The first track championship of the year took place at Monkton with the opening North East Grand Prix hosting the Northern and North East 10,000m championship.
Due to the number of entries there were two races (A and B) over 25 laps of the track.
Middlesbrough and Cleveland’s Greg Jayasuriya (31.47.18) won from Jordan Bell (Blackhill Bounders) 31.49.18 and Morpeth’s Thomas Straughan took the bronze medal (32.13.39).
Houghton Harrier Lee Dover was sixth in a personal best (33.06.66), beating his previous fastest time (33.20.50). Clubmate Rory Graham was 11th also with a PB (35.06.79), beating his time from 2017 (35.59.2).
The women’s championship was won by Elswick Harrier Catherine Lowes in 42.04.67 followed by Heather Robinson (Jarrow and Hebburn) 43.50.92 and hard working Harrier League official Vicki Thompson won a well deserved bronze (47.20.45).
In the the Grand Prix, Birtley’s international schoolboy cross country runner Chris Perkins was a runaway winner of the Under-15 800m (2.05.42) ahead of second placed Sunderland Harrier Dillon Revell who clocked a PB (2.11.91). Houghton’s Erin Keeler-Clarke was fourth Under-15 in the mixed 800m (2.30.77), Joseph McGinley was third Under-13 in his race (2.36.98) and Thomas Pigford recorded 2.39.94.
Sunderland Harrier Jak Jarvis won his first race with victory in heat five in knocking six seconds off his PB with his time of 2.36.00. Joe Willis was fourth (2.47.49)....