Photo: Dentdale Runners (photo shared by Helen C)
A busy start to March… this report celebrates members’ achievements at events near and far, from 60m track to Ultra Marathon including parkruns, 10k’s, Half Marathons, a 10 miler, 20 miler, Marathon, Ultras (30 and 32 milers) and Championship, Cross Country and Canicross events.
1st March: parkruns – Albert (Middlesbrough), Wynyard Woodland and Darlington South Park
At Albert parkrun, Darren Wright finished in 7th place overall, earning himself a brand new PB of 18:19, shaving 29 seconds off his previous PB there in March 2018! At Wynyard Woodland, Dave Jones finished in 2nd place overall, as well as 2nd male, in 20:23 and at Darlington South Park, Ian Hart broke the parkrun Club Record in his age category, finishing in 23:34.
2nd March: Tokyo Marathon
The Tokyo Marathon is a flat and fast course that allows runners to achieve great times, often setting personal bests (PB) as they navigate through the streets of Tokyo. Right from the start, the course heads downhill, and for the rest of the way, there are no major hills to overcome.
The race begins at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, a notable landmark in Shinjuku. From there, the course heads towards Suidobashi, an area known for the Tokyo Dome, and the adjacent amusement complex, Tokyo Dome City. When runners get to Sudacho, they begin the first ‘out and back’ section. After covering about 10km they turn around at Ueno-hirokoji. The first out-and-back portion concludes when runners reach Sudacho again. Participants then pass through Kanda, an area famous for its traditional style, rich history and vibrant atmosphere. The route then leads to Nihombashi, an iconic bridge. This juncture is regarded as the starting point of the second out-and-back section, which has 2-3 additional out-and-back segments within itself before circling back to Nihombashi. Runners then proceed towards Asakusa, starting their third out-and-back segment at Kuramae 1-Chome before turning back at Kaminarimon Gate, the outer gate of Senso-ji Temple, one of Tokyo’s oldest and most significant Buddhist temples.
Diane Vaughan completed the event in 4:12, setting the club record for age category and achieving the coveted Abbot World Major Marathon 6 star medal.
2nd March: Middlesbrough Half Marathon
This event started in Centre Square, outside the Town Hall and MIMA gallery. The road closed course heads out through Albert Park, passing the home of Middlesbrough FC at Riverside Stadium, before looping around the docks to finish back in Centre Square.
Michael Joyeux was first Quaker finisher in 1:16, followed by Billy Harris (1:36) Lou Trainor (1:38), Adrian Gooding (1:41),Alex Looney (1:41), Piotr Swiader (1:44), Luke Hewitson (1:45 – 1st half), David Nalder (1:49), Stephen Ash (1:50), Lucy Coxon (1:50 – 1st half), Rebecca Dodd (1:54 PB), Ray Reed (1:54 PB), David Thompson (1:54), Graham Looney (1:56 – 1st half), Heather McLean (2:02 PB), Janet Bowlby (2:07), Mel Newton (2:18), Sarah Burrows (2:33), Lesley Neal (2:38) and Tracey Fleming (2:38 PB).
2nd March: Haweswater Half Marathon
The course starts in Bampton Village and primarily follows an out and back course – all on quiet tarmac roads – along the shores of Haweswater in a remote and dramatic mountain valley.
Emily Beaumont completed the event in PB 1:51:18 (PB) followed by Robert Kirby (2:09).
2nd March: Muddy Roads 10k
This race starts and finishes at St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School, Ripon. It is a multi-terrain course over undulating farmland and through picturesque countryside incorporating a mixture of road, footpaths and trails.
Diane Lockhart completed the event in 59:26.
2nd March: Feckin Frickley Tart and Terriers Trot – Pontefract
This event takes place in South Elmsall Frickley country park, which is a is a former colliery and now converted into a lovely space that’s perfect for runners. For this event, the five mile loop combines good paths with some challenging hills – the route is quiet and pretty.
Helen Clark finished the event in 2nd place in 38:35.
2nd March: North East Counties Athletics Association (NECAA) Indoor Track Championships, Gateshead
This was another successful meeting held at Gateshead College Indoor Athletics Hall, with some championship records being set and many PBs – standards were very high with some excellent performances.
Viv Hardwick completed the 60m final in 10.93, taking the silver medal in his age category.
5th March: Riverside 5k
This is the first of the Darlington Trail Series 5k series. The series is open to any level of runner and offers a mix of terrain from tarmac to woodland. This race took place by the river, starting near Haughton Road.
Ian Burgess completed the route in 26:00, followed by Jeff Marriott in 30:58 and Stephen Smedley (41:53).
8th March: parkruns – Y Promenâd Abermaw (Wales) & Sedgefield
Congratulations to Lisa Jenkins who completed her 100th parkrun milestone at Y Promenâd Abermaw in 34:51. Meanwhile, at Sedgefield, Emily Beaumont was 2nd female finisher in 24:32, a new PB with 7 seconds off her previous PB at Sedgefield last month.
8th March: Haworth Hobble
This event consists of 32 miles traversing gritstone moors around Haworth, Todmorden and Hebden Bridge with 4,400 ft of ascent/descent. 11 hours is allocated with cut offs at each checkpoint; there is expectation that runners have all the skills required for navigating and looking after themselves on remote moors in potentially very wintry conditions. It is a tough race that is expected to go ahead in almost all conditions. During the race there are 6 well stocked feed stations with all the basics of chocolate bars, bananas, melon, orange, jelly babies as well as water, squash and Cola. Feed stations 3, 4 and 5 have additional options including tea, coffee, soup, OXO as well as hot dogs, donuts, chip butties and other surprises. The race is well known for having great feed stations with exceptional volunteers. After the race freshly cooked hot pizza and cake are available.
This 32 mile route sells out very quickly. Mark 1st October on your calendar if you want to do this one next year! Entrants are invited to their recce runs in December, January and February.
David Aiken and Rebecca Howard ran as a mixed pair team, finishing in 6:52.
8th March: Dentdale Run (Championship Race)
This race is either 14.2 (Championship race) or 7.9 miles around the lanes of Dentdale in the Yorkshire Dales. It is an undulating course but runners are rewarded with beautiful scenery.
In the 14.2 mile race, Marc Ellis was 1st Quaker home in 1:33 (9th place overall and 3rd in age category) followed by Rob Dent (1:47), James Atkinson (1:53), Brian Martin (1:53 and 1st in age category), Michael Thompson (2:03), Rob Gillham (2:05) and Helen Clark (2:31).
In the 7.9 mile race, Rachel Grayson finished in 1:17, followed by Sandra Martin (1:18).
9th March: Morland Marathon
Organised by Charm Bracelet Marathon events, the Morland ‘Marathon’ is a 30 mile Trail Ultra in Cumbria on mixed terrain with 3000 feet of elevation. The route starts and finishes in the village of Morland, near Penrith and hugs the Pennines to the east and the Howgills to the South. It runs through the undulating countryside in the Eden Valley and the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with stone circles, waterfalls, lower lying fells, cairns, meadows, and historic villages.
Claire and Tom Chapman completed the event in 6:54.
9th March: NYSD Cross Country at Richmond Old Racecourse
This event is the last race on the Cross Country calendar. It takes place on Low Moor which is high above Richmond and on a good day affords runners a fantastic views North over the Aske estate towards Aycliffe, East over Teesside, and South across Wensleydale, Pen Hill and beyond.
In the U17, U20, Senior and VET women category (6k, 3 small loops) Lisa Bowerbank finished the route in 33:48, followed by Diane Lockhart (35:40), Helen Clark (36:33), Carmelita Coco (36:53) and Melissa Hird (37:17) whilst in the U20, Senior and VET men’s category (1 small and 3 large laps), Marc Ellis finished in 40:06, followed by Alex Mathers (41:55), Andrew Vernon (42:41), Neil Chalmers (48:10), Rob Gillham (55:25) and Chris Clark (1:00).
9th March: Wild Deer Kingdom of Northumbria Ultra
This spectacular 54km Ultra Trail Run starts near Bamburgh Castle and takes runners past many of the other historical coastal landmarks of Northumberland (formerly known as the Kingdom of Northumbria) including Beadnell Harbour, Dunstanburgh Castle, Craster Village & Warkworth Castle. The event finishes at Druridge Bay Country Park.
Heather McLean completed the event in 7:45.
12th March: Carlisle 10k (Half Marathon also available)
This course has runners starting from the main straight at the back of the East Stand at Brunton Park Football Stadium and into Rickerby Park before heading to Linstock & Crosby on Eden before turning back on what is an out and back route. The route takes in the sites of Carlisle including the Castle, Cathedral, Train Station, Cenotaph and Bitts and Rickerby Parks.
John Harrison completed the 10k event in 53:57.
15th March: parkrun – Hackworth (Shildon)
At Hackworth parkrun, Sandra Cass was 3rd female finisher in 26:44.
15th March: The Tyne Bridges to Boundaries Ultra (Greener Miles Running)
This 32 mile route takes runners from the vibrant quayside, through the industrial areas along the river to the beautiful country parks and riverside meadows, along scenic trails, winding roads, and hidden gems that showcase the best the region has to offer.
Helen Clark completed the event in in 7:15. and Chris Bowe in 8:03.
Special mentions:
Congratulations and well done to Scott Beaumont who has now ran every day for 5 years! Scott has ran various distances and terrain, from short road runs to ultra marathons on the trail – a fabulous achievement.
Congratulations and well done to QRC members that have achieved ‘unofficial’ parkrun milestones over the last fortnight!
Congratulations to Lisa Jenkins who completed her 25th parkrun volunteer stint on 9th March.
parkrun Tourism
Well done to QRC parkrun tourists who ran at Stewart parkrun, Middlesbrough on 8th March. The next parkrun tourism is on 12th April at Zuiderpark!
Zuiderpark course description…
Two laps in the park on the asphalt clockwise. The start and finish are close to AV Sparta, outside Sports Campus. Two laps of the park in a clockwise direction.
Link to Zuiderpark Race report (Feb 2024) written by Lisa and Michelle…
Race Report: Zuiderpark parkrun (10th February 2024) – Quakers Running Club