NEHL Wrekenton, 23rd November 2025
Another Sunday cross-country fixture, and thankfully the ice from the previous day (and season!) had thawed, leaving Whitehills Nature Park in Wrekenton awash in the slippery, glorious mud so beloved by the purists.
The rain dissipated, just in time for Dani O’Brien to start us off in some all-too-brief sunshine in the under-11 girls race. She was followed by Charlotte Kerr in the under-13’s, acquitting herself well as she made her debut from the rarefied air of the fast pack, though was heard to ask “do I have to run up that?!” as the largest of the hills loomed up ahead.
The women were up next, with Sarah Kerr coming through from the medium pack to finish ahead of all her teammates. Nicki O’Brien could be seen tracking Julie Cross closely throughout, but ultimately couldn’t make up the ground, finishing 8 seconds behind. Lucy Keating and Liz Denyer were getting their shoes dirty for the first time this season, and picked a prime day for it, with multiple falls witnessed, including a bad one by a Sunderland Stroller who had to limp back to camp supported by two marshals.
Till Weber was making his competitive Claremont debut for the men, in some brilliant new orange trail shoes. He described the experience as “fun” (with only a little prompting). Mark Anderson joined the ranks of non-serious fallers, completing the course half-coated in filth. Mark was unable to match Sarah’s feat in overhauling every Claremonter from his handicapped start, crossing the line second after Roberto Marzo. On his final lap, Mark Flynn succumbed to a classic cross-country complaint, briefly losing a shoe on a particularly boggy section. Foot and shoe were thankfully reunited quickly, allowing Mark to soldier on to the end.
As is now customary, the tent was successfully wrangled, and filled with several delicious sweet and savoury offerings from our many talented bakers.
| U11 Girls | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 62 | Danielle O’Brien | 09:42 |
| U13 Girls | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 46 | Charlotte Kerr | 17:19 (Fast pack, actual time 15:59) |
| Women | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 61 | Sarah Kerr | 31:27 (Medium pack, actual time 28:57) |
| 119 | Julie Cross | 32:40 |
| 130 | Nicki O’Brien | 32:48 |
| 207 | Steph Towers | 34:48 |
| 218 | Sarah Williamson | 35:01 |
| 220 | Lucy Keating | 35:10 |
| 238 | Cate Walker | 35:57 |
| 259 | Jenny Roberts | 36:48 |
| 274 | Hazel Juggins | 37:27 |
| 302 | Liz Denyer | 39:18 |
| 341 | Ann Smith | 43:00 |
| Men | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 185 | Roberto Marzo | 41:43 |
| 249 | Mark Anderson | 43:27 (Medium pack, actual time 40:56) |
| 303 | Till Weber | 45:00 |
| 372 | David Lydall | 48:18 |
| 429 | Mark Flynn | 53:42 |
| 439 | Jamie Harding | 54:57 |
| 450 | Terry Franklin | 57:18 |
