A 1000-strong field took to the road s of North Yorkshire for the annual Thirsk 10-mile Road Race yesterday.
Windy conditions slowed runners and the winning time of Cheltenham’s Graham Rush (50min 36sec) was way outside Morpeth’s Johnny Taylor’s course record of 48.32.
Rush was closely followed by Ethiopian Wondye Indelbu (Leeds) 50.48 and New Marske’s Mark Shaw was third (51.54).
Sunderland Harrier Kevin Jeffress finished 11th place (55.53), well outside his best of 54.11, and clubmate Michael Barker was 14th (56.24).
Over-50 Paul Redman finished 55th (62.01) and Jimmy Johnson recorded 68.46.
Sunderland Strollers were well represented, with Andrew Forbes in 29th (59.17), Chris Dwyer 67th (62.45), Michael Dixon 122nd (67.11) and Gary Hargrave clocked 68.45.
Sunderland Harriers had two women making their debut over the distance.
Alice Smith finished sixth (65.33) and Over-40 Colleen Compson acquitted herself well to clock 70.33. Sunderland Stroller Lyne Valentine was first Over-60 in 75.38.
Three Sunderland Harriers’ travelled to Liverpool on Saturday for the British Masters’ Cross Country Championships.
Paul Merrison, many times an individual medallist through the age categories, this time had to be satisfied by seventh place in the Over-55 category.
Tim Field finished 40th (29.20) and seventh Over-50 and four places and 10 seconds ahead of Merrison in 44th (29.30). Peter Richardson was 14th Over-60 in 106th (36.49). The team finished fifth in the Over-45 category.
Former Sunderland Harrier Roger Wilson, now competing for Stratford-upon-Avon, was first Over-75......