 Scott Beattie on his way to victory in the Quayside 5k An exciting finish at the Newcastle Quayside 5k saw Scott Beattie record a fine win and in the process break the existing course record with a sub-14 minute performance. First run in 2014 and now being managed by RunThrough, the race has quickly established itself as one of the fastest and most popular in the region and beyond, not least for the scenic route under the bridges of the Tyne and finish over the Millenium Bridge to Baltic Square. When the quick course and challenging standard of competition is matched with near perfect conditions - as was the case on Wednesday - then fast times and personal bests are almost guaranteed. Beattie, now resident in the UK once again following study at the University of Tulsa, immediately formed part of a leading group of three made up of himself and Kenyans Martin Mumo Musyoka and Paul Selian who got away from the chasers in the first kilometre, with Musyoka, who had won the previous weekend’s Darlington 10k in a time of 28 minutes 45 seconds ahead of Calum Johnson, looking in particularly fine form. Behind the leaders, Scott’s club companions Carl Avery, Lawrence McCourt and Finn Brodie were tied together in another group of three only a few seconds back. By the 3k mark, however, the lead at the front was down to a straight battle between Scott and Muyoka, the second Kenyan having been dropped and now coming under the challenge of both Carl and Lawrence. With less than 1000 metres to go, Scott put in a series of surges that broke Musyoka to win in a time of 13 minutes 46 seconds, a new course record, with the Kenyan having to settle for 2nd place in 13:54. Carl meanwhile had also got away from the rest of the group and then put daylight between him and Selian, taking 3rd place in 14:14, with Lawrence 4th in 14:29. Selian was 5th with Finn 6th in 14:42, Birtley’s Adrian Bailes 7th, Middlesborough’s Greg Jayasuriya 8th, Leeds City’s Matthew Grieve 9th and Gateshead’s Lewis Liddle 10th. Connor Marshall also made the top twenty, finishing in 15:10, with Tom Prentice next in for the club in 15:37 and Ali Douglas making 30th in 15:53. With some 23 runners in the A race, for which a sub-20 minute qualifying time had been required, the club was certainly very well-represented, with a string of pbs too numerous to mention. After Douglas, Mark Banks was 33rd in 15:58; Andy Lawrence 38th in 16:03; John Butters 61st and 1st Over 45 in 16:37; James Dixon 82nd in 17:02; Lee Bennett 88th and 3rd Over 50 in 17:09; Lee Cuthbertson 108th in 17:33; Jake Parmley 110th in 17:35; Ben Clarke 108th in 17:38 (positions given off gun times); Connor Hall 147th in 18:03; Andriy Volkov 168th in 18:31; Gavin Bayne 213th and 1st Over 65 in 19:22; and Stephen Cessford 235th in 19:51. As it had been last year, the women’s prize was taken by a visiting athlete, although a different one, Heather Townsend winning in 16:22, just three seconds ahead of Elswick’s Sophie Pikett, who had tussled with Townsend at the front, with Gateshead Harriers Elisha Tait 3rd (16:29) and Shona Haston 4th (16:58), Sale Harrier Helen Warburton (once of Gosforth) 5th (17:07) and Ali Dixon 6th, and inevitably first veteran, (17:30). On the flattest course she must have run for many a month, Cat Macdonald was 7th in 17:27 (106th overall) with sisters Lorna 29th (223rd) in 19:29 and Lindsey 31st (225h) also both running, Lindsey clocking 19:33. Robyn Bennett was 35th (234th ) in 19:55. Some 243 finished, with 20:51 the slowest recorded time in the A race. In the B race, where a larger field of 444 finished and the runaway winner (presumably in the wrong race) was Heaton Harrier Jack Shawcross in 17:32, there were only two Morpeth Harriers in action. Tayla Douglas continued the return to full fitness with a clocking of 20:32 (48th and 7th female finisher) while Pam Woodcock was another category winner, first back in the O/75 category in a time of 27:33. Congrats to all who represented the club so well and to Chris Parr and Run Through for a meticulously organised night.
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