Terry Welsh
It is with great sadness that we have to report the passing of Terry Welsh.
Terry’s contribution to Claremont Road Runners was immense. A member from the 1980s, he represented the club in races with distinction, earning the nickname of “Terry the Terrier” from his team mates. He kept going even when his body was telling him to stop – indeed, in his last representative race, he overcame real pain to help his team win the Over 65s category in the Durham Relays! No doubt this quality helped him to be an ever-present in the Great North Run from its inauguration in 1981 right up to 2023 – one of a select few. In later years, he was also a member of Team Coco, and ran the GNR to raise funds for their charity.
Claremont Road Runners would not be the club it is today without Terry’s contribution. Terry served as club secretary (“The best we have ever had” according to Bob Richards), and was deeply involved in the creation of the Weetslade Relays, serving as Race Director for a number of years. He was also the inventor of the Knockout Cup element of our quarterly handicaps, adding an extra touch of excitement to the evening’s events. In fact, he was an almost ever-present volunteer at the handicaps, only running himself for the first time in 2023.
Never one for fancy running gear, Terry ran for the sheer enjoyment of it. This enjoyment, and the way he was a great observer of life, came across in his wonderfully entertaining race reports, a selection of which can be enjoyed here.
Away from running, Terry was a great fan of football and horse racing. I remember the coach back from a Claremont trip to Allendale had to be timed to allow him to watch a horse race in the pub, and he even once put together a Claremont team to enter the Journal Horse Racing League!
A Newcastle United season ticket holder, Terry was black-and-white to his core and followed them at home and abroad (“There’s a greater chance of Ian Paisley visiting the Vatican than me going to the Stadium of Light” being a typical Terry quote.) He was also a supporter of grass roots football, often watching local non-league games.
Although Terry will be missed at the club, in the wider running world and on the football terraces, many of us will miss him as a friend. We will miss his warmth, intelligence and wit. It is fair to say that they don’t make them like Terry anymore – he will be sadly missed.
