From Hilda Coulsey…
This is one of the Great Run series. It’s popular and caters well for everyone, including the speedsters and the charity runners, the entry list being full beforehand. The event village and finish were in Newcastle’s Town Moor (400 ha of common land, larger than London’s Hyde Park and New York’s Central Park) which was ideal.
I wasn’t well prepared to ‘Run the Toon’ as I had an awful head cold and barking cough. However this is one of the few races which England Athletics choose where masters runners can qualify to run in an England vest in a specified international competition. So that was my goal. The route starts downhill on the central dual carriageway A167, functional certainly but in no way picturesque, across the Tyne bridge and back again to zig zag through town seeing the sites, through the University, then with the inevitable uphill return and into the park. There was plenty of music and cheering to spur us all on. This isn’t my best time this year for the 10k but sufficient- phew, it was worth the effort!
Staying overnight in Jesmond, watching the football in a packed Sports Bar, made for a super weekend.
1 30:52 John Bell Inverclyde AC
14 34:23 Gemma Steel Charnwood AC
1801 55:55 Hilda Coulsey 1st v70
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