trio tackle three-peaks challenge

Three members of the club took on the hugely challenging Three Peaks Race over the summits of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough  on Saturday, a course comprising some 23.3 miles and 1608 metres of ascent and descent in the Yorkshire Dales.
 
Matthew Briggs had an excellent run to come home 38th in a time of 3 hours 38 minutes and 7 seconds, with the race itself won in a time of 2:53:28 by Thomas Roach with Catherine Taylor 1st female finisher in 3:34:44.
 
Running for Northumberland Fell Runners, Gary Mason was 428th in 5:08:50 and Steve Haswell 535th in 5:26:49. Good to see both back in demanding action.
 
Elsewhere on Sunday, Phil Winkler was 20th in the Cardiff 5km Race for Victory on Sunday, clocking a new personal best of 14 minutes 53 seconds while representing the North of England in the Inter Area Match, while on Friday Lawrence McCourt was 10th in the Mid Cheshire 5k in a time of 14:31, also a pb.
 
Lorna Macdonald (below) also had a great run at the Hartlepool Marina 5 mile race (one of the few 5 milers around these days, sadly), finishing in a time of 31:07. Anthony Janetta was 12th overall but 2nd Over 40 in 29:11, with Alistair Macdonald 42nd and 5th O/55 in 33:11. The race was won by Middlesbrough’s Max Creasey in 25:24.
 
There was disappointing news, however, for all who had run in the previous weekend’s Terry O’Gara 5k at Wallsend with the announcement from organisers Wallsend Harriers that, following re-measurement, the course had been found to be 40 metres short, so all times – including a new course record for Alex Brown – would be scrapped.
 
Following last year’s unfortunate accidents on the course, it certainly feels that this race seems to be jinxed.