Record return for duo
Aug 24 2006 By Bill Mcguirk, The Evening Chronicle
Despite pouring rain there was a flood of course records in last night's Exhibition Park 5km Road Race.
Elswick's Ryan McLeod retained his title with a time 16 seconds quicker than 12 months ago, while Chester-le-Street's Kathryn Waugh knocked 59 seconds off the record set last year.
Over 200 competitors faced the starter in the Newcastle City Council-promoted event and McLeod threw down the gauntlet from the off which quickly spread out the field.
In close attendance in the early stages were his training partner Ryan Stephenson (North Shields Poly), Morpeth trio Mark Hudspith, Chris Sampson and Nick Swinburn and Sunderland duo Brian Rushworth and Patrick Martin.
McLeod opened up a 15-metre advantage by the completion of the first kilometre, but Stephenson managed to haul him back before the half-way stage as Swinburn was the first to lose contact among the main group a further 10 metres or so adrift of the leaders.
Just after half-way, McLeod put on a surge which was to prove a winning break and came home 18 seconds clear of Stephenson, with Sampson coming out of the chasing group to take third place, one second ahead of Hudspith with Martin another second down in fifth place.
Meanwhile, Waugh showed a welcome return to form and comfortably won the women's race by over a minute from the ever-improving Helen Astley (Heaton), with last year's winner, Alison Dargie (Elswick), having to be content with third place this time round.
RESULT - Men: 1 R McLeod (Elsw) 14:40; 2 R Stephenson (NSP) 14:58; 3 C Sampson (Morp) 15:05; 4 M Hudspith (Morp) 15:06; 5 P Martin (Sund) 15:07; 6 B Rushworth (V40, Sund) 15:15; 7 M McLeod (Elsw) 15:42; 8 N Swinburn (Morp) 15:48; 9 S Hall (Gates) 15:51; 10 I Twaddle (NSP) 15:55; 11 A Dougal (Elsw) 16:11; 12 J Young (Morp) 16:17; 13 R Walker (NSP) 16:23; 14 M Fenwick (Walls) 16:28; 15 L Atkinson (V50, Morp) 16:31; 16 D Weston (unatt) 16:37; 17 J Pearson (Elsw) 16:45; 18 P Besford (unatt) 16:46; 19 C Franks (Gates) 16:51; 20 J Bell (V40, Elsw) 16:52.
Women: 1 K Waugh (C-le-St) 18:01; 2 H Astley (Heat) 19:14; 3 A Dargie (Elsw) 19:29; 4 G Cowell (Unatt) 20:04; 5 J Mullarkey (W35, unatt) 20:19; 6 J Fenwick (Walls) 20:27; 7 K Davison (W45, Elsw) 20:42; 8 S Laws (W50, Derw) 21:02; 9 J Heatherington (unatt) 21:07; 10 F Turley (Heat) 21:29.
