The curtain officially comes down on the North Eastern Cross Country season this Sarturday,
with Saltwell Harriers hosting the sixth and final Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League at Cardinal Hume School at Wrekenton. Morpeth Harriers currently lead the Under 15 Boys league, and they are poised for top three placings in the Under 13 Boys, Under 17 Men’s, Under 17/Under 20 Women’s and Senior Men’s A division tables. They need to have a good turnout in the Senior/Veteran Women’s event, to avoid the drop into Division 3. On the individual front, Holly Peck is set to take the honours in the Under 13 Girls section; however club colleague Rhiannon Hedley is well placed to claim a minor medal. Ross Charlton could also claim a minor medal in the Under 15 Boys section. Club colleague Taylor Glover currently leads the Under 15 Boys section. Alison Brown of Morpeth Harriers is currently in third place in the Under17/ Under 20 Women’s section. On Sunday 6th March 2016, Morpeth Harriers Carl Avery and Steve Patterson
travelled to Cheshire to take part in the Xtra Mile Spring Duathlon Sprint Challenge, which also acts as a qualifier for the forthcoming World Championships. Avery got round the World Famous Oulton Park circuit in 61m21s, which saw him win by a margin of thirty eight seconds. Meanwhile Patterson finished in 73rd place overall in 71m29s, which saw him finish sixth in his Veteran Men’s category. The funeral for Eric Appleby will take place at 1.30pm
on Monday 21 March, at Preston Cemetery, North Shields, NE29 9NJ. A humanist service. Some older members will be saddened to learn of the death of one of the regions well known veteran athletes Eric Appleby of Heaton Harriers. Sadly Eric passed away on Monday 7th March, following a hard fought battle with cancer, a battle fought with much dignity, which was very much one of his trademarks, something which very much endeared him to his fellow running colleagues, both within his own club, to whom he was most loyal, and from other clubs around him, including those within Morpeth Harriers. Eric was very much a successful product of the 80’s running boom, and whilst remaining a very modest and gentle man, in the truest sense of the word, he was also very much a fierce and feared competitor in the competitive athletics field. In life, he trained as hard as he worked, as a sign-writer for Fenwick’s Ltd, the Department Store, and if not competing at an evening event, he would often be seen running home from work to his home in Battle Hill, just off the Coast Road. He always had a few tales to tell about those runs, and some of the experiences along the way. When he retired he found more time for his sport, despite having to have a pacemaker fitted during his 7th decade, and even resorted to getting on his bike every day, to travel down to King Edward’s Bay in Tynemouth for a daily swim in the sea. In his later years, with the rise of the weekend Park Run, Eric found new challenges,
and his sheer determination saw him complete 200 Newcastle Park Runs in August 2014. He also used to take part in some of the regions other Park Run’s, and would often be seen boarding a bus on a Saturday Morning, using his Bus Pass entitlement to its fullest extent, heading towards a more distant venue. Eric will always be regarded as being a legendary character in the sport, and will be fondly remembered by fellow competitors and athletics officials nationwide. A true Sportsman and Gentleman. Funeral Arrangements are still unknown, and we will post these on our website once they become available to us. 9.30am Monday 7th March 2016 – not the usual start time for a marathon! Nevertheless this is when the remarkable character, who is Ben Smith, plans to start his 189th consecutive day of running the marathon distance ! His camper van, emblazoned with 401 Challenge logo’s, pulls into the car park beside our clubhouse. I’m there with Andrew Richardson, Lorna McDonald, Damian Foster, Emma Sanderson & Bob Sewell with his bike, George & Hud and we are all curious to see who emerges from the van. And here he is, tall, bearded, slim and very fit looking – he’s kitted up, friendly, chatty and ready to go ! He is 33 years old and only started running two and a half years ago as rehabilitation following a stroke he suffered when he was 29. He worked in the city, in a high powered pressurised environment, was burning the candle at both ends, weighed over 17 stones and as a result of the stroke temporarily lost his sight and speech. It was a BIG wake up call! He had a friend who ran and this friend cajoled him into going to Southville Running Club in Bristol. Ben said the thought of going to a running club was intimidating because you ‘assume everyone is going to be better than you’. But he found the experience cathartic, the club members encouraging and supportive and he said to me that running had changed his life for the better in so many ways. You can find out more about Ben and the 401 Challenge from their website and why he is absolutely passionate about the anti –bullying charities that he is raising money to support. www.the401challenge.co.uk He was really appreciative of the support he had from Morpeth Harriers and in particular those who turned out to run, ride and refresh him today. The weather was good, he enjoyed the course and the support he got from the kids at Goose Hill Primary School – cheers Lorna for sorting that out ! So thanks to all who took part today, those mentioned above, plus Pam Woodcock, Carol Parry, James McFetrich, Cinty Miley, Jill Sandeman, Kim Taylor and Neil McAnany. It’s amazing what gets talked about when your trundling along on events like this
and Ben has had 189 days of consecutive running chit chat. He’s got some great tales and here is one situation most of us will have experienced; What do you do when you are at a party and you’ve been to the loo but it won’t flush away.......you need to speak to someone who was on Lap 3 today to find the answer........it’s unbelievable what happened!!!! Kevin Bray |
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