By Steven Dawson
This weekend was a busy one for Aycliffe Running Club with a number of races taking place across the region and beyond.
On Sunday 4 February, four members travelled to Yorkshire for the Dewsbury 10k with some exceptional performances in the event. Representing the club were John Surtees (36:05), Richard Campbell (36:56), Richard Trowles (equalling his personal best of 37:34) and Tracey Surtees (40:59).
At the same time, two members travelled to Carlisle for a unique race, the X-Border 10k, which saw runners start the race in Carlisle before crossing over the border into Scotland, finishing at Gretna. Carley Cooper (56:57) and Sandrine Hewitt (1:03:45) both represented the club.
Sunday 4 February also saw the next race in the NYSD Cross Country Calendar taking place at Caedmon School in Whitby. This saw a brilliant turnout from the club across all age categories, running on grass, trails and even some tarmac as well as the inevitable mud and some hills.
Representing the club in the Under 11 boys’ race was Elijah McLuckie (11:23). In the Under 13 Girls race, Trinity Donoghue (14:38) was the sole representative for the club.
In the Girl’s Under 17 and Senior women’s race, Bernadette Cooper (30:13), Sarah Gill (33:12), Laura Hudson (34:36), Lucy Heron (35:31) (35:31), Cath McDonnell (36:10), Viv Williams (41:10), Anne Kellett (41:28), Em Flynn (42:12) and Tracey Pickering (44:38) all represented the club.
In the Senior Men’s race, Andrew Sedgwick (42:52), Richard Holland (42:59), Steven Dawson (43:29), Matt Heron (45:25), Ste Dunn (45:57), James Cooper (47:23), Shaun Dodd (47:47), Daniel Tatham (47:56), Dave Blewitt (50:28), Keith Hatton (55:03) and David Stothard (55:34) all represented the club.
In the men’s over 65 race, John Burnside (33:21) finished third with Steve Williams (36:08) fifth. In the men’s over 70 race, Kevin Greenall (39:38) was the sole representative for the club.
On Saturday, 32 members started their weekend with a parkrun, taking in the Albert, Sedgefield, Darlington South Park, Hackworth, Newbiggin-by-the Sea, Herrington Country, and Wynyard Woodland events.
At Albert, Rob Nicholson (31:04) set a new personal best for the course with Angela Sutheran (23:56) continuing her excellent recovery from injury. Over at Sedgefield, Daniel Tatham (23:41) and Chris Holland (28:42) both set new personal bests for the course.
At Hackworth, Bernadette Cooper (25:15) finished as second female with Christina Lambert (40:18) taking part in her first parkrun since August 2023. It was also a special occasion for Susan Clark (38:35) who completed her 200th ever parkrun which is an amazing achievement. At Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Jean-Pierre Hupin (29:54) set a new personal best for the course with Carley Cooper (28:25) and Em Flynn (33:18) also completing the event. At Herrington County Park, Steve Williams (27:59), Viv Williams (31:26) and Evelina Dogley (31:27) all completed the course for the first time. At Wynyard, Jayne Rudd (30:18) set a new personal best for the course.
If you are feeling inspired and are interested in joining the club, you can turn up for one of our sessions. More information is available on our website www.ayclifferunningclub.org.uk or our Facebook page. If you would like to chat with someone, then you can email [email protected]. If interested in the Junior Section you can email [email protected]. Make this year the year you or your children get into running and join us to keep it going for many years to come.
