Alnwick Harriers

35 Harriers have taken the opportunity of the early January parkruns to get their name on the 2020 Grand Prix table.

Below are the rankings.

Coming up in February there are 3 chances to boost your position:

Druridge Bay or The Pastures parkruns on the 1st Feb

The fast and flat Newcastle Valentines 5K on the 16th Feb

Or the Duergar Night Trail on the 29th Feb

Six ladies travelled to Temple Park, South Shields to take part in the first cross country of 2020.
On a bright, blustery January afternoon they tackled the mud and hills to finish in a creditable tenth team position out of 35 teams.
Results as follows:
82 Lisa Baston 29.22
90 Karen Kelly 29.46
94 Jo Powell 29.57
115 Diana Weightman 30.50
225 Jen Knight 33.51
297 Linda Patterson 38.11

Race report by the ladies team 😁

To all Alnwick Harrier members please keep an eye on your email accounts over the next week as a code will be issued directly to you to register with  www.resultsbase.net  for our annual Coastal Run 2020 on the 19th July 2020

Please note that this code is only for Alnwick Harrier members and is monitored, so please do not pass it to anyone else.

Any queries please get in touch with Laura McLean at ahcoastalrun2019@gmail.com

Report by Sue Skirrow

To commemorate 25 years since Alnwick hosted the first European XC championships, on Saturday Alnwick Harriers had the honour of hosting the 114^th NECAA XC Championships. The spectacular venue presented some challenging hills and runners had to battle a brutal wind for the first kilometre of the 4K lap.

The distance for the senior women’s race was 8K and Alnwick had nine senior women competing over the two laps. Jo Powell was first home for the club, with Diana Weightman a few places behind. Competing in her first cross country for the club, Ellie Hulbert had a fabulous run to be Alnwick’s third team counter and Caro Fentiman finished just ahead of Justine Norman to be Alnwick’s fourth counter, with Emma McGee seventeen places back. Also competing in her first ever cross country for the club, Karen Leeson had a strong run finishing closely with Sue Skirrow and Linda Patterson.

Boosted by home support, Alnwick’s women finished twentieth out of thirty seven teams, two places up on last year.

Alnwick Harriers next cross country event is the Sherman Cup at Temple Park on Saturday 4^th January.

Results:- 68 Jo Powell 41:33; 77 Diana Weightman 42:23; 118 Ellie Hulbert 46:41; 121 Caro Fentiman 46:58; 122 Justine Norman 47:02; 139 Emma McGee 48:12; 164 Sue Skirrow 54:17; 165 Linda Patterson 54:35; 166 Karen Leeson 54:41

(175 finishers)

Report by Bruce Crombie (Where he manages to shoehorn a mention of his Chevy Chase victory into the Report)

Well it’s been 25 years since Alnwick last had the privilege of hosting the county’s  showcase xc and since we want to get it back here a bit quicker next time, we knew we had to make a good job of it. So the powers that be turned to coach to the stars Geoff Campbell and made him clerk of course.
To us lads lads lads he is Mr Alnwick Harriers. Since I’ve known him he’s put his coaching before his own running and brought through some great young talented runners, worked with some top athletes and even took a raw, mediocre but really good looking fell runner and turned him into a Chevy Champion.
(No not by getting all the decent runners not to enter that year before you say it.)
Of course he had a fantastic team helping and the whole lot of them should be very proud of the event they put on.
Well done Alnwick Harriers.
I was summoned to Mrs Weightman’s office at 10.15 and I didn’t dare be late.
I stood trembling as she gave us our marshalling duties. Luckily enough she gave me a job not even I could muck up.
I turned away thinking I had been dismissed, then she let out a blood curdling cry of “CROMBIE!”, called me back in and chastised me for not paying attention and talking in class.
Through tears I said “sorry Mrs Weightman “ and left with 100 lines.
Now to the race. A quick mention to the juniors, good turnout by the young uns with the u15 girls winning and Millie taking an individual 3rd place. Well done everyone.
The whole event was running very smoothly with Geoff and Ross Wilson patrolling the pastures on their quad bikes like David Hasselhoff and the cop patrolled Venice Beach in Baywatch- I imagine.
The course was in great condition. Geoff had lengthened it slightly with a particularly tough hill section half way round and a downright annoying bit being added just when you thought you were on your way in.
Graham Simpson was first home for us (68), fantastic run considering running has taken a back seat for Simmo lately as he welcomed the birth of his wife’s 2nd child into the family home.
Big congratulations to him and his wife..
I was next (75)
Phil Hall and Graham Syers had a real tussle with the big man edging out the young doctor by a couple places (94/96).
Adam Fletcher had just turned vet 40 the last time we hosted the championships and he rolled back the years to finish in 105th place.
After a good start Mike Telfer struggled with stomach pains and was just happy to finish without “doing a Radcliffe” or having an accident (133)
We had a few call offs due to injury or illness but considering we didn’t have a team or a tent last year I’m very happy, also the lads did their bit and marshalled as well.
Massive congratulations to Carl Avery on his first win of this event. Top runner and a top top lad.
Next we have The Sherminator cup just into the new year- see you all at a Temple Park.

Tonight after our Christmas Parlauf we celebrated the presentation of our annual club awards.

Most improved Male

V70 George William is a prolific competitor and he reduced his park run time from 28:42 to 25:45 and 10K time down from 1:01.50 (2018 Wallington 10K) to 54:34. He has appeared in the Alnwick vest all year and is proof that life begins at 70

Male Achievement

John Ross for completing his 200th Half Marathon at the Rock n Roll HM in Liverpool in May. John has run in all but three GNRs with a PB of 1.25. His journey has taken him around the world from Copenhagen to Lanzarote and from Haltwhistle to Spadedam

Most improved female

Lisa Baston has had a tremendous season and has worked hard all year. She is a real inspiration on a Wednesday night. She has earned pbs at most distances including at 10k and at the GNR where she recorded a 4 minute PB. culminating in her fine performance at the Yorkshire marathon with a fine 3.37

Female achievement

V60  Bridget Peberty was 1st in her age category, 10th female, 22nd finisher (total 67 finishers) at the Trail Outlaws Saint Cuthbert’s Way Ultra, running the 45 miles in 12:14:46 in what were absolutely horrendous weather conditions on the day with eleven runners having to pull out and many not making the start line.

Athlete of the Year

Diana Weightman – Diana has achieved some memorable age graded scores this year and represents the Club superbly. Her Grand Prix victory, clinched with a superb run at the Run Northumberland 10 Miler, capped a great season. She never bothers with her times but just races people around her and always gives it all. Her parkrun time this year as a v55 is faster than that of 7 years ago as a v45. She also won her age category at the George Ogle, the Bridges of the Tyne 5 Miler and at the Kielder 10k – all three being high quality prestigious races.

A call to arms from our men’s XC Captain, Bruce Crombie

Northern and National xc Champs.

The Northerns take place on the 25th January 2020 at Camp Hill Estate, Kirklington, Bedale.
The Nationals take place on the 22nd February 2020 at Wollaton Park,Nottingham.
Any lads lads lads wanting to do these, please note that they are both stand alone events. You must let me (Bruce) know by the 10th January by emailing me at brucecrombie1972@gmail.com if you want to be registered.

A big commitment I know, but Dave, Stevie and I did the Northerns and I did the Nationals last year and it was great to see so many great top top athletes including our own Carl Avery battling it out. Well I didn’t actually see as I was about 3 miles back but I’m sure it would have been great.

Report on Saturday’s Races by Bruce Crombie & Sue Skirrow

Due to weather related parking issues, this was only the second Harrier League fixture of the season. With ample parking at County Hall, only the course could get this fixture put off. After running yesterday I now think they’d only cancel it if their were 10 foot snow drifts or a bomb hit the course, which is probably how Aykley Heads looks this morning.

It’s been roughly 9 months since the Turkey Baster was used for less traditional methods in the Simpson household, so Graham was housebound waiting for the birth of their second child.

We arrived to find what was less of an athletes village and more a refugee camp:
Kids crying looking squalid and dirty, misplaced adults with heads down just looking for a better life or at least the rain to stop.
It has to be said the course was relentless with mud everywhere and huge kudos to anyone who attempted it.

The lads lads lads did brilliantly though finishing top of the Division 2 teams on the day.

Ross Wilson, who I imagine looking like a cross between a marauding Viking and a male model, gleefully gliding over the mud to finish a fantastic 27th closely followed by the ever reliable Steve  Carragher. Both move up a pack.
Big Dave next, outstanding performance to put his yellow brolly down long enough to finish 53rd with the 13th quickest time of the day. As they say up that way cushty, barry,  chugh! (Berwick is a strange place!)

Next was Tom Harper, well done young un, putting a shift in for his new club. Then it was my running hero, Adam Fletcher who surfs in the morning, turns up, does race, goes home! And he’s been doing it for years. He is surely only a haircut away from being Alnwick’s poster boy. Mike Telfer was our sixth last counter. Considering he’d been there all day with the juniors, that was a great run.

Onto the rest of us. I have always said the non-counters on the day are as important as the counters and now I no longer count, they are even more important. Big Phil Hall left me for dead then the fantastic young runners Ben and Max Murray Johns “dad”; Rob.

Last in was another new lad Mark Barr who we thought had hopped on the back of a lorry to Dover, but had actually ran as back marker and was good enough to bring the tape in at the end. Honestly though great to see you Mark.
Must mention Paul Dellbridge. Dell boy had to pull out through injury on the last lap – I hope it’s nothing serious.
Unreal team effort from EVERYONE connected to Alnwick Harriers and big shout out to the marshals, other club runners and organisers, top top job in horrible conditions.

Onto the North Easterns!

Alnwick’s senior women had a good turnout on Saturday at the North Eastern Harrier league at Aykley Heads, despite many of the cross country regulars opting to save themselves for the deciding 10 mile grand prix race at Kirkley the following day.

Aykley Heads is widely acknowledged as one of the more challenging of the north east cross country venues and the horrendous weather made course conditions particularly difficult. With eight junior races having been run before the senior women’s race, the course had been well churned up, making for some tricky technical descents through the mud and boggy, energy sapping climbs. In her first cross country season, Emma Givens continued her recent strong form to be first home for Alnwick. In her first race of the season, Emma McGhee was second counter, backed up by Justine Norman and Tania Conway.

Credit is due to everybody that braved the conditions to run and thanks to all of the superb officials and marshalls who endured the rain throughout the day, ensuring that this harrier league fixture went ahead.

159 Emma Givens 41:14; 190 Emma McGhee 42:12; 218 Justine Norman 43:04; 251 Tania Conway; 258 Ruth Doctor 45:12; 269 Jennifer Knight 46:06; 270 Rachel Heeley 46:07; 332 Susan Skirrow 49:57; 342 Linda Patterson 51:40

Alnwick Harriers Grand Prix 2019v25 (1)