Newcastle 10k, 18th January 2025
Lynne Cornell stepped up from water-carrier to take part in this year’s Newcastle 10k:
“I volunteered at the inaugural event last year, but decided to have a go myself this year. As I scraped the ice off my car I wondered if I had made the right decision and also wondered if I was going to be skating at times, as per the North Tyneside Trail 2 weeks ago.
I arrived to find the roads at the quayside thankfully ice free, although the footpaths were still a bit dodgy! It was a beautifully still, very cold morning as the sun started to appear over the quayside, which was thronging with people collecting numbers, some of us debating how many layers to put on and generally trying to keep warm. I bumped into Nina (pacing 1 hour 10 ), Lena and Cate.
This race is split into 2: the A race for those who can complete the distance under 40 minutes ( I can only dream and admire), and the B race for everyone else. I watched the start of the A race – very impressive, including Mark Anderson and Harry Mawdsley. Congratulations to Mark finishing second in his age category.
At 9:20 the rest of us assembled at the start, thankfully sorted into estimated finishing times. Cate and I discussed our choice of clothing, and Cate, I can confirm your choice of a t-shirt without a long sleeved top was the right choice, as I was rather warm after about 10 minutes.
Then we were off. A bit crowded, but not too bad at the start. A lovely run that follows the ‘new’ Blaydon Race course with a slight diversion along Queen Street, then back to the Quayside along Sandhill, where a very enthusiastic steel band were playing under the High Level Bridge. I’m pleased to report that it wasn’t icy apart from one small patch with a marshal giving plenty of warning, and by the time we had run through it after the A race, it had turned to slush. The route then goes along Skinnerburn Road with a turn at Amethyst Road, then back to the quayside and a loop under the Tyne Bridge to start lap 2. The finish is on the quayside very close to the start line with the Millenium Bridge in the background.
A grand day out-a lovely run in some winter sunshine and thankfully (for me anyway!) no ice.”
Mark may have lost his M50 crown from last year, but he ran a full 2 minutes quicker, to record an astonishing PB. The course lived up to its ‘fast, flat’ billing, as there were further PB’s for Harry Mawdsley, Yana Bevan and Lena Lou.
| ‘A’ Race | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 55 | Harry Mawdsley | 35:10 |
| 73 | Mark Anderson (2nd M50) | 35:29 |
| ‘B’ Race | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 501 | Cate Walker | 48:42 |
| 536 | Lynne Cornell | 49:17 |
| 733 | Yana Bevan | 52:16 |
| 793 | Maxime Ratcliffe | 53:00 |
| 794 | Lena Lou | 53:00 |
| 1179 | Sophie Ellam | 57:18 |
| 1765 | Nina Jensen (70 min pacer) | 69:33 |
| 1828 | Ken Mccormick | 73:09 |
