13 harriers feature on morpeth parkrun debut

After several years of back and forth discussion, several abortive proposed routes and the inevitable delays due to Covid, Morpeth parkrun – or to give it the name by which you’ll find it online, Carlisle Park parkrun – the inaugural Morpeth event took place at the weekend.
A convoluted route saw three hilly laps round Carlisle Park and along the Stanners, with the expected close shaves with early morning dog walkers and some shoulder to shoulder brushes with fellow runners going in opposite directions on the narrow paths.
Despite the misgivings of many, there were some 181 finishers including the Lord Mayor David Bawn (34:21), with some 13 Morpeth Harriers trying out the route.
Putting his disappointment of Wednesday night’s dnf behind him, Richard Johnson was first finisher in 17:51 with our own king of the parkruns, Mark Snowball close behind in 17:55. James Tilley was fourth in 18:44. Full results on the dedicated webpage.
Whether the event has the capacity to build numbers is open to question, and certainly those looking for a fast run remain likely to go to Blyth or even Druridge Bay.
Many in the club remain convinced that Morpeth Common is a better bet, and fear that at some point there will be some unfortunate canine capers or clashes with members of the public. And the route will also flood at some point… But well done to the organisers for getting it on.
​The parkrun will be held in Carlisle Park every Saturday at 9am. For more details visit the parkrun website.