Eight Senior Morpeth Harriers lined up at Blackheath for the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 22nd April 2018, and they were led home by Andrew Lawrence, who finished in 298th place,
posting a finishing time of 2hrs46mins41secs. Which is around eighteen minutes adrift of the time that he set on the course in 2015. Second home for Morpeth was another Andrew, this time Hebden, who finished in 743rd place in 2hrs56mins01secs. This was Andrew’s fifth run in the race, his best being in 2017, when he had posted a time of 2hrs48m46secs. Third home from the club was Mark Snowball, who finished 1,456th in a time of 3hrs04mins08secs. This was Mark’s second attempt at the London Marathon course, his previous being in 2014, when he had clocked close to 3hrs21mins, going better in Edinburgh a month later, where has established his previous personal best of 3hrs16mins, so this attempt was a superb significant improvement in time terms. Fourth home for Morpeth, and finishing in 3,066th place was Lorna MacDonald, who was running the race for the fifth time. On Sunday she recorded a time of 3hrs20m52s, which was well down on her 2017 time of 2hrs59m24s, which is the current Morpeth Harriers club record for a Woman. She was 257th in the Women’s race. Other Morpeth Harriers finishers in London on Sunday were as follows Jilly Bell (7,334th) (1,377th Woman) 3hrs48mins43secs, Jane Kirby (12,681st) (3,296th Woman) 4hrs15mins35secs, Lesley Chapman (22,826th) (7,109th Woman) 4hrs58m59s, and Claire Hiscock (24,378th) (7,765th Woman) 5hrs06mins02secs. Rory Leonard of Morpeth Harriers was the highest placed of the regions runners in the London Mini Marathon on Sunday 22nd April 2018, that was integrated into the main event as a British Athletics Challenge.
He led the North East Under 17 Men to a close second in the team competition, by finishing second to East Midland athlete Luke Duffy, who competes for Mansfield. Leonard only just missed out on individual victory by two seconds, posting a time of 14m26s over the 5k course, and the North East only lost out to the South East in the team race by a mere point. Another Morpeth Harrier in action in the Under 17 Men’s event was Taylor Glover, who finished 46th in 15m30s, just missing out on being in the scoring four by five places, and seven seconds. Morpeth’s Holly Peck finished 60th in the Under 15 Girls event in 19m07s and was the regions fourth counter in a squad which finished eleventh behind winners Scotland. In the Under 17 Women’s event, Morpeth’s Gracie Hufton finished 55th in 19m03s, just outside the scoring four in a North East squad which finished tenth, again behind winners Scotland. Following a year very much in the athletics wilderness, Morpeth Harrier Sam Hancox
is indeed back, and very much bouncing. The recent Blyth 10k Road Race winner produced yet another emphatic win in the Terry O’Gara 5k Road Race on Sunday 22nd April 2018, held at Wallsend, finishing in a time of 15m29s, his second-best time for the distance, his best being the 15m08s, that he posted in the Sunderland 5k event in 2016, where he finished second. Sunday’s time saw him finish with thirty-seven seconds to spare over Blyth’s Ellis Hetherington. Also finishing well to the fore for Morpeth Harriers on Sunday, were Under 17 athlete Daniel Melling and Tom Inness, who finished in seventh and eighth places, posting respective times of 16m42s, and 16m50s, both new personal bests. Not far behind these two, was new acquisition Rowan Bennett, who finished eleventh in 17m05s, and he was second Junior finisher to Melling, this was also an excellent new personal best for the distance. Morpeth Harriers next finisher was Matthew Boyle, who placed 22nd in a time of 17m52s, just two seconds and one place ahead of the winner’s Father Rob, who was second in the Over 50 Veteran Men’s category. Just behind them in 24th and 25th places were Rowan Bennett’s Father Lee, and older sister Robyn, who have also just swelled the ranks of Morpeth Harriers, all having left Elswick. They were both given identical times of 18m07s, in Robyn’s case, it represented a new personal best for the distance, and she won the overall Women’s title. Lee was fourth in the Over 40 Veteran Men’s category. The event, which also incorporated the North East Masters Athletics Association Championships, had a total of 182 finishers, amongst them also the following Morpeth Harriers. Gemma Floyd, who finished 35th in 18m54s, and was third Women’s finisher, and was first Veteran Woman, David McGuckin (98th) (4th O/60 Man) 21m24s, Susan Smith (137th) (12th O/45 Woman) 23m33s, Paul Bentley (152nd) (3rd O70 Man) 25m01s, and Pam Woodcock (157th) (1st O/65 Woman) 25m42s. In total contrast to the heatwave in London for the London Marathon, Morpeth Harrier Helen King faced rain and somewhat freezing conditions in the Blackpool Half Marathon on Sunday 22nd April, where she placed 39th,
and second Woman in 89m45s, seven seconds and one place behind Vegan Runner Jo Armitage. The first meeting in the series of Start Fitness North Eastern Grand Prix events took place
at Monkton Stadium on Wednesday 18th April 2018, and twenty-two athletes from Morpeth Harriers were in competitive Track and Field action. Six Morpeth athletes competed in the graded 150m events. Sean O’Hara was the fastest, finishing fourth in the first heat, where he posted a time of 17.31s, being the first Under 20 on track. Kenny Harrison produced a new personal best performance of 17.77s, when finishing seventh in the same heat as O’Hara, and was sixth Senior Man. Finishing just a hairsbreadth behind him was club colleague David Storey, who was timed at 17.78s. Heat three, saw Morpeth Harrier Lauren Smith tackle the distance for the first time. Finishing seventh in her heat in 20.52s, she was the second fastest Senior Woman. Third fastest Senior Woman was club colleague Lynsey Cunningham, who was second in Heat Four, posting a time of 20.84s, which was a new personal best. Newcomer Kayleigh Wenn, finished sixth in the fifth heat in 24.31s, making her tenth fastest Under 17 Girl. One of the clubs’ best performers on the night was Under 20 Man Matthew Waterfield, who finished fifth in the first heat of the graded 300m, posting an excellent new personal best of 36.99s, which made him second in his age group. In his first ever 1500m, Waterfield’s younger brother Ben was also oneof the clubs’ top performers on the night. He finished third in the Under 15 Boys event in 4m44.72s. Other Morpeth Harriers in action in the same event were Dylan Gooding and Dylan Davies, who finished seventh and eighth, both posting respective personal best times of 4m51.10s and 4m52.36s. Davies’s younger brother Ryan also performed well, finishing third in the Under 13 Boys 1500m, also producing new figures of 5m09.66s. In the Under 15 Girls 1500m, Rhiannon Hedley, who this year took a break from winter cross country activity, did very well to finish second in 4m58.18s. Carl Avery, Morpeth Harriers fastest long stage performer in the previous Saturday’s English National 12 Stage Road Relays, and the Northern Senior Men’s Cross-Country Championships, paced himself well in the graded 1500m Heat 1, where he finished eighth, as fourth fastest Senior Man, with his time of 4m05.32s. In Heat 2, Morpeth had two competitors in the 14-strong line-up. Alistair Douglass finished in fifth place, and he was tenth fastest Senior Man, posting a time of 4m09.77, agonisingly just a mere fraction adrift of his lifetime best. One who did record a new personal best however was Under 17 Man Ross Charlton, who posted a time of 4m17.14s, when finishing eleventh, as seventh fastest in his age group. Stepping up to new age groups, Tom Balsdon and Holly Peck certainly impressed in the third heat. In his very first track 1500m, Tom posted 4m34.38s, when finishing seventh, and was twelfth fastest in his age group. Holly finished eleventh, and was second fastest in her age group, posting a time of 4m58.72s. Another Morpeth Under 17 Woman tasting life in her new age group was Lily Heaton, who in Heat 5 finished fifth, and as fifth fastest in her age group with 5m20.2s. On to the Field Events, where Morpeth Harriers had no less than three event winners. Established throws specialists Andrew Knight and Bobbie Griffiths as expected took the respective honours in the Under 17 Men’s Shot, and Under 20 Women’s Javelin, with their best on the night efforts of 16.28m and 38.70m. Morpeth’s Koffi Avornyo proved too good for his rivals in the Under 15 Boys graded High Jump, with his best clearance of 1.50m. Olivia Gent was slightly adrift of her personal best, when finishing fourth in the Under 13 Girls Long Jump with 3.56m. Newcomer Kayleigh Wenn performed well in the Under 17 Women’s Long Jump, finishing fourth with a best effort of 3.83m. |
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