Alnwick Harriers

Harriers! Due to holidays the website won’t be updated for a couple of weeks. But fear not you can still keep up to date with Harriers bits and pieces via our Facebook wall or via our Twitter feed @alnwickharriers.

On a busy weekend for the club the best performance was from Jo GASCOIGNE-OWENS at the Northumberland Coastal Half Marathon on Sunday 13th August. Organised by the North East Marathon Club, the race starts at Alnmouth, heads up to Craster and then back to Alnmouth. Jo was home in 1.32.41 and was 1st finisher overall, a brilliant performance!

Also that day 6 Harriers travelled down to take part in the latest of the 2017 Grand Prix races, the Darlington 10k. First home for us in 42nd place was Richard JOHNSON in 36.10. Just under 2 minutes behind him in a 10k pb was James WILLOUGHBY, whilst John CUTHBERT chipped a brilliant 48 seconds off his previous best at the distance. Neil HAMILTON ran well, as did Phil LEE and our sole female Laura McLEAN. Results:

42-Richard JOHNSON 36.10

78-James WILLOUGHBY 38.07

209-John CUTHBERT 41.50

287-Neil HAMILTON 43.16

688-Phil LEE 50.21

883-Laura McLEAN Jr 53.21

Also that day John ROSS was over in Dublin taking part in their Rock N’Roll Half Marathon. John did well, finishing in 1.55.14.

The day before 10 Harriers were in action at the Gateshead 10k Trail race where Peter GREY ran well to finish 1st of our contingent. Adam SPILLER was next, followed by John CUTHBERT. For the ladies Lisa BASTON was 1st home for us, followed by Sarah CROSS and Mary PLUMLEY. Results:

48-Peter GREY 41.19

118-Adam SPILLER 44.42

257-John CUTHBERT 47.55

258-Lisa BASTON 47.55

329-Dave BARTRUM 49.19

521-Sarah CROSS 52.57

581-Dave COATES 53.57

642-Mary PLUMLEY 55.04

671-Maureen BARTRUM 55.33

705-Laura McLEAN Jr 56.04

In the world of parkrun that morning the fastest time was courtesy of Phil HALL at the Fountains Abbey Parkrun where he finished 7th in 19.13. Son Harris was next in a 5k pb, beating his mum Justine and sister Maddy. Results:

7-Phil HALL 19.13

89-Harris HALL 24.50

92-Justine NORMAN 25.08

103-Maddy HALL 25.45

The Druridge Bay Parkrun celebrated its 3rd birthday that morning with fancy dress costumes and pacers to get runners round in pbs. Despite being a pacer David HINDMARSH was 1st Harrier home and was 1st in the male 55 category. 22 minute pacer David performed his pacing role extremely well finishing in 22 minutes dead! Other highlights included Mel STEER winning the female 45 category, Louise CALLAGHAN winning the female 50 age group and Junior Harrier Alex KNIGHT gaining a pb. Results:

33-David HINDMARSH 22.00

41-Neil HAMILTON 23.05

54-Mel STEER 23.53

63-Louise CALLAGHAN 24.30 (71.97%)

74-Alice TETLEY-PAUL 25.27

104-Ruth DOCTOR 27.12

112-Alex KNIGHT 27.42

116-Jason DAWSON 28.06

160-Jenni WILSON 31.59 (63.37%)

226-Lorna STEPHENSON 41.27

Elsewhere Richard EASTOE was 53rd at Workington in 27.47 and Nell GAIR continued her tour of parkruns down under by completing the Hobart Parkrun in Tasmania in 37.35.

Photos are of Jo GASCOIGNE-OWENS on her way to victory, John ROSS’ bling, some of the Gateshead Trail 10k Harriers, the HALLs and Jenni WILSON at Druridge Bay.

Bookings are now being taken for the last of our 2017 Grand Prix races, the fast and flat Brampton to Carlisle 10 Mile Road Race. The event takes place on Sunday 19th November and as always the club offer reduced entry fees and massively subsidised travel. In fact race entry and transport in a luxury coach is a measly £20 for Harriers!!

Many thanks to John CUTHBERT for setting up the following link where you can book a place on the bus https://www.sportsentrysolutions.com/product_page.php?recordID=200584.

As well as booking a seat on the bus you MUST fill in and sign an entry form which can be found at this link http://www.ukresults.net/forms/171119brampton.pdf. In the past we’ve asked folk to place a completed entry form in an envelope at Willowburn, however some Harriers aren’t happy (understandably) with leaving personal details lying around at Willowburn so please can you sign, scan and email a copy to dockie1974@hotmail.co.uk or send it/post it to Mark DOCTOR, 25 Tyelaw Meadows, Shilbottle, NE66 2JJ. The deadline is Saturday 4th November.

The cross country season is fast approaching Harriers!

We encourage every runner to represent the club in these fun events! Speed and fitness are not important, just the ability to enjoy it! These are team events, so we need as many runners as possible to take part.

The village of Felton is to host its very own 10k trail race in memory of villager and former Alnwick Harrier Anne ALLAN, who sadly lost her battle with Motor Neurone Disease recently.

Anne was a great asset to Alnwick Harriers and shared her passion for running with all who knew her. She would often be seen running through the village of Felton along the banks of the River Coquet on her much loved trails. So what better way to remember Anne than to have an annual event like this in her name!

There will be The Anne Allan Shield, awarded to the first male and female Alnwick Harrier donated by Anne’s husband Phil, along with trophy’s for all category winners donated by Anne’s parents.

On Sunday 3rd September at 13.00 hours, the Anne Allan 10k Coquet Trail Race will set off from Felton War Memorial and wind its way past the village church into the woods of Felton Park. You will inch along the St Oswalds Way hugging the River Coquet with some fast downhill sections, and the odd challenge thrown in for good measure. Our event photographer will be out on the course recording your smiles which will be downloaded onto our Facebook page. You will finish on Felton Bridge and will be given the chance to enjoy some free home made soup and refreshments for all competitors in the Village Hall.

Junior trail races of 1 mile will also be held at 12pm for 8 to 11 year olds and also for 12 to 15 year olds. There will also be the Foxy Trot for the little ones with a fun task of hunting the cheeky fox and finding his name! There’ll be rewards and medals for all Juniors and Tots. Hotdogs and refreshments will be provided for the kids.

Money raised will go towards village outdoor facilities and local projects for all to enjoy.

Further details can be found on the events Facebook page “Anne Allan 10k Coquet Trail” and on the Twitter page “@AA10kCT”. Entries are here https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=3788.

Bookings are now being taken for the bus for this years Great North Run which is being held on Sunday 10th September. Seats are available as always for both Harriers and non Harriers, and you have the option of one way or return travel. The link is below:

https://www.sportsentrysolutions.com/product_page.php?recordID=200567

The bus will leave Willowburn Leisure Centre, Alnwick at 8.30am and go via Felton, before dropping everyone off in good time at the Town Moor. It will then leave Sea Road, South Shields at 3pm on the dot, and drop runners off at Felton and Alnwick.

There are 39 seats available so you’ll have to book a seat asap. Bookings for seats will close on 1st September if there are any left.

We have been invited by our pals at Blyth Running Club to take part in their superb Blyth Links 10k training run and social evening. It takes place on Tuesday 29th August and starts at 7.15pm. The route starts in the Links Car Park at South Beach, Blyth and goes along the cliff tops to Seaton Sluice and back.

Registration is at the Dave Stephens Building at the Links Car Park, South Beach, Blyth, NE24 3PL. There is no entry fee, just turn up, collect a number and run! Remember to wear your vests.

Afterwards there is a free buffet and raffle at The Quay pub in Blyth (NE24 2AP). There will be a voluntary collection for charity.

This is always a great night so come along and take part!

6 Harriers tackled the Powburn Show Fell Race on Saturday 5th August, a 3.8 mile race with 470 feet of ascent. Of the 69 starters we had 3 inside the top 10, and there were top runs by Junior Harriers Ben and Max MURRAY JOHN. 1st finisher for us and in 3rd place was Graham SIMPSON, about a minute behind the race winner. Dan LENG and Ross WILSON had a great battle and finished a few seconds apart in 7th and 8th, whilst Adam FLETCHER was 1 second ahead of 11 year old Max in 18th. Max won the 2nd Junior prize and finished a couple of minutes ahead of brother Ben. Results:

3-Graham SIMPSON 25.40

7-Dan LENG 27.03

8-Ross WILSON 27.07

18-Adam FLETCHER 28.23

19-Max MURRAY JOHN 28.24

29-Ben MURRAY JOHN 30.35

Earlier that day Carole PAGE continued her impressive form at the Druridge Bay Parkrun. Carole was 1st female finisher yet again in 21.11 to finish 21st overall. Just over a minute behind Carole and 2nd female was Lisa ATHEY, whilst Mel STEER completed the treble as she was 3rd female home! For the men James WILLOUGHBY scored his 2nd personal best in a few days. For the first time he dipped below 19 minutes to finish 10th in 18.57, 4 days after achieving a 10k pb at the Morpeth 10k. Neil HAMILTON was our 2nd male home and Junior Harris HALL also achieved a pb! Finally well done to Alex REED for her fine run.

Results:

10-James WILLOUGHBY 18.57 (68.60%)

21-Carole PAGE 21.11 (86.62%)

33-Neil HAMILTON 21.56 (62.23%)

38-Lisa ATHEY 22.32 (67.46%)

61-Mel STEER 24.07 (68.69%)

75-Harris HALL 24.58 (63.22%)

78-Justine NORMAN 25.02 (64.05%)

146-Alex REED 29.09

174-Eileen GUTHRIE 31.06 (56.00%)

190-Mark HUME 32.54 (54.96%)

192-Conrad STEWART 32.59

200-Alice TETLEY-PAUL 33.43

Also that day David HINDMARSH finished the Finsbury Parkrun in North London in 37th place, coming home in 21.18. Tony ROSKILLY was round at Newcastle in 24.57 and Richard EASTOE was at Workington where he finished in 24.25. Another great Junior performance came at St Albans where Ollie TELFER was 23rd in a 5k pb of 20.06. Brother Finlay was back in 34.03.

Photos are of Ben and Max MURRAY JOHN at Powburn and Harris/Justine HALL and Neil HAMILTON at Druridge Bay.

The Morpeth 10k saw some great performances and high WAVA scores on the night, particularly from Carole PAGE who achieved an 87.77% score! However out in front, though not by much, is David HINDMARSH. Richard JOHNSON has leapt up from 7th to 2nd, demoting Dominic HARRIS to 3rd. Conrad STEWART and Tim FALCONER both drop down a place, though remain just ahead of the 1st female in the list Laura McLEAN Jr. 5 of the remaining 6 in the trophy winning places are the same as after the Blaydon Race, though Mark DOCTOR has burst into top 12 from 17th to 8th! There are plenty of people just outside the top 12 who are looking dangerous (not in a violent kind of way) and there are plenty of events still left this year, starting with the Darlington 10k on Sunday 13th August. All the rules and races can be found in the Grand Prix section of the website. Latest standings courtesy of John ROSS are here:

Alnwick Harriers Grand Prix 2017 after Morpeth 10k

4th placed Conrad STEWART is pictured above.

Morpeth Harriers hosted their annual 10k road race on Tuesday 1st August, a 2 lap course around quiet road at Tranwell which was held in excellent conditions for fast times. This was probably one of the best overall team performances in recent years for Alnwick Harriers with 2 top 10 finishers, several more just outside the top 10, a 3rd place in the ladies race, an age category win and a plethora of 10k pbs!First home for us in a brilliant 34.10 was David MILNE. This time was 4 seconds faster than his Les Allcorn 10k performance in May and saw him finish 4th overall. Also in the top 10, after his great runs recently at the Northumberland Coastal Run and the Druridge Bay Parkrun, was Dan TURNBULL. Dan clocked 34.58 to finish 9th, not far ahead of 11th placed Dan LENG. Richard JOHNSON put in a solid run, whilst James WILLOUGHBY and Allan FOGGON continue to improve, both running excellently on the night. Mark DOUGLAS ran a surprisingly fast time, by his own admission, whilst Peter McEWAN and Ian HORSLEY had a great battle and finished 2 seconds apart. It was great to see Cris ATWELL back in 10k action as well!

For our ladies Jo GASCOIGNE-OWENS was 3rd female finisher in 39.51, exactly 3 minutes ahead of our 2nd finisher Carole PAGE. Druridge Bay Parkrun legend Carole took home the female 55 category prize and was just under a minute ahead of Suzie BARWISE-MUNRO who made a rare but welcome appearance in a Harriers vest! Well done to Alice TETLEY-PAUL who ran a 10k pb! Results:

4-David MILNE 34.10

9-Dan TURNBULL 34.58

11-Dan LENG 35.18

21-Richard JOHNSON 37.06

33-James WILLOUGHBY 38.16

42-Allan FOGGON 39.11

50-Jo GASCOIGNE-OWENS 39.51

72-Mark DOUGLAS 41.53

87-John CUTHBERT 42.38

90-Carole PAGE 42.51

93-Peter McEWAN 43.05

96-Ian HORSLEY 43.07

101-Suzie BARWISE-MUNRO 43.39

105-Neil HAMILTON 43.55

111-Mark DOCTOR 44.14

126-Stuart MORRIS 45.29

129-Steve STUDLEY 45.45

142-Alice TETLEY-PAUL 46.33

147-Angie EMBLETON 46.59

169-Cris ATWELL 48.27

182-Conrad STEWART 49.44

205-Phil LEE 52.04

212-Tracey SAMPLE 53.22

225-Helen DICKINSON 55.21

Photos are of David MILNE, Suzie BARWISE-MUNRO, Helen DICKINSON and Ian HORSLEY. Grand Prix standings courtesy of John ROSS are to follow………