Tynedale Pie ‘n’ Peas 10K, 1st July 2026
This is a lovely run in the Tyne Valley, and despite a few short ups, it is net downhill, though to quote Cate Walker “It is not quite ‘run down a hill and eat a pie at the end’ as I falsely remembered someone explaining it, but still a fantastic experience.”
Race HQ is at the Adam and Eve pub near Prudhoe station, which also acts as the venue for the post race pie and peas feast. However, as the start is approximately 1.5 miles up the aforementioned hill in the village of Ovington, we arrived early to collect our numbers to find that there were already a lot of runners in the pub watching the football, with England a goal down to DR Congo. Whilst on my obligatory pre-race visit to the loo, a roar went up so I knew that we had equalised. So I pinned my number on and made my way to the start where I met the rest of the Claremont crew. Despite a couple of enforced late withdrawals, there were still 9 of us (me and 8 women!), thus ensuring a good sprinkling of sky blue in the field.
It is always a fast start as the runners charge down the hill back towards the Tyne, then there are a few undulations as we pass through the delightful, though at this time, wet, village of Ovingham, and thence along the road to the half-way point at Wylam. I think that I was one of the few runners to be glad that the downhill stretch was over, as I knew then that no real damage had been done to my dodgy knees! Happy with my start, it was now a case of seeing how far I could keep going at a reasonable pace.
From Wylam, it is off-road, though still on good tarmac or gravel paths, crossing the river over the unusual Hagg Bridge, where care needs to be taken, especially when it is wet (as it was). Having crossed to the south bank of the Tyne, it definitely feels like you are on the home stretch – though there are still 3 kilometres to go! I now caught sight of Izzy Neatrour ahead and that gave me added determination to push on as hard as I could and try to keep up with her. This was Izzy’s first race post broken foot, so I don’t think either of us had a sprint finish in us, and a couple of runners overtook us both in the final few hundred metres and I, for one, was very happy to see the finish line. I was also very happy with my time – although it was a lot slower than previous outings on this course, it was nearly 3 minutes quicker than my last 10K.
Back home, I was amazed to see that I was second in my age group. I was joined on the age group podiums by Izzy and Anna Round, who were both 3rd. Tara Hipwood recorded a course PB and Cate Walker and Sarah Taylor got close to the 50 and 70 minute targets respectively. So it was a happy group of Claremont Road Runners who could enjoy the post-race reward of pie and peas.
Spare a thought, though, for Becky Webster. Despite having an asthma attack, Becky made it to the end but had to forego the pie for a trip to A&E instead. I am happy to report that all is fine and she is now fit and well.
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 90 | Lena Lou | 44:21 |
| 96 | Izzy Neatrour | 44:55 (3rd F35) |
| 97 | Tom Tinsley | 45:01 (2nd M65) |
| 146 | Anna Round | 48:27 (3rd F55) |
| 178 | Tara Hipwood | 49:57 |
| 188 | Cate Walker | 50:35 |
| 238 | Zoe Jukes | 55:36 |
| 315 | Sarah Taylor | 1:10:29 |
| 320 | Becky Webster | 1:13:40 |
