Youngsters shine on gnr weekend

Young stars Liam Roche, Ryan Davies, Bertie Marr and Will De Vere Owen

The Great North Run weekend saw nine young members of Morpeth Harriers take part in the Junior 4k in Newcastle on Saturday.
Pride of place belongs to Under 17 Man Will De Vere Owen, who won the event outright and was first home in his age group, posting a best time of 12m26s.
Club colleague Ryan Davies just missed out on a podium place himself when he finished fourth in 12m41s. Not far behind him was Bertie Marr, who finished sixth in 12m49s, just five seconds ahead of another Morpeth Harrier Liam Roche in seventh place.
Further down the field in fifteenth place was Morpeth Under 15 Boy Ollie Calvert, who was fourth in his age group, posting a time of 14m07s.
Joseph Close of Morpeth Harriers finished in 29th place in 14m52s and was ninth Under 15 Boy.
Caitlin Flanagan finished as fifth Under 17 Woman in 69th place in a time of 16m01s.
Other Morpeth Harriers finishers in the event were Robert Duffy, who was 90th Under 13 Boy, finishing 429th in 20m33s, and Under 11 Girl Sophie Pledger, who was 29th in her age group, finished in 518th place overall, posting a finishing time of 21m21s.
Sunday’s delayed 40th anniversary of the Great North Run itself saw a much changed course this year, with staggered timeslots replacing the traditional mass start. Huge changes to the traditional route meant runners coming back over the Tyne Bridge to finish on the Great North Road after turning back on themselves at the end of the Felling bypass instead of continuing to the customary finish at South Shields.
 The elite men’s race was won by Marc Scott of Richmond and Zetland AC in a time of 1 hour 1 minute and 22 seconds with Kenyan Helen Obiri taking the elite women’s race in 1:07:42. 
First home for Morpeth Harriers was Alistair Douglas, 83rd overall in a time of 1:15:54, who also ensured worldwide television coverage of himself by setting to run the first mile with the elite athletes, completing it in 4 minutes 26 seconds.
In his first race of the year after an injury-enforced break Andrew Hebden ran 1:25:03 and Dan Melling was next home in 1:26:40.
Other Morpeth finishers included: Paul Bell, 652nd in 1:28:56; Adam Coulson, 654th in 1:28:57; Matty Boyle, 954th in 1:31:46; Eric Adams, 1:35:12; Tayla Murdy, 1:36:12; Jenny Belton, 1:38:32; Jane Hodgson, running with husband Andrew, 1:39:33; Neil Gunstone, 1:40:17; teenager Kate Gaffing in her first ever GNR, 1:41:42;  Julie Vermaas, 1:42:29; Laura Mclean, 1:46:43; Gary Mason, 1:47:30; Arjan Piet, 1:53:32 and Clare Walker, just outside the two hour mark in 2:00:34.