear that there wasn’t the interest that would have been expected from what is arguably the jewel in the crown of XC, at least nationally, with numbers significantly down and very few travelling from the North East in particular, so well done to the four who did make the journey.
Nevertheless, there were good runs for Morpeth by Elliot Kelso, 15th in the Under 17 Boys and Oliver Tomlinson, 82nd, with Oliver’s sister Emma 98th also in the U/15 Girls.
Phil Winkler was the club’s only Senior to turn out (although he also somehow managed to forget his vest!), having a strong run to finish in the Men’s race in 30th position. The race was won by Hugo Milner of Derby AC with club colleague Ben Connor in 2nd place. Gateshead’s Calum Johnson, a past winner, was 5th.
The Women’s race was won by Aldershot Farnham and District’s Niamh Brown with Cambridge and Coleridge’s Holly Dixon in 2nd.
Full results here: MYLAPS Sporthive Event Results
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Runners from across the North of England converged on Blackpool at the weekend to take part in the prestigious Northern Athletics Relays, held in the fading Victorian splendour of the city’s extensive Stanley Park.
 
The event features team races for Young Athletes over a flat, one-lap, 2.8-kilometre course, with Seniors completing two laps (5.6k) of the same course, all runners having a grandstand start and finish on the Sports Centre track.
 
Morpeth Harriers were represented in the Junior races by the Under 13 squad of Jacob Thompson, Jack Dhawar and Mason Gaylor, all new to an event of this size but not at all fazed by the quality of the competition and giving a highly respectable account of themselves.
 
Jacob posted a time of 13 minutes 11 seconds for the sharply contested mass start, with Jack recording 12:31 on leg two. Fastest leg was by a new recruit to the club’s ranks, Mason, clocking the team’s fastest and final leg of 11:21, with the team finishing just outside the top 20, with just short of 50 teams finishing. 
 
After further races for U/15s and U/17s (where NSP were very well represented, by the way, medalling in several categories) a rather unpromising and gloomy morning had given way to a rise in temperatures by the time the Senior relays got under way - where the action could certainly be described as red hot.
 
Finn Brodie took his customary first leg for Morpeth where he put the blue and white vest right in the thick of the action after a furious tussle, coming back in 16:17 for 4th place behind early leaders Clayton le Moors and City of York AC.
 
Carl Avery went out on leg two, the seasoned club racer, now a veteran, showing outstanding form to move Morpeth into the lead with a storming charge for 16:13.
 
Third leg runner Alex Brown kept the club in the medals on leg 3 with 17:02, handing over to the team’s youngest member Joe Dixon, younger brother of Team GB triathlete Daniel.
 
It was a baptism of fire for the teenager, who found himself up against Leeds City international Philip Sesemann, who had competed for Team GB in the Paris marathon only weeks ago, and Derby’s Ben Connor, who had placed 2nd in the previous week’s National Cross Country Championships.
 
Joe held his own, however, and manfully stuck to his task, keeping the squad in contention with a time of 17:25, only losing one place, although the race’s strongest outfits, Leeds City and Sheffield’s Hallamshire Harriers, were now up at the sharp end, Sesemann clocking 16:01 and Ben Connor the day’s fastest time of 15:37.
 
George Lowry’s run of 17:00 dead meant the club were still in 4th at the end of leg five – ‘the worst possible place to finish’, as Club President Jim Alder MBE always describes it – but there was a further twist still to come, with final leg runner for Derby, then in a medal position, starting to feel the heat over the last kilometre and beginning to struggle.
 
Sensing an opportunity, Ellis Hetherington was on the charge, reeling in the Derby runner shortly before entering the final section on the track, his time of 16:54 meaning Morpeth took a hard-fought but richly deserved team Bronze with an overall time of 1 hour 40 minutes 53 seconds, behind Hallamshire Harriers in 2nd (1:39:42) and expected winners Leeds City AC (1:38:44).
 
In fact it was a double victory for the Leeds outfit, with their Women also taking the title in the four-stage relay contested at the same time, finishing in 1:16:36 ahead of Salford Harriers in 2nd (1:17:19) and Vale Royal AC (1:17:49).
 
Good to pick up the medal certainly – but the U/13 lads have clearly shown the way in terms of getting there and competing: we need to get more teams to these fixtures.
 
Northern 6 & 4 Stage Relays and Young Athletes Relays 2024 (racetimingsolutions.co.uk)