Below is the race report from Kathryn Lawson after a windy outing yesterday…..

Run Northumberland ‘Big 10’ – 10 mile road race starting and finishing at Kirkley Hall.

Having convinced Nicola Matthews to sign up with me for the Big 10 just a few weeks ago, we arrived at Kirkley Hall and were greeted by battering winds, rain, hail stones and a bitterly cold temperature. Great!

‘This is all your fault!!!’ Nicola said as we walked to the start line. We told ourselves how pleased we’d be at the end and that the t shirt would definitely be worth it.  We spotted fellow club member Miv Chahal in the crowd at the start line and wished each other luck. The gun sounded and off we went, out through the grounds of Kirkley Hall and into the countryside.

The first couple of miles quickly went by and a tough climb in the 4th mile lead us into Whalton. The cold, rain and wind hadn’t bothered me too much until we passed through Whalton and then the wind seemed to really pick up. The strong head winds were relentless for the next two miles and I was very relieved when the route finally changed direction. At the 7 mile marker the route once again changed direction and this time the wind was right behind me, just what I needed at this point! With the thought of less than a parkrun to go, the last 3 miles didn’t seem quite as difficult as the earlier miles and soon enough I saw Nicola cheering me on at the finish line.

Just as predicted, we certainly were very pleased once it was all over and we easily managed a smile for the photo. Unfortunately we didn’t see Miv at the end to get a full team photo, he was probably already home and eating his lunch before Nicola and I arrived back at Kirkley Hall.

Chip time results were as follows: Miv Chahal 01:20:59; Nicola Matthews 01:36:57 and Kathryn Lawson 01:41:44.

It was a challenging race but the scenic views and sense of achievement at the end made it all worth it, definitely one for the race diary next year. The only real mishap of the day was Nicola being mistakenly announced as the second placed female, maybe next time Nicola!