START FITNESS NORTH EASTERN HARRIER LEAGUE (5)

Our Senior Womens squad at Thornley Hall Farm (Photo courtesy of Peter Scaife)

In total contrast to the previous weeks icy and snowy conditions, athletes competing in Saturday’s fifth and penultimate Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League fixture, held at Thornley Hall Farm, near Peterlee in County Durham, faced very little more than a strong prevailing wind to affect their days performance.

Even the severely undulating farmland proved remarkably firm and dry in places, which in previous encounters on the course, have presented tough, muddy and extremely heavy conditions, which many runners found difficult to master, however on Saturday, those who took part were quite pleased with their 2019 experience.

Running from the Fast Pack, Morpeth’s Emma Holt posted the fastest time of the day in the two lap Senior Women’s event, which firmly puts her in poll position in the Harrier League Grand Prix rankings.

She finished in fifth place, just a mere six seconds ahead of second fastest
Danielle Smythe of Heaton Harriers, who was one place behind.

Emma led her club home to a close third place behind Elvet Striders and Gateshead Harriers in Division 1
on the day, with further excellent team support coming from Catriona MacDonald (8th) (Fast Pack) (3rd Fastest), Lucy Fenwick (16th) (Slow Pack), and Jane Briggs (62nd) (Medium Pack).

With one fixture remaining, this result leaves the Morpeth Senior Women in second place cumulatively, six points adrift of leaders Gateshead Harriers in Division 1, and a mere point ahead of third placed Heaton Harriers.

Other Morpeth performances in the Senior Women’s event, which had a total of 296 finishers,
​came from Alison Brown (88th) (Fast Pack), Sue Smith (90th) (Slow Pack),
Jill Bennett (119th) (Medium Pack), Jane Kirby (151st) (Slow Pack),
Claire Calverley (204th) (Medium Pack), and Margaret MacDonald (262nd) (Slow Pack).

Complete Results

Emma Holt in action at Thornley Hall Farm (Photo courtesy of Stuart Whitman)