As Newcastle prepares for all the fun of the fair in the shape of The Hoppings, Town Moor parkrun was cancelled, as it will be until life on the moor returns to normal. This meant that other local parkruns saw increased attendances, and can partly explain why Claremont Road Runners spread ourselves out across the North of England from Talkin Tarn to Northallerton. Collectively we took in 18 different northern events covering Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and North Yorkshire.
A carful travelled to Chester-le-Street to make Riverside the joint most popular choice along with Leazes. It proved a good choice for getting fast times too, as, with help from pacer Harry Mawdsley, both Lily Crouzier and Aoife Campbell broke the 20 minute barrier as they finished 1st and 2nd lady respectively.
We also had a double-first at Jesmond Dene, with wins for Mark Anderson and Sarah Kerr, and a 2nd place for Roberto Marzo at Prudhoe Riverside.
PBs were thin on the ground, but the Smiths each bagged one at the scenic Druridge Bay, as did Luke Woodend at the equally scenic Talkin Tarn, and normal service was resumed for Lena Lou, PB Queen, with a course best at Denton Dene.
There were a couple of sky blues who ventured further afield too. Elizabeth O’Mahony got dizzy running the 5 laps around Highbury Fields, and our foreign correspondent this week was Rachel Hurdman. Rachel found herself in Copenhagen ahead of running across the iconic Oresund Bridge on Sunday. So, naturally, she found a parkrun to run as a warm-up!
