morpeth pair are fastest to carlisle

Lawrence Mccourt, Carl Avery and Alex Brown with their medals

Morpeth Harriers vests were first and second across the line in Sunday’s Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile race, with no less than five athletes from the club occupying the top ten places.
 
Run over a course from William Howard School in Brampton to Eden Bridge in Carlisle, the event can boast of being the oldest ten mile race in the UK and one of the longest lasting over any distance in the country, being run here for a remarkable 72nd time and once again attracting a quality field of well over 800 finishers.
 
Carl Avery continued his remarkably consistent season with a fine win in a time of 48 minutes 42 seconds, coming home some 12 seconds ahead of team mate Lawrence Mccourt in his first race back after several months out. Daniel Connolly was 3rd in 49:03.
 
With the top ten also including Alex Brown, 5th in 50:05, Phil Winkler, one place behind in 50:28, and Connor Marshall, 7th in 50:40, with Sam Hancox 12th in 51:20, there was no doubt where the team prize for the race was going this time.
 
Leeds City AC’s Steph Pennycook was 1st woman back in a very good time of 54:38, with Scottish athlete Annabel Simpson of Fife AC 2nd (55:55) and Border Harrier Rachel Brown 3rd (58:04).
 
Robyn Bennett was Morpeth’s first female finisher, 11th Senior and 175th overall in 1:02:42 with Lizzie Rank not far behind in 1:04:22, 201st and 14th SF. Anna Wright was 301st and 6th Over 40 in 1:08:56 and training companion Jane Kirby 319th and 4th Over 50 in 1:09:38. Tayla Douglass was 324th and 25th SF in 1:09:53.
 
There were some 18 Morpeth runners out in total, with Dave Nicholson a winner in the Over 70s with a good time of 1:14:17 – and the club’s oldest representative, O/75 Nobby Clark, running 1:34:46 for 8th in his category and 756th.
 
Also running were: Mark Banks, 39th in 53:50; Andy Lawrence, 57th in 55:21; Rob Balmbra, 68th in 56:17; Dave Stabler, 97th and 7th O/45 in 57:44; Rob Hancox, 207th and 6th O/55 in 1:04:28.
 
Well done to all. Full results here: Brampton To Carlisle 10 Mile Race
 
Gibside Fruit Bowl
 
It’s a shame that the popular Brampton clashed with the Gibside Fruit Bowl this year, with the hilly 7 miler in the grounds of Gibside Hall only attracting just over 200 this year.
 
Won in a time of 42:35 by Gateshead’s Conrad Franks, now an O/40 vet, Morpeth’s Jake Parmley had a good run to finish 3rd in 42:53.
 
Lee Bennett was 6th but 1st O/50 in 43:44.
 
Jarrow’s Alex Sneddon won the women’s race in 43:55 but how good it is to see Emma Holt back in competitive action, 3rd in a time of 47:43.
 
Full results here: Gibside Fruitbowl