Photo: Quakers at Ravenstonedale 10k (10k league) shared by John Y
There are fewer races to report than usual over the last fortnight, though QRC members have still managed to compete in events home and abroad, from parkrun to Half Marathon, running on roads and trail.
16th November: Hamsterley Moonrunner 10k
The Moon Runner series offers participants the opportunity to run in beautiful locations illuminated (weather permitting) by the moon and stars. The Hamsterley Forest race route was fully way marked with reflective markers and signs and marshalled along the whole course. These events are suitable for trail running and head torch novices as there are no cut off times, but are also challenging enough for more experienced runners who want to give themselves a good test.
Helen Clark completed the route in 1:07 followed by Chris Bowe (1:11) and Julie Russell (1:15).
16th November: parkruns – Darlington South Park, Sedgefield
At Darlington South Park, Marc Ellis was 6th finisher overall in 17:53, whilst Lisa Bowerbank knocked 1 second off her previous PB in May 23 to finish in 23:45 and Rachel Grayson shaved 8 seconds off her Sept 24 time to finish in 25:58. Meanwhile, over at Wynyard Woodland, Anna Harris completed her 25th parkrun milestone, finishing in 26:56.
17th November: Alton Towers 5k (Half Marathon also available)
This event takes place amongst the rides within the Alton Towers estate.
Adrian Gooding completed the 5k event in 22:12.
17th November: Gibside Fruit bowl
The course is a one lap on good tracks, paths and estate roads and is approximately 7 miles long, set within the magnificent grounds of the National Trust Gibside Estate.
Chris Minto finished the race in 58:54.
17th November: Wild Deer Slaley Hall and Forest Half Marathon and (10K also available)
The Half Marathon route is with one big then one small lap around the enchanting Slaley Forest
Billy Harris finished 1st in age category in a time of 1:45.
23rd November: parkrun – Cyclopark parkrun (Gravesend)
Snow stopped play for most parkruns, though a handful of hardy Quakers completed courses at Albert, Minehead, Queen’s (Belfast), Cotsford Fields, Cyclopark (Gravesend) and Leazes (Newcastle).
At Cyclopark, Rebecca Howard was first female finisher in 21:36.
23rd November: Benidorm Half Marathon (10k also available)
This event celebrated its 40th edition – it started at Avenida de la Comunidad Valenciana and finishes at Plaza de SS MM Los Reyes de España. The route offered runners the opportunity to enjoy the stunning views of the Levante and Poniente beaches and the city’s skyline and covers the entire coast of Benidorm.
Gilly and Brian Cowton completed the route together in 2:23.
24th November: More than a run at Ormesby Hall
This 10k event takes place monthly on the 3rd Sunday of the month in the grounds of Ormesby Hall. (No need to book – simply show up on the day) The run briefing is held at 8:55am in front of the mansion with the run starting at 9am. The route takes runners up through the farmland and woods, down the drive and through the Pennyman Woods. The terrain consists of tarmac and gravel driveways, field margins and woodland trails. This event will be back in February.
Jeff Marriot completed the route in 1:05 followed by Chris Bowe in 1:10.
30th November: parkruns – Darlington South Park, Wynyard Woodland and Thorp Perrow
At Darlington South Park, Carmelita Coco celebrated her 250th parkrun milestone, finishing the course in 26:57 whilst at Wynyard Woodland, Dave Jones was 4th finisher overall in 20:07 and at Thorp Perrow, Rebecca Devine was 3rd female finisher in 27:09.
30th November: Ravenstonedale 10K Road Race – 10k league
An undulating 10k road race from the picturesque village of Ravenstonedale, Kirby Stephen. The route has a small loop and a larger loop which are both run anti-clockwise.
Marc Ellis was first Quaker home in 4th place overall and 1st in age category in 37:55, followed by David Aiken (40:12 and 3rd in age category), James Atkinson (43:22), Rob Dent (43:43), Rebecca Howard (44:02 and 3rd in age category), Ed Griffiths (44:31), Lou Trainor (46:10), Rob Gillham (46:27), Neil Chalmers (49:32), Michael Thompson (49:35), Scott Beaumont (49:53), Alex Looney (50:58), Emily Beaumont (51:39), April Corbett (54:06), Ian Burgess (54:15), Simon Rek (55:40), Rachel Grayson (55:50), Helen Clark (55:59), Diane Lockhart (57:06), Chris Clark (57:20), Anthony Corbett (58:48), David Todd (1:01), Carmelita Coco (1:01), Paul Cockburn (1:04) and David Porterfield (1:13).
Special mentions:
Congratulations and well done to QRC members that have achieved ‘unofficial’ parkrun milestones over the last fortnight!
Congratulations and well done to Sally Singleton who has now completed her 100th volunteer stint and Carmelita Coco who has completed her 50th.
Congratulations and well done to Billy Harris who has secured a ‘Good for Age’ place at London Marathon 2025.
QRC 10K Leagues Final Update 2024
Well done to everyone who took part in the 10K League competition over the course of the year. It was great to see lots of friendly rivalry along the way, as well as seeing people remark how it had spurred them on to faster times due to the threat of being pursued by their rivals!
There were some really close leagues this year, which resulted in five of the nine only being decided on the final race of the year. One league was so tightly contested that it actually resulted in a tie.
Ravenstonedale was the last of the 10k league races. Congratulations and well done to our league winners: Marc Ellis, James Atkinson, Dave Murphy, Ian Burgess, Alex Looney, Diane Lockhart and Helen Clark (tie), Anthony Corbett, Wendy Noble and Lucy Bendle.
QRC Club Championship Final Update 2024
What a year we have seen in the Championship! There have been 48 Quakers taking part this year across 23 races covering a range from 5K to Half Marathon across Roads, Trail and Track.
The results are in:
1st Place with 500 points – Marc Ellis
2nd Place with 499 points – Rob Gillham
3rd Place with 490 points – Rob Dent
1st Lady with 483 points – Lou Trainor
As the championship ends for 2024, a big thank you to everyone who took part, we couldn’t have this event in the Quakers’ calendar without you all taking an interest in gaining those elusive points!
Special mentions go to Darren Alderson, Martyn Farnsworth and Helen Clark whose amazing efforts have kept the winners on their toes.
The final tables for both competitions can be viewed on the QRC website and the 2025 Club Championship and 10K League are both now in development. If you would like more information on either competition, please either see Juliette (Championship) or Rob (10K League) at club or email them on championship@quakersrunningclub.org.uk or 10K@quakersrunningclub.org.uk.
A big thank you to Rob Dent and Juliette McLaren for all the admin work and organisation associated with the competitions.