Ponteland Runners – ParkRun Challenge 2016

New for 2016. This year we will adding another (not too serious) competition for the club, intended to bring members together at local Parkruns. Here is how it will work…..

Points will be awarded for competing at 10 local parkruns in 2016 (see below for list) and are intended to reward participation, absolute performance and improvement. So, there will be points for completing, for where you finish relative to other Ponteland Runners and for Personal Best performances.  The more of them that you do and the better your performances, the more points you will get. There will be separate men’s and women’s competitions and a small prize awarded at the end of the season to the leading man and woman. But better than the prize will be the glory.

Full details are available on the website here. Accessable via the menu’s on the website by selecting Racing->Park Run Challenge.

Sanitas Marca Alicante 10K

Sanitas Marca Alicante 10K – What do you do on a family holiday to Spain at Half Term? Find a race to do, of course. This street race around Alicante was very well organised, with closed roads, a great organisational set up and a decent T-shirt for the €12 entry. Obviously, that meant missing the thrill of dodging the traffic on a drizzly day that you get on a Run Northumberland event but, hey, you can’t have everything.

There weren’t so many in the “veteranos gaggie” category but I was pleased to finish second, just twelve seconds behind the winner and in 104th position overall. I think I was   probably the first Ponteland Runner home (unless you know different) and quite possibly first Brit as well, which presumably qualifies me to represent my country somewhere or other. This race is part of a series run around Spain (there was a 5k as well) and would be another great way to do a club trip to somewhere warm in the North East’s cooler months. Adios. David Buffham.

Ponteland Runners do Druridge.

Prompted by a couple of club members being in the area overnight on the Friday, 12 Ponteland Runners answered the call for a bit of Parkrun tourism and journeyed north to the Druridge Bay version. It is a two lap, mostly flat course around the lake at the Country Park. As with all Parkruns, we were met by a friendly organising crew and a mixture of runners in superhero outfits (adults as well as children), there to celebrate one young lad’s birthday, although probably with less booze than Chris and Matty consumed on Friday as they prepared in their customary professional manner for a big race.  Paul O’Neill was the first club runner home in 11th position in a time of 20.34, swiftly followed by John McGargill, Mark Reynolds and Neil Ward. Top club championship points on the day went to John McGargill, with 73.18 and mention must also go to Nicola Matthews, doing her first Parkrun and therefore adding to her club championship tally. The club are providing almost all the volunteers at Gibside Parkrun next Saturday (20th), so if you fancy a change of venue – and a challenging course – come along to run that one. Further tourism opportunities will follow in the coming weeks.

Great North Run Sunday Sept 7th 2014

Congratulations to the 28 (I think) Ponteland Runners who completed the GNR. They were not the conditions for PBs so if you achieved one please shout about it on this page. To the first timers… It is not always as hot as that, so don’t despair if you didn’t achieve your target time. Next year’s race is two weeks later in September. If you are coming to the AGM tonight the dress code for GNR finishers is full dress uniform race T-shirt) with campaign medals. We might hold the AGM (which won’t interrupt the drinking for long) standing up in case those who ran can’t stand up again after sitting. I think that will include me. David

Costal Run – 20th July 2014

You may be forgiven if you look at the photo and think it’s the start of an open water triathlon but no, it’s the 2014 Coastal Run hosted by Alnwick Harriers. Eleven Pont Runners contested this always fairly gruelling race but what made this year’s renewal so much tougher was the heat. With a later start time than usual, no cloud cover and almost no breeze, it was a challenge from the start and PBs were few and far between. David Stroud was the first club runner home. It was tough for all of us but spare a thought for the man first over the line who was then disqualified for an incomplete race number transfer. Tough. David

Results from Ponteland Runners shown below.