Tynebridge 5m, Riverside Parkrun, North East Harrier league information

It's all go in the whippet household at the moment, but the Great British weather is killing off some of our planned sporting activities, which is really frustrating.  I was supposed to be playing for the Tyneside ladies B team on Wednesday, but that was cancelled (cause it was hoying it down), and then Mr T. and I were to be playing in the Woodham GC Mixed open today (Saturday) but that's been cancelled too...Booo!

The jet stream needs to sod off back to above Iceland, so we can have at least one month of sunshine, and make the most of a wee bit of summer.

Still, despite the naff weather, it doesn't stop me getting out and running (thankfully for my own sanity), so I've managed to cram in a few more races!
 

by Flip Owen

Tuesday was the first ever running of the Bridges of the Tyne 5mile - a lovely course taking in the Newcastle Quayside from the law courts, up river to the Newcastle Business park, and then back down, past the Millennium bridge, through to the finish, not far from the Tyne pub.  It was totally flat, aside from a wee rise at two and a half miles, and so would be the fastest 5 miler in the region.  I'd have ran much better if I hadn't have eaten my dinner (lunch for southerners) too late, and felt sick the whole way round.  Aside from the feeling like I was going to hurl bit, I really enjoyed the race, and finished in a not too shabby time of 38:48.  Seeing as I did 38:15 earlier in the year, on the much windier Hartlepool course, I reckon the TBH race will be a damn sight quicker when I do it next year.

Love the piccie Flip managed to get with the Tyne Bridges & Olympic rings in the background - cheers matey :)

Results can be found on the TBH website

Today I've been out for my seventh inaugural parkrun, at Chester-le-Street riverside park.

It's totally flat, very scenic, and thankfully the rain held off, so we didn't all get wet. It's got to be one of the fastest courses in the North East now, apart from a 150m or so on the grass, it's all paths, and judging from the speedy Yared Hagos of Wallsend, good for the quicker and slower runners.  Yared must have been 800m ahead of me at the 800m mark!

We were sharing the park iwith swans, ducks, loads of dogs, other walkers, kids, cyclists etc, bu there was plenty of room for everyone to get around, and with a cafe and toilet facilities, it's like the park was designed specifically for parkrunners!

Great to see Mick 'the machine' Joyce, Malcolm Leece and Davy Mills there to represent Team Jarrow!

 

Position	Name	Time	Age Grade	Club	Total Runs	Age Position
36	Mick JOYCE	20:56	74.68%	Jarrow and Hebburn AC	21	1st V55
41	Malcolm LEECE	21:13	63.39%	Jarrow and Hebburn AC	24	5th M35
66	Vicki THOMPSON	22:59	66.57%	Jarrow and Hebburn AC	35	2nd VW40
83	David MILLS	23:55	61.67%	Jarrow and Hebburn AC	24	5th V50

I'm over the moon with my time - said I was taking it easy, then clocked my fastest time this year!

Full set of results are available on the Riverside parkrun website

Next week is equally as busy - with the final Vet's Track & Field meeting on the Monday: 100m, 3000m, 300m, and and open 400m race.  (I may give the 400m a bash), then the fastest 5k on the calendar at Silksworth, Sunderland on Wednesday.

Harrier League News

Last Monday was the Start Fitness North East Harrier League AGM, at the Angel View Pub in Low Fell.  As I'm the ladies secretary I was in attendance, and here's the pertinent info for the coming season:

League dates for your diary:
Sat 29th Sept - Sherman Cup/Davison Shield, Temple Park (South Shields/Sunderland Strollers)*
Sat 27th Oct - Blyth, East Cramlington Nature Reserve
Sat 17th Nov - Blaydon, Shibdon Pond
Sat 15th Dec - Jarrow & Hebburn, Bedewell Park (Monkton) **
Sat 9th Feb 2013 - Saltwell, Wrekenton
Sat 2nd Mar 2013 - Alnwick, Alnwick Gardens
Sat 23rd Mar 2013 - Tynedale, Prudhoe

Other cross country dates:
Sat 6th Oct - Minors XC - Jarrow
Sat 8th Dec - North Eastern XC Championships - Hartlepool
Sat 26th Jan 2013 - Northern XC Championships - Liverpool
Sat 23rd Feb 2013 - National XC Championships - Herrington Country Park
Sat 16th Mar 2013 - British Masters XC Championships - Herrington Country Park

*Sherman Cup / Davison Shield (date TBC)
For the first time we will have a vets race (ran at the same time as the seniors) for Men aged 40 and above, and ladies over 35. Three vets to count per team. So clubs may enter both vets & seniors teams. (So basically register and run as per normal, but state beforehand if you want to run as a vet or senior)  Athletes will be given finishing positions based on how they finished vs either seniors or vets.  Vets teams will count towards both the Sherman Cup and Davison Shield.

**Bedewell Park is a provisional location for the Jarrow & Hebburn fixture, It may be Temple Park, but we'll let you know asap.

There will be under 11's races at all of the fixtures (inc. Sherman Cup), except for Saltwell (Wrekenton) - so that's 6 of the 7 fixtures :D

We are hoping to run to the normal timetable of events which is as follows:
12.15 Combined Boys & Girls under 11
12.30 Boys under 13
12.35 Girls under 13
12.50 Boys under 15
12.55 Girls under 15
13.15 Senior Men
14.00 Junior men under 17
14:25 Under 17/20 Women & Senior/Veteran Women*


*The times for the U17&20 women race may change to just after the U17 men, we'll keep you informed

New for the 2012-13 Season

The U17 & 20 Women's Race will be limited to around 5k.

Athletes U15 category and above, wearing the wrong number will be automatically disqualified. If you turn up at a fixture and don't know what your number is, ask your team captain, or come to registration.

Following on from this - Replacement numbers are going up to 50p. We ran out of blank numbers last year because so many people lost or forgot their numbers. It's the athlete's responsibility to keep the number for the whole season (7 fixtures including the Sherman Cup).

Photocopied results are now going up to 20p per copy, in line with increasing costs.

Costs of entry are remaining the same:
£50 for the mens and junior boys club team entry (no individual fees)
£50 for the ladies and junior girls club team entry (no individual fees)
£4 per fixture for guests (must be registered with a UKA / SA / EA or international affiliated club - no unattached - sorry)

Cheques for club entries must be received by October at the latest

We'll be sending out lists of last year's NEHL registered athletes to each club, to amend, add to and then send back.  We're hoping to do the majority of this years paperwork electronically, so please let us know who to email if we don't have the correct club secretary on our list already.


Our sponsor Start Fitness would like to extend their league support again this year, and as an added incentive for you folks to get out and run xc (like people need an excuse ;)) they would like to offer a FREE harrier league polo shirt to everyone who participates  in five Harrier League fixtures, compete in the Sherman Cup/Davidson Shield and compete in the North Eastern XC Championships.

Thanks very much for continuing to support the North East Cross Country scene, and I look forward to the season getting underway at the end of September.

This brings me to what is a pretty sad day for the North East too - after 42 years of hosting a Harrier League fixture, Sunderland Harriers now feel that the Farrindon course is too tight to accommodate the vast numbers of folks wishing to take part.  In some ways this is a testament to the success of cross country running in the North East, but a great loss too.  I for one will miss the mad mud slide off the first hill, the twists and turns before the stream, and the 'geet yarkin big' hill in the middle.

I would just like to say a massive thank you to Kevin Carr and all at Sunderland Harriers for hosting a fixture every year since 1970 (the year before I was born!), and would like to pass on the appreciation of everyone who has finished that course covered in mud.

The true spirit of cross country!


Kevin had this to say:
Thanks Vicky for your kind words on the ending of the Sunderland Harriers Farringdon Harrier League. It is nice to see that the difficult decision to bring the event to an end after so many years has not gone unnoticed by yourself and the league. I can remember our first league race in the Barnes Park Extension in Ettrick Grove in 1970 when my father, a joiner, used to make the stakes and I myself, on my own, marked out the course. It was in 1978 that we decided to move to Farringdon and we continued there untill 2011!

If you do want to give the course a go this year, Sunderland Harriers are hosting their open XC relays on the 8th of September.