Tynedale 10k 2012 Report
By Rachel Hayes
The Tynedale 10k takes place at the start of July and is a really scenic race, going along country roads and paths in Ovingham and Wylam. This was the third year that I have run the Tynedale 10k, so fortunately I was prepared for the route being quite undulating and for the reasonably steep hill that comes at around mile 3 on the route. I was less than pleased to see this hill appear the first year that I ran the race, as I had been told that it was a flat course and was thoroughly unprepared for going uphill.
This year’s race took place on 4 July, not long after the horrendous rainfall in the North East which meant that the usual car parking facilities in Ovingham Middle School were unavailable and the substitute parking was in the glamourous surroundings of the Prudhoe Industrial Estate, 2 miles away from the start of the race. This turned out to be ok in the end because not only was the car park closer to the finish than normal, but the distance to the start made for a useful warm up.
It was a really hot, muggy night so conditions weren’t ideal but there was a shower of rain just as the race started which dropped the temperature a bit. The first mile of the course is very fast as it’s mostly down hill into Ovingham village. The road is also very narrow at this point and it can get crowded. After this, the course is a little bit undulating before flattening out until the aforementioned hill into Wylam at around half way. The rest of the race is flat once the route goes through Wylam, and the route moves off the roads onto tracks alongside the river up until the finish which is near the railway line back in Ovingham.
Despite the conditions I had a good race and was really pleased with my time. Brendan, Luke and Jeremy also ran with Brendan taking third place. I can definitely recommend the Tynedale 10k to anyone who hasn’t done it before as it’s nice to run out in the countryside and the race is well organised. Just be prepared for the less than flat route and the usually warm temperatures!
