Elswick News Archive 2005

DECEMBER NEWS UPDATE

Norman Woodcock Memorial Road Race
The clubs annual Norman Woodcock Memorial Road Race took place in High Gosforth Park on a very wet December 3rd. Elswick were once again indebted to WARBURTONS The Bakers for their sponsorship of the event for the second year running. Thanks also to ASDA for providing a large quantity of bread buns for the refreshments after the race. Although the club members turned out in large numbers to marshall and provide help in other ways we still provided the winners in both the Mens and Women’s race. RYAN McLEOD emulated his father by winning in a time of 30:34 from Stewy Bell of Chester Le Street with STEVEN HORN 3rd. in 30:53. With MARK McLEOD gaining 10th.spot Elswick easily won the Team prize. Paul Dixon was 3rd.O/45 in 34:46. It was particularly good to see JUDITH NUTT claim victory in the Women’s Race in 36:47 from Lisa Walker of Wallsend Harriers. For many years Judith has helped out at the event so her win was well deserved.
PAUL DODD was 23rd-34:52, DAVE ARMSTRONG was 31st-36:16, PHIL LEAF-66th-41:28, MIKE RUSSELL-73rd-42:09, CHRISTINE LEE-96th-44:27,with SUSAN WILSON-131ST in 49:47.

Since the event I have received some E-Mails congratulating the club on an extremely well organised event, for which a very big thank you must go to all our members.

100th North Eastern Counties A.A. Cross Country Championships
The 100th.North Eastern Counties A.A.Cross Country Championships were held at Bishop Auckland College in near perfect weather conditions. The highlight of the day for the club was the Bronze winning run of ASHLEY GIBSON in the Under 20 Women’s Race over 5k. Ashley had a real go and thoroughly deserved her 3rd.placing in a time of 18:55. Mention also to KATE WHITE in finishing 22nd. In 22:56.In the U/15 Boys race ADAM SOUTHERN placed 24th in 15:08 with BEN PEARSON 29th in 15:35 over the 4k course. The U/17 Men’s Championship over 6k saw a great effort from JONNY PEARSON who narrowly failed to gain a medal finishing in 4th place in 21:34. JUDITH NUTT finished 10th in the Senior Women’s Race over 8k recording 32:07. In the Senior Means Championship MARK McLEOD was 25th in 44:00 over the tough 12k.course. Other finishers from the club were ALAN THOMPSON-42nd, JIM BELL –51st, PAUL DIXON-61st, KEVIN STEPHENSON-77th, MARK KETLEY-124th TOM HANSON-155th with MIKE RUSSELL 192nd, enabling Elswick to finish 8th team.

All finishers received a memento of the occasion and all previous winners of the race were invited, and it was a delight to meet BILL BOAK the 7 time winner of the event in the 1950’s, still looking fit at the age of 79. On behalf of the club I would like to pay tribute to George Ogle – secretary for the event for the past 18years for all his hard work in organising a very well run Championships. I know he will be a hard act to follow!

Saltwell Road Races
The Saltwell Road Races took place in Saltwell Park on Sunday 18th December with the club once again performing well. In the Senior Means 10k Race Elswick won the Team Race with RYAN McLEOD-3RD-33:11, STEVEN HORN-4th-33:21, and MARK McLEOD 12TH in a P.B. of 34:33. The Vets were in 3rd.place through JIM BELL-35:48, PAUL DIXON-36:45, and ANDEW HARTLEY-39:14. The women’s team of JUDITH NUTT-37:14,VANESSA BUTLER-44:08, and ANDREA BANNER-44:43 were easy winners of the team prize. Judith also recorded a P. B. over 10k.
Other finishers in the field were PAUL DODD-62nd, MARK KETLEY-72nd, ROB WILSON-73rd, TOM HANSON-76th, NORMAN ARMSTRONG was 124th, NEIL IRVINE-171st with ASHLEY ROBSON –225th.
Another winner on the day was JONNY PEARSON who had a fine victory in the U/17 Mens 5k Race in 14:32. It was good to see the 2nd and 3rd.placings in the U/15 Boys Race with ADAM SOUTHERN and BEN PEARSON finishing in times of 8:57 and 9:04 over the 2.5k course. Now last but certainly not least CARL SLACK ran really well in the U/13 Boys Race over 2.5k to finish 6th in a time of 10:13. WELL DONE CARL!

...AND FINALLY
The last event of the year at the club was the annual Boxing Day Parlaufs. In spite of the weather the turn out from members was excellent with a total of 11 teams taking part. It was nice to see Justine Heslop once again with Jan and Ken. The luck of the draw plays a large part in the Parlaufs and when Jonny Pearson and Michael Donnelly Jnr. were drawn together it was always going to be difficult for the other teams, but they were given a good work out by the brothers Greenwell, with Dave Armstrong and Mark McLeod finishing third. After drying off there was a good turn out for the Quiz and Buffet in the bar upstairs. The mystery team of Sunderland A.F.C. (THE CHAMPIONS!) were overall winners - they should be done under the trade descriptions act!!
All in all a good morning after the Christmas excesses with numbers up on previous years. Thanks go to everyone who helped out with the food and organisation, and to the generous donations for the prizes.
As this is the final news date of 2005 - good fortune to all at Elswick in 2006, and may you all achieve your personal bests.

Back to News Page

NOVEMBER NEWS UPDATE

Gibside Trail race
The popular Gibside Trail race took place on Sunday 6th. November on the Gibside Estate with eight members taking part out of 466 Finishers. First home for the club was DAVE ARMSTRONG in 32nd place –46:55 for the 7 milish course. Other Elswick finishers were ANDREW HARTLEY-63rd, VANESSA BUTLER-150th, ALAN LATTIMER-245th, DAVID REAY-290th, TONY PRINCE-330th, JOANNE BOTHAM-395th, and DAVID BREWIS-452nd.

Heaton Memorial 10k Road Race
The Heaton Memorial 10k Road Race was held on the Town Moor on Remembrance Sunday and as ever the 2 minutes silence before the race was impeccably observed. The event was a triumph for STEVEN HORN who thoroughly deserved his first victory on the roads by easily winning in a time of 32:40. Steve used his superior Track speed to sprint ahead with 600 metres to go to win by 10 seconds from David Kirkland of Alnwick Harriers.
Elswick also took the second Team prize behind Durham University. Out of a field of 306 finishers the club had an excellent turn out of 12. Second Elswick finisher was MARK McLEOD in 11th spot in 35:27 with KEVIN STEPHENSON 29th in 36:55. Other club placers were as follows-DAVE ARMSTRONG-30th-37:00, PAUL DODD-41st-38:01, MARTIN CONNELLY-46th-38:26, ROB WILSON-75th-40:02, NEIL IRVINE-83rd-40:31, TOM HANSON-102nd-41:26, ANDREA BANNER-141st-43:27, STEVE KYTE-174th-45:04, and JOHN JACKSON-262nd-51:44.

Gateshead Lunchtime Handicaps
The Gateshead Lunchtime Handicaps took place on Wednesday 16th.November with HARRY MATTHEWS recording the second fastest time of the day in 18:41with KIM DAVISON 4th overall in 26:37and good to see MARK KETLEY back again 5th in 27:06.

Brampton-Carlisle Road Race
Next on the agenda was the 54th Brampton-Carlisle Road Race with a massive turn out of 614 finishers. PAUL DIXON was first home for the club in 50th.place in a time of 58:45 with DAVE ARMSTRONG also breaking the hour barrier for this 10 Mile race in 59:03.HARRY MATTHEWS had a good run to finish 81st. in 60:44.KIM DAVISON was 225th to win the 1st Over 45 prize in 68:11.VANESSA BUTLER was 288th in 70;33. Good to see HELEN FLYNN and HILDA FROST competing finishing 568th and 570th respectively. DAVID BREWIS was 591st.finisher.

Start Fitness N.E. Harrier League
Sunday 27th November was the date for the second Start Fitness N.E. Harrier League at Shibdon Ponds , Blaydon. In the U/15 event ADAM SOUTHERN was 8th fastest in 13:45,with JONNY PEARSON 5th fastest in 19:45 in the U/17 event. The Seniors had another good day easily winning Division 2 with three runners in the top 20.Tom Hanson again rallied the troops with 15 Seniors taking part. JOHN BELL took pole position with 8th place in 32:41, ALAN THOMPSON was 11th in 32:57 with MARK McLEOD having an excellent run from the medium pack to grab 17th spot in 33:41.The other counters were PAUL DODD-63rd, HARRY MATTHEWS-67TH, JIM BELL-77th, narrowly beating MARK KETLEY in 78th place. Other placings from the club were KEVIN STEPHENSON-80th, PAUL DIXON-103rd, MARK CARPENTER-117th, TOM HANSON-147th, ROB WILSON-115th, PAUL GORD-183rd, NORMAN ARMSTRONG-191st , and STEVE KYTE-237th.

Back to News Page

october NEWS UPDATE

Metro Centre Relays
The Metro Centre Relays hosted by Blaydon Harriers took place at the Shibdon Ponds on Sunday 16th.October in near perfect conditions. It was good to see the younger element fielding a team in the event with the U/15 boys doing well to finish in third spot out of 10 teams. ADAM SOUTHERN finished 7th on leg one in a time of 5:48 over the 2k.course with BEN PEARSON holding on to 7th.in 6:13 before CALUM WATSON took over to bring the team through to 3rd.place in 5:32-the fifth fastest time of the day. WELL DONE LADS!

There was a good turn out in the Senior Men’s 3x3k Relays with STEVE HORN running the first leg for the A team finishing 3rd.in 11:28 before handing over to JONNY PEARSON making his debut for the Seniors. Jonny ran well in the face of stiff competition to finish 4th.in 12:18 with RYAN McLEOD taking over on the final leg. He soon passed the North Shields runner, but in spite of running the 2nd.fastest time of the day failed to catch the Sunderland athlete. Ryan’s time was 11:07.Elswick fielded three teams with the B team of PAUL DODD (13:01)MARTIN CONNELLY (13:20)MARK McLEOD (12:39) finishing in a creditable 10th.place.The C team of TOM HANSON(14:48)MARK KETLEY(14:32) and JIM BELL(15:44) were 23rd overall. Good to see MARK competing again.

The Veterans Relays also over 3k.course attracted a good field with JOHN BELL on his return to the club running well to finish third in 12:45,PAUL DIXON took over to finish 6th,in 13:11 with JIM BELL running the final leg, recording 12:56 to finish 4th.The B team was led off by KEVIN STEPHENSON who was 8th.in 13:26 in spite of missing the start.COLIN BOLTON finished 12th.on leg two in 14:50 with ROB WILSON bringing the team back in eighth place in 14:25.

THE START FITNESS NORTH EASTERN HARRIER LEAGUE
The first meeting of the season took place on Sunday 30th.October at Chester le Street with a new sponsor for the league. The club had an excellent turn out ,and easily won the Division Two League with 42 points. Counters for the club were MARK McLEOD 5TH in 31:11,JIM BELL 7TH.in 32:00, RYAN McLEOD 19th.(second fastest time of the day in 33:25)KEVIN STEPHENSON 25th in 33:40,JOHN BELL 41st in 34:14 and HARRY MATTHEWS 54th.in 34:42.Nine others also ran with the following times-ANDREW HARTLEY-36:12,MARK CARPENTER-36:28,PAUL DODD-36:55,ROB WILSON-37:09,TOM HANSON-37:37,NORMAN ARMSTRONG-38:27,PETER BANNISTER-40:01,STEVEN KYTE-42:52,and TONY PRINCE-45:49.It was good to see first timers over the Country in MARK,STEVE and TONY and we hope they come back for more!

In the Ladies Race CHRISTINE LEE was our sole representative running out of the Slow Pack to finish in 40th.place out of a field of 74.
Elswick had just the one runner in the U/17 Mens Race with JONNY STRAUGHAN running well to claim 6th.place in 16:28.The U/15 Boys event went well for the club with the team of CALUM WATSON,
JONATHAN DAY and ADAM SOUTHERN gaining third place.

CHRISTINE LEE since joining the club has continued to perform well both on the Track and on the Country, running 22:31 over 5k at the North East Veterans Track and Field Championships at Jarrow in September as well as claiming the third place in the Gateshead Lunchtime Road Race Handicap in a time of 22:23.

Well done to ASHLEY GIBSON who was selected for a North of England Junior team in a 4.8k. Cross Country event in Belgium, and ran well to finish 14th.overall in the race. Hopefully the start of bigger things to come!

...And FINALLY
Members are asked to support the Annual Christmas Quiz and Disco Evening on Friday 2nd December at Newburn Leisure Centre The evening is meant to appeal to all age groups – not just youngsters
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW FROM TOM HANSON and ROB WILSON

Back to News Page

september NEWS UPDATE

Junior Great North Run
The highlight of the month for the club was the performance of JONNY PEARSON in winning the Junior Great North Run. The event this year was divided into three categories for safety reasons but the main race was the under 17,s which Jonny won easily. He finished the 4.5km.course in 14:18 six seconds ahead of Dominic Shaw of New Marske Harriers with Robert Balmbra of Morpeth Harriers in third spot.

Jonny joins a list of former winners of the race from the club including David Bell, Ceri Rees and Robert Brown. Coached by Martin Crowe his victory was the icing on the cake for a fine season.

Tynedale Jelly Tea 10 Miler
At the other end of the age scale the month opened with an outstanding performance from our super vet.-JIMMY BELL. Jim ran the Tynedale Jelly Tea 10 Miler on Sunday 4th September in 58:42 to finish in sixth place overall in a field of 311 runners. His time on an age related performance ratio was 90.3%!! Like fine wine Jim is maturing with age, having celebrated his 58th birthday days before.

The club overall had a fine turn out in this popular event with 12 runners, resulting in the Women taking first place in the Team Race through JUDITH NUTT, ALLISON DARGIE and VANESSA BUTLER. Success also for the Men in taking second prize to Morpeth Harriers in the Senior Men’s Team Race with JIM BELL,PAUL DIXON, and new member KEVIN STEPHENSON the successful trio.

On a baking hot afternoon most of the times were well down on previous years with all competitors doing well to finish the race. As well as Jim Bell the other Elswick times were PAUL DIXON-64:03-17th place, KEVIN STEPHENSON-64:53-18th, JUDITH NUTT-66:00-25th, ANDREW HARTLEY-30th-66:56, CRAIG KILGOUR-34th-67:33, ALLISON DARGIE-71st-72:36, NEIL IRVINE-72nd.-72;41, ROB WILSON-74th-72:46, GARY RUTHERFORD-85th-73:53, VANESSA BUTLER-106th-77:02, and TONY PRINCE-189th-86:47.

After cooling themselves down everyone enjoyed the renowned Jelly Tea in the local school. Well done to Tynedale Harriers for continuing to organise this popular race in difficult circumstances.

Watergate Park 5k Race
The popular mid week Watergate Park 5k Race took place on Wednesday 7th.September organised by Low Fell Running Club with three of our members taking part. ALAN THOMPSON ran well to finish in 12th place in a time of 17:08 with MARK McNALLY 19th in 17:32.JIM BELL after his exertions of the previous Sunday did well to finish 23rd. in 17:54.

Great North Run
Several members took part in this years Great North Run on Sunday 18th.September and a full list of results will be published in due course, but in the Race within a race published by the local paper first Elswick finisher was KEVIN STEPHENSON in 1:22:01 with JUDITH NUTT taking the honours for the girls recording a time of 1:25:42.

Whalton Classic
On the same day a new event was taking place, the Whalton Classic with JIM BELL finishing in second place overall over the five mile hilly course in 28:25 with COLIN BOLTON taking the honours in the over 60 category in a time of 32:37.

Cape Town Half Marathon
Overcome with excitement at receiving as part of his Whalton Classic prize some Mars Bars Jim fled the country to compete in the Cape Town Half Marathon where he finished in a time of 79:19 in a field of 4000 runners.
Jims day was somewhat ruined because he discovered at the prize giving that due to not ticking the veteran category box he was not eligible for a category over 55 award in spite of stating his age on the entry form.
Never mind Jim we in the North East know you are a champion.

Cross Country
The first Cross Country Event of the season took place on Saturday 24th.September at Farringdon with the club fielding two teams. The “A” team of STEVE HORN, PAUL DODD, DAVE ARMSTRONG and MARK McLEOD ran well to claim 5thspot behind the winners Sunderland Harriers. Steve recorded the fifth fastest time of the day with 8:43 over the 1.7 Mile Course. The other times were 9:46,10:21 and 9:11 respectively. The “B” team of MARTIN CONNELLY, JOHN BELL, NORMAN ARMSTRONG and TOM HANSON finished in 18th.place in a combined time of 43:35

...and Finally
A Reminder to all members that the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING takes place at Newburn Leisure Centre (in the bar upstairs) on FRIDAY the 28TH.OCTOBER at 7:30p.m. As always members are asked to attend as it is YOUR club!
Thanks must go to HILDA FROST who has recently relinquished her post with the under 11 group for her efforts over the last few years, and to wish SUSAN and KAREN every success in taking over from Hilda.
Seniors and Vets are asked to notice that the Cross Country Harrier League starts on SUNDAY 30th.OCTOBER at Chester le Street and to assist TOM HANSON in taking the club back to Division 1 this year.

Back to News Page

AUGUST NEWS UPDATE

Spotlight on Youth
The spotlight this month is on the younger members of the club who probably do not get their achievements recognised as often as they deserve. The Tyneside Track League at Jarrow on the 27th July featured Jonny Pearson winning the U/17 1500 metres in 4:14 whilst JONATHAN STRAUGHAN took 3 seconds off his P.B. Also in the U/15 1500 metres CALUM WATSON was second with ADAM SOUTHERN taking 10 seconds off his P.B. to record 4:57.

The final Young Athletes League meeting of the season took place at Rotherham on the 31stJuly with JONNY PEARSON easily winning the 800 metres in 2:02 and he also won the 400 metres and the 1500 metres, ending a hectic afternoon by anchoring the 4x 400 relay team to a narrow victory.

CALUM WATSON again performed well to win the 3000 metres, going on also to gain second spot in the shot put and first in the Hammer (a budding DALEY THOMPSON). ADAM SOUTHERN was first also in the shot, second in the hammer, and then achieved a P.B. in the 800 metres of 2.24 as well as helping JONNY PEARSON to win the 4x 400 metres relay.

So well done to the youngsters and also to the coaches Martin and Phil whose work often goes unrecognised.

Darlington 10k
August has been a very busy period for local road races with the Darlington 10 k taking place on August 14th.A massive turn out of 971 with three intrepid club members taking part. MARK McNALLY 47th in 37:27, SUSAN WILSON 591ST.IN 53:26 and DAVE BREWIS 760th.in 58:01The Jarrow and Hebburn Riverside Challenge was run on the 16th.August with 163 finishers. John Moore of Heaton won the event with Claire Simpson of the host club taking the honours in the Women’s race. Elswick's CRAIG KILGOUR finished an excellent 13th.in 36:55, with ANDREW HARTLEY 28th.in 38:31.DAVE BREWIS was 157th in 57:51.

Auckland Castle 10k
The Auckland Castle 10k (which included the Inter County Championships) took place on Sunday 21st.August with another huge field taking part. The race always attracts a top class field with four Kenyans finishing in the top six! The winner Martin Kogo ran 28:49 narrowly defeating the gallant Peter Riley of Leigh who was second in 28:54.The Inter County Champions were the North East Counties finishing ahead of Leicestershire and Surrey. JIM BELL had a fine run to finish 67th in a time of 35:30, an astonishing performance on a difficult course for an over 55! MARK Mc NALLY was second Elswick finisher in 84th spot in 37:09 with DAVE BREWIS 409th in 61:41.

Newcastle City Council 5k
A new event appeared on the calendar in the form of the Newcastle City Council 5k road race in the Exhibition Park on Wednesday 24th.August. The event was organised by the council with club member NORMAN ARMSTRONG playing a prominent role. The course took in the Exhibition Park and the Town Moor with the flat nature of the course providing some good times. RYAN McLEOD led from the off to defeat Tom Ranger and Mick Morris.

Ryan recorded an excellent 14:56 to outpace two very experienced athletes and it was appropriate that the Elswick Cup was handed over to Ryan by his father. The club donated the fine trophy. A superb turn out by club members (17 in all) with JIM BELL first vet, in an incredible 8th place in 17:05.New member KEVIN STEPHENSON ran well also to gain the third vet.prize-11th.place in 17:28.CRAIG KILGOUR recorded the same time in 12th.place with PAUL DIXON 13th.in 17:32 just ahead of JOHN BELL in his comeback race-14th. Good to see ALLISON DARGIE win the Women’s prize (38th in 19:00) KIM DAVISON took the veterans award (63rd in 20:33) and ANDREA BANNER making a fine return to competition third vet. (78th in 21:39)

Other Elswick finishers were ANDREW HARTLEY 26th-18:23, ROB WILSON 37th-18: 59,MIKE DONNELLEY 51st-19:52, GARY RUTHERFORD 52nd-19:54, NEIL IRVINE 58th-20:17, CHRISTINE LEE 91st-22:08,HELEN FLYNN 124th-25:26 closely followed by MARY AVERY 125th-25:28 and JOANNE BOTHAM 126th-25:35.New member DAVID REAY was 132nd-26:28 with KATHRYN TAYLOR 140th in 27:43.The overall verdict on the race from runners and officials alike was favourable and hopefully with more publicity next year the event could really take off.

Holiday Success
Two of our leading females were not resting on their laurels whilst on their holidays recently. Firstly JUDITH NUTT won the St.Levan 10k in a time of 38:10 (its in Cornwall by the way) and ALLISON DARGIE returning to the land of her birth (I bet you never realised Allison was Scottish!) won a Highland Games 10 Miler in 67 minutes. WELL DONE GIRLS

Blyth Links 10k
The Blyth Links 10k race took place on 30th August and the event attracted over 200 finishers with two fine performances from DAVE ARMSTRONG 8th place in 35:37 and a P.B. from CRAIG KILGOUR 15th in 37:03.VANESSA BUTLER was 79th in 42:54,TONY PRINCE 144th –49:27 with DAVID REAY –181st in 54:30

TARTAN Games
The annual TARTAN Games took place at Gateshead Stadium on 27th August with RYAN McLEOD winning the Stan Long Mile Race in a time of 4:13:38 with ASHLEY GIBSON gaining 2nd spot in the 800 Metres event in 2:16:07

...and Finally
Finally this month some excellent news for the club in the announcement that WARBURTONS (Family Bakers since 1876) have once again agreed to sponsor the clubs annual Norman Woodcock Road Race held in High Gosforth Park in December. The club are particularly grateful that a company as prestigious as Warburton’s are once again supporting this well-established event.

Back to News Page

july NEWS UP DATE

TYNEDALE PIE AND PEAS RACE
The majority of the action this month has been on the roads with several local road races taking place locally. The ever popular TYNEDALE PIE AND PEAS race was run on Wednesday 6th July at Ovingham with a huge field of nearly 500 runners. The organisers were fortunate that the incessant rain of the day eased and the event took place in bright evening sunshine. Elswick provided 17 runners with top spot going to RYAN MCLEOD who finished 4th overall in a time of 33:11 for the 10k course. MARK MCLEOD returned 36:03 in finishing 21st with PAUL DIXON 25th in 36:20 thus gaining the club 2nd team place. Next finisher for the club was CRAIG KILGOUR, 48TH in 37:35 with GARY RUTHERFORD 104th in 40:42.STEVE LONG who competes regularly for the club in spite of living in Brampton was 217th finisher in 45:12. CHRISTINE LEE had another fine run, running 46:16 IN 246TH spot to easily claim the Womens over 60 prize. LES WILLIAMSON was 306th in a time of 49:30 with TONY PRINCE 320TH in 50:07. Eight more members took part in the 479 runner field, ASHLEY ROBSON-51:57, HELEN FLYNN-52:24, MARY AVERY-first Woman over 65-52:57, JOANNE BOTHAM-57:36, KATHRYN TAYLOR-58:57, SUE LONG-59:02, DIANNE KENNERLY-59:50, and FELICITY PULLEN-62:54. After the race the competitors enjoyed the obligatory pie and peas supper in the local school.

COASTAL RUN
Another popular event took place on Sunday 10th July the Coastal Run with 10 of our members taking part. Pride of place went to the evergreen JIM BELL 1st over 55 in 10th place in a time of 1:25:36. JUDITH NUTT had a fine run to take the 3rd Womens place finishing 24th overall in 1:30:33. CRAIG KILGOUR was 48th in 1:34:59 with ANDREW HARTLEY 102nd in 1:41:16. TERRY FORSTER was 286th in 1:56:08. The other members to complete the race were ALAN LATTIMER-348th, NEIL IRVINE-364th, CLAIRE URE-405th, LES WILLIAMSON-488th, HILDA FROST-605th.

LOW FELL ANGEL VIEW RACE
Road races were coming thick and fast during July with the next event being the Low Fell ANGEL VIEW race on 14th July. Two of our members were placed in the top 10 of this race with MARK MCLEOD 5th in 28:23 for the 5 mile multi terrain course. DAVE ARMTRONG was 9th in 29:22. In the Womens event VANESSA BUTLER was 6th in 34;21.

SUNDERLAND HARRIERS 5K ROAD RACE
A week later another popular race took place –the Sunderland Harriers 5k road race at the Silksworth Sports Complex with 246 finishers. RYAN MCLEOD had another fine run finishing in second place to Ian Hudspith of Morpeth Harriers Ryan completed the course in 14:37 with brother Mark having another steady run to finish in 19th place in 16:31. Next to finish for the club was DAVE ARMSTRONG 44TH IN 17:22. COLIN BOLTON had an excellent run to claim the Over 60 prize-98th place in 19:03. Good to see VANESSA BUTLER competing again finishing 161st in 21:00. New member CHRISTINE LEE continued her fine form taking the Womens Over 60 spot in 22:03 in 180th place.

MORPETH 10K ROAD RACE
The Morpeth 10k Road Race was very well supported by club members with twelve Elswick participants MARK MCLEOD was our first finisher in 10th position in a time of 35:36. JIM BELL had another outstanding run, finishing 12th overall in 35:54 to claim the Over 55 prize by nearly three minutes. DAVE ARMSTRONG was 14th in 36;40. This enabled the club to claim second team to Morpeth Harriers, unfortunately there were no team prizes! KEVIN STEPHENSON, one of our newer members had a fine run on his first effort for the club finishing in 33rd place in 38:16.I am sure there is room for further improvement after his initial efforts. ROB WILSON was 58th in 40:27 whilst GARY RUTHERFORD was 80th in 41:46, with ALLISON DARGIE 81ST in 41;51. CRAIG KILGOUR was 83rd in 41:54. CHRISTINE LEE was 146th in 45;39 AND ALAN LATTIMER 150TH IN 46;06. ASHLEY ROBSON finished in 217th place in 52:11.

JESMOND DENE HANDICAP
Finally on the road scene the JESMOND DENE HANDICAP results were finalised after the race on the 25th July. The series results are based on the aggregate total of each runners best three positions. This resulted in ALAN THOMPSON gaining third place, a great effort after his time out from the sport due to illness, WELL DONE ALAN! CRAIG KILGOUR was our next finisher in 6th spot overall. Other finishers for the club were – in finishing places order -ROB WILSON, TOM HANSON, GARY RUTHERFORD, and ALLISON DARGIE. The club provided the two fastest Womens times in JUDITH NUTT-20:33 and ALLISON DARGIE-21:08.

TRACK ROUND-UP
Now to prove that we do also have some track athletes also, some brief details from July’s action STEVE HORN running second claim for Gateshead won the 1500 Metres at the division one fixture at Leeds on 2nd July in a time of 4:00. In the North Eastern Track League meeting at Gateshead on 13th July in the 800 metres event RYAN MCLEOD clocked 1:54:71 in 4th spot, just ahead of STEVE HORN in 1:58:78. In the penultimate North Eastern Track meeting on 27th July RYAN MCLEOD ran 3:54:17 to claim second spot in the 1500 metres. At the same meeting JONNY PEARSON won the U/17 Mens 1500 metres in a time of 4:14:92.ASHLEY GIBSON continued her fine form by finishing second behind the experienced Morag Mcdonnell in the 1500 metres in a time of 4:33:09.

...AND FINALLY
Finally this time I would like on behalf of everyone at the club to congratulate STEVE HORN on becoming the proud father of a bouncing baby girl, weighing in at over 9 pounds!

Once again any news you have regarding the club please contact me on frank.watson@talk21.com or call me 0191 267 3088.

Back to News Page

June NEWS UPDATE

ON THE TRACK
The headlines have been stolen this time by exploits on the track. ASHLEY GIBSON has had an outstanding few weeks following her success in the North Eastern Track and Field Championships. In the North of England Junior Track and Field Championships held at Cudworth she won the U/20 Womens 1500 Metres from a field of 14 beating her training partner by 2.5 secs. to record a time of 4.35.2, a P.B. by 5 seconds! Taking it up at 500 metres she won going away. Ashley then went on to the Scottish Junior Championships in Glasgow to gain a silver medal in the 1500 Metres recording a new P.B. of 4.Mins.32.secs. She has since bettered her P.B. for 800 Metres returning a time of 2.11.8. RYAN MCLEOD ran 3.53.79 in a recent Tyneside Track League and then in a B.M.C. race at Solihull annihilated his best time for 5000 metres finishing in 14 mins.25 secs. This was an improvement for Ryan of 15 seconds. STEVEN HORN has also been performing well on the track running a time of 3.59.44 in a recent meeting at Hexham and then on June 27th.gaining a P.B. in the 800 Metres at Jarrow of 1 min.56 secs.
In the Northumberland Schools Track & Field Championships JONNY PEARSON won Gold in the 800 Metres in 2.03.8 and Geraldine Donnelly won the 400 Metres in 61.3.

NATIONAL OPEN MASTERS RELAYS
Turning to other disciplines the club sent a team to Birmingham for the National Open Masters Relays and the side acquitted themselves well finishing 9th. Place out of 43 finishing teams. Over a tough Sutton Park circuit MARK MCNALLY ran the first leg in 16.58 coming home in 14th.spot. HARRY MATTHEWS then took over coming home 10th on Leg 2 recording 17.33. STEVE BELL who was drafted into the side ran 18.48 on the third leg handing on to STEVE WHITE who brought the team home in 10th.spot running the leg in 16.50. COLIN BOLTON then ran the 5th.Leg in 18.52,a great effort for a 64 year old. JIMMY BELL then completed the glory leg in the fastest time on the day for Leg 6 with 16.23. Overall a very satisfactory showing by the club to be first North Eastern team home.

ROAD RACES
A number of road races have taken place recently with Elswick members participating. On the 22nd May the Pier to Pier race was held with over 600 finishers. GARY RUTHERFORD, NEIL IRVINE, ALAN LATTIMER, LES WILLIAMSON, TONY PRINCE, SUSAN WILSON, MARY AVERY, HELEN FLYNN, and DAVE BREWIS all completed the course. On a perfect summers evening the CLIVE COOKSON race was held at Monkseaton with nearly 300 finishers. First home for the club was JIM BELL who was also First o/55.Jim ran the 10 k. course in 35.22.MARK MCNALLY 17th in 36.34, PAUL DIXON 18TH IN 36.39 closely followed by STEVE WHITE in 36.51.ROB WILSON –50th in 39.41, TOM HANSON - 53rd.in 39.57, CRAIG KILGOUR - 64th in 40.42, GARY RUTHERFORD - 71st. in 40.58 with NEIL IRVINE 80th in 41.52. YVONNE SWINHOE finished in 111th.spot in 43.37 with CHRISTINE LEE coming home in149th in 46.09. Both Yvonne and Christine won their respective age categories. Incidentally this gives us an opportunity to welcome both Christine and Kenny Sutton to the club and we all hope they enjoy their athletics with us.

The 25th JIM DEWAR BLAYDON RACE took place on the 9th.June and 37 Elswick Harriers took part. A full list of results is available through the JOURNAL or by logging on to the internet. It was good to see so many club members taking part in a race and hopefully they may be inspired to enter some more events.

It was good to see our Welsh international IEUAN ELLIS returning to competitive action in the Leeds Half Marathon. Since taking up a new appointment as Associate Dean in the Faculty of Health at Leeds University. Ieuan’s last race was last August in the Morpeth 10k. so in finishing first veteran, 7th overall and recording a time of 72:16 he was well satisfied with his efforts. Hopefully, work commitments permitting, we may see Ieuan more often in the red and white of Elswick.

Congratulations to two of our ladies who recently completed their inaugural Marathons. CLAIRE URE ran the Edinburgh Marathon on June 12th in a time of 3hrs.43 mins. which was a promising time and she now has her sights on Jim Bell’s times. Meanwhile SUSAN WILSON did extremely well to complete the Blackpool Marathon in 4hrs.25 mins. where the organisers ran out of water in the extreme heat. It is good that Claire and Susan are competing and hopefully will inspire some more of the Ladies to emulate them in competitive action.

NEWBURN RIVER RUN
The 24th running of the Newburn River Run took place in heatwave conditions on Wednesday 22nd June and any doubts about the popularity of this mid-week race were certainly dispelled by the record turn out. A total of 321 finished making it a record by a mere 75 runners. A fantastic number of late entries were taken and thanks must go to Judith, Wynn, and Kevin for their sterling work in enabling the race to go off on time. Only a few members actually competed due to the majority assisting in the actual organisation of the event. FULL RESULTS ON THE WEB SITE. After a hard race ANDY DOUGAL of Tynedale won from LES ATKINSON of Morpeth, with Andy Roberts of Chester le Street in 3rd spot. A new winner for the ladies was JAYNE MOONEY of Morpeth with SHEILA GRAHAM of Morpeth in second place. After the race the runners enjoyed their free buffet supper and a drink in the Leisure Centre. The club hopes to mark the 25th running of the event next year with a memento for everyone. WATCH THIS SPACE!

STOP PRESS
Excellent news from Cudworth at the week end where the Composite team of Blaydon and Elswick in the Young Athletes League won their match against strong opposition including Bingley Harriers. All performed well, but mention to JONNY PEARSON winning the 800 and 1500, JONATHAN STRAUGHAN winning the “B” 1500.There were P.B. in the 800 for CALUM WATSON and a P.B. for ADAM SOUTHERN in the 1500. To end a great day the 4x400 Relay squad including Jonny Pearson and Jonathan Straughan trounced the opposition. So well done again to the youngsters!

AND FINALLY
If any members have any stories or articles or ideas for this column please contact me or e-mail on: Frank.Watson@talk21.com. In the meantime... KEEP ON RUNNING!

Back to News Page

NEWS UPDATE (April/May)

BUDGET Wallsend Harriers 10k. Road race
The club had a good turn out at the popular BUDGET Wallsend Harriers 10k. Road race on Sunday 10th April, with pride of place going to Judith Nutt who won the Ladies race in a time of 38.08 with Allison Dargie 3rd in 41.03. Emma Macfarlane was 5th in a time of 41.46. The senior men’s team took 2nd.spot through-Steve White (35.13) Jim Bell (35.27) and Paul Dixon (36.41) with Neil Irvine 51st in 40.59, Peter Bannister 73rd in 43.41 and Alan Lattimer 95th in 47.10. On the same programme Adam Southern ran well to finish 6th in the 1.7 k.event.

FLORA London Marathon
Commiserations to Dave Armstrong who by his own admission had a disappointing run in the FLORA London Marathon but certainly has the ability to put that run behind him.

Blyth Valley 10k
The Blyth Valley 10k – the successor to the Blyth Valley 10 miler proved very popular with the athletes who were fulsome in their praise of the new course. Elswick once again had a good day with Paul Dixon gaining 10th spot in 36.04 followed closely by Mark Mcnally in 11th place in 36.18. Harry Matthews ran well for 17th place in 37.06. Judith Nutt gave another excellent performance to be second lady home in 29th spot in a time of 38.00. Rob Wilson made the top 50 in 40.04 just ahead of Neil Irvine in 51st place in 40.09.Allison Dargie claimed 3rd. Ladies prize finishing 59th in 40.45 closely followed by Tom Hanson in 40.52. Yvonne Swinhoe was 81st in a time of 42.32. Peter Bannister was placed 102nd with Alan Lattimer 159th, Gary Rutherford 160th Les Williamson was 188th in 49.14 with Tony Prince prior to his Berlin exploits 194th in 49.32.

Northumberland College Riverside 10k
Vicki Russell made a welcome return to competitive action by finishing 3rd in the Northumberland College Riverside 10k. at Ashington in a time of 43.44.

Young Athletes League
The youngsters this season have combined with Blaydon Harriers to form a composite team for the Young Athletes League. They made a cracking start to the new season by finishing in 1st.place in the opening fixture at Darlington on May 8th ahead of the powerful Middlesbrough side. Adam Southern did well to gain 3rd place in the 800 metres whilst Ben Pearson showed his versatility by competing in the 800 metres and then gaining 2nd place in the Hammer! His brother Jonny was 2nd in the 1500 metres and performed well in the 1st leg of the 4x400 metres Relay. Jonny then ran in the B.M.C.600 metres event at Jarrow on the 11th May in 1.26. Ryan Mcleod ran in the first of the 2005 North Eastern Athletic League fixtures at Jarrow on 4th May running the 1500 metres in 3.56.74.

North East Counties Track and Field Championships
The North East Counties Track and Field Championships took place at Gateshead over the weekend of 14th and 15th May with the outstanding performance being the Silver medal from Ashley Gibson in the U/20 800 metres followed on the Sunday by her runaway win in the 1500 metres to gain a well deserved Gold, certainly making her long journey from Loughborough well worth her while. Steve Horn was out to gain a hat trick of wins in the Senior Men’s 1500 metres but had to settle for 5th place this year just ahead of Ryan Mcleod.

Gordon Smith Relays
The Gordon Smith Relays took place at Wallsend on Wednesday 11th May with the club fielding two teams in the men’s event. Paul Dixon had a strong run on the 1st leg to come home in a time of 10.44 handing over to Dave Armstrong who ran well in a time of 10.42 before passing on to Alan Johnson making a very welcome return to competition. Alan showed his competitive edge and class by returning the 2nd fastest time of the evening for a veteran to bring the club home in 4th place in a time of 10.13. Elswick 2nd team finished 16th through Tom Hanson (11.59) Neil Irvine (12.05) and Rob Wilson (11.40). Good to see Gary Rutherford having a strong run in 12.07 in an incomplete team.
The Ladies fielded a strong team to run extremely well to finish in 2nd.place to a very strong Chester le Street squad. Emma McFarlane led the team off on the 1st.leg coming home 2nd in 12.08 before handing over to Allison Dargie who brought the club home in 1st.place just ahead of Chester-le-Street in 11.53 putting Kim Davison in the firing line, but Kim held on superbly to clinch 2nd.place in 12.48 well ahead of the 3rd club.
Wallsend Harriers are to be congratulated on building up this mid week event with its unique make up of teams.

Ripon 10 Miles event
Judith Nutt continued her tour of the North by finishing 2nd in the Ripon 10 Miles event in a time of 64 minutes. Well outside her P.B. but as she said it was very hilly and the competitors were misdirected during the race!

Other News
Best wishes go to two of our Senior Men who have been out of action lately due to illness and injuries – Mark Ketley and Paul Dodd and we hope that it won’t be too long before they are back in competitive action once again.

...And Finally
Finally for this time may I draw to the attention of any club members who may not already be aware ALAN LATTIMER is available at the club on training nights to assist any members who may need massage or help with any sports injuries. Please give Alan your support.

Back to News Page

March NEWS BRIEFING

English Schools Cross Country Championships
The club were represented at the English Schools Cross Country Championships at the Norfolk Show Ground, Norwich on Saturday 12th. March with Jonny Pearson running in the Intermediate Boys race over 5.9 km. Although disappointed in his performance Jonny acquitted himself well, finishing 43rd.in a time of 21.44.Sam Crowe ran in the Senior Girls 4.2 k.event finishing 57th in 17.42.

Liberta Redcar Half Marathon
The same weekend hosted the Liberta Redcar Half Marathon where Dave Armstrong was the highest Elswick finisher in a time of 77.41.In the ladies race Judith Nutt ran a P.B.to gain 3rd.spot in a time of 81.34.

Durham Pine Harrier League
The final Durham Pine Harrier League took place at Prudhoe on the 19th.March where the Senior Men narrowly failed to gain promotion to Division 1 finishing in 3rd. place behind Crook.

Good Friday Road Races
Both the Gosforth and Chester le Street having been called off, athletes were keen for some competition so the fields for our Good Friday Road Races on March 25th.were up on last year. The club was indepted to the help it received in staging the event from One North East and in particular Cliff Jowett.
The course at the Newburn Riverside Park is proving very popular with athletes and the day provided some keen competition. Morpeth Harriers won the Senior Men’s Relay for a record 7th.time with Elswick gaining 3rd.place behind Gosforth thanks to Steve.Horn, Dave Armstrong, Ryan Mcleod, and Mark Mcleod. The vets.also managed 3rd.place with Steve White, Alan Johnson, Paul Dixon, and Mark Mcnally. Good to see Alan Johnson once again competing for the club and his time of 12.06 was the 4th fastest of the day, with regular training who knows what he could do!
Elswick ladies team ran very well to finish 2nd.behind Jarrow & Hebburn.Ashley Gibson, Judith Nutt, and Sam Crowe were 4th, 7th,and 15th,respectively. Emma Mcfarlane was 18th,Kate White-39th, and Andrea Banner 47th.in an excellent field of 60 runners. In the U/17 Men’s Race Jonny Pearson was 6th. In 11.41.Adam Southern was 30th. In the Under 15 Boys race.
(See Races page for results in full.)

North Tyneside 10k Race
The inaugural North Tyneside 10k.race took place on Easter Sunday attracting a large field with Mark Mcleod finishing 9th in a time of 35.06,Mark Mcnally was 18th overall and first Over 55 in a time of 36.36 with Jimmy Bell second Over 55 in 37.34.

Presentation Evening
The clubs Presentation Evening took place at Blaydon Rugby Club with Guest of Honour the Olympic Bronze medallist-Charlie Spedding. An excellent turn out and a good evening was enjoyed by everyone. The awards for different age groups were presented, followed by the Special Nominations:
FRED STEPHENSON TROPHY(SENIOR WOMAN)-JUDITH NUTT
FRED STEPHENSON TROPHY(JUNIOR WOMAN)-KATE WHITE
FRED STEPHENSON CUP (SENIOR MAN) - PAUL GORD
FRED STEPHENSON CUP (JUNIOR MAN) - JONNY PEARSON
The final award of the night was the QUANTUM SERVICE AWARD to ROB WILSON.A buffet supper followed, and then a disco and thanks once again go to the organisers of the event.

Appeal for the New Members
Finally an appeal to any members reading this briefing-the club needs new blood and if you know of anyone keen on running bring them along on one of out training nights to “GIVE IT A TRY”. Also if any youngsters may be interested we are actively looking for anyone over the age of 10,so if you know of anyone either bring them along or give me a call on 0191-2673088.
Any members reading this site who have any contributions or suggestions please get in contact or see me at the centre.

Back to News Page

FEBruary News Briefing

Royal Signal Road Relays
The Royal Signal Road Relays were held on Saturday 12th February at a new venue, Saltwell Park, Gateshead. The switch was due to the ever increasing problems for road races of ever heavier traffic. On a windy day on a hilly course Steve Horn led off the club in the Senior Mens event. Steve ran a storming lead leg to bring Elswick home in third spot in a time of 9.05 over the 3K.course. Paul Dodd took over on Leg 2 to finish in 5th spot with a time of 10.23. Dave Armstrong ran the middle leg in 10.44, with Andrew Greenwell on 4th leg running 11.24.Ian Fenwick and Shaun Greenwell completed the team with respective times of 11.57 and 12.27. Elswick finished the day in 9th spot overall. The disappointing feature of the day was the failure of the vets to finish a complete team; all the more as the five competing runners had excellent times. Leg 1-Mark Mcnally-10.40, Steve White-10.59, Paul Dixon-10.51, Jim Bell-10.38, and Harry Matthews-11.29

English National Cross Country Championships
The English National Cross Country Championships took place on Saturday 19th February at Cofton Park, Birmingham and the club were one of the few North East clubs to finish a team in this prestigious event. Four carloads of intrepid Harriers left the North East at the crack of dawn for the long trek to the Black Country. They then stayed over to make a weekend of it - a good bonding exercise as Derek put it. The ladies were represented also with Judith Nutt running well to finish 113th in a time of 34.07 with Andrea Banner in 286th spot in 39.24. It was good to see Andrea back in competition after starting a family. Ashley Gibson had a cracking run in the U/20 Womens Championship, finishing 35th in 20.54. Andew Greenwell was our sole representative in the younger age groups finishing 134th in the Junior Mens Championship in 44.03. The Senior Men finished a complete team with Martin Connelly first home in 670th place - 49.43, Paul Dixon - 690th in 49.54, Tom Hanson - 962nd spot in 54.15, Rob Wilson was 969th in 54.21 with Steve Bell - 976th in 54.27. Michael Russell made a return finishing 1082 in 56.43 and Shaun Greenwell was 1101 in 57.08.
After an evening out in the Midlands the weary Party returned home well satisfied with the weekend away.

Club Presentation Evening
FINALLY A REMINDER TO ALL MEMBERS THAT THE CLUB PRESENTATION EVENING IS ON FRIDAY 1ST APRIL AT THE BLAYDON RUGBY CLUB.TICKETS ARE ON SALE AT £6.00 PER HEAD-THIS INCLUDES A BUFFET SUPPER. WE ARE FORTUNATE IN OBTAINING AS GUEST OF HONOUR - CHARLIE SPEDDING, THE OLYMPIC MEDALLIST.

TICKETS CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING 0191-2673088 OR FROM ANY COMMITTEE MEMBER.

Back to News Page

January News Briefing

BOXING DAY PARLAUFS
The annual Boxing Day Parlaufs took place at the Leisure Centre on December the 26th as usual in fine blustery conditions. Eight teams participated in the two-man competition resulting in a good mornings work out. Thanks go to Jim Scott for his assistance and to the staff at Newburn Leisure Centre for opening up on a Bank Holiday. Competition was fierce as usual with the winning combination of Jonny Pearson and Mike Donnelly leading from the gun. Running them close was the evergreen Jim Bell and Sean Greenwell. Keeping it in the family Mike Donnelly Jnr. and Rob Wilson were in Bronze medal position. As usual members laid on a plentiful supply of food, which was enjoyed with a post run drink. The annual prize quiz was as popular as ever and thanks must go to all members for contributing to a successful and enjoyable day.

MORPETH ROAD RACE – JANUARY 1st 2005.
A few brave members used the 11k race organised by Morpeth Harriers to bring in the New Year with Dave Armstrong and Mark McNally sharing the same time of 39:42 in 14th and 15th places. Paul Gord was 48th in 44:34 with Alan Lattimer 97th in 53:24. Tony Prince was 106th in 54:59. Elswick were the 6th team home.

DURHAM CATHEDRAL RELAYS 16th JANUARY 2005.
Elswick fielded one senior team in this well-established relay event held at the racecourse site. Steve Horn led the team off on Leg 1 to finish in 7th spot in a time of 8:53, Marl McLeod took over to finish leg 2 in 6th place with a time of 9:53, Paul Dodd then took over the last leg and with a time of 9:58 brought the team home in 8th position with a combined time of 28:12.
Steve White, Mark McNally, and Jim Bell took the 3rd over 40's prize with respective times of 10:03, 10:11, and 9:54.

Back to News Page

Special Features

Chin-Up Beach Run
A report on the Seahouses to Bamburgh Castle charity run

A Cure for the GNR
Read about Elswick Harrier, Les Williamson's lakeland trek

Blaydon Races 2005
Find out how the Elswick Harriers fared in this year's race

Our Man In Berlin
Read about Elswick Harrier, Tony Prince's adventures in Berlin

all the old news from 2005

- December 2005

- November 2005

- October 2005

- September 2005

- August 2005

- July 2005

- June 2005

- April/May 2005

- March 2005

- February 2005

- January 2005

- NEWS FROM 2006