Good Friday Relays, 18th April 2025
To quote Jamie Harding “the second-best relay in the North-East” (no prizes for guessing which is first…), we were back at Newburn Riverside Business Park again for the popular Good Friday Relays, taking place as usual on… Good Friday.
A cool, overcast morning was probably more in keeping with the season than last year’s heatwave, meaning running conditions were favourable. Due to an enforced road closure, the usual start/finish area had been moved a few hundred metres down the road, though the route remained basically the same: up a stretch of road, into the woods, turning round at the half-way point and retracing our steps. The alteration did lead to the course measuring around 200 metres shorter than previously, the bane of runners looking to measure their progress year to year!
It’s always nice to see new club members coming through to take part in these events, and today saw a few making their competitive Claremont bow: Ailsa Ralph, Ana Prodan, Jo Perthen, Luke O’Neill, Peter Noble and Steph Towers.
Newcomers and old-timers alike acquitted themselves admirably, with quite a few 2 mile PR’s popping up on people’s Strava accounts. Props go to our chairman, Anton Mirafsari, who stepped in after a last-minute illness withdrawal, and despite claiming he’d rather not be racing and would probably take it easy, naturally ran a time that didn’t look at all out of place next to his teammates!
One of the features of these relays, is that the runner waiting for their incoming teammate is listening for their number to be called out, signalling that they need to move forward to the start line. There is a bit of an issue if, as happened at points this morning, the announcers microphone keeps cutting out, making it impossible to decipher what number has been called! None of our teams seemed to be affected by this, but there were certainly some close calls for other clubs.
Unfortunately, due to an issue with a timing chip, our fastest women’s team initially registered as DNF, with Lily Crouzier not getting a recorded time. However, after some enquiring emails, the teams result was reinstated, the processors using a combination of evidence from Strava and finish line footage.
I was making something of a comeback, running competitively in Claremont colours for the first time since last August. While the long lay-off meant my fitness was somewhat lacking, it was just rewarding to be in a position to run like this again after so long.
As ever, the Claremont baking squad outdid themselves, special mention to Piper for her work on the Easter Rice Krispie cakes! Thanks to all those, both running and not, who spread themselves along the course to cheer their teammates on. Well done everyone on a great morning of running.
| Women | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Team | Time |
| 24 | Heather Steel Catherine Young Lily Crouzier Team Time | 13:29 13:31 14:00 41:01 |
| 46 | Nicki O’Brien Cate Walker Julie Cross Team Time | 14:19 15:24 15:29 45:14 |
| 56 | Aoífe Monaghan Lena Lou Steph Towers Team Time | 14:46 16:43 15:31 47:02 |
| 68 | Lynne Cornell Ana Prodan Jo Perthen Team Time | 15:45 15:43 16:45 48:14 |
| 76 | Yana Bevan Ailsa Ralph Niamh Garratt Team Time | 15:47 18:00 15:58 49:47 |
| Men | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Team | Time |
| 45 | Luke O’Neill Roberto Marzo Peter Noble Anton Mirafsari Team Time | 11:58 11:57 12:42 12:03 48:41 |
| 96 | Luke Woodend Laurie Johnson Daniel Orlopp Aaron Mansell Team Time | 15:36 13:35 13:58 14:52 58:02 |
| 100 | Chris Jones Tom Tinsley David Lydall Jamie Harding Team Time | 13:51 13:55 14:53 15:52 58:34 |
