The annual Sherwoods Darlington 10k on Sunday 9th August 2015,
boasted an excellent field of 1,636 competitors. They were all led home by Richmond and Zetland’s Marc Scott, who won in a time of 30m42s, beating Elswick Harrier Tadele Geremew to the finish line by a mere six seconds, with Leeds City’s Whitley Bay based Carl Smith seven seconds further adrift in third place. Amongst the field were six hopefuls from Morpeth Harriers and Athletics Club who were led home by Kevin Calvert, who finished sixth in 32m39s. Next home from the club was Emma Holt, fresh from her Morpeth 10k victory five days earlier, who finished 56th overall in 36m55s, and was fourth lady finisher behind Elswick’s Justina Heslop (34m45s). Paul Brown was the next Morpeth finisher in 87th place overall in 38m15s, and was fifth in the Over 50 Veteran Men’s section. Finishing in 110th place overall was Morpeth’s Vicky Gibbs, who clocked 39m05s, and was ninth lady finisher, and was fifth in her Over 35 category. Morpeth’s Gavin Bayne could be quite joyful that he had decided to join the happy group at Darlington as a late entry, because when finishing 143rd in 39m50s, he was also first in the Over 60 Veteran Men’s section. Completing the clubs tally was Peter Scaife, who finished 208th in 41m38s, and was 21st in the Over 50 Veteran Men’s section. The nineteenth running of the Morpeth 10k Road Race, held on Tuesday 4th August 2015, had a total finishing field of 288 runners, who were led home by Carl Avery of the host club, who won with eighteen seconds to spare over Durham City’s Dan Jenkin, in a time of 31m30s. Avery and Jenkin took respective Gold and Silver Medals in the incorporated North Eastern Athletics Association 10k Championships, and the Bronze medal went to Avery’s Morpeth Harriers club colleague Ross Floyd, the 2014 Men’s Champion, who finished third in 32m27s, just twenty seconds ahead of another Morpeth man Chris Smith, who just missed out on adding another Bronze medal to the one that he won in the North Eastern Counties 10,000 metres Track Championships in April. The Women’s race was won by Morpeth Harrier Emma Holt, who more than emulated her 2014 win in the event, by retaining her title by clocking nearly twenty seconds faster, with her finishing time of 36m58s earning her the North Eastern Championships Gold medal. Holt’s overall finishing position in the race was 26th, which proved to be eighteen places better than her nearest Female rival, Susie Barwise Munroe of Alnwick Harriers, who took the North Eastern Silver Medal in 39m12s. Third place and Bronze medal in the Women’s race went to Gina Howorth of Elswick Harriers, who was 68th overall in 40m47s. At the after race presentation at Craik Park, Master of Ceremonies and Morpeth Harriers Club Secretary Mike Bateman thanked the race sponsors Abbey Well, and other sponsors Phil Walker Wealth Management, and Chris Dentice of Stanton Hall Nurseries. He also went on to thank Morpeth Town FC for the use of their premises as Race Headquarters, also to Piramal for providing Race Parking, and Pegasus Riding Centre in Tranwell for their toilet facilities. Helpers and Marshals from Morpeth Harriers were also thanked for their efforts on the night. There was at least one well known athletics personality at the British Transplant Games,
which were held in the North East on Friday 31st July and Saturday 1st August 2015. Morpeth Harriers legend Jim Alder looked on very proudly as his daughter Susan Tarling competed in no less than three gruelling events over the two day contest. Susan, who in her youth was a very competent athlete with Morpeth Harriers, competed in the 3k Mini Marathon on Newcastle Quayside, where she finished fourth overall in 15m27s, and was also second in the Over 40 Veteran Women’s section. She recovered from this to also take part in the Women’s 10k Cycle Race in Newcastle’s Leazes Park, finishing third in 20m24s, and as first in the Over 40 Women’s category. Not content with this Susan moved along to the Sunderland Swimming Centre, where she was highly placed in the 50metre swim. At the end of August Susan heads out to Buenos Aires in Argentina to compete in the World Transplant Games, and if she returns with a medal, she will undoubtedly make Alder Senior a very proud father. Morpeth Harrier Jonny Taylor set brand new figures of 13m44.11s, when finishing fourteenth in a class filled Men’s 5000m race at the Memorial Rasschaert meeting in Ninove in Belguim on Saturday 1st August 2015, won by Britain’s Andy Vernon of Aldershot in a season’s best 13m20.34s. Another Briton, Central AC’s Andrew Butchart, also set new figures of 13m29.49s, when finishing third. In one of his last track outings before travelling to Lyon in France for the World Masters Athletics Championships, Morpeth Harrier Ady Whitwam finished fifteenth in the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, at the CAU Inter Counties Championships, that also incorporated the English Athletics Senior Championships, in Bedford on Saturday 1st August 2015. The British Army and British Masters Cross Country Champion clocked a time of 9m46.34s. |
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