Race report from Lee Morgan;
One of the great things about being a competitive club athlete is that you get the chance to race over different distances and terrain. From the Northern Cross Country Championships to a muddy Harrier League, this week saw the Wallsend faithful travel to Hetton Country Park for the prestigious Royal Signals North East Counties Road Relay Championships.
One of the great things about being a competitive club athlete is that you get the chance to race over different distances and terrain. From the Northern Cross Country Championships to a muddy Harrier League, this week saw the Wallsend faithful travel to Hetton Country Park for the prestigious Royal Signals North East Counties Road Relay Championships.
It was a day of success, high emotion and drama which was topped off brilliantly by a superb performance by the ladies veteran team who took home the bronze medals.
The event has been used by many an International athlete over the years, for some as a sharpener for the track season, for others the chance of speedwork as the marathon season approaches. The race was a key part in the seasons of the likes of Brendan Foster, Mike Mcleod and Steve Cram in the 80s and 90s and more recently top athletes such as Ian Hudspith and Ricky Stevenson have taken part to do their bit for their respective clubs.
The championship event consists of 4 relays, all taking part in the same race over a two lap, approximately 2.2 mile, course. Wallsend fielded 6 teams in total and it was encouraging to see so many green and gold vests on the start line.
It was at this race last season that the Senior Men struggled to put one team together, a day Club Captain Mick Skeldon does not like to be reminded of. However, those memories were erased in style this season as Wallsend fielded teams in both Senior and Veteran categories, despite injuries to key athletes. This showed how far we have progressed in the last year and it was a jubilant and proud 'Skipper Skelly' who stood at the finish cheering his teams home.
The championship event consists of 4 relays, all taking part in the same race over a two lap, approximately 2.2 mile, course. Wallsend fielded 6 teams in total and it was encouraging to see so many green and gold vests on the start line.
It was at this race last season that the Senior Men struggled to put one team together, a day Club Captain Mick Skeldon does not like to be reminded of. However, those memories were erased in style this season as Wallsend fielded teams in both Senior and Veteran categories, despite injuries to key athletes. This showed how far we have progressed in the last year and it was a jubilant and proud 'Skipper Skelly' who stood at the finish cheering his teams home.
Vicky in Action!
Another Club Captain who deserves the plaudits is Vicky Hindson for a great piece of strategic team selection. Two of our stronger female runners who are normally included in the Senior team were also eligible for the veterans category. Vicky was faced with the dilemma of fielding the strongest Senior or strongest Veterans team. So, using her knowledge of the girls' form and fitness she calculated that the vets had a better chance of success and made the decision to field the strongest possible ladies Veteran's team. The result? A magnificent bronze medal for our Veteran ladies! The team of Emma Walton, Kathryn Robertson, Ruth Marshall and Chrystal Skeldon done Wallsend proud and there were emotional scenes as the girls received their championship medals.
Paul James
Everyone played their part in a great day and there were many notable performances. Newcomer Becky Newman goes from strength to strength; Steve Cunningham made a solid debut in the green and gold; Paul James continues to improve at an alarming rate and there were solid performances by all other members of the teams. No matter whether you were the fastest or slowest, everyone gave it their all and it was great to see Wallsend Harriers turning out in force yet again. Thanks must also go to all those who made the effort to turn up and cheer the teams on, even if they weren't competing.
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