Welcome everyone to the December edition of the official newsletter of Sunderland Harriers & A.C.
Wowzers! what a busy month it has been. Parties, races, Christmas dinners galore. I hope everyone has had a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year.
On that note, let us please reflect and remember our loved ones, past club members, friends and family who are sadly no longer with us.
December has been pretty hectic, so please make a pot of tea and grab a selection box or two and enjoy the read.
TOEING THE LINE
This section provides a brief description of races and results that our members have participated in.
N.E.C.A.A Cross-Country Championships 2024
HEROIC SILVER FOR HISTORY-MAKING HARRIETTES
At the 118th North Eastern cross-country championships at Temple Park, it was the ever-improving Women’s team that gatecrashed the medal-winning podium with their best ever performance at the championships. The team currently riding high in the Harrier League first division, produced a team performance that will be remembered for a long time.
Despite a couple of late withdrawals, the 9 lasses knuckled down and got stuck into the opposition. In the four-to-count event, Grace Carroll led the team home with a superb run coming home in an outstanding 5th place, next to scamper across the line was Jessica Fox in an impressive 11th place. Now the nervous wait was on for the next two athletes to cross the line in terms of medal chances.
With Morpeth Harriers & A.C. assured of team gold, it was pistols at dawn between ourselves, Jesmond Joggers and Wallsend Harriers for the remaining team medals. And it was Kay Stephenson who produced a barnstorming last lap to cross the line in 35th position, and not far behind in 38th position was our final counter, Danielle Coulson. This cemented second place and the prize of team silver medals. Huge credit must go to Danielle, who midway through the first lap suffered a shoulder injury; despite the setback she refused to back down and soldiered on.
Although it was only four-to-count, the medal winning success would not have been possible without the fantastic efforts of the other 5 athletes, their performances and brilliant placings pushing other club athletes back down in positions contributed massively to the team success.
Club positions: 5th Grace Carroll, 11th Jessica Fox, 35th Kay Stephenson, 38th Danielle Coulson, 63rd Vicky Haswell, 66th Hayley Dobinson, 79th Tasha Steel, 86th Lauren Flaxen, 130th Doreen Dickinson.
Individual Podium
1. Millie Breese (Morpeth Harriers)
2. Catriona McDonald (Morpeth Harriers)
3. Holly Lawrence (Morpeth Harriers)
Team Podium
1. Morpeth Harriers
2. Sunderland Harriers & A.C.
3. Jesmond Joggers
In the men’s race it was a case of what colour medals would the team be coming away with. A strongly assembled team of 19 athletes toed the line, after the first lap it was evident that Morpeth Harriers would run away with the team title, and Gateshead Harriers would claim silver medals. So it was game on to see who would win team bronze medals.
Stephen Jackson led the team home with a superb 10th place finish, claiming the first MV40 medal. Next to cross the line was Alex Seed, who as a first year senior produced a polished and impressive performance to come in 31st position.
Now the real battle was on for which individuals would fill the final four team medal positions with 5 lads, Liam Walshaw, Michael Barker, Steve Rankin, Jonathon Atkinson-Collins, and Jordan Taylor all going to war with each other on the final lap.
Unluckily, it was Taylor, who despite his herculean efforts missed out on a team medal. The other four lads were ‘spent’ as they crossed the finish line.
With the bronze medal our Senior Men continued their success in the event, winning their fourth team medal out of the last six championships.
Club Positions: 10th Stephen Jackson, 31st Alex Seed, 40th Liam Walshaw, 43rd Michael Barker, 48th Steve Rankin, 49th Jonathon Atkinson-Collins, 51st Jordan Taylor, 60th Sam Thurlbeck, 64th Norman Younger, 86th Chris Newby, 136th Jason Redman, 138th Lewis Nagel, 151st Paul Redman, 155th Jason Watson, 170th Rob Merrison, 178th David Lash, 205th Cameron Lawton, 226th Dale Wilkinson, 240th Trevor Barrs.
Individual Podium
1. Calum Johnson (Gateshead Harriers & A.C.)
2. Chris Coulson (Houghton Harriers & A.C.)
3. Lawrence McCourt (Morpeth Harriers & A.C.)
Team Podium
1. Morpeth Harriers & A.C.
2. Gateshead Harriers & A.C.
3. Sunderland Harriers & A.C.
In the junior section, unfortunate late withdrawals due to illness meant that there were no complete teams. Despite this setback, eleven of our youngsters produced fantastic efforts and should be proud of their performances.
Joe Willis, competing as a first year junior in the under-20 men’s race produced a brilliant performance to finish in an impressive 6th place.
Club Results
Under-20 Men
1. Joe Dixon (Morpeth Harriers)
2. Ben Sproats (North Shields Poly)
3. Bertie Marr (Morpeth Harriers)
6. Joe Willis (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
Under-17 Men
1. Zander Gribbon (New Marske Harriers Club)
2. Liam McDonough (Alnwick Harriers)
3. Jacob Brown (Middlesbrough & Mandale A.C.)
27. Ben Anderson (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
30. Jude Graham (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
Under-15 Boys
1. James Sturman (North Shields Poly)
2. Kristen-Kyle Sridhar (Darlington Harriers & A.C.)
3. Kasper Pearson (Wallsend Harriers)
43. Josh Ebblewhite-Wood (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
Under-15 Girls
1. Gabrielle Pinder (New Marske Harriers Club)
2. Holly Robison (Houghton Harriers & A.C.)
3. Olivia Murphy (Birtley AC)
30. Sophia-Ann McCusker (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
Under-13 Boys
1. Noah Penfold (North Shields Poly)
2. Ollie Curran (Darlington Harriers & A.C.)
3. Peter Davies (North Shields Poly)
22. Theo Paxton (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
34. Oliver Anderson (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
Under-13 Girls
1. Poppy Phillipson (Birtley AC)
2. Izzy Hall (Birtley AC)
3. Ayla Blight (Elswick Harriers)
46. Isla Dunnion-Newton (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
Under-11 Boys (Non-Scoring)
1. Acer Tarn (Darlington Harriers & A.C.)
2. Matthias Gheorgiu (North Shields Poly)
3. Juan Figueroa Gazmuri (Phoenix Flyers)
47. Charlie Hitcham (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
60. Drew Jamieson (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
Under-11 Girls (Non-Scoring)
1. Ada Penfold (North Shields Poly)
2. Ruby Collins (Gosforth Harriers)
3. Elodie Soward (North Shields Poly)
7. Anna Butler (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.)
What is very pleasing is that four of our athletes, on the back of their impressive performances, are now under consideration for the North East Inter-Counties XC team.
The athletes are Stephen Jackson (Senior Men), Grace Carroll, Jessica Fox (both Senior Women), and Joe Willis (Under-20 Men).
Also included is William Young (under-17 men), despite missing the championships with illness, he must now run and perform well at both the Wrekenton Harrier League fixture and the Northern XC Championships.
Northern Athletics – December Indoor Meeting
Brothers Joe and Scott Armstrong travelled down to the Sheffield indoor arena to race in the 3000m event. Both acquitted themselves very well as Scott, in the B-race, pulled away with a kilometer to go and convincingly won in a personal best of 8:43.47.
Joe, meanwhile, finished fourth in the A-race, shattering 3000m indoor club record with a time of 8:16.43.
A-Race
1. Alfie Manthorpe (City of Sheffield & Dearne) 7:53.54
2. Phil Sesseman (Leeds City AC) 7:54.14
3. James McMurray (St. Albans AC) 7:56.26
4. Joe Armstrong (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 8:16.43
B-Race
1. Scott Armstrong (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 8:43.47
2. Jude Harrison (Mansfield Harriers) 8:45.25
3. Alex Ford (Havering AC) 8:46.27
Loftus Poultry Run (7.5 miles approx.)
1. Max Creasey (Middlesbrough & Mandale AC) 38:33
2. Harry Allan (Highgate Harriers) 38:33
3. Lewis Gamble-Thompson (New Marske Harriers Club) 39:59
50. Darren Dodd (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 50:36
142. Debbie Defty (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 62:43
Ronnie Walker Saltwell 10k
Men
1. Linton Taylor (Leeds City AC) 32:44
2. Duncan Hughes (Blackhill Bounders) 33:10
3. Nathan Marsh (Leeds City Harriers) 33:23
4. Stephen Jackson (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 33:33 (1st MV40)
183. Simon Park (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 49:58
200. John Hughes (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 52:06
Women
1. Lucy Crooks (Tyne Bridge Harriers) 37:19
2. Justina Heslop (Elswick Harriers) 38:36
3. Katie Francis (Birtley AC) 38:43
4. Grace Carroll (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 38:56
Ribble Valley 10k (inc. Northern 10k Road Championships)
365. Danielle Coulson (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 41:08
Cursa dels Nassos International Championship 5k (Barcelona)
Records are there to be broken and on New Years Eve, the last day of the year, Joe Armstrong broke the long-standing Sunderland Harriers & A.C. 5k club road record.
Joe ran the race of his life at the acclaimed Cursa dels Nassos 5k international championship in Barcelona, a race well-known for its quick course and fields of top-quality athletes. The club record of 14:00 had stood since 1986, a whopping 38 years, and was held by club legend Brian Rushworth.
As usual, the race got off to a fast and frantic start, this did not faze Joe as he stuck to his own race plan. A plan he raced to perfection as he crept through the field and finished in 10th position with his record-breaking time of 13:50.
However, this was not the only record to be set as Kenyan Beatrice Chebet became the first woman to dip under 14-minutes for the 5k road distance, running a mind-blowing 13:54 to set a world record in a mixed athletes race.
There is a more in-depth article on Joe’s performance now published on the club website.
Race Results
Men
1. Matthew Kipkoech (Kenya) 13:28.
2. Pierrik Monrozier (France) 13:28.
3. Abdessamad Oukhelfen (Spain) 13:30.
10. Joe Armstrong (Sunderland Harriers & A.C.) 13:50 – Club Record
Women
1. Beatrice Chebet (Kenya)13:54 World Record
2. Medina Kumunda (Ethiopia) 14:23
3. Belinda Chemutai (Uganda) 14:36
Gateshead Indoor Series Match 2
With a return after a long term injury Jack Cuthbertson produced two second place finishes in the heats and finals of the 60m sprint, and with times of 7.65 and 7.62seconds achieved two personal bests.
OH I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY
Saturday 21st December 2024, saw the hosting of the annual club Christmas party. The venue was again The Barnes pub, Colleen Compson was tasked with the organisation of the whole event, and Colleen did not disappoint, putting on a fantastic event that included a disco, hot buffet and a superb raffle with an equally impressive prize list.
Over 80 club members, friends and family members were in attendance and a brilliant night was had by all. Selection boxes were provided for all children in attendance and the raffle draw did not disappoint, with an abundance of tickets sold. We decided to do the raffle a little differently from previous years, asking local businesses if they would be willing to donate any prizes.
The winning participants and prizes were as follows:
1-night overnight stay including evening meal and breakfast – Michael Barker.
George Michael tribute act inc. a 3-course dinner – Katie Dickinson.
Sunderland v Portsmouth football match tickets – Liam Walshaw.
Stride Sports Massage – Tony Allinson.
Silver Pendant Necklace – Jason Redman.
Diego’s Comedy Club Voucher – Rob King.
Fausto Coffee Voucher – David Lash.
Lanson Brut Rose Champagne – Alex Seed.
Drink Hamper – Jessica Fox
Spa Gift Set – Jordan Taylor
Lush Bath Bomb Set – Lauren Flaxen
Assorted Autographed SAFC Player Prints – Grace Carroll, Mark Head, Tony Allinson, Trevor Barrs.
A fantastic night was had by all, and on behalf of the club committee and every member, we would like to thank Colleen for her hard work over the last few months in organising the excellent event.
A thank you to Sam Thurlbeck who did a grand job with the selling of the raffle tickets, and to Vicky Haswell for her great assistance on the night.
BOXING DAY PUDDING RUN
OSCAR PAX A PUNCH TO WIN PUDDING RUN
There is nothing more traditional at the club than the annual Boxing Day Pudding Run, a fun 5k event that sees all participants receive a sealed handicap time based on their current 5k time supplied to the race adjudicator.
The course itself uses the superfast Sunderland 5k course. Despite the conditions being rather cold and icy in a couple of sections, 67 hardy souls set off in the hope of burning off their Christmas Day dinners.
In order to win any of the prizes on offer, participants must be in attendance at the prize presentation. Once the results had been finalised, it was revealed that at least 6 participants who were eligible for prizes missed out by non-attendance at the presentation. This included the original winner Benjamin King!!
Back at the Barnes for the prize-giving, which was very well-attended, it was announced that under-11 junior Oscar Paxton was the 2024 Pudding Run Handicap champion. Lucy Steel and Jessica Hughes were second and third respectively. The event was finished with a draw for the spot prizes, and there were lots of them.
A big thank you must also go to Tony and Gillian Allinson of Allinson Glaziers who kindly donated 60 medals for all participants. If you didn't get your medal please come and see me and I will give you your medal.
A huge thank you to all the participants, the supporters, and course marshals, timekeeper, the lads who set up the course finish area, and finally to Vicky Haswell and her firefighting crew for their brilliant support at the Farringdon end of the course.
The full results of this and all other races can be seen on the club website.
Hopefully, the 2025 event will see us break the 100 entries barrier.
NORTHERN CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2025 edition of the Northern cross-country championships will be held at Tatton Park in Knutsford, Cheshire on Saturday 25th January.
The club will be providing free transport for participants and coaches to and from the event. Jim Hughes Coaches in Birtley will be supplying the 34-seater luxury coach.
Club Team Manager, Jimmy Johnson, is currently taking names from those wishing to compete. If you would like to race, please contact Jimmy as soon as possible. Deadline for entries is Sunday 19th January, strictly no entries will be made after this date.
UPCOMING RACES
Jan 11th/12th: Northern Senior Indoor Track & Field Championships (Sheffield).
Jan 11th: Durham County Schools XC Championships (Farringdon).
Jan 12th: Birtley XC Relays (inc. NECAA & NEMAA Championships).
Jan 16th: Gateshead Indoor Series Match 3
Jan 19th: NE Harrier League (Wrekenton).
Jan 25th: Northern XC Championships (Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire).
QUIZ CORNER
Here are the answers to the November newsletter quiz, the correct answers are typed in brackets
Q1: How many times have the Sunderland Harriers & A.C. men’s team won the North East XC team championship?
A: 11. [B: 14]. C: 16.
Q2: How many squares are there on a standard chess board?
A: 49. B: 81. [C: 64].
Q3: How many times have Sunderland Harriers & A.C. men won the individual North East XC championship?
A: 17. [B: 20]. C: 22.
Q4: What is the square root of 169?
[A: 13]. B: 16. C: 19.
Q5: How many laps of an athletic track would you need to run to complete a distance of 10,000 metres?
A: 24. B: 22. [C: 25].
This months quiz question is in two parts,
In what year and where, did the Sunderland Harriers & A.C. Senior Men’s team last win the Northern cross-championships?
Which former world-record holder won the senior men’s title at the same event?