Sunderland 5k Road Race

Peter Newton winning the Sunderland 10k on Thursday 13th July

​Blaydon Road Race winner Peter Newton of Morpeth Harriers,
certainly maintained his current run of excellent form, when he won
the annual Sunderland 5k Road Race, held at the Silksworth Complex,
on the evening of Thursday 13th July 2017.

The event, which also incorporated respective North-Eastern Counties,
and North of England Championships, attracted a total of 326 finishers in the three events,
for Senior Men, Senior and Veteran Women, and Over50 age group Veteran Men,
and included fourteen from the ranks of Morpeth Harriers.

Led by Newton, who won in 14m43s, (twenty seconds adrift of Martin Scaife’s course record time, set in 2004), Morpeth Harriers Senior Men easily lifted not only the regional title, but also the Northern title, with further excellent supporting runs coming from previous winner Nick Swinburn, who finished third behind New Marske’s Dominic Shaw (14m49s), posting a time of 14m53s, and Carl Avery, who finished fourth in 14m59s.

For Newton and Swinburn, it gave them Gold and Bronze medals individually in both
the Regional and Northern Championships, and along with Avery,
additional Team Gold in both Championships for their club.

Other Morpeth Harriers in action in the Senior Men’s event were
Thomas Straughan (8th) 15m16s,
James Young (25th) 15m56s,
Andrew Lawrence (29th) 16m04s,
and Steve Patterson (81st) 17m50s.
​
There were 182 finishers in the Senior Men’s event.

From L to R, Emma Holt, Danielle Hodgkinson and Rhiannon Silson

The Senior Women’s event, which was combined with the Over 50 Veteran Men’s event,
saw Morpeth Harrier Emma Holt, add to her clubs’ medal tally for the night,
when she finished second to Birchfield’s former Wallsend Harrier Danielle Hodgkinson.

Hodgkinson posted a winning time, with Holt producing another excellent run in 17m20s,
just holding off Border Harrier Rhiannon Silson, who finished third in 17m31s.
Whilst Hodgkinson took the North-East Championship Gold Medal ahead of Holt,
Holt could rejoice in the fact that although she had to settle for Silver in the regional championship,
she had taken Northern Gold, because Hodgkinson was competing for a Midlands Club.

Jarrow and Hebburn’s Georgia Campbell, who finished fourth overall led her team
to the Women’s Gold Medal in both the Regional and Northern team race.

Other Morpeth Harriers competing in the Women’s race were
Gemma Floyd (9th) 18m33s, who was first Veteran Woman,
and Francesca Wilson (76th) 25m25s.

​The Women’s event had 97 finishers.

Paul Waterston

​Three Morpeth Harriers were amongst the 47 finishers in the Over 50 Veteran Men’s event.
Leading them home was Paul Waterston, who finished fifth in 18m03s.
David Nicholson finished tenth overall in 19m12s, and was first Over 60 Veteran Man.
Paul Bellingham finished in 23rd place in 20m37s, and was eighteenth in his Over 50 age group.

Results

Photos