News from across the pond that Academy of Art University major James Young has posted a new personal best of 4 minutes 00.40 seconds for the mile when winning the National College Athletics Association Division 2 Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.
Blyth-born but now San Francisco-based, James became a National Champion with a terrific run that saw him only take the lead on the last lap after going through 1200m in 3m 03s.
James worked hard over the last 400m and a terrific kick over the last 200 of 28:09s saw him win by a margin of several metres with a time that is the second fastest ever in the division and a record for his college, as well as the third fastest by a UK athlete indoors so far this year.
James said: "It's been a long time coming after last year was so abruptly canceled, so I wanted to make this one count. I knew I was the fittest I've ever been, thanks to the great work my coach Steve (Fuelling) has done and I appreciate everything he's done for me. Once I crossed the line, it was just the relief that everything I've done has paid off and I've got something now to show for it."
His time is also the second fastest run by a Morpeth Harrier, Nick McCormick holding the club mile record of 3:52:02s set in 2005 in Oslo.
You can watch the race using the link below:
James Young - 2021 NCAA DII Indoor Mile National Champion (Complete Race)

England Athletics guidance issued on 26 February offered a clear roadmap for the resumption of sporting activities.
Practically, this means for Morpeth Harriers:

• Organised outdoor training groups can resume with no limit on numbers.

• Outdoor facilities i.e. the track at KEVI can reopen.

• Licensed competition can take place.

From Monday, 29 March, therefore we will be resuming training groups both at the clubhouse and at the track. This will be done on the same basis as before lockdown in 2020. Specifically:

• Please can all members try and notify their coach in advance of the session of their intention to attend. This helps us with track and trace, should it become necessary, and also gives us an idea both of numbers and for coaches in planning sessions.

• Toilets at the clubhouse and at the track will be open, but otherwise indoor facilities will remain closed until 12 April at the earliest. If you need to use toilet facilities, please use the sanitisation procedures which by now are probably second nature to you. Members should avoid congregating in the clubhouse however.

• Please maintain social distancing as far as possible and avoid physical contact such as hugging, fist-bumping, embraces…

• In the event of adverse weather conditions, athletes arriving by car should remain inside their vehicle until required to train; athletes arriving on foot should use clubhouse changing rooms.

• It goes without saying that if you feel at all unwell, for whatever reason, you should not train.

Finally, while we're all delighted to be back, please can we remain careful and be sensible as we try to get further on the road to normality. Please be sensitive to understandable public concerns.
Best wishes – see you on the 29th, with no excuses for muddy shoes or dirty kit.

There will be at least one Morpeth Harrier at this year’s Tokyo Olympics, with news that Mongolian international marathon runner Serod Batochir has qualified after posting a tremendous 2 hours 9 minutes 29 seconds in the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan last month.
 
Known commonly by just his nickname of ‘Ziggy’, Batochir’s story is in itself extraordinary. Hailing from a country with little if any tradition of athletics, Batochir tells stories of needing to don at least two track suits to train in the intense cold, although these days much of his time is spent on the Japanese and Asian marathon circuit rather than at home in Ulan Bator.
 
Batochir arrived in Gateshead in the Spring of 2009, settling in the North East to be close to his wife’s sister and family, and with the aim of acclimatising himself for London 2012,  linked up with Morpeth Harriers to train.
 
He quickly became involved in the local road racing season – winning, amongst other events, the North Tyneside 10k, where his time of 30 minutes 20 seconds set an impressive course record – and helped the club to a team gold in the Northern Athletics 12 stage Road Relays at Catterick and a bronze in the English National event in Birmingham. There were smiles also when he was awarded the ‘Best local runner’ in the Blaydon Race.
 
Batochir would go on to break the club’s own marathon record, then held by Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mark Hudspith, when he posted a time of 2:11:35 in the London Marathon in 2011, a time he would improve down to 2:08:50 in 2014 at the Fukuoka Marathon.
 
A lifetime member of the club by virtue of the major games in which he has appeared, among many achievements are his victory in the Asian Marathon Championships in 2013 and his appearances in no less than eight World Championships for his country.
 
At the ripe old age of 39, the Tokyo Olympics will be Serod’s fifth consecutive Olympic games, a remarkable achievement in anyone’s book.