HogmanHoway 5k, 31st December 2025
The latest brainchild of former Olympian and beloved son of the North East, Steve Cram, the inaugural HogmanHoway took place in the centre of Newcastle this New Year’s Eve.
Starting and finishing outside the Civic Centre, the very wiggly route heads off down John Dobson Street, passing by and through various landmarks such as Old Eldon Square, Northumbria Uni and the City Baths.
We managed a chilly group photo outside the Civic as the elite races began. As with all fledgling events, there may be some logistical issues to consider for future attempts. With so many people sheltering inside from the icy winds, when it came time to make our way to the assembly area (the narrow strip directly outside the entrance), a bottleneck was the result. Some of us were subsequently directed to exit via the side entrance, where we stood desperately trying to keep warm as we shuffled forward a few feet every couple of minutes.
I appear to have been possibly the last Claremonter to cross the start line, 7 minutes after the gun. On a warmer night, this wouldn’t be of much consequence, and obviously nothing compared to the GNR.
What was comparable to the Great North Run, was the amount of congestion as approximately 1500 runners thronged their way around the city streets. I found the first kilometre an especially stop-start affair, struggling to maintain much speed or momentum as people of varying pace weaved around each other.
Having squeezed round the Christmas market at Old Eldon Square and up Percy Street, things started to thin out a little as we rounded Haymarket, and we funneled back down through the start, around the Civic and down Sandyford Road, turning up to Northumbria Uni.
Then followed a lot of twisting, including multiple points where we could see people coming the other way, eventually being led across the university footbridge, around Northumbria and back up to John Dobson Street for the home straight run-in.
There were only a handful of instances where we had to contend with a fierce headwind, but the most alarming moment came when, only a few metres from the finish, a strong gust blew the metal barriers a good couple of feet towards us! I had passed a few clubmates en route, heard Lucy and Rose cheering us on near the start and finish, and caught up with a few more post-finish, as we collected our goody-bags and made our way to the event village, with free mulled wine for all. There was a great vibe and atmosphere overall, with onlookers cheering runners on, especially around Haymarket.
Despite the aforementioned congestion, there were outstanding 5k PB’s for Mark Flynn and Ann Smith (who received her medal from Mr Cram himself!), both duly ringing the bell to celebrate their achievements. Impressive runs by everyone in fact, on a crowded, freezing night. Would definitely recommend for the atmosphere, if only they can tweak the start situation a little for 2026. A great way to sign off the year.
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 200 | Laurie Johnson | 21:20 |
| 300 | Mark Flynn | 22:58 |
| 315 | Chris Jones | 23:09 |
| 331 | Julie Cross (2nd FV60) | 23:22 |
| 334 | Russ Brown | 23:24 |
| 357 | Tara Hipwood | 23:48 |
| 407 | Anna Round | 24:29 |
| 464 | Lynne Cornell | 25:07 |
| 469 | Eddie Smith | 25:09 |
| 521 | Nina Jensen | 25:47 |
| 610 | Luke Woodend | 26:56 |
| 641 | Ailsa Ralph | 27:19 |
| 845 | Lucy Ward | 29:29 |
| 899 | Ann Smith | 29:58 |
| 917 | Sheelagh Woodcock | 30:11 |
| 1142 | Becky Webster | 32:54 |
| 1165 | Sarah Taylor | 33:14 |
