November 22nd, 2011
Our latest senior recruit Keith Robertshaw had his first race wearing a Birtley vest in the Leeds Abbey Dash.
For a fast competitive 10k, the Abbey Dash has grown a reputation of being amongst the best in the country.
Keith is an experienced all round runner who races in distance from 5k to marathon. Despite just getting back from injury Keith wanted to do the Birtley vest proud and ran a time of 36.31.
Another of our Senior athletes, Ronnie Eilles made his trip to Leeds worthwhile by running 38.39, smashing 30 seconds of his personal best.
Well done
For further Leeds Abbey Dash info and full results click here
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Tags: 10K, Senior
Posted in races
October 6th, 2011
One of our senior members has been using his love of running as a money spinner to raise some cash for charity.
Chris Tiffen ran for Birtley throughout his teens and like many, after a break, he couldn’t resist the lure of the sport. His comeback race was at the North Run after a 10 year absence. He then raced two very different events over the following two Sundays.
Supporting the Fire Fighters Charity , which is the UK’s leading provider of services that enhance quality of life for serving and retired fire service personnel and their families.
This is a charity close to Chris’s heart as he serves as a part time Fire Man based at the fire station in Pelton.
He completed the Worlds biggest half marathon event, the Great north run in 1hr 37mins 40 seconds on Sunday the 18th.
A couple of days later he jumped on a plane for a cross Atlantic flight to take part in the Tunnel to Towers run in New York. Ran in memory of Stephen Siller.
On September 11th, 2001, Stephen a New York City firefighter was on his way to play golf with his brothers after working an overnight shift in Brooklyn. He heard the first reports of a plane flying into the World Trade Center and returned to his firehouse to gather his gear. Driving towards the Trade Center he found the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel blocked by traffic, the 34 year old father of five abandoned his truck and ran through the tunnel with 35 kg’s of gear on his back looking for his colleagues. Stephen along with the rest of his squad perished that day.
The 5k retraces the steps Stephen took on that fatefull day. Starting near to where he left his truck it runs through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel into Manhatan, finishing near the sight of the World Trade Center.
To pay homage to Stephen, Chris wore his over trousers, tunic and helmet. Fire fighting gear that’s not designed for running, especially in the 70 degrees heat of the Battery Tunnel.
Chris said it was an overwhelming experience feeling so accepted by New Yorkers while representing the UK fire fighters.
A week later on Sunday 2nd of October Chris completed his fundraising trio of races by running the Loch Ness marathon.
No sign of Nessy Chris completed the challenging 26.2 mile course in a time of 3 hours 39 minutes 10 seconds.
After the race he said it was the hardest thing he has ever done. He felt strong all the way and was happy not have hit the “wall” putting his strength down to coach Tommy’s sessions.
Brilliant effort
The sponsor page is still open as there’s still time to sponsor at Virgin money giving or catch him on a club night.
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Tags: fund raising, Great North Run, Senior
Posted in races
September 23rd, 2011
Friday with the GB/USA teams
As many people were cramming down carbs in preparation to the big weekend 17 Lord Lawson pupils who are members of Birtley had the honor of training with some of Team GB’s elite runners.Jenny Meadows and Christian Malcolm were on hand to give the young athletes expert advice and photo opportunities as well as joining in with the warm ups. Main organisor John Mayock decided to hold a couple of 100m races to find the fastest girl and boy who would be invited back the next day to race in front of a capacity crowd. Birtley coaches Vince Taylor and Ed Lown were in attendance and the following athletes benefitted from the experience: Andrew Baxter, Olivia Bateman, Hannah Brown, Danielle Coulson, Danielle Graham, Robbie Graham, Emily Laws, Ben Lager, James Lawrence, Jay Madine, Callum McClean, Matthew Norton, Kieran Ryan, Jack Smith, Sophie Taylor, Kieran Taylor and Erin Wesley
Mini North Run
It’s called “mini” but by all means don’t let this word undermine the efforts of Birtley ‘s youngster’s. So that the North Run experience can be enjoyed by everyone the mini marathon is a 1.5k loop around the Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside for boys and girls 3 to 8. The event is ran over three races and Birtley had around 15 mini runners ranging from as young as 3. Well done and look forward to next year.
Sophie and James the sprint stars
Why take the people to the track when the track can be taken to the people? That’s exactly what North Run organisors did for the City Games. Along with pole vault and long jump pit, a temporary 150m running straight was built on between the Baltic and Sage. For a number of years this has brought “stadium” athletics to the heart of the city.
This year two of our Birtley athletes earned the right to race on the same track as team GB and USA. Racing against the fastest athletes from Fridays training Sophie Taylor and James Lawrence ran the 100m in front of the estimated 20000 spectators. Sophie finished 2nd and James finished 1st
Sophie said it was a “surreal experience” racing in front of that many people “having a mint day and I have come back with Helen Clitheroe’s, Christian Malcolm’s, Oyepitan’s numbers and David Oliver’s USA vest and Dwight Phillips’ spikes”
Junior North Run
A change to previous years the girls and boys races ran separately. Within each race runners were staggered in waves from Blue Numbers (15-16 years) Red Numbers (13-14 years) Orange Numbers (11-12 years) Green Numbers (9-10 years). Each wave with 1 and a half minutes between.
The course was 4k taking in the mini loop plus an out and back along the Newcastle side of the river.
Being part of the biggest half marathon in the World and a major part of North East heritage, Birtley has always supported the North Run. We have produced several Junior Champions over the years. This year we have had 4 podium finishes. Sophie Forster finished 3rd in the 15-16 range. She also picked up the prestige’s Stan Long cup which is given to the first North East Athlete. In the 13-14 year olds last years defending champ Lydia Turner managed to retain her title recording the fastest leg of all runners, closely followed by Anna Fawcett in 2nd. Olivia Bateman had another impressive run in the 11-12 year old range. Like Lydia she was defending her first place from last year, which she did in style. Well done.
15-16 Girls 3 Sophie Forster 7 Paige Gilhespy
13-14 Girls 1 Lydia Turner 2 Anna Fawcett 18 Danielle Coulson 30 Danielle Graham 71 Sarah Karen Murray 94 Emily Laws
11-12 Girls 1 Olivia Bateman 37 Laura Kelly 42 Grace Turner 43 Jessica Morgan
9-10 Girls 14 Martha Laws 21 Amelia Bateman 40 Macey Bradshaw
15-16 Boys 7 Chris Peverley 11 Adrian Bailes 75 Sean Ridley
3-14 Boys 21 Lewis Morgan 139 Robbie Graham 208 Lewis Kelly
11-12 Boys 26 Luke Kelly 29 Jamie Johnson 59 Adam Ridley
9-10 Boys 140 Joshua Harvey 343 Jonathan Butchart
Well done Everyone
Great North Half Marathon
Sunday was the day of the half marathon main event. Those who watched the BBC coverage would struggle to miss Darren Purvis with his toe almost on the line at the start of the elite men’s race, proudly showing the Blue and yellow of Birtley AC to the World. Well done to all the seniors.
DARREN PURVIS 1:12:30 PETER FARNIE 1:21:56 Josh McEnaney 1:22:38 Michael Keenan 1:30:46 Andrew Hailes 1:31:36 David Coulson 1:35:17 Christopher Tiffen 1:37:40 GERARD MURRAY 2:19:5 Andrew Murray 3:02:42
Officials at the finish line
It’s not just the runners who deserve a pat on the back. Without spectators and volunteers the race that has grown to be the Worlds biggest half marathon would not take place. For the past 20 years Birtley has been involved by providing officials at the primary finish. This year we had 22 members
giving up their Sunday to help this event to take place. This is viewed as a developmental opportunity for some of our young athletes to see the event from a different perspective. All agreed that it was an exciting way to round off what had been a fantastic weekend of athletics.
Thanks to: Danielle Coulson, Grace Turner, Robbie Graham, Kersha Russell, Lesley Russell, Margaret Hopkinson, Katy Wilson, Lydia Turner, Paige Gilhespy, Val Baxter, Susan Wilson, Alex Flowers, Sean Ridley, Emily Laws, Bethan Oakes, Carol Ward, Rachel Ward, Chris Peverley, Anna Fawcett, Sophie Forster, Adrian Bailes and Ed Lown.
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Tags: Great North Run, road, Senior, Volunteer, Winners
Posted in events, races
May 9th, 2011
The first of the Senior track leagues took place at Middlesbrough on Saturday 7th of May.
After being promoted last year when we won Division 3, the competition was notably tougher in D2.
Competing against larger clubs of Gateshead, Middlesbrough, York, Durham and North Shields our athletes were not swayed and each gave their best to accumulate valuable points showing great team spirit with our ally’s from South Shields.
Many of our athletes doubled up on events (some even competing a day later in the Junior league and Lampton 5k) making their efforts even more commendable.
We finished 5th place on the day, only 2 points off 6th showing that every position counts.
Notable performances on the day came from Sophie Taylor and Sophie Forster our U17 rising stars competing in their first Senior league. Also a mention to Alex Robson with a welcome return to competition. Bob Jaques acquired some points for Birtley, in an official capacity as a track judge.
Birtley results are as follows
M 800m
5 Neil Alan 2.13.6 (First one for 14 years)
M 1500m A
4 Neil Alan 4.28.3
M 110mH A
3 Alex Robson 22.0
M Hammer Throw A
4 Iain Turnbull 32.70
M High Jump
3 Alex Robson 1.60
W 200m
5 Sophie Taylor 29.5
W 1500m A
2 Tracy Millmore 4.43.3
W 1500m B
1 Sophie Forster 4.56.9
W Long Jump B
2 Sophie Taylor U17 SSH 4.03
MATCH RESULT LEAGUE STANDINGS
Event Lge Event Lge
1 GHD 449 6 1 Gateshead Harriers & AC 449 6
2 COY 319 5 2 City of York AC 319 5
3 MID 315 4 3 Middlesbrough AC 315 4
4 NSP 277 3 4 North Shields Poly AC 277 3
5 SSH 218 2 5 birtley/ south shields 218 2
6 DCH 216 1 6 Durham City Harriers AC 216 1
The next Senior Track League is at York on June 4th. We have the numbers in the club to cover all events so let’s see more yellow and blue on the track. A bus is being arranged in conjunction with other North East clubs to provide travel. Please see the club notice board or either speak to Lee Millmore or Margaret Hopkinson for expressions of interest and travel arrangements.
Full results please see. http://www.noeaa-athletics.org.uk/FileUploads/2E_2_3_4_5_6_7_8_9_10_11_12_13_14_15_16_17_18.pdf Note Birtley athletes are marked as SSH (as well as SSH)
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Tags: Northern Track League, Senior, Senior Lady, track & field, track and field
Posted in races
April 3rd, 2011
Cross country is over and now it’s time to throw, jump and run in the upcoming track season. Once again our senior team will be operating as a composite with South Shields Harriers for the 2011 season.
It is therefore necessary and only fair to give both clubs an idea of athlete availability as soon as possible.
Any senior athlete wishing to participate, please append your name, availability and event choice(s) to the matrix attached to the club notice board or see either Lee Millmore or Margaret Hopkinson.
Saturday, 7 May 2011 Middlesbrough.
Saturday, 4 June 2011 York
Sunday, 3 July 2011 Jarrow
Sunday, 14 August 2011 Whitley Bay
It may be necessary to club resources and hire a bus to travel to the venues at York and Middlesbrough so please inform organisers if travel is required.
Please note: Organising the team, especially as a composite can and will be a difficult and thankless task. The club organisers will try to include as many competitors as possible, so please be flexible and sporting, and remember we are a TEAM!
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Tags: Northern Track League, Senior, Senior Lady, track and field
Posted in races
February 13th, 2011
Saturday’s racing conditions, were made perfect by a mild warmth and no wind, which is a sure sign that Spring is in the air.
This is the second year that the Royal Signal Relays have been run at Hetton Park.
The Signal Relays are the North East road relay championships and Birtley Men showed the depth in strength by almost fielding three teams (18 runners). On the day we settled two complete teams. The squad is in an optimistic position for the remaining harrier leagues (Currently lying second in D2) and the fast approaching 12 stage relays on the 20/03/2011.
Fingers crossed that next year we will have three teams for the Men and see a Women’s Birtley team in the results; picked from the ever increasing number of Ladies we now have training.
Excellent runs by all and a special mention to Brian Bailes, who pulled on his vest at the last minute to run the anchor leg completing the A team.
Race review by Adrian Bailes.
It was about my third appearance running for the senior’s team and this time I felt a lot more relaxed about it. I was in the B team with Dan Turner (running his first senior race), Josh McEnaney, Dave Scott, Dave Coulson and Michael Keenan. The race was run over two laps of a 1.11 mile loop in Hetton Lyons country park. I jogged a lap of the course in my warm up and I thought that it seemed quite an easy course with two hills that were more of long drags than short steep ones. The first lap I found ok – very fast though! – but then the second lap hurt! The second hill towards the end of the loop seemed quite short on the first lap but by the time I got there on the second lap I’m sure it had grown! I finished the first leg in 12:47 and handed over to Dan. Dan has been having a niggling injury in his knee for a while now but he still managed to get round the course. Well done Dan! Meanwhile, Dave Kelly had finished his leg letting me run with him for the first lap but then in the second lap he showed his strength and left me doing the last lap on my own! Dave then handed over to Richard. Richard ran a really good leg and I think I remember him saying he was 20 seconds faster than last year running 12:04! After Dan had finished his leg he handed over to Josh who ran his leg very well even though he’d been suffering with a cold. On the third leg it became apparent that the A team was going to be an incomplete team, so Brian became a last minute substitute and ran the last leg to make sure the A team got a finishing position. Running the third leg for the A team was Lee, with his wife chasing him round all of the way. He handed on to Karl on the fourth leg who came sprinting home to hand over to Shawn. Shawn put in a very solid performance it seems like you’ve been sneaking in some secret training having not seen you at the club for a while ha ha. Good to see you back Shawn! Didn’t see Dave Coulson, Dave Scott or Michael Keenan running as I was busy looking for some money for a piece of cake (sorry lads) but having seen the results it looks like you all had good runs.
The A team came home in a time of 78:39 finishing 14th overall. The B team finished in 22nd place overall with a time of 83:34
Birtleys favourite non-Birtley runner (who is now a second claim member of Birtley) got the third fastest leg in the girls race. Well done Tracy!
Full results can be found on this link.
http://www.new-marske-harriers.co.uk/attachments/article/195/Signals%20Relays%202011.pdf
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Tags: relay, Relays, road, Royal Signal Relays, Senior
Posted in races
February 8th, 2011
A cold rain and saturated ground failed to dampen the spirits of Birtley AC athletes and supporters who turned out for the third Harrier League of the 2010/11 season.
Again some excellent team and individual results with the U15 girls holding onto the top spot in the teams. Senior Men moved into second place with the prospect of promotion.
Lydia Turner won her race from the fast pack, backed up by the ever improving Paige Gilhesby in 4th and Rachel Ward in 7th completing the team.
Karl Oakes had a brilliant run in the Senior Men finishing 16th from the slow pack which will move him into the medium for Wrekenton on the 26/02/11
Under 13 Girls 2nd Team
3rd 0:16:12 Olivia BATEMAN
14th 0:19:45 Danielle GRAHAM
17th 0:21:10 Erin WEST
Under 15 Girls 1st Team
1st 0:15:04 TURNER, Lydia
4th 0:16:04 Paige GILHESBY
7th 0:19:20 Rachel WARD
Under 13 Boys 2nd Team
5th 0:15:49 Lewis MORGAN
12th 0:16:32 Jack FOLEY
13th 0:16:40 Luke KELLY
Under 15 Boys
27th 0:18:37 Matthew NORTON
Senior Men
16th 0:43:44 Karl OAKES
35th 0:44:40 Peter FARNIE
43rd 0:45:00 Lee MILLMORE
46th 0:45:08 David KELLY
135th 0:48:40 Michael KEENAN
162nd 0:50:20 David COULSON
200th 0:52:51 Daniel FLETCHER
240th 0:57:52 Tom MILLMORE
267th 1:13:37 Gerard MURRAY
For full results see http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2011/index.php
And look out for Birtley runners http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjqLQmrlA0Y
As always listen for club announcements and watch the notice board for news and events.
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Tags: cross country, harrier league, NEHL, Senior, U15, Winner, Winners, XC
Posted in races
October 23rd, 2010
The opening race of the 2010/11 Harrier Leagues was today ran at Cramlington Nature Reserve and hosted by Blyth running club.
A night of showers had left the ground saturated ready for hundreds of runners to churn it up into mud.
New for 2010/11 was the under 11’s running in a combined straight race for girls and boys. Kicking off at 12.15 they ran one small lap of approximatly 1.1k running around the perimeter of “the bowl”. Birtley fielded 3 runners Amelia Bateman, Kieran Taylor and Michael McNally who all had brilliant runs, eager for next weeks second harrier league at Farringdon.
In the Under 13 boys we had new comers Jack Foley and Lewis Morgan with experienced racer Adam Ridley running one large lap of 3.2k course. Adam finished 11th outside the top 10 so we will watch the official results to see if he has moved into the fast pack.
Three of Under 13 girls completed the same testing course with Olivia Bateman finishing 2nd from the slow pack. She was followed by Danielle Graham and Danielle Coulson both having gutsy runs.
By the U15 boys the course was nice and muddy but this did not put off Sean Ridley flying the flag as the only Birtley runner.
Four runners turned out for the U15 girls Sarah Murray, Sophie Forster, Lydia Turner and Paige Gilhespy. Lydia won the race from the slow pack.
Just 3 years ago in the same race the Senior Men Birtley only managed to field 5 runners. Today 11 Birtley Vests crossed the finishing line, running 3 large laps. Well done to Dan Fletcher having his first Harrier League race as a Senior. Tony Forster for having his first race for the club.
Birtley still need to get toes on the line in the Under 17 Men and Women and Junior/Senior Men and Women. Come on, join your club mates and race.
At the time of writing official results had not been published so keep and eye on race results for positions and times. Also watch out for photos of todays race being added to the “Photos” section of the website.
Well done to everyone who turned out and thank you to all the Birtley supports for cheering. Thank you to Blyth running club and officials for orgainsing an enjoyable afternoon of cross country.
Looking forward the Farringdon next week 30/11/2010
Results now published
http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2010/index.php
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Tags: cross country, harrier league, NEHL, Senior, U13, U15, Winner, XC
Posted in races
October 19th, 2010
Along with 934 others Darren Purvis ran the first Kielder Marathon finishing a brilliant 8th overall in a time 2:44:16.
The course is a spectacular and inspiring challenge. Rarely leaving the shores of Kielder Water, it follows the Lakeside Way meandering through the forest and heath land that surrounds the lake. There are a few inclines to negotiate but most are of the short sharp nature and are rewarded afterwards with nice long stretches of easy running. Most inclines come in the first 15 miles or so and the final few miles are amongst the easiest running on the course.
The North East 10 mile road champion ran a half marathon split of 1:16:33 and said after the race it was the hardest race he has ever done.
Kielder 2010 Darren Purvis race report
It was an early Sunday morning as I opened the blinds to see a hard white frost on the ground outside. A light breakfast of porridge and toast at 6am, with a Keith (Ch-le-St) picking myself up at 7am and then picking up Phil (Ch-le-St) at 7.15am. Soon we were on our way and once on the country roads we knew we were close, with the roads soon busy with hundreds of other cars making their way to Kielder. The race was due to start at 10am, but was put back to around 10.10am due to congestion on the roads.
On arrival to Kielder the outside temperature was showing -3◦ and with the dam was disappearing in to the mist, with the scene now set for a cold start.
The official start was about a 10 minute walk from Leaplish. After following a path we could see the start in the distance and as we got closer, there seemed no way to get through to the line without jumping the barriers and running through the wooded tree line to the side of the track.
Eventually we made it to the start but there felt a real reluctance from the majority of athletes to step up to the line. We had no hesitation in taking our places and we stood tall with around thirty other athletes. The race was started by Steve Cram and once the hooter sounded, we were off. The first 400m was up an incline and this should have given everyone an indication of the terrain that lay ahead.
After the first mile, we were in a small group of about 10. The pace was steady, with the terrain and tight turns along the path making it tricky. I was aware that two of the guys were Kenyans and that for myself to continue at the current pace would not be possible for the full distance. At mile 2-3 I was running in 4th place, at mile 4 I managed to lead if only for around 400m, then at around mile 7 I decided that I had to get in to a comfortable rhythm if I were to complete the race. I then slipped back in to 7th place and between mile 7 and the end of the race it was a lonely run, with the latter part of the race to prove more a mental battle.
The course was described as undulating, but if I were to make a comparison to the course it would equate to running up and down the hills around Beamish woods for three hours. The first half of the race consisted of short steep inclines and declines, with the second half comprising of more slight undulations and two major inclines. Between mile 19 to 20 was where I met with the dreaded ‘wall’. It was fortunate that there was a family picnicking at the top of the hill around the 20 mile point, where I was able to obtain a half eaten flapjack. This intake of food gave me both an energy and mental boost to get through the remainder of the race.
At mile 25 I was passed by another athlete who seemed to sprint past, but I think it was more that i had come to crawling pace. The last mile twisted through a wooded area, with the path providing the last test as athletes approached the finish line. The last 200m were lined with spectators shouting for athletes on approach and with the last bit of energy I managed a sprint, but from where that burst of energy came I will never know.
I completed the race in 8th place in 2:44:12. My friend were both close behind, with Keith finishing in 12th place in 2:53 and Phil in 17th place in 3hrs. After the race we all met up in the massage area, where we all lay on the massage beds for the next half an hour. We were all exhausted, glad to be finished, very glad of the massage, reflecting on the race and talking about coming back next year to do it all again.
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Tags: marathon, Race, Senior
Posted in races
September 12th, 2010
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Due to work commitments Sue rarely gets the chance to attend training nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays but she takes ever opportunity to pull on the blue and yellow of Birtley and put her toe on a start line.
Most people travel to the Lake District for a relaxing break and maybes walk up a few hills whilst admiring the views. Not Sue Ramage. Sue spends a lot of her time in the North West and uses this as a base to seek out races.
12/09/2010 she ran in the Cumberland Ale 10 miler hosted by Derwent AC. This is a tough undulating course running out from Cockermouth for around 3.5 mile doing a loop and then returning along the same road.
Eager to have a bottle of Cumberland Ale in her hand Sue finished 4th Lady (1st in her age category of O/55) in a respectable time of 1hour 19 min and 30. Only two men managed to break the hour mark showing how tough the course is.
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Tags: road, Senior, Vets, Winner
Posted in races
