The Gibside National Trust run estate in autumn must be one of the most beautiful venues for any race in the country – but it comes with a sting in the tale! Any course that has a colour code route map with down sections, up sections and then very up sections gives a clue to how hard a test faces the runners over the 5.9 mile course. 2 Ponteland Runners lined up this year – myself and Dave Legg, and we finished 72nd (43:33) and 143rd (47:32) respectively. The winning time was an unbelievable 35:41 given the hilly nature of the course whilst last of the 413 finishers took 78:32 to finish. Congratulations must go to Blackhill Bounders club for organising such a fabulous race. Any members who fancy a really challenging but rewarding race should definitely include this one in their list of must do races next year.
Author Archives: Jon Parkin
October half-term activity for the kids
Hi to all the Pont Runners
For any of our members who have kids aged 8-15 who like to keep active then this holiday activity at Gateshead Stadium might be of interest. It’s the StarTrack programme which my son has been on before and really enjoyed. Details are in the attached PDF which includes full details of how to enrol if they want to go for it.
Cross country running – the North East Harrier League
As a growing club we are committed to providing our members with opportunities to enjoy running and racing in a variety of forms. Over the winter the opportunities to race on the roads is much reduced compared to the summer and cross country can provide a fun alternative to help keep interest levels high. As long as you have some off-road footwear (either spikes or trail shoes – because it will be muddy!) then you are as ready as any of us to give it a try.
The club is to be represented by both a men’s and women’s team this year and in total 15 members are going to tests themselves against the terrain and elements. The team could always use more runners and if you want to try this type of racing it is not too late to give it a go – you can be registered on the day of a race if need be.
The first race is to be held in just under 3 weeks time in Cramlington (27th October) and an e-mail will be sent to all those registered to find out who is planning to run in the first fixture. Good luck to everyone involved and the website will be updated with results and news as we progress through the season.
Cheers