Angel View Race, 29th May 2025
On an overcast, muggy evening, Cate Walker and myself joined Lynne Cornell on what she insisted is not one of the races on her long list of favourites.
Starting and finishing in the shadow of The Angel of the North, a 2 lap course weaves around grassy fields, woodland dirt trails, tarmac and gritty paths, and up and down some fairly tough hills. This run earns its ‘undulating’ tag.
Fewer than 200 runners gathered at the start, for the standard, mostly inaudible briefing. A quick lap of a grassy meadow then sent us into a tree-lined trail, before the ‘undulations’ started to kick in, gently at first. An out-and-back element allowed us to see just how far ahead the leaders were as they floated back down the largest of the inclines.
Having been nursing the beginnings of a cold for a couple of days, there was an added layer of trepidation as to how I’d find tackling hills, something I’d mostly avoided since my long injury lay-off. By the second lap I felt pretty spent, and my pace dropped off a cliff as I toiled up the various slopes. The downhills provided some welcome respite, though the last third was spent trying to ward off a familiar stitch under my ribs. On the occasions I had the thought to look, there were indeed some lovely views of the Angel, valleys and surrounding landscape.
I was able to wave to my two fellow Claremonters as we passed on the hill, as well as regular club volunteer contributor Susan, and Cate’s friend Sarah. A few spots of rain during the latter part of the race turned into a brief, but fairly heavy downpour just as I was finishing, so I traipsed rather soggily back to the field to cheer on the others coming in.
A nice pink t-shirt and some water was our reward, though the real rewards were earned by both my clubmates, with Cate winning her first ever age category prize, and Lynne further cementing (in her words) her ‘bridesmaid’ status with another 2nd.
A picturesque route to be sure, but not for those who prefer it easy and flat! Kudos also to Low Fell Running Club for their apparent sustainability and recycling efforts, as all race numbers had ‘Start Fitness NEHL 2017/18’ printed at the top!
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 63 | Laurie Johnson | 42:18 |
| 100 | Cate Walker (3rd V40) | 47:42 |
| 117 | Lynne Cornell (2nd V60) | 50:13 |
