THE FIRST full weekend of the year was fairly quiet in terms of races, though it did see the Quaker colours head the furthest east in the world than ever before.

The largest turnout of the weekend was over near Guisborough for the Commondale Clart fell race, covering 5.2 miles and over 700 feet of climb. Ian Bond was first home for the club in 43:20 followed by Anna Hardy (1:00:31), Claire Norman (1:03:48), Jamie Norman (1:03:53), Lisa Jenkins (1:18:19), Michelle Dale (1:18:28), Barbara Barker (1:18:29), Abbie Hull (1:20:18), Gemma Marshall (1:22:55) and Olly Moore (1:22:56).

Over near Hartlepool, at the multi-terrain Old Monks trail race, April Corbett finished the 5.5 mile distance in 50:25, along with Sandra Cass (50:26), Wendy Colling (50:27), Richard Payne (51:34) and Alan Prest (1:04:48).

The trio of Annette Clarke, Charlie Boog and Dave Thompson were out for their first event of the year, the Scarborough Rock Challenge. Over a 25 mile distance, which took in over 3000 feet of climb and even went across the beach at low tide, the three completed the run together in 5 hours 38 minutes.

The previous week had seen some more runners out on the first day of the 2017, for the start of this year’s Hardmoors events, both of which started and finished at Robin Hood’s Bay, taking in parts of the Cleveland Way en route. In the 30 mile distance, Jamie Norman completed the race in 6:04:02, with Emily Beaumont and Michelle Boshier coming in together in 7:35:50. Meanwhile in the shorter 15 mile distance, Dave Thompson came home in 2:44:59.

In the Saturday morning parkruns, Marc Ellis finished at South Park in 19:51, followed by Katherine Hackett (20:44), Kyle Cook (20:58), Ed Griffiths (21:01), Phil Rutter (21:05), David Mclachlan (21:17), Brian Mclaren (21:20), Billy Harris (21:25), Alistair Johnson (21:35), Paul Pomfret (21:51), Ty Hankinson (22:15), Fred Tennant (22:44), Nicola Wells (22:49), Michael Ladyman (22:56), Luke Minall (22:58), Paul Roberts (24:04), Olly Moore (24:15), Iain Clyde (24:55), Gary Read (25:01), Elizabeth Kennedy (25:11), Danny Gordon (25:35), Sue Woodcock (25:36), Ian Readman (25:40), Jamie Pratt (25:43), David Ledgerwood (26:12), Tracey Plaskitt (26:40), Juliette Mclaren (26:49), Lee Morris  (27:54), Andy Whittam (28:09), Gill Colling (28:16), Fin Fox (28:21), Lisa Jenkins (28:34), Andrew Dixon (28:35), Mark Trowles (28:46), Gemma Hammond (28:50), Diane Lockhart (29:26), Michelle Dale (29:46), Michelle Scruby (30:24), Paul Ryan (30:28), Grainne Duffy (31:24), Sharon Carr (32:37), Michael King (33:29), Rachel Ryan (35:43) and Gemma Marshall (39:49).

At Sedgefield, Lewis Boshier finished in 26:06 along with Michelle Boshier (26:07), Sandra Cass (27:11), April Corbett (27:12), Wendy Colling (27:12), Anthony Corbett (29:49), Mark Colling     (29:50), Richard Payne (31:24), Emily Beaumont (32:21) and Karen Dove (35:08). At Albert Park, Daniel Orton completed the run there in 19:45, Helen Whiting did the run at Stewart Park in 28:22, while Darryn Wood finished at Durham in 40:04. Further afield, Peter Rowley did the Stockport Bramhall run in 24:30, while north of the border, Rebecca Howard completed the Edinburgh Portobello run in 22:59.

Flying the flag overseas again in New Zealand was Rob Gillham, who completed the world’s most easterly parkrun at Napier in 24:44.

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 Karen Newton)