team bronze for over 65s at jarrow

The annual NEMAA Relays took place in what’s become their traditional home at Bedewell Park in Jarrow on the first Wednesday evening in May once again.
 
Numbers seemed down this year, but it was as ever a welcome chance to catch up with fellow NE vets and compete against them, with none of those pesky speedy Seniors around.
 
A slight course variation made for a less twisty and perhaps slightly shorter (1.75 mile) route, with the same two lap, teams of three format.
 
Race 1, again for Women and Men Over 65, saw Elswick Harriers Over 45s, led home by Justina Heslop, first team back with a cumulative total of 32 minutes, with Heslop, now getting back to her best once again with a 10 minutes 19 seconds clocking here, running the evening’s fastest female time.
 
Morpeth’s only female team on the night was the O/55s outfit of  O/70 Pam Woodcock (11:37), Margaret Macdonald (15:21) and Jane Briggs (12:21), who finished 24th on the night.
 
Meanwhile the O/65s Men’s team picked up a team Bronze behind winners Jarrow and Hebburn and Crook and District. Dave Nicholson took an early lead in 11:37 and, in his team debut in blue and white, O/70 David McGuckin ran 12:55, with Kevin Bray (13:43) slowly reeled in on last leg.
 
Race 2 saw the expected Sunderland Harriers O/35 victory in a time of 26:45.
 
Meanwhile Morpeth managed to get out full outfits in 35s, 45s and 55s, although not without some difficulties.
 
Unfortunate last minute unavailability (down to illness) meant team manager Peter Scaife, who’d put in a five mile tempo run at 2 pm that afternoon (followed by some sardines on toast) having to fill in at very short notice. With O/55 Rob Hancox already dragooned in to the 35s team, it certainly wasn’t the club’s strongest outfit: ‘How on earth did we find ourselves, with our combined ages of 120, in this 35s outfit?’ wondered a bemused Rob.
 
Anthony Jannetta nevertheless had a decent first leg with 9:52, and Rob ran 10:36 on leg 2. Thereafter, the team was only going in one direction – backwards. ‘I started slowly then I faded,’ reflected Scaife, with the team recording 35:23 in 43rd.
 
There was better news in the O/45s, who like the 65s picked up a team Bronze. Ian Armstrong had the customary strong first leg with 9:50, Andy Ball ran 9:42 and Richard Glennie brought the team home in 11:03 for a cumulative clocking of 30:35 in 14th place overall.
 
Led home by Andrew Dippie (12:02), with Alistair Macdonald on leg 2 (11:36) and Paul Bellingham on leg 3 (12:29), the team finished 47th in 36:02.
 
Full results here: NEMAA Road Relay Champs May 1st 2024 - NEMAA