northumberland coastal run

There was an early start for the hundreds of runners who took part in this year’s
Alnwick Harriers Northumberland Coastal Run on Sunday morning, held for the first
time since 2019.

Getting under way at 9 a.m., this year’s race from Beadnell to Alnmouth was longer
than usual – some fourteen and a quarter miles, in fact – due to changes in the route,
with the customary beach start this time headed North (to avoid nesting terns at the
Long Nanny Sanctuary) and back through the road into the caravan park at Beadnell
before turning South.

Allied to a stiff Southerly breeze - right on the nose for most of the route - and muggy
temperatures in the mid twenties, conditions were amongst the most difficult many
competitors could recall.

At the front of the field, the tireless Jarlath Mckenna of Bristol and West AC, a
winner of recent races along Hadrian’s Wall and the Chevy Chase, was out on his
own once again and recorded a winning time of 1 hour 23 minutes 5 seconds, over
three minutes ahead of 2 nd placed Sunderland Harrier Stephen Jackson (1:26:55).
For Morpeth, Richard Johnson had a fine race to come in 3 rd in 1:27:37, and also
picked up the 1 st Senior Male prize, with both Mckenna and Jackson counting as
veterans. Tom Charlton of Tyne Bridge, winner the last time the race was run in 2019,
finished 5 th .

There was a welcome return to competition for Morpeth’s Ross Floyd, 11 th in 1:35:30,
while Alistair Douglas, who was able to only grab a few hours sleep after returning
home from his 800m race in Manchester the night before, somehow still managed a
highly respectable 1:42:01 in 29 th .

Rob Hancox was another who, having returned from Manchester with Sam, still put in
a strong shift for 44 th in 1:45:58 and was unlucky to miss out on an Over 55 prize.
The women’s race was won by Elswick Harrier and Morpeth coach Judith Nutt with a
time of 1:45:40, but Morpeth’s Michelle Thompson had an excellent run to come in
2 nd in 1:47:58. Aisling Wall of Horsforth Harriers in Leeds was 3 rd in 1:50:13. It was
also good to see Alnwick Harrier Jo Gascoigne-Owen, a winner of the race on several
occasions, back in action, coming home in 6 th place.

Other Morpeth finishers included: Jason Dawson, 89 th in 1:54:37; Jamie Johnson, 121 st
in 1:59:01; Jim Alder, 176 th in 2:04:13 and 5 th Over 60; Lindsey Quinn, 159 th and 5 th
Senior Female in 2:02:45; Steve Haswell, 187 th in 2:05:20; Laura Shaw, 478 th in
2:33:03 and Margaret Macdonald, 711 th in 3:11:18.