We will be hosting our annual open evening on Wednesday 9th April 2025 at 7pm at Ponteland Leisure Centre car park. If you are interested in joining our club to meet new people and improve your fitness, just turn up, as there is no better time!
This will also be the start of our annual 10 week programme which will end on Wednesday 11th June by running our very own 5km with the rest of the club. We’ll then follow this with a celebration of your achievement. We also hope you’ll join us in further run sessions and races as you will be a Ponteland Runner!
The programme is fully supported by experienced UK Athletics Run Leaders and will involve a weekly session with our leaders on a Wednesday evening at 7pm.
If you are interested please sign up via our membership form.
We meet at 7pm in Ponteland Leisure centre car park.
Couch to 5k Questions: I can’t run at the moment, how will I be able to join your weekly session? The programme is designed to start with walking, gradually building up to 5km after the 10 weeks.
What’s involved each week? You should be aiming to do three sessions a week, so two additional sessions from our weekly Wednesday evening.
How long are the sessions each week? We meet for up to 60 mins each Wednesday.
What if I can’t make every session in the 10 weeks? That’s absolutely fine if you can’t make all 10 sessions, please speak to our leaders when signing up to let us know.
For further details please contact us via our Facebook page or by email running@pontelandrunners.org.uk
Yep, you’ve guessed already, I’ve been to Italy for yet another run. Back to Lake Maggiore again but this time doing the 10k with my son, Tom, our first race together. The races consisted of 10k/21k/33k and 42k – a smorgasbord of distances for everyone!
Flying out to Milan Bergamo first thing on Saturday morning, we headed for the bus that would take us to Milan Centrale train station for the train to Arona. Here we crossed the street from the station to the Expo and picked up our bib and race shirt, which is actually a good one this time! It was raining and quite cool, but the forecast was for sun and fine conditions for the race the next day so we hoped for the best. Then it was back on the train again north to Stresa where we’d booked a funky air bnb at the upper end of this quaint village.
That evening the heavens opened and it rained very heavily, but we woke up the following morning to beautiful sunny skies and ideal running conditions. I have been here twice before and been very lucky with the weather and this time it was once again perfect. Again, back on the train north for a couple of stops and then a short walk to the start line of the 10k. This is the last 10k of the marathon so as we joined other runners we knew they were on the full marathon course to the finish at Verbania.
The course takes you north along the western shore of the lake to the village of Verbania. Not a long course I grant you, but it is a very scenic – quite flat, picturesque villages to run through and the lake constantly on your right-hand side with stunning views. With the right weather and running with Tom, it was just perfect and I was on a massive high. Having discussed whether we would run together or separately, and not actually reaching a firm plan on either, we ended up running very close together for most of the way and we finished across the line together which was great. Considering this was Tom’s first race and first time he’s run 10k, he did brilliantly, even if he complained of sore feet and tight calfs at the finish! Mind you, so did I ha ha!!
And so there you have it. My third time to that area and I will be back. I feel very at home when I go there, and keen next time to explore nearby Lake Orta and hike a few trails and do a little trail running too. If only I had more time…well, we’ll have to see about that and what I can fit in. I’ll keep you posted.
Thank you to everyone who came along to our AGM at the Ponteland Social Club on 28th Jun 2023.
As with recent years, the AGM followed our Summer club handicap which was a huge success with our largest ever number of finishers (80!)…well done to all and big thanks to Matty and the volunteers for making it possible.
At the AGM, we reflected on yet another successful year, individual and team successes, and welcomed new members who have joined us over the last 12 months. Highlights included: cross country, relays, Parkrun Championship, Club Championship, people smashing personal goals, Go Tri’s, Junior Aquathlon, British Triathlon Awards, and many more.
Our Treasurer gave an overview of the accounts, showing a prudent but healthy financial position, allowing us to invest funds in ensuring members can continue taking part in running, tri, and social activities in the year ahead.
We paid thanks to the many club members who have given their time and support through volunteering and encouraging fellow club members over the year, none of this would be possible without them. We also paid special thanks to Chris and Elaine who stepped down as Run Coordinator and Tri Coordinator respectively – both have paid an incredible service to the club and we are extremely grateful for all of their input and leadership over the years.
The club warmly welcomed Sarah and David as our new Tri Coordinator and Run Coordinator – elected unopposed. We look forward to welcoming them onto the Committee.
It was great to see so many old and new faces there and we’re excited for the year ahead!
We will be hosting our annual open evening on Wednesday 19th April 2023 at 7pm. You will find us at Ponteland Leisure Centre car park.
If you are interested in joining our club to meet new people and improve your fitness there is no better time! We have groups available for a wide variety of paces and we will be holding beginners sessions, so there is something for everyone.
We will be hosting a 10 week couch to 5k course starting Wednesday 26th April at 7pm.
This course is aimed at those who aren’t yet able to run 5k but who would like to build up to it as part of a supportive, sociable, and fun environment led by our lovely leaders 😊
The course will culminate in the club 5km handicap on the 28th June.
Start: 26th April, 7pm, Ponteland Leisure Centre. Duration: 1 led session per week over 10 weeks – you will be asked to commit to running at least 1 session on your own each week outside of the led session. Requirements: you should be new to running and not yet able to run 5k. How to sign up: You will be asked to sign up as a member of the running club (£20 which will cover access to the club and club activities for a whole year). You can sign up to the club here. Once you have signed up we will provide you with a link to join the couch to 5k run sessions.
So, I had a few days holiday to use up before the end of the year and, with nothing much planned this side of Christmas, what else was there to do but look for another little trip away? After a quick search I found a cracking little half marathon along the shores of Lake Maggiore, north of Milan. With direct flights with Ryanair to Milan (also known as Bergamo which is 30 miles away!) and good bus and train links to get around, everything was booked and I was excited to get going.
Having left Newcastle at 07:15 on the Friday morning, it was fantastic to be eating ice cream in front of Milan cathedral by 1pm, in the sunshine and looking forward to doing a bit of sight-seeing before getting on the train to the lake the next day. The weather was great – not hot, but clear blue skies and sun which was enough to keep it mild and enjoyable just pottering around and thinking about the race.
Although there is a parkrun in Milan, I decided to give this a miss and rest the legs a bit. A lazy breakfast of coffee and croissants was the perfect start for me and I was soon on my way to catch the train north for the half hour or so trip to the race start point and Expo at Arona, at the southern end of the lake. The expo was pretty low key with different bib collection zones for the different races – 10km/21km/33km/42km, and the usual clothing and shoe stalls and race t shirt collection. Nice spot though on the lake and once I’d got my bib and shirt, I was on the train again north following the shore-line and race route to Stresa where I was staying. This is where the half marathon finishes. The full marathon continues beyond Stresa to Verbania.
Race day came and I got the train back down to Arona in plenty of time for the 9:05 start. I say plenty of time but I faffed on in my warm up and messed up so much that I actually missed the start! In the end I was practically the last person to cross the start line! But that was fine, I set off steady and gradually caught the main group of runners. The route headed south first for a few kms before turning round and heading back through Arona and then north alongside the western edge of the lake towards Stresa.
Conditions were perfect – blue sky and sun again, mild conditions and the vibe amongst the runners was great. Not many fun runners in tutu’s though but I got chatting to some randomers – a Brit from Liverpool and a couple of Italians who were interested to see some Brits making the trip. The route was very flat, only some slight inclines which weren’t that noticeable really so I’d say this was a very flat and fast course. I did slow from time to time to take a few photos along the way as the scenery right by the lake with mountains beyond and picturesque villages to run though was stunning. Maintaining a steady pace throughout, I finished in 1:54 and feeling fine really so I was pleased with how I got on.
After some lunch I had some free time for a little boat trip to an island in the lake, and a leisurely evening before catching the train back to Milan and bus to the airport on the Monday.
The half was a fab race, but with 10km, 33km and 42km races too, this would make a good club trip with something for everyone. It’s very accessible from Newcastle with short flight times, not too expensive and a parkrun option too for those who want to get up early! With such good transport links and close proximity to Milan, you could easily base yourself the entire time in Milan and just travel up and back on race day. It’s an event they also do in May if you’re interested!
Anyway, I got back to work and it turns out I have a few more days annual leave remaining which I can carry forward. I don’t have that much planned in the New Year, but then again…! Ciao
