Saltwell Harriers regularly participates in local relay races and despite this being a new one, we had a strong turnout with twelve runners across four teams representing the club. Participant Paul Blackett has kindly written up the race report below, with thanks also to Iain Armstrong for the photos.
This was a brand new relay so none of us knew quite what to expect. I did what I usually do and took the bare minimum from the race information, start time and location. I was pleasantly surprised when it was discussed in the car that it was 2.7km per leg. It took us a while to work out (we’re all old and km is a foreign language) that it meant 1.67 miles.
We arrived at Paddy Freemans park, a very pleasant open space and a perfect location for the start, before being greeted by the usual introduction and race brief. I was first leg which is always a mixed bag as it’s good to get your bit done first, however there is always a bit of a stampede to negotiate at the start. Lynsey, who was also running first, said that she would be slow as she hadn’t done any running recently. I said that she would be fine.
We were off. For the initial few hundred metres we hurtled round the park before plummeting into the dene which was hair raising to say the least. I thought to myself, I know I could go faster, but I think I will fall over if I do. There was a marshal halfway down, and “UNEVEN GROUND” was all she shouted. She wasn’t wrong.
After negotiating the steep downhill safely we crossed a wooden bridge to the other side of the dene to find an unexpected hill. Who put that there?! Once I had got to the crest it dawned on me that I had been complacent earlier in thinking that the short distance might have been alright. I knew there was another hill on the other side before the finish. Jesmond Dene is lovely, but I wasn’t paying any attention to that — there is no let up in a short race like this.
Barley enough time to recover I found myself crossing the river and ascending the hill on the other side. Some steps and a long final drag back up the the park (which I admit I had to walk a portion of) nearly finished me off. I could feel Lynsey breathing down my neck, she definitely wasn’t slow like she thought she might be at the start, which got me going again to put a little sprint in for the finish.
All things considered I actually really enjoyed it, well organised and friendly atmosphere. I hope that this becomes a regular fixture in the running calendar.
Paul Blackett