gavin's top ten finish in sands race

The annual Blyth Sands Race was once again sold out, although from the numbers who took part it looked as though a fair few of those entered took one look out of the window in the morning and maybe thought ‘not today’.
 
Run over the approximately five-mile distance of Blyth to Seaton Sluice and back, and using once again the unique age and gender based handicapping system that makes the race so distinct, this year’s race was one of the closest for a while with the winner coming from a 40+ male veteran for a change.
 
Disappointingly perhaps, only three Morpeth Harriers were out this time with a tale of mixed fortunes. Over 65 Gavin Bayne was off first off a 9-minute handicap and he certainly looked in with a shout after turning round the oar at the Sluice end, shoulder to shoulder with NSP triathlete Steph Maclean-Dann and only a hundred yards off early leader Julia Carnaffin, running off a generous 12 minute handicap but soon to be reeled in.
 
With the stagger unwinding however, Heaton’s O/60 Ian Norman, in great recent shape, looked to be on the charge and set with a good chance of overhauling both and taking the win.
 
But another NSP athlete was having an even better run, James Anderson, running off only a 2-minute handicap, getting the drop on everyone to pass all and sundry by Maggie’s Burn and take the win, and also recording the fastest overall time of the day, 28:16.
 
Talented Houghton U/20 Charlotte Dillon ran fastest female time of the day, 32:38, finishing in 4th just after Maclean-Dann with only 4 seconds separating.
 
Gavin finished 6th on the day, but took consolation from the fact that he didn’t have to run back to Morpeth afterwards  -  as was at one time the tradition for the club’s Seniors in serious training for the Morpeth to Newcastle (having, of course, also run there).
 
Dave Stabler, in the 45+ cat, in his first run back after a recurrence of injury, also had a good run, finishing 13th.  
 
Meanwhile O/60 Peter Scaife, after a promising first mile, made the classic mistake of failing to recce the course, and, seduced into thinking he could get round the bottom end of the second of the three notorious groynes, soon found himself waist deep in the North Sea for 50 yards. ‘I couldn’t feel anything below the waist thereafter, and I just couldn’t get going again,’ he admitted ruefully later, finishing in 85th.
 
Some 185 finished with NSP winning the team prize over Heaton.

Full race results are available here.
 
Angust Tait Memorial Hexhamshire Hobble
 
Conditions were, if anything, even worse on the other side of the county for the annual Hexhamshire Hobble.
 
Starting and finishing from the village of Allendale and taking in a 10.5 mile circuit of a snowbound Hexhamshire Common with some 1250 feet of climbing included, this year’s race was won impressively by Northumberland Fell Runner Craig Jones in 1 hour 10 minutes 22 seconds with Morpeth’s Richie Hughes, in his NFR vest, 2nd just over a minute behind.
 
Tyne Bridge veteran Alison Dargie was the female winner in 1:23:29, and also 17th place.
 
Richard Kirby had an excellent run to come home 45th in 1:31:32 and, Gary Mason, also in his NFR vest, was 60th in 1:35:32, despite taking a tumble (‘I was busy watching someone else take a tumble’), with Neil McAnany 75th in 1:38:30.
 
Also running well and defeating the conditions were Anna Wright, 88th in 1:42:43, who just finished ahead of Nicola McCoy in 90th (1:42:57).
 
Some 146 hardy souls finished.