jb named half marathon winner after controversy at kielder

There were two days of races at the Kielder Marathon Weekend, with the action getting under way on Saturday in the 10k event.

It was won by Sunderland Harrier Liam Taylor in a time of 34:31, Andrew Hebden was Morpeth’s first finisher in 4th place in 39:58 with Andriy Volkov 9th in 41:41 and Lindsey Quinn 27th and 7th female finisher in 44:34.
 
It was a busy weekend for Andriy all right, who, not content with his efforts on the Saturday, also turned out in Sunday’s half-marathon while raising funds for Wateraid, where he managed a fantastic 28th place (1:32:44).
 
Club colleague John Butters got himself onto the podium on the day after finishing 2nd for the third successive year in a time of 1:19:38, behind first home Simon Stockdale-Cook in 1:16:53. Sarah Kerr of Claremont RR was 1st female finisher in 1:28:43.
 
Sadly, however, organisers Events of the North were made aware that the 1st placed runner in the Half Marathon was not actually who they said they were, and had in fact run in a borrowed number, not even bothering to attend the presentation – or come clean.
 
The automatic disqualification that ensued gave JB the win, although not perhaps in the way he would have wanted, also robbing him of his moment at the top of the podium – while also generating a lot of adverse local newspaper headlines, the last thing the event or our sport wants.
 
Matters were made worse with the revelation that a male athlete also lined up wearing a female athlete’s number, despite having been told well in advance that the number could not be transferred. Thankfully, he was persuaded to leave the course.
 
There were well over 500 finishers in the demanding full marathon, which was won in a time of 2:49:05 by Keswick AC’s Russell Maddams with NSP’s Lucie Custance first female finisher in 3:18:38.
 
Colin Archer was first Morpeth home in 3:35:17 with Anna Wright 41st , 4th woman home but 3rd O/40  in 3:37:11. Laura Mclean was 286th in 4:39:24 and Jane Briggs 368th and 5th O/55 in 4:53:34.
 
As the organisers later quite rightly pointed out in a press release that condemned the actions of both the individuals who had been disqualified, their actions ‘tainted’ the weekend for other runners who were directly affected by what they did.
 
Can we at Morpeth Harriers therefore remind all our members that numbers should not be swapped, sold or given away to other members of the club, however tempting or well-meaning that may seem to be, not unless an agreed process for doing so with the organisers has taken place (as happens, for example, at The Coastal Run within a set time window). There are very good reasons to do with injuries, accidents and safeguarding for this.
 
The club will take a dim view of anyone doing so and individuals who are found out are likely to face sanctions from the sport’s governing body, whether locally or nationally. Lord knows it’s hard enough getting events on these days anyway and the last thing our sport needs is the adverse publicity this kind of things generates. 

John Butters at the end of the half marathon, in which he was eventually named the winner