Alnwick XC Race Report

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Well that’s it for another year. Time to hose down those spikes, grease the threads (stops them getting stuck you see) and put them away until we can do it all over again in about 8 months’ time.

And so it was that beside the River Aln our 2016/17 Cross Country season came to a great end in excellent conditions (the Met Office having got this one horribly wrong thankfully).

A really great turnout from the club saw the men going in to the race with the slimmest of chances of getting promoted although sadly the attempted road block of the A1 (to stop other teams getting to the race) was thwarted and they had to settle for third. Both the men and women must be in with a great chance of promotion next year however.

Special shout outs to Abby Dorani and Aaron Hoyle for both producing storming runs and therefore affording themselves the pleasure of the fast pack next season (Abby is currently using her legal training to see if she can extricate herself from this rule but it looks doubtful). It’s also going to be a promotion to the medium pack for David Stroud next year.

The cakes/sausage rolls/pizza were (as always) calorifically splendid and for those able to attend the evening social there were some additional awards to recognise the various efforts and achievements of club members throughout the season.

Final special mentions to Heidi Findlay for falling over and if anyone has the time to teach Chris Kenyon how to properly tie a shoelace it would be much appreciated.

If you’ve never done cross country hopefully the link to the video below gives you an idea of what you’re missing out on.

Cross Country in 1 minute

2017 Club Championship Races

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2017 Club Championship Races Announced!
Here is the list of races for this years Club Championship. The format is the same as 2016 – your best 1xshort+ 2x medium + 1x long count, scores are age and gender adjusted so it gives us older members a chance! Marathons can count as a (very!) long run. The main change is that the short runs are limited to 9 of the Park Run Challenge events that Paul O’Neil is managing.

 

Any queries email clubchampionship@pontelandrunners.org.uk

Download (PDF, 32KB)

 

Brass Monkey Half Marathon Sun 15th Jan 2017

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So signing up for this race seemed like a good idea at the time, I had been told it was a fast and flat course and definitely had PB potential written all over it, that was until I realised that the middle of January isn’t exactly when you were at your peak for running a half marathon!  Despite this the fact that it was sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale did reassure us that it was a race worth doing!

Race day came around very quick, and true to its name it was certainly “brass” the morning of the race, however not quite the minus 2 degrees it was the previous year as we seemed to be reminded on several occasions.  Race HQ was at York racecourse, with baggage drop, toilet facilities and any last minute drinks and snacks available – all very organised.  We of course arrived with plenty of time in hand and strolled to the start line totally relaxed, and we of coursed definitely did not have a “lovers tiff” because we were so organised, as everyone knows that I don’t like to be organised at all and I am rather laid back when it comes to these things!!!

When we eventually wished each other luck and departed for our individual pens I was amazed at the variety of club vests on show, coming from all over the UK, it was also great to see the North East represented by so many clubs and familiar faces.

Finally we were underway and after the first km we hit the on and only bridge on the whole course, “I must remember that I have to tackle that on the way back” I thought to myself, as well as “Miv told me it was flat!!!”.  The course itself was through some nice little villages and then into the countryside before looping back to York Racecourse.  I little boring in places but bizarrely flat, perfectly flat in fact and Miv was right – it certainly did have PB potential written all over it.  Having got past the half way point pretty comfortably and then hitting 10 miles I realised I was starting to get tired, I had 21 minutes to do 5km, which would bring me under 1:27, something I hadn’t even dreamed of before the race let alone during it!  I of course totally forgot that I had to go back over the bridge, which hurt but it is supposed to right?  I came across the finish line and couldn’t believe my time, and once I had got my breath (and lungs) back, it started to sink in.  Looking at the race picture of me below I am starting to become alarmed at how many times I get pictured looking at my watch, do I just run in that position constantly?

The highlight of the race was to come – having ran 6 half marathons last year, the year after in which she ran her first ever half marathon, Helen crossed the line of her first half marathon of 2017 in 1:59, her first ever sub 2 hour half marathon, something which I know she has been determined to achieve for so long.

So was the Brass Monkey Half marathon worth setting your alarm for 5:50am on a random Sunday morning just to get in?  Of course it was – as Miv said “Fast and flat with PB potential!!

Herrington Park XC – Race Report

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A new race venue – Herrington Park

A race in the mud – what a lark

Lots of runners and New Year banter

Time to run off the excesses of Santa

 

Juniors first – growing in number?

Ladies next – no time to slumber

Great racing ladies – have you heard?

Division 3 – position third

 

Then the men, first race for Andy

Lots of new watches on their handy (groan)

Races done, cakes and a sarnie

This beats revising eh Abby Dorani?

 

 

A few weeks to rest and no need to panic

Thornley Hall Farm then off to Alnwick

With some good turn outs and magic potion

We might just be in with a chance of promotion

Ponteland WheelBarrow Race 1st Jan 2017

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Great to see a big turnout from the Ponteland Runners Ladies for a cold midday run round Ponteland.  It’s a short race of around a mile, but with a slight handicap of pushing your partner in a wheelbarrow.

Too much fun was being had to even begin to know what the results were at the moment. The ladies all seemed to enjoy themselves to the extent that most appear to be planning to race the event again next year.

Best dressed award for Pont Runners goes to Mark Kelly (on left) for a very smart appearance.  Congratulations to James Leiper and his partner for a win in the open race, and to Mark Turnbull and partner for second place.

Will add more detail and photo’s to the race report once available.

The ladies did mention that it wasn’t a great turnout from the men and this needs to be fixed next year…..  Maybe we can tempt Paul O’Neil and John McGargill to add to double park-runs for new year with a jog with a barrow in pont…..

Christmas 5km Handicap Race – Wed 21st Dec 19:00hrs

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A quiet evening on the streets of Darras Hall, well it would have been last night if it wasn’t for a large gaggle of Pont Runners gathered at the end of Runnymede Road awaiting their start times for the annual handicap race.

Although only a 5km, it’s a challenge for all the runners, the first away have to try and stay ahead and the last away are chasing for the whole race….. Watching the “strava flyby” for the event just shows how very bunched it becomes when you handicap everyones time.

Many of the normal “A” group runners headed up Darras Road for a warm-up run, and were surprised when they turned round to head back to the start that Mr O’Neil continued to run on.  He had a plan, to arrive just in time for his start time, which he missed by a few seconds.  Everyone else was on the start line in time and ready to go. The Elf’s took various items of clothing from the competitors and once everyone was gone the elf’s and timers headed over to the finish line on Darras Road.

Now it quickly became apparent that the timers were going to have a hectic few minutes as if things went to plan all the runners would arrive together.  When the runners started to arrive there was a very busy 3 minutes or so taking times. Given that the handicaps set people over almost 18 minutes it worked well to provide an race where everyone had an opportunity to win.

Well done to evreryone who took part, and a big thankyou from everybody to Matty for organising a great club event. Have a great christmas and new year and keep an eye on the facebook page for any updates on run sessions over the christmas period. Some of our normal sessions fall on bank holidays so won’t be taking place.