THE region's athletes came home with three sets of medals from Saturday’s Saucony National Cross Country Championships at a bleak Alton Towers in Staffordshire.
Heavy rain, after an earlier light covering of snow, left the course best described as a “mudbath” with the rain only easing off in the latter stages of the programme.
Problems with first aid access to parts of the tough, hilly course meant there was a delay of 30 minutes halfway through the programme.
This meant the later events, including both senior races, were ran on a shorter, modified course.
In the under-17 men’s race, Mark Shaw of New Marske took the bronze medal behind Kieran Clements of Ipswich.
Shaw was lying second place until the final 200m when he was passed by Aldershot’s Harvey Dixon.
Gateshead took the bronze medals in the team event with Northern champion Lewis Hogg (25th) ably supported by Calum Johnson (26th), Barry Maskell (28th) and Robbie Costello (72nd).
Covering a wider radius, the under-15 girls’ race proved to be the region’s most successful event.
Birtley took the silver medals in the team race. Lydia Turner finished 10th, backed by new recruit Anna Fawcett (19th), Sophie Forster (35th) and Paige Gilhespy (96th).
Scarborough’s Bronwen Owen won the individual title from Carlisle’s Abbie Hetherington. Former Wallsend Harrier Sonia Samuels finished fifth in the senior women’s race, which saw the lead regularly change hands.
Winchester’s Louise Damen narrowly took her first national title ahead of steeplechase specialist Hatti Dean of Hallamshire, and four-times previous champion, Liz Yelling of Bedford.
Shildon’s Kate Avery finished eighth in the junior women’s race behind European champion Charlotte Purdue of Aldershot, Farnham and District.
Another Aldershot athlete, the European junior bronze medallist Emilia Gorecka, was an impressive winner of the under-17 race.
Stockport’s Steve Vernon took his first national senior title after gaining minor medals for the last three years. Andrew Wiles of New Marske finished in a creditable 15th position.
Leeds City, led by former Durham University student James Walsh (fourth), took the team title with South Shields (32nd) the first of the local clubs to finish.
l SIX of the seven winners at yesterday’s penultimate North Yorkshire and South Durham League fixture at a cold, overcast and muddy Summerhill Sports Centre in Hartlepool, had competed in the National Cross Country 24 hours earlier.
These included the easy senior winners, James Askew of Aycliffe and Carolyn Summersgill of Middlesbrough & Cleveland.
The exception was the winner of the under-15 girls event, Hannah Kitchener of New Marske.
