Three of us toed the line at Keswick yesterday (5th November)
for the 58th running of the Derwentwater 10 organised by Keswick AC. There were 471 finishers on what was a perfect autumn day that showed the Lake District at its very best ! There's always a good atmosphere at this race that now starts in the centre of town and finishes at Portinscale suspension bridge after 10 hilly miles. The organisers have had to tinker with the route to accommodate more traffic over the years and in my opinion it's now even tougher than the original route which was never likely to get you a PB ! That being said it's one of my favourite races (this was my 18th), challenging course, good field, good support all round the course and a generous prize list - a proper club race ! The race was won by James Douglas of Border Harriers in 53.04, and first lady was Joasia Zakrzewski (FV40), of Dumfries in 63.04. First back from Morpeth was Mike Winter, 73rd, in 68.37 (10th V45), then me, Kevin Bray, 139th, in 74.25, (6th V55), then Mike Steven, 147th, in 75.31 (6th V60). We were given support by Paul Waterston who was minding Mike's dog Olly while nursing his bad ankle and Jim Alder who had an incognito run out for a few miles as he returns from a lay off ! Entries already open for next years race on Sunday 4/11/18 ! Kevin Bray Posting a personal best finishing time of 30m30s, Carl Avery was the first Morpeth Harriers first finisher in the annual Leeds Abbey Dash 10k Road Race, sponsored once again by Age UK, on Sunday 5th November 2017. He was one of twelve from the club who travelled to South Yorkshire, to compete in one of the fastest 10k’s on the road racing calendar, and he finished 21st in a top-class field, who were led home by Wreake and Soar Valley’s Sam Stabler, who won in 29m13s. The Women’s race was won by Dundee Hawkhill’s International Eilish McColgan, daughter of Liz, who clocked 32m05s. Morpeth’s leading Woman was fellow Scot Mhairi MacLennan, who finished eighth in 33m55s. Other Morpeth results were as follows Thomas Straughan (55th) 31m36s, James Taylor (100th) 32m31s (PB), Karl Taylor (138th) 32m55s, Phillip Winkler (151st) 33m14s, Emma Holt (22nd Woman) 35m16s, Thomas Innes (304th) 35m40s (PB), Richard Castledine (339th) 36m10s (PB), Matthew Boyle (393rd) 36m56s, Lorna MacDonald (53rd Woman) 38m12s (PB), and Paul Bellingham (972nd) (19th O/55 Man) 42m03s. Over 500 runners took part in the annual Gibside Fruit Bowl Trail Race, held in the grounds of the historic estate, near Rowlands Gill, Gateshead on Sunday 5th November 2017. Event organisers were forced to altering the course because of squirrel damage, nevertheless runners were not deterred, including Morpeth Harrier John Butters, who finished third overall in 43m46s, and was first Veteran Man home. Another first in the event from Morpeth was Gemma Floyd, who won the Women’s race, when finishing 32nd overall in 50m49s. Other Morpeth results in the event came from Kenton Duffield (80th) (16th O/50 Man) 56m38s, Sue Smith (284th) (8th O/50 Woman) 70m42s, Pam Woodcock (514th) (3rd O/65 Woman) 98m22s. Daniel Dixon (9m38s), Taylor Glover (9m37s), and Rory Leonard (9m15s), all performed superbly to win Bronze Team medals for Morpeth Harriers in the Under 17 Men’s Championship, at the annual English Cross Country Relays, held at Berry Hill Park, Mansfield on Saturday 4th November 2017. In a classy field, Dixon began the quest well, when he came home in 23rd place on the first leg, which Glover further improved on by getting up to eighth spot on a fast and furious second leg in which he was fourth fastest. Despite taking a tumble on the final leg, Leonard got the squad into the medals by outpacing fourth placed Shaftesbury Barnet, and fifth placed Charnwood, as he posted the final legs second fastest time. Gold medal winners were Aldershot who won with seventeen seconds to spare over Cambridge and Coleridge, who were only four seconds ahead of Morpeth. The Morpeth Under 17 Men’s B team also performed well, finishing 31st, courtesy of Daniel Melling (9m47s), Ross Charlton (10m02s), and Alex Cunningham (10m25s). Another excellent performance on the day for Morpeth, came from their Under 15 Girls, who finished in 21st place, courtesy of Holly Peck (7m23s), Lily Heaton (8m26s), and Rhiannon Hedley (8m09s). In a tough four stage event, Morpeth Harriers Senior Men finished 27th, and just over three minutes adrift of winners Tonbridge AC, courtesy of George Lowry (16m37s), Ian Harding (16m51s), Jordan Scott (16m53s), and Andrew Lawrence (17m33s). The club also had more of their youngest athletes in action, some of them in the first year of their age group, and all gained great experience from their outing in what was a high calibre competition, and certainly emerged with a great deal of credit for their respective efforts. Finishing 50th out of 106 complete teams were the Under 15 Boys, who were represented by Thomas Cunningham (7m08s), who also took a fall during the event, Dylan Davies (7m25s), and Ben Walker (7m28s). Running for an incomplete B team, Andrew Hudspith came home in 90th place, posting a time of 7m28s. Morpeth’s two Under 13 Boys teams, all of them running in a National competition for the very first time, did well, finishing 58th and 88th respectively out of a total of 97 complete teams. Competing for the A team were Ryan Davies (7m46s), Bertie Marr (8m00s), Joseph Hudspith (8m17s), who gained a total of ten places during the three stages. The B team were well represented by Harry Jackson (8m40s), Dylan Walker (8m36s), and James Tilley (8m50s). Morpeth’s Under 13 Girls also competed well to finish 85th in a field of 104 complete teams, courtesy of Mia Belton (8m42s), Laura Melling (9m27s), and Sophia Cunningham (9m39s). Despite the early morning rain, which left parts of the course a little muddy,
conditions were mainly good throughout the event, with very little wind to speak of, some fast times were produced by front runners, a very satisfactory day at the office indeed for Morpeth Harriers. Jedburgh Running Festival - Canine Cross Country (Canicross)
A competitive day of fun ‘up north’ on Saturday 28th October 2017, for our canine athletes (and their owners) Both Rosie and her owner Paul Bellingham, along with speedsters Lucy and Paul Banks, romped round the 7.66k off roader, in true Harriers style. A great way to train and race … and probably ensures no dog walking needed at the end of the day ! The athletic Rosie has also triggered a new doggy trend – looking stylish in her Morpeth kit ! Why not let your lovely canine supporters fly the Morpeth flag – just contact Sue Smith or Pam Woodcock to help you choose the best size for your 4 legged friends ! For more information on Canicross, check out https://canisportsscotland.wordpress.com |
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