Heaton Memorial 10K, 8th November 2026
First run in 1920 to commemorate the lives lost and sacrifices made by the soldiers in the First World War, this race is now a permanent feature of Remembrance Sunday. Following the junior races earlier in the morning, the runners line up at 11am to observe two minutes silence before setting off on two 5K laps around the Town Moor,
Following Charlotte Kerr’s impressive run in the under 14 race, finishing 23rd in a time of 12:12 over the 3K course, seven Claremont Road Runners were amongst the starters for the main event. Conditions were good for running – dry, a bit chilly and not much sign of wind (were we really on the Town Moor in November?). It is quite busy at the start, but the field started to spread out and we could soon get into our stride as we headed up towards Grandstand Road for the first time. There is a short out and back section on the gravel trail near the North Road, which gave me the opportunity to check on the progress of the other Claremonters. Dave Nolan was leading but Sarah Kerr and Heather Steel were in fairly close attendance. As I turned, I could see Tara Hipwood was a short distance behind me with Anna Round not too back from her.
As I didn’t want to pressurise myself into chasing a time, had decided to avoid looking at my watch and run by feel – and I felt OK! The stretch back up from the back of Wylam Brewery to the crossroads always seems tough, but soon we were on the second lap. To my surprise, I found that I was actually overtaking people and just hoped that I could keep going. I tried my best to kick-on as we neared the end, but I was definitely tiring so allowed myself a look at the watch and realised I was on for a decent time and would probably beat the 45 mark to make it my fastest 10K since my knee decided to give me grief! In fact I crossed the line in under 44 minutes – tired but happy.
Apparently I missed a good battle ahead of me, as Dave and Sarah fought for Claremont bragging rights. Sarah just pipped Dave to cross the line first, only to find out later that he was 3 seconds faster by chip time! Both should be pleased with dipping under the 40 minute barrier. Heather Steel had an excellent run to finish 3rd in her age category, while my time was good enough for 2nd place in mine. Tara Hipwood has been running well all year, and continued that progress by knocking approximately two minutes off her 10K PB. Anna Round and Sarah Taylor should also be happy to finish in under 50 and 70 minutes respectively.
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 121 | Dave Nolan | 39:53 |
| 122 | Sarah Kerr | 39:56 |
| 139 | Heather Steel | 40:48 (3rd F40) |
| 181 | Tom Tinsley | 43:43 (2nd M65) |
| 233 | Tara Hipwood | 47:14 (10K PB) |
| 279 | Anna Round | 49:57 |
| 378 | Sarah Taylor | 69:39 |
