 Morpeth's bronze medal winners Ryan Davies, Rachelle Falloon, and Alistair Douglass Sunday morning saw the hosting of the Norman Woodcock Relays taking place at High Gosforth Park. Now a three-stage mixed relay with legs of 1.66 miles taking place on the road running around the inside of the race course, this year’s competition attracted much the biggest entry of over 100 teams since the event moved to the current format and a higher standard at the sharp end too. There was also a change in the direction of the race, with a clockwise circuit this time out reducing congestion at the start – but also meaning a long climb back uphill in the final section of the race. A youthful team from Houghton Harriers, for whom Eva Hardie ran the day’s fastest female time of 9:05 (and who also featured up and coming Team GB triathlete Brandon Pye) were on the day winners in a time of 24 minutes 54 seconds with Birtley Harriers 2nd in 25:03. Past winners of the fixture and also 2nd last year, this time Morpeth had to settle for 3rd place with a clocking of 25:20. Drafted in at short notice and still only working his way back to full fitness, Ryan Davies ran a 1st leg of 8:19 for 8th place with local outfit Gosforth back home first. Despite running at Mansfield less than 24 hours previously, Rachelle Falloon was still keen to go out for the club’s A team on 2nd leg and, showing no ill effects from the previous day's xc, recorded the day’s third fastest time by a female runner of 9:12, moving the team into contention for a top-three finish. With leaders Houghton clearly away in the distance, it was a difficult job for last leg runner Alistair Douglas to both try and reel in the Elswick runner ahead of him while staying ahead of chasers behind. Recording the day’s 3rd fastest time of 7:49, Ali got the team into 2nd at one point but was himself chased down by Birtley’s flying Adrian Bailes, whose 7:29 was in fact the day’s fastest time. Next team back for Morpeth were the 0/40 vets for whom Dave Stabler ran 8:57, Kirsty Burville, in her first taste of relay action, 10:26 and Richard Glennie 9:50, the team finishing in 24th and frustratingly 4th 0/40. The 0/40s was won by Elswick for whom Justina Heslop ran a fantastic 9:16. NSP were 2nd and Gosforth 3rd. The Senior B were in fact neck and neck at the finish with the 0/40s and in 25th overall, with legs by Anthony Liddle (8:43), Becky Lawson (11:47 in her first race for many months) and Mark Snowball (8:44). Good to see in the 0/40s B a first competitive and muscular outing by Dave Marshall (10:01) in front of family, with Julie Vermaas managing to match Kirsty’s time to the second ((10:26) and Claire Calverley anchoring the team in 12:03 for 52nd place and 11th 0/40 team. No team out in the 0/50s sadly, with the NSP team of Norman de Bruin, Kath Davis and Vaughan Hemy winning in 30:21, Elswick a close 2nd and Ponteland 3rd. The club’s Over 60s team of Jim Alder, Pam Woodcock and Neil MacAnany were delighted however to pick up a team prize as 2nd in their age category behind North Shields Polytechnic. With Guy Bracken (8:49) now back in red and white the team were always likely to be chasing 2nd, but their time of 35:25 saw them finish ahead of any other competition. Jim Alder (‘the younger’) made a return to racing on leg 1 (11:49) with Pam Woodcock on leg 2 (13:45) and Neil MacAnany on 3 running a storming 9:51 to anchor the team. As noticeable as Neil’s run, however, was the customary misspelling of his surnane, which this time came out in the results as Neil Malawant, making him sound, as Claire later commented, like he’d stumbled out of the pages of a Thomas Hardy novel. ( And I even wrote it in capital letters on the declaration!)  Runners lining up for the start of the Norman Woodcock Relays Comments are closed.
|
Archives
January 2026
|
