Alnwick Trail Half-Marathon, 16th March 2025

Mark Anderson put in a great performance in this scenic race. Here is his report:

“Returning to Alnwick two weeks after the cross country fixture, I had the opportunity to park on the start line before ambling along the first kilometre to the start of the Alnwick Castle trail half marathon. Abandoned by my clubmate due to injury this was to be a solo venture. A 10k runs 15 minutes later, but both start in the lea of the castle before heading out along the river Aln into Hulne Park, the course diverging after about 5 miles with the half marathon taking on what was described in the pre-race briefing as a gentle hill (more on that later).

It was a bright day with a slightly chilly wind as we set off for our 13.1 miles – about 300 in total. I settled into a reasonable rhythm and found myself in fifth place by mile 4 with 3rd and 4th about a minute ahead but still in view as we cantered along the bank of the river. The gentle hill turned out to be a climb of 500 feet in just over a mile. Fortunately the runners in front struggled more than I did and I was able to close to within about 15 seconds by the top. The view was pretty magnificent but there was little time to enjoy it as we descended at pace, back down to the river to complete the second half of the 10k route again. Unfortunately 15 seconds was as close as I got to 4th place and finished back in the shadow of the castle in 5th.

It was a great experience and I would recommend Hulne Park as a fabulous place to run – the Les Allcorn 10k follows some of the same paths (without the hill!) on a May evening, if I’ve managed to whet your appetite…”