Newcastle 10k & Half-marathon, 12th July 2026

The latest log entry from Lena Lou:

“RunThrough’s Newcastle Half was the race that defeated me last year. It was grey but strangely warm, and I honestly hated almost every minute of it.

So, I came back this year to see if it really was as bad as I remembered! Although it was 18°C, it actually felt like a relief after this week’s temperatures. I managed to catch Lynne before she headed off for her 10K before making my way to the joint start line.

The route starts at Kingston Park Stadium before heading straight onto the long road through Dinnington. There were plenty of locals out cheering, and the first water station was here too, where I spotted Susan handing out water to the speedy 10K runners who’d already been to the turnaround. It definitely made me wish I was only doing the 10K!

After that, the crowds (and runners!) started to thin out, and the quiet roads made the miles feel even longer. It quickly became a game of shade hunting to break up the sunny sections. I realised I was about 20 seconds ahead of my goal pace but still felt comfortable enough to keep it going.
Then came Berwick Hill Road… and the clue really is in the name! I’d completely forgotten how long that incline felt. Thankfully there was a gentle headwind because there wasn’t a scrap of shade anywhere.

I still felt fairly strong though, and the downhill on Old Great North Road was very welcome before turning onto Brenkley Lane, which is probably the nicest part of the course. Plenty of shade at last, and I was still hanging onto a pace quicker than I’d planned. This was also the point where I remembered walking last year while FaceTiming a friend just to get through the mile, so I knew I was in a much better place this time around.

Turning back towards Kingston Park, the long undulating road in the direct sun started to bite. I could feel the pace slipping a little, and mile 9 seemed to go on forever. I was so happy to see Susan again at the top of the hill and happily poured most of the water she gave me over myself!

After a decent mile 10, the hill in mile 11 absolutely took it out of me. I genuinely considered walking the rest of the way. After a few stern words with myself, I somehow kept moving and started to pick the pace back up. But naturally, with about 500 metres left, the course threw in one final incline just to make me question whether a new PB was still possible!

The support at the finish was brilliant, and I was so relieved to get back (almost) in one piece… with a shiny new PB to show for it!

Final thoughts? The course really is as mentally draining as I remembered… maybe even more so in the sunshine! But coming back a year later, conquering the race that beat me, and coming away with a PB made it all worthwhile.

Well done to Lynne for her speedy 10k time and to Susan for being an excellent volunteer!”

Well done to Lena on her PB, and to Lynne and Ken McCormick for both topping their age categories in the 10k.

10k
Position	Runner	Time
115	Lynne Cornell (1st VF60)	51:15
444	Ken McCormick (1st VM70)	86:18

Half-marathon
Position	Runner	Time
176	Lena Lou	1:42:54