Great North Run – 10th September 2023
by Brad Wight Where to start? Safe to say from both a running and a weather perspective it was a right mixed bag! All week the weather forecast was looking far from ideal for distance running. Brendan Foster wrote to runners saying “Sunday will not be a day for PB’s.” Well, what does he know? I’ve counted NINE personal bests in the results, and there may be more as some of our newer members registered without a club name. At the front end, starting
Tartan Games – 27th August 2023
by Alex Hird It was the final North East Track & Field meeting of the season on Sunday 27th, this time at the Gateshead International Stadium. Sam Etherington and myself were our only entrants, both in the mile. The weather was absolutely shocking. The track was covered in puddles. Not what you want to see when you're sat waiting for your race to be called. It's a shame because it was a day jam packed with events. Of the 17 seniors in the mile,
NECAA Open Track & Field meeting – 20th August 2023
by Alex Hird What a cracking day it was on Sunday at our very own Shildon Stadium. Despite the heavens opening just as the meeting got underway, the weather soon turned, and it became a fantastic summers day. Summer, remember that? Overall, it was a really well attended meeting, which can only work in favour of Shildon being used more next year. People (Athletes, Officials, and spectators) could not believe how good the facility is compared to the more regularly used facilities,
Blackpool Run the Lights 5K/10K – 19th August 2023
by Jon Rose I was hoping to get away with the shortest race report - 'What happens in Blackpool stays in Blackpool!'
Sunderland Silksworth 5K NE Championships – 20th July 2023
by Simon Pickering This was my first time doing this course, and I’d been sold it as a “bloody quick course”. As soon as I saw the first half mile, I understood why. It turned out to be a good night for Crook, with many people getting 5k PB’s. I got there early as I went straight from work and was one of the first to register. Simple enough process. I soon started to get imposter syndrome seeing the height and the
Stanhope Trail Races Half-marathon AKA 15 MILE! – 16th July 2023
by Lisa Donaldson I thought I would sign up for a challenging run for my London marathon training back in March but due to the weather it got snowed off and re-arranged for July time. Ok, no bother, I will use it for my Amsterdam marathon training.… winner!! I knew it was going to be a challenge with 1800ft of climb within the 1st 9 miles but what you read and what you physically do are two different things altogether and WOW,
Mike Mallen Memorial Fell Race – 14th June 2023
by Brad Wight Wed 14th June 2023 Four of us made it over to Keswick for the local club’s annual ‘Round Latrigg’ fell race which skirts around the summit of the hill rather than going over the top. This year the 5.5 mile race was dedicated to Mike Mallen, a much respected member of both Keswick AC and Crook AC who passed away suddenly last year. One of Mike’s former training partners, Martin Harbisher, was with us and he introduced the rest of
Blackhill Steelworks Relays – 17th May 2023
by Geoff Hewitson Over 50 teams took part in this popular mixed team format relay on the site of the former Consett Steelworks. The course is a challenging loop of approximately 2.1 miles with the notorious hill coming near the end. Our Club has enjoyed a great deal of success in this event, having either won it or finished in the top 3 on several occasions. In 2022 we finished runners-up and were the overall winners the previous time it was
Cowshed Backyard Ultra – 29/30th April 2023
by Kieron Day The Wheelbirks Farm in Stocksfield set the stage for an unforgettable weekend at the Cowshed Backyard Ultra. In this unique race format, each runner had to complete a 4.16-mile loop every hour until only one was left standing. Any leftover time between completing a 'backyard' and the start of the next one could be used for rest, refuelling, or a quick visit to the portaloo! This event was my first introduction to endurance running and was completely uncharted territory
Kieran Maxwell Memorial Open – 16/04/2023
by Sam Etherington Myself, Ryan & Alex had entered the 800m in the Kieran Maxwell Memorial Open, this event was hosted by Darlington Harriers and had a great turnout. In good fashion, me and Ryan got there with very little time to get a warm up done before being called up to the start where they set off the younger age groups first and worked their way up to the u17’s/seniors race. Alex joined us not long after having managed to get