MOTHER-OF-FOUR Dianne Heneghan prepared for another Great Britain call-up with an impressive guest run in the North-East Veterans Championships at the weekend.

The 36-year-old Chester-le-Street athlete, who was the first regional runner home in this month's big Blaydon race behind the Russian winner, Yelana Burykina, is set to compete over 3,000 metres in Spain in a fortnight's time as part of her build up to the AAA Championships 5,000m in Birmingham a week later.

At Jarrow's Monkton Stadium, Heneghan stayed alongside leading Morpeth veteran Les Atkinson for six laps in the 5,000m before the Northumbrian over-45 broke away and was absolutely delighted with her time of 16 mins 33.4 secs.

The region's top veterans took advantage of the favourable weather conditions to set several new championship records.

Durham City's Val Hancock, newly-crowned British Veterans 5,000m over-60 record holder, set new marks in the 800m (2:57.3) and 1500m (5:58.3), while Gateshead's Helen Patton set a new 400m over-40 record (62.0 secs), preventing a hat-trick of victories by Middlesbrough's Angela Beadnall, who had won the 100m (13.8) and 200m (28.4), and went on to set new figures in the 800m (2:26.3).

There were five championship records in the over-75 section, with Middlesbrough and Cleveland's Jim Caddy winning the 1500m (7:19.5) and 3,000m (15:24.3) and Sunderland's Bob Laidler scoring a record-breaking hat-trick in the shot (7.58m), discus (28.40m) and javelin (24.02). He also won the hammer (18.18m).

Darlington's Ian Barnes had three wins in the over-65 section, taking the 800m, 1500m and 5,000m titles, while Durham City's Brenda Elliott was victorious in the over-50 100m, 200m and 400m.