Press Report: 1st – 15th July 2025

Photo: Quakers at Willow Miner Race (photo courtesy of Rob G)

The first half of July has seen members taking part in a wide variety of events including road, trail and track events as well as another Lyke Wake crossing.

2nd July: More Than a Run – Summer Night Series 5k

This was Event 3 of the Summer Night Series which takes place at Ormesby Hall.

Chris Bowe completed the event in 28:44 (2nd in age category) followed by Jeff Marriott (30:56).

3rd July: Willow Miner Trail Race (Championship Race)

This is a beautiful summer evening trail race in Durham across woodland, meadow and riverbank, passing the local landmarks of the Willow Miner and Willow Lady, of approximately 5.4 miles (8.7km) with 500 feet (150m) of ascent. The course consists of beautiful trail, starting with a winding start through Houghall woods, the course drops into the undulating section of the Durham Woodland Trust, climbing up to views over the River Wear and Croxdale Woods before descending to wildflower meadows and around to the Willow Lady. A single-track section along the bank of the River Wear leads to a climb up towards the Willow Miner, before traversing back to Houghall Woods and the finish. The route is fully marked and marshalled, so no navigational experience is required.

Alex Mathers was first Quaker finisher in 39:38, followed by Billy Harris (43:00), Simon Rek (52:33), April Corbett (53:11), Anthony Corbett (53:51), Wendy Colling (54:21), Helen Clark (54:41) and Lisa Jenkins (1:00).

5th July: Hardwolds 40

This 47 mile route follows the Hudson Way from Beverley to pick up the Wolds Way just outside of Goodmanham.  It continues through Londesborough, Millington, Thixendale and Wharram Percy, before leaving the Wolds Way near Settrington Beacon and descending into Settrington to pick up theCentenary Way to Malton to the race finish.

Emily Beaumont completed the event in 9:58 and Karen Dove in 14:56.

5th July: parkrun – Redcar & Darlington South Park

At Redcar, Rob Dent was 4th finisher overall in 20:05, whilst at Darlington South Park, Michael Joyeux was 2nd finisher overall as well as 2nd male in 17:36 and Dave Jones was 10th finisher overall in 19:31.

5th July: Dalesrunner 30

The DalesRunner30 is a circular, fully marked route ascending almost 3,000ft from Swaledale up to the Tan Hill Inn (Great Britain’s highest pub). The route takes entrants on the Coast to Coast path to the tiny hamlet of Ravenseat before heading up and across some of the country’s remotest expanses of moorland to reach the Tan Hill Inn. A section of the Pennine Way leads back down to Swaledale, with an ascent of the spectacular Swinner Gill to follow. From there, the fast, flying descent on moorland tracks and the final dash to the finish line through Muker’s iconic Swaledale flower meadows make this a race not to be missed. The route consists of grassy trods, slabbed sections, hard packed footpath, shooter’s track and a couple of short road sections.

Alex Mathers completed the route in 3:20 and 3rd in age category.

5th July: Swinner Swagger

This route is the second half of the DR30 route with a 10 mile loop ascending Swinner Gill in all its glory. Entrants run a loop through Hartlakes to Keld, over Swinner Gill with a great long descent towards Gunnerside and following the river Swale back to the finish line. The route consists of grassy paths, shooter’s track and a couple of short road sections.

Kate Shaw completed the event in 2:12 and 2nd in age category.

6th July: Saturn – Labyrinth Run

The Saturn Labyrinth Run returned for its second edition, inspired by the 1980s cult classic Labyrinth, featuring a themed medal. The event welcomed runners of all abilities, with a flexible format allowing participants to choose their own distance. The course follows a scenic trail loop along the River Wear, offering runners stunning views of Durham Cathedral and the surrounding countryside. The terrain is a mix of compact trail paths and riverside walkways.

Chris Bowe completed 9.8 miles in 2:01, whilst Jo Neesam completed 13.1 miles in 2:35 and Chris Neesam completed 16.4 miles in 3:02.

6th July: Great North 10k

This route starts in front of the Baltic and takes runners on a journey along the River Tyne, past Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside’s iconic landmarks, before returning to the Baltic to cross the finish line.

Dawn Richardson finished in 41:19, followed by Graham Looney (47:47), Jeff Marriott (59:06), Felicity Machnicki (1:02), Pip Rayner (1:02) and Emma Joyeux (1:02).

6th July: Its Grim Up North Black Sheep (3 hours or 6 hours challenge)

This event is a lapped race that takes place in the beautiful town of Masham. The circular lap of 3.55 miles is on a mixture of river towpath, tracks, trails, fields and back roads with 3 busy roads to cross with help from the marshalls. A water and feed station is available at the start/finish of each lap.

Alex Looney ran 3 laps in (1:38), whilst Abbie Jones and Carys Samuel completed 4 laps in 2:13 (1st and 2nd in age category respectively); Helen Clark completed 4 laps in 2:27 (1st in age category), Chris Clark completed 4 laps in 2:30 (3rd in age category) and Caroline Litster ran 4 laps in 2:41 (3rd in age category).

8th July: Bridges of the Tyne 5 miles

Starting and finishing on the historic Quayside, this race is a fast, mainly flat out and back 5 mile course along the quayside, passing 7 of the river’s iconic bridges.

James McKenzie finished the race in 27:43 followed by Carys Samuel (36:46) and Diane Vaughan (37:20, 1st in age category and club record)

9th July: Wheelbirks Summer Trail 10K Results

This inaugural trail event, hosted by Greener Miles Running, delivered a blend of challenge and charm at Wheelbirks Farm in Stocksfield, Northumberland. Participants tackled a fully waymarked route that wound through farm field boundaries offering open stretches and rolling terrain, woodland and forest trails shaded and serene, but peppered with roots and twists, steep technical climbs and descents that tested legs and lungs alike and a river crossing. The course borrowed elements from the Cow Shed Backyard Ultra, but added extra elevation and variety, making it ideal for both trail novices and seasoned runners.

Chris Bowe completed the race in 1:25.

10th July: QRC Trail Barmpton Loop Handicap

Organised by our QRC Race development committee, this single lap, multi-terrain handicap event offered 2 distances – 4.3 miles for the full course and around 2.6 miles for the shorter run. Conditions were dry and hot with members starting on Low Skerningham Lane and following a lot of the old White Horse route.

In the shorter Graham Park was first back to the finish in a time of 26:02 and in the longer distance John Lloyd was first back with a time of 41:56 (nett time 30:41).

Thank you to everyone involved with the organisation and marshalling.

10th July: Sunderland 5k

The Sunderland Harriers 5K is a fast, flat, and competitive road race, regarded as one of the quickest 5K courses in the UK. It attracts a mix of elite runners chasing personal bests and recreational runners enjoying the supportive atmosphere. The course loops around the Silksworth Lake area, heading out along quiet roads before turning back toward the complex.

Diane Vaughan finished the race in 23:39 and 2nd in age category and 1st in age for those qualifying for the Masters.

12th July: parkrun – Darlington South Park, Hackworth & Pont y Bala (Wales)

At Darlington South Park, Dawn Richardson was 3rd female finisher in 21:14; Gilly Cowton achieved her 25th parkrun milestone in 31:00 and Lena Rusa achieved her 50th in 33:23.

At Hackworth, Michael Thompson was 10th finisher overall in 23:31 and at Pont y Bala, Dave Jones was 7th finisher overall in 20:1.

12th July: The Sting – Backyard Ultra

Set in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside, this event offered a stunning yet punishing backdrop for one of the most mentally and physically demanding race formats in ultrarunning.

This Backyard Ultra, with a ‘last one standing’ format, consisted of a 4.17-mile (6.7 km) loop every hour (on the hour) with the race continuing until only one runner remained. If a runner failed to complete a loop within the hour, they were eliminated. The terrain was mixed, with woodland trails offering shaded technical sections, open fields with rolling terrain and an old railway track with a flat runnable stretch with views of Easy Abbey. There were 200 runners taking part.

Emma Bland completed 21.34 miles/5 laps in 4:30 and was 1st in age category. Emma’s determination saw her finish her first lap in 41st place and by the end of her five laps, she had progressed to 21st place. John Harrison completed 8.3 miles/2 laps in 1:54 and 3rd in age category.

13th July: Run Durham Hamsterley Forest Summer Half Marathon (10K also available)

Run Nation’s Hamsterley Forest Half Marathon features some incredible forest views centred around rarely seen before sections of woodland. With a mix of gradual and demanding climbs, along with some lengthy descents and rewarding views, this Half Marathon is the perfect summers event for those seeking a rewarding run.

Marc Ellis finished in 1st place and 1st in age category with a time of 1:27, followed by Caroline Litster (2:21 and 1st in age category) and Chris Evans (2:26 and 3rd in age category).

13th July: Darlington Trails – Riverside 10k

The fourth event in the 2025 Darlington Trail Series saw runners gather to take on this fast and flat event. The route offered a scenic mix of tarmac and woodland paths, winding along the River Skerne and through green spaces near Haughton Road.

Luke Hewitson finished in 5th place overall in 51:13, followed by Chris Bowe (1:06) and Lucy Bendle (1:15).

13th July: London 10k

The 2025 Saucony London 10K offered 17,000 runners a flat, fast, and scenic route through the heart of the capital. Starting near Piccadilly Circus, the course wound its way past some of London’s most famous sights including Regent Street, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Bridge, The London Eye and Big Ben, before returning to the Piccadilly Circus finish line.

Diane Vaughan completed the race in 47:13 and 2nd in age category.

14th July: NEMAA Track and Field at Monkton (Match 4)

Viv Hardwick had another fantastic night at Monkton in Track and Field Events, breaking his own Club Record in age for 200m and 3rd in age with a time of 37.2; 2nd in age category in the 800m in 3:22.9 and 1st in age category for the 300m in 1:06.1.

Special Mentions:

Fundraising for QRC Charity of the Year – The Great North Air Ambulance

A special shout out to Paul Roberts who completed the Gyro 90 cycling event (90+ miles) in memory of his Grandson, Charlie and to raise money for QRC’s chosen charity – The Great North Air Ambulance. The ride started at Urlay Nook, going deep into Swaledale, over Grinton Moor (near Reeth) and into Wensleydale, before returning back to Urlay Nook.

Members are very welcome to donate to Paul’s Just Giving Page using this link:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/paul-roberts-173?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Lyke Wake crossing

Commiserations and condolences to Claire and Tom Chapman for completing an overnight crossing of the Lyke Wake 40ish mile route. This is now 65 crossings for Claire and 48 crossings for Tom. Well done both of you!

parkrun

Congratulations and well done to QRC members that have achieved ‘unofficial’ parkrun milestones over the last fortnight!

Well done to those who took part in the QRC tourism at Redcar on 5th July. The next one will be at Marshall Drove on 2nd August.

Course description below:

The event starts at Marshall Drive Playing Fields. 4 laps on a mixture of grass and gravel path around the perimeter of the playing field in a clockwise direction.