NEHL Thornley Hall Farm, 28th September 2024

Following the very wet winter which meant that this fixture, and Lambton, had to be cancelled last season due to the fields being far too wet to be used for parking, this year’s Harrier League sees us running the venues in a new sequence. So instead of the usual start venue of Wrekenton, we ventured further south to Thornley Hall Farm. In many ways the most cross-country of all the North East cross-country courses, it is often also the muddiest! The switch from February to September promised firmer ground, but as the rain and wind lashed the area in the preceding days, I feared the worst. So it was a great relief to wake up on Saturday morning to blue skies and a gentle breeze.

First off for the Sky Blues were our under 11 girls. It is nice that this season Charlotte Kerr will have some company in Danielle O’Brien. Dani, who was probably the youngest in the field, shows great potential and did herself proud on her debut. Charlotte is also making great strides with her running and could almost certainly have been higher up the field if she hadn’t stayed with Danielle at the start.

The ladies were next to go, and it was another good turnout with 9 runners being enough for more than 2 teams, and, once again, there were some good, solid performances. The revised timetable this season means that the men start only 30 minutes after the women – as such, we have to be ready to run before they have finished, which is disappointing as I like to cheer them home. Holly Porter was first to finish, though Sarah Kerr must have been catching her quickly as she powered through from the fast pack. Chloe Glover and Nina Jensen competed the “A” team, with Cate Walker only 5 seconds behind Nina. Julie Cross and Nicki O’Brien started together in the medium pack and very nearly finished together too – just 6 seconds between them. Hazel Juggins and Cath Robson completed the team.

Over the years that I have been racing, I have learnt that it is very important to get your excuses in before the run. As I have just returned from 2 weeks holiday with very little running (we did walk a lot) but lots of food and wine, had sore toes and had also picked up a cold, I made sure that my team mates weren’t expecting too much of me! There were just 6 of us, so all had to finish for us to have a complete team, so that was the main target.

So the plan was to start steady and see how I felt later on – but that is often the plan but I never achieve it as I usually get dragged along to run the first lap at a pace that I can’t sustain! This time, though, by starting a bit further back on the field, it was so crowded that I had little choice other than settling into the steady rhythm of those around me. I ran up the first hill with Dave Nolan, a second-claim Claremonter running for Low Fell – Dave also wanted to start steadily, though his lack of training was more to do with being the father of a young, teething, baby!

The first noticeable difference to the course came as we ran through the tent village where the formerly very muddy path was now covered with newly laid gravel. Then as we rounded the bend behind the trees, there was another change to previous years as we pulled away from the trees at a slight angle, still going gradually uphill. It was now a long stretch on very runnable grass, so the field began to spread and Dave pulled a bit ahead of me. My target was now to keep him in sight, which I managed to do. There were just a couple of small patches of mud and puddles to negotiate, and a couple of hurdles to jump, before the short, steep climb through the trees and the descent through the “cabbage patch” of rough, uneven soggy ground that forms the descent back to the start field. Unfortunately the conditions underfoot meant that, at least for a wimp like me, there was no real opportunity to make up time on the downhill stretch.

As we were starting the 3rd lap, I realised that I was closing the gap on Dave and I caught him as we turned behind the trees again. It was here that we were greeted with the worrying sight of a doubled-up Paul Robinson. Paul had been trying to run through a stitch and was in some discomfort, but he bravely joined us. Being surprised that I still felt as though there was something left in the tank, I decided to try to push on when we reached the flattish, runnable grass – I knew that I would slow on the next hill, be cautious on the downhill and always lack a sprint finish. So if I wanted to make up time and positions, it was now or never! I got ahead of Dave and Paul and it stayed that way until Dave overtook me as we entered the start/finish field for the last time. Paul must also have been catching me and came in immediately behind.

Mark Anderson, despite starting in the medium pack and having to stop to tie his laces, led the men’s team home, with Roberto Marzo and Sonam Wangdi not far behind. There was then a bit of a gap to me, Paul and David Lydall, but we all got around to have a full team – job done!

Special thanks to Laurie Johnson and Gill Milne who turned up to support despite not being fit enough to run themselves, and to all the bakers for the impressive array of goodies on offer at the end. Not only did we have cakes and biscuits but savoury wraps and fruit! Whatever next!

A final note – due to so many watching the video, the club tent was put up and taken down in impeccable fashion! Well done, everyone.

Under 11 Girls
Position	Runner	Time
38	Charlotte Kerr	8:26
52	Danielle O’Brien	9:35

Women
Position	Runner	Time
90	Holly Porter	31:44
102	Sarah Kerr	31:59 (Fast pack, actual time 26:58)
118	Chloe Glover	32:18
140	Nina Jensen	32:50
143	Cate Walker	32:55
174	Julie Cross	33:51 (Medium pack, actual time 31:31)
178	Nicki O’Brien	33:57 (Medium pack, actual time 31:37)
241	Hazel Juggins	37:00
308	Cath Robson	43:03

Men
Position	Runner	Time
119	Mark Anderson	39:32 (Medium pack, actual time 37:02)
129	Roberto Marzo	39:44
133	Sonam Wangdi	39:48
244	Tom Tinsley	43:55
245	Paul Robinson	43:38
299	David Lydall	45:53