AS ONE year turned into another, there were plenty of races on the calendar in a week which saw the Quaker colours flying in two different countries.

The biggest turnout of the past week was to be found in Spain, where a dozen runners took part in the 10K run in Barcelona on New Year’s Eve. The race, which started at sunset, saw Marc Ellis finish in 0:37:43, followed by Brian Martin (41:13), Billy Harris (44:44), Andrew Vernon (44:58), Neil Harrington (54:20), Sarah Watson (54:22), Sandra Martin (57:21), Gillian Harris (58:51), Julie Whinn (1:04:06), John Whinn (1:04:07) and Linda Harrington & Sharon Carr (1:18:56).

The first day of 2017 also saw a handful of runners heading out for races. At Morpeth, over the unusual distance of 11K, Diane Vaughan completed the race there in 50:25 along with Richard Hughes (55:00) and Alan Prest (1:13:44).

Over at the Captain Cook’s fell race, a 5.5 mile route which took in 1000 feet of climb and went up to the monument itself, Andrew Lambe finished in 46:06 followed by Wendy Colling (57:19), Claire Norman (59:30) and Abbie Hull (59:31).

Meanwhile in Cumbria, Emma Bland took part in the Nine Standards Fell Race, near Kirkby Stephen. Over an 8 mile route, which took in 1800 feet of climb up to the Nine Standards Rigg and back again, she finished in 1:46:53.

Several runners also took advantage of the bank holiday last Tuesday to run in the Jolly Holly Jog 10K near Ripon. On a predominantly off-road route, Michael Thompson finished in 44:00 along with Andrew Vernon (45:46), Michael Oliver (51:28), Sarah Watson (56:22), Robert Kirby (59:01), Anna Hardy (59:43), Mark Blewitt (59:44), Andy Whittam (1:03:12), Paul Ryan (1:04:43) and Vicky Garlick (1:05:59).

Also running the same day was Darren Wright, who was the sole Quaker at the Guisborough Woods fell race. He completed the route, which covered 5.5 miles and 1200 feet of climb in 53:52.

In the New Year’s Eve parkruns, Alex Kiel was first across the line at South Park in 16:19 followed by Kyle Cook (17:51), Dave Jones (19:30), Gary Read (19:35), Ian Readman (19:43), Ed Griffiths (20:35), Luke Minall (21:42), Nicola Wells (22:08), Peter Rowley (23:27), Nigel Eddy (24:41), Ian Bond (24:53), Danny Gordon (25:05), Shaune Eland (25:28), Lewis Boshier (25:30), Michelle Boshier (25:30), Elizabeth Kennedy (25:37), Jamie Pratt (25:46), Gavin Armstrong (25:50), Juliette Mclaren (26:44), Darren Alderson (26:58), Abigail Willson (27:28), Ian Hammond (27:56), Lee Morris (28:36), Andy Whittam (28:48), Lisa Jenkins (29:26), Matt Jackson (29:31), Mark Trowles (30:19), Sally Singleton (30:27), Grainne Duffy (30:38), Lisa Johnstone (31:08), Michael King (31:44), Michelle Scruby (32:17), Steven Johnston (36:34), Rachel Ryan (36:55), Jan Waite (41:35) and Adrian Dent (41:35).

At Sedgefield, Paul Dalton finished in 26:04, along with Mark Blewitt (29:04) and Richard Payne (30:53), while at Tees Barrage, Emily Beaumont and Karen Dove ran there in 31:46 and 35:44 respectively. Stephen Moore did the run at Albert Park in 22:37, Louise Trainor ran at Stewart Park in 21:16, while at Hackworth, Ty Hankinson finished in 23:46. Further afield, Barbra Barker did the run at Barrow in 30:10, while at the country’s most northerly parkrun in Elgin, Phil Rutter and Gill Colling finished in 21:56 and 28:45 respectively. Flying the flag overseas was Rob Gillham who completed the run all the way over in Auckland, New Zealand in 24:04.

Several runners also completed the extra parkruns on New Year’s Day, with some taking advantage of the later start here to fit in two in one morning. At South Park, which also saw the attendance record broken, Kyle Cook finished in 18:04 followed by Rob Dent (19:27), Daniel Orton (21:01), Luke Minall (21:23), Fred Tennant (22:12), Nicola Wells (22:20), Graham Park (22:50), Phil Clarke (23:31), Dale Chapman (24:36), Gary Read (24:44), Lyn Hatch (26:38), Juliette Mclaren (27:23), Elizabeth Kennedy (27:26), Diane Adkins (27:59), Mark Blewitt (29:01), Diane Lockhart (29:23), Paul Ryan (29:56), Lee Morris (29:57), Anna Hardy (30:01), Lisa Johnstone (31:38), Mark Trowles (31:59), Michael King (32:20), Barbra Barker (32:21), Rachel Ryan (37:32), Jan Waite (40:14) and Adrian Dent (42:55 in his 100th parkrun).

Earlier that morning at Sedgefield, Kyle Cook finished in 19:29 along with Daniel Orton (20:27), Fred Tennant (23:07), Paul Roberts (25:44), Anna Hardy (27:13), Abigail Willson (27:33), Elizabeth Kennedy (28:47), Gary Read (28:52), Mark Blewitt (29:07), Lee Morris (29:13), Barbra Barker (29:20), Lisa Jenkins (30:44), Paul Ryan (30:49), Michael King (33:28), Jan Waite (40:02) and Adrian Dent (42:16). Over in Middlesbrough, Stephen Moore ran at Stewart Park in 24:03 along with Dale Chapman (24:25) and Darryn Wood (33:27), then at the later run at Albert Park, Stephen finished in 23:52 with Darryn in 38:57. Further afield, Phil Rutter and Gill Colling ran again at Elgin in 21:46 and 29:06 respectively, while Gemma Marshall and Olly Moore did the run at Barrow together in 30:58 and 30:59. Michelle Dale completed the run at Pontefract in 31:47 before heading over to Nostell Priory to finish there in 41:33.

Quakers Running Club meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30pm at Abbey Road Playing Fields. For more information visit our website: www.quakersrunningclub.org.uk

Submitted by Rob Dent (photo by David Aspin)