Carol’s Tribute to Jane Tomlinson
Carol Penney continued her annual tradition of running in the Leeds 10k on July 4th, one of 4 races ran across the north of England in support of the Jane Tomlinson Appeal which raises money for children’s and cancer charities. Carol, who has completed all of the Leeds runs since their inauguration in 2007, said she was honoured to have once again carried the flag for the Darlington Quakers at an event which pays tribute to one of the sport’s most inspirational figures. An added bonus at this year’s race was that Carol got to run alongside Paula Radcliffe, who is a patron of Jane’s charity. As Paula is 7 months pregnant, Carol felt she might be at an unfair advantage and decided to run the race below her usual 10k pace to give Paula a bit of a chance. Very sporting, Carol! Carol’s next big challenge in aid of Jane’s Appeal is the New York Marathon in November where she will run with her training partner, Sally Singleton. Good luck ladies!

A midday-start half marathon in July is not every runner’s idea of running heaven, but it did not deter 13 members of the Quakers from completing the very undulating Burn Valley Half Marathon. Nick Mason finished first for Quakers in 1:38:46 followed by back on form Billy Harris in 1:44:24 and Diane Vaughan, 1st woman home for Quakers, in 1:50:33. Vet 65 Danny Gordon continues to show the young ‘uns how it’s done by crossing the finish line in 1:53:14, just behind Ian Hammond in 1:52:48. Very little separated David Curtis (1:54:47) and Paul Jefferies (1:54:56) who was running in his first half marathon. Other Quaker finishers who did the club proud were: Mark Robinson 1:56:42, Jackie Nicholls 1:58:29, Leigh Marie Ainsworth 2:09:32, Richard Hughes 2:13:28, Diane Adkins 2:22:11 and Gillian Harris in 2:23:12.

Nick Watson found that running injuries are not solely confined to the feet and legs when he took part in this year’s Osmotherley Phoenix Fell Race. Fresh from winning the recent Durham Dales Challenge, Nick wisely decided to opt for the shorter (!) 17 mile route which begins in the picturesque village of Osmotherley and takes in the panoramic views of the North York Moors. All was going well for Nick, in fact he was leading the race up to mile 14, when he was overtaken. Still,  Nick was prepared to settle for 2nd place over such terrain, but worse was to follow. A heavy fall resulted in an open dislocation to his little finger and Nick having to spend time reattaching and stemming the flow of blood from the offending appendage. Dilemma. Should Nick abandon the race? Not likely. In true Nick Watson style (and worried about the stick he would get from other hardened fell-running Quakers) he ran the final 3 miles to finish in a time of 2hours 49 minutes and in 7th position overall. For club and country, eh Nick!