The Wallsend Rising Sun Race 2010
Morpeth's Gary Jones raced to a superb and well-deserved victory in the 2010 Wallsend Rising Sun MT Race, pipping runner-up Michael Likeman of Heaton by ten seconds in an exciting race to the line.
In excellent conditions, fair and dry, just under 150 runners went to the line on paths around the Rising Sun Country Park in North Tyneside. Although entries were up on the previous year, the actual number of starters was almost identical, with strong, and much-appreciated, support from members of Blyth RC and Heaton Harriers in particular.
The main race was preceded by a Youths Fun Run of just over 2 km, won by 13-year old Jed Marshall of Gateshead Harriers in an impressive 6.41, with Wallsend youths packing most of the other places - 14-year old Ryan Hall of the host club was second while first girl home was Jessica Richardson (aged 12) of Elswick Harriers.
The winning time in the combined Senior and Veterans race was well outside the course record of 25.50 held by North Shield's Ryan Stephenson, from 2008, but with the first four finishers all coming home within fifteen seconds of one another, the 2010 race was perhaps the most competitive of the races held on the Rising Sun course. South Shields' Chris Muir was third, just holding off the first veteran runner, M50 Paul Merrison - running on what is very much home territory for the North Tyneside-based Sunderland Harrier. This gave Paul an impressive hat-trick of consecutive wins in the Veterans race in the event.
First female runner was Clare Simpson of Chester le St, coming home an impressive 15th overall. Ingrid Hope - a former winner of the Womens race - was first veteran runner and fourth overall.
Selected results:
MEN
1 G Jones (Morpeth) 27.32
2 M Likeman (Heaton) 27.42
3 C Muir (So Shields) 27.44
4 P Merrison (M50 Sunderland H) 27.47
5 A Henderson (Blyth RC) 28.26
6 I Robinson (Heaton) 28.27
7 G Arthur (M45 So Shields) 28.35
8 K McPherson (M40 Wallsend) 28.45
9 R Barkley (Blyth RC) 28.52
10 P Duffy (Crook) 28.58
WOMEN
1 C Simpson (Chester le St) 30.14
2 H Reed (Sunderland H) 31.53
3 V Hindson (Wallsend) 31.56
4 I Hope (F45 Sunderland H) 32.11
5 J Nutt (Elswick H) 32.30
Bill McGuirk posted this report in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle on Monday 19th April..
MORPETH'S Gary Jones finished strongly to win yesterday's Wallsend Rising Sun Multi-Terrain five-mile race.
Jones showed no signs of fatigue after a gruelling 25th place in the British Fell Running Championships in Silent Valley, Northern Ireland the previous week, by pulling away from his rivals in the final mile.
Jones, together with Heaton’s Mark Likeman and Chris Muir (South Shields) were stride by stride until the midway point when the Morpeth athlete tested his rivals on a downhill section of the course.
“I felt pretty comfortable throughout and, after a few moves to edge ahead, managed to open up a lead on the only downhill part of the course.
“I wasn’t sure how I would go after last week’s fell race in Northern Ireland, but it’s nice to win what is my first real victory since I started running.”
Likeman came home in second place after easing back towards the finish to hold off Jones by two seconds.
In the women’s race, Claire Simpson carried on where she left off last week by finishing in 15th place overall.
Seven days earlier the Chester-le-Street athlete won the Sand Dancer 10k at South Shields and yesterday she came home over a minute clear of Sunderland’s Haley Reed, with the host club’s Vicky Hindson a further three seconds adrift in third spot.
Simpson, who has struggled with injuries recently, said after her latest success: “I’m getting there. It’s been a long, hard slog, but I’m now beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
“It’s great to be just running again and to get up there among the prizes is a real bonus.”
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