The Intercounties. Temple Park 03.02.07

Great!! No club athletics this weekend a long lie in and a rest…..NOT LIKELY!!! This week Mark was playing football at Pelton Roseberry, at exactly the same time Adrian was running at Sooth Shields.

Adrian was to be one of the five Birtley runners representing Durham in the Inter Counties at this years "Sherman Cup" course. Adrian was first to run, and run he did. In the way only Adrian does, he set off at full tilt, with a greet big smile on his face, and as the race progressed and he was leading, the smile got bigger and bigger. As Adrian is developing, I am trying to leave him to make his own decisions about tactics, and Tommy said it was refreshing to see a bairn go out and try to win a race in such a way. Unfortunately for Adrian he had made his break too soon, and was caught by the two Northumberland runners, and so he finished a strong 3rd place. The sad thing about it was that on the very same course last November he beat the winner by 4 seconds in the Sherman Cup!!! Never mind you save your big performances for the big races, and that is obviously what they did.

The next race was the girlie year 7 race. This race was graced by the presence of Paige Howell, whose sister was to run later, and Our Sophe. Having watched the first race Sophie was going to show her mate Ade just how to do it!! She set off, nose still red raw and streaming, and ran the same race as Adrian, and held the lead for just about the same length of time as Ade. She made the break the same as Adrian, didn't get clear enough, and two of the chasing pack caught her. Actually three of the pack caught her, but she showed…not for the first time..some true grit and determination seen only before in Robbie Loraine(Cardiff 2006) and battled through to take 3rd place, trailing in behind Paige in second place. I do actually believe the two Birtley lasses helped Durham win a medal, and first place I think.

The next Birtley runner was Steph Loraine. We were all pleased with how Steph had run another great effort by Birtleys' premier track runner. There is always a tale for me missing someones race, and this is no exception. (On Thursday I missed Marks whole race) I said I would go to the hill at the far end to encourage her so that Maggie and Mick could have been at the finish for her. At this point she was well up the field, Sigourney had long since passed, and Steph was in the middle of the chasing pack. That was the last I saw of the race. I got a great photo of one of Marks class mates Fiona Higgins, thinking it was our Chester le Street friend Emma Watt. At the bottom of the hill a Cumbria runner gave in and said she couldn't walk never mind run. I sent Ade and Robbie off to get a first aider, and in away only they could, they got stuck in a bog! Guess who ended up "piggy backing" a 7 ½ stone athlete ¾ of a mile cross country to the leisure centre.

Anyway I missed the end of the race and half the next on and was wrecked when I got back.It has to be said though, that Sophie Taylor had the run of the day, previously qualifying as the 6th runner at Durham yet this time finishing Second Durham runner, but over all third….like I told Ade, save your big performances for the big races. Well done! Poor Emma must have had some infection hanging round her, and just about collapsed with 800 to go, and was seen being helped away poorly. I spoke to her mam and sister the next day, and she was ok after a good rest that afternoon. Monique Howell, part two of the Howell road show, was next to run in the under 17 race.

Monique was running strongly in her race, and from where Tommy and I were standing we couldn't see quite what her finishing position was, but she did look close to gaining a place in the next stage, which I think is the Schools Nationals. Hope you made it Monique, you were looking good enough and strong enough, I say you deserve the chance.

Our favourite none Birtley runner Tracey Laws didn't run this week as she left school years ago!!!! Look trace, didn't forget you this week eh???