Archive 2005

The following article was posted on: 14th December 2005

A well as helping organise the prestigious 100th North East Cross Country championships at Bishop Auckland College the club ended up 12th team in the senior mens 12km event thanks to John Nunn 66th overall in 48.06 , Ian Hutchinson 50.13 , Graham Bradshaw 51.05 , Peter Carden 51.18 , John Dennis 51.42 , Willie Bell 52.25 , Geoff Hewitson 54.57 and Dave Welsh 56.24 . In the womens race over 8km Julia Steele ran well to finish 35th in a time of 36.55 & Karen Partridge ran 39.53.

Over at the Hexham Hobble fell race the previous weekend Mike Mallen pulled out all the stops to win a much needed Christmas pudding by coming in 11th overall & 1st O`40 in a time of 76 mins for 10½ miles. Peter Williamson was 27th in 80 mins.

The Inov-8 trail race in Hamsterley Forest over 8 miles of trails resulted in Graham Bradshaw being 1st vet in a time of 64.49 and 8th place overall. Peter Carden was close behind in 10th in a time of 65.39 & 3rd vet. Allen Purdham ran 84.15 and Alan Thompson also ran in the race.

The Saltwell 10km road race resulted in Geoff Hewitson running 42.20 and Jamie Steel hot on his heels with 42.46 and Julia followed that up with an impressive run at the Langdale 10km.

The Loftus Poultry Run saw John Dennis continue his revival with a time of 53.30 , Percy Parkin picked up a bird for finishing 3rd O`60 in a time of 57.42 and Allen Purdham ran 65 mins.

Sad news though permeated through the club upon hearing of the death of member Mark Little at the age of 32. Whilst Mark has left the club several years ago due to his PT job with the Royal Air Force, this talented athlete always called in whenever possible. A tragic accident whilst on parachuting exercise in the USA ended his life prematurely and sympathies go to all his family.

The following article was posted on: 2nd December

The second Harrier League event of the season at Blaydon last Sunday saw not only an excellent turn-out of runners but also a great team performance as the club finished fourth in Division One.

First back was Kevin Allen in a time of 34.42, Peter Shuttleworth right behind in 34.46, John Nunn in 34.51, Mike Mallen 35.15, Geoff Hewitson 36.06 , Keith Langridge 33.42 running off the medium pack with a 2.5 minute handicap. Peter Carden 36.13, Graham Bradshaw 36.27, Willie Bell 36.51, John Johnson 37.23, John Dennis 37.36, Phil Carter 38.07, Martin Lowrie 39.33, Percy Parkin 39.47, Martin Harbisher 40.36, Dave Welsh 41.36, John Nightingale 43.52 and Allen Purdham 46.39.

Over at the Leeds Abbey Dash 10Km new memeber Jamie Steel produced a PB of 42.37, which was a result of his new trainging regime at the club.

The following article was posted on: 9th November

The club had a tough start to the new Harrier League season at Chester-le-Street . Back in Division One they could only finish 10th team. First back was John Nunn in 38th place in a time of 34.07 , next was Geoff Hewitson 35.19 , John Dennis 36.38, Peter Carden 37.35, Dave Welsh 38.09, Phil Carter 38.22, Ian Bainbridge 38.47, Martin Harbisher 38.54, Martin Lowrie 39.44, Gerry Hehir 40.08, Colin Everson 41.13, Allen Purdham 44.10 and Paul Smith 45.07.

At the challenging Karrimor 2 day event held this year in the Lake District Mike Mallen finished with his team-mate as 20th Vets team on the long score route and Willie Bell finished in 38th position in the Vets category . In the womens short score event Karen Partridge and Ginnette Sumler Hutchinson were 196th team. This years event suffered from many boggy sections and strong winds with driving rain on the exposed hills.

The Gibside 7 mile off-road race resulted in Kevin Allen being first club member back in 48.44 , Graham Bradshaw 49.41, Peter Carden 50.32, John Dennis 50.52 and Allen Purdham 62.04.

The following article was posted on: 22nd October

Gerry Hehir continued his marathon running in Amsterdam last weekend and recorded a steady time of 3 hrs 33 mins.

At the Richmond Castle 10km Keith Langridge was first back for the club in a time of 40.10 , next was Geoff Hewitson 40.57 , Percy Parkin was 1st O`60 in 45.55 & Alan Thompson 66.14.

The following article was posted on: 13th October

The 4 man team of Graham Bradshaw , Geoff Hewitson , Mike Mallen & Willie Bell turned their running talent to the Cleveland Team Triathlon Relay and came away in 22nd place overall and 3rd veteran team in a total time of 2 hrs 47 mins. This was a very creditable performance considering they were in 39th position after the 400 mts. swim and lacked the quality equipment for the 18 mile pursuit ride but made up considerable ground on the 3 mile relay run.

Keith Langridge continues his good form with a 5th place in the undulating Morpeth Veterans 5 miler in a time of 30-08 and followed by a 6th place , and 1st O`45 in the Fountains Abbey 11km off-road race in a time of 44-05.

At the tough Derwentside 10 mile road race Kevin Allen finished 22nd in a good time of 65-03 and Peter Carden ran 70-48 .

John Nunn returned from the World Masters Track & Field Championships in Spain with a bronze medal for the O`35 category of the 800 mts. John has focused on this race for 12 months and under the superb coaching of Paul Harker he achieved his goal. The race was a close affair with John being last of the bunch with 200 metres to go but a final burst of speed for 26 seconds moved him through to third.

Over in the Lake District there was another World Masters Championship, this time for the annual mountain race and Skiddaw was the venue. Mike Mallen produced great form to finish 35th in 63-18 , Gerry Hehir was 107th in 71-45 and Willie Bell 91st in the O`50 category in 74-49. Karen Partridge ran extremely well in the ladies event finishing 27th in 86-18.

Keith Langridge continues his comeback from injury with 10km road race times of 37-51 and 36-59 at Tholthorpe and Billingham respectively . Also running the Billingham race were John Stephenson who ran 48-50 and Helene Rusby who improved her p.b. to 49-04.

The Clubs annual Summer handicap series finished with a tie but on countback the winner was Helene Rusby , Dave Welsh coming in second and Ian Bainbridge third. (Series positions and times will be posted shortly.)

The following article was posted on: 24th August 2005

Veteran athletes from Crook & District AC celebrated on Saturday when they clinched the North East Veterans Track League championship in the fifth and final round at the Monkton Stadium, Jarrow.

Crook last won the title in 1991 and have finished as runners-up in the past three years. Twenty clubs from the north east compete in the league, for athletes aged forty to over seventy. As well as winning the league, three Crook athletes won individual age group trophies, with club captain Allen Purdham winning both the sprints and distance trophies in the mens 65-69 year age group.

Picture shows (left to right): Willie Bell (M50+), Gordon Hope (club president), Chris Foote-Wood (M60+), Allen Purdham (M65+ champion), Mike Mallen (M45+ champion), Geoff Hewitson (M45+), Karen Partridge (W45+ champion), Percy Parkin (M60+).

The club hosted the ever popular Auckland Castle 10km and whilst marshalling was a priority some members stretched their legs round a two lap course on a very warm day. First back was Keith Langridge in a time of 38.02 , Malcolm Ingram 39.50 , John Dennis 41.41 , David Welsh 42.15 , Paul Charlton 42.39 , Gerry Hehir 42.49 , Chris Gale 44.13 , John Stephenson 48.27 , Allen Purdham 48.33 , Helene Rusby 50.53 and Emma Heslop 59.31.

The previous week at the Darlington 10km road race Keith Langridge was again first club finisher in 38.11 , next was John Dennis in 40.38 , Gerry Hehir 41.55 , Dave Welsh 42.35 , Percy Parkin collected 2nd O`60 with 43.12 , Allen Purdham 46.13 and John Stephenson 46.33.

The following article was posted on: 13th July 2005

John Nunn raced to victory in the North-East Vets 800 metres championship at the weekend. John set the pace from the gun and was never really troubled finishing in a time of 1 min 59 secs.

Gerry Hehir completed the Lyke Wake Run over the huge distance of 42 miles on a hot day in the time of 8 hrs 19mins to finish 12th overall and several pounds lighter. Martin Harbisher had to pull out after running for over 6 hours, suffering from heat exhaustion - a superb effort considering the tough conditions.

At the Northumberland 13 mile coastal run Geoff Hewitson had a fine race finishing 41st in a time of 1.34.20 ; brothers Neale & Dennis Brown jogged round together in 2hrs 1 min and Alan Thompson finished in 2.42.50 .

The mid-week Tynedale 10km road race saw Geoff Hewitson first back for the club in 39.07 , Willie Bell 40.40 , Gerry Hehir 41.54 , Ian Bainbridge 44.26 and Paul Cowan bravely hobbled to the line in 56.10 despite tearing a hamstring.

The following article was posted on: 30th June 2005

Crook athletes Mike Mallen , Martin Harbisher & Gerry Hehir took all first three places in the 16 mile Durham Dales Fell Challenge in times of 2hrs 11 mins , 2 -22 and 2-24 respectively. Julia Steele ran 2 hrs 58 mins to be 5th overall and first lady.

At the third North-East Vets track & field league event at Jarrow a tremendous combined effort from Geoff Hewitson , Willie Bell , Allen Purdham , Chris Foote-Wood , Karen Partridge and Mike Mallen has moved Crook up into first position overall. Allen in particular deserves credit for picking up valuable age-category points having literally just stepped off a holiday flight from Florida.

At the same event an open "all-ages" BMC  800 metres took place and John Nunn produced his best  time for 10 years with 1 min 57 secs ; having set off with the pacemaker John dropped back into the main group but still maintained his form through to the line.

At the Rainton 10km road race Gerry Hehir , fresh from his exploits the previous day on the Fell Challenge ran 43.54 whilst O`60 Alan Thompson ran 60.10 .

The Elvet Striders mid-week "Court Inn 5 miler" through Houghall Woods resulted in several fine performances . Malcolm Ingram , Mike Mallen & Geoff Hewitson finished 9th , 10th & 11th in times of 33.32,33.53 & 34.13 ; John Dennis  36.56 , Keith Wilkinson 37.13, Julia Steele 38.17 , John Nightingale  39.38 , Karen Partridge  42.44 and Helene Rusby 44.01.

The following article was posted on: 25th June 2005

The club took part in the Aycliffe 10km road race on a hot day and consequently times were down. Malcolm Ingram was first back for the club in 38.12 followed by John Johnston 40.10 , Geoff Hewitson 40.50 , Mike Simpson 43.00 , Peter Carden 44.02 , Graham Laverick 45.58 , John Stephenson 52.31 and Alan Thompson 61.59 .

The following article was posted on: 15th June 2005

Club captain Dennis Brown tentatively ventured back onto the marathon scene in Edinburgh last weekend and recorded 3 hrs 46 mins on a very pleasant route apart from a gruelling last 2 miles uphill.

At the popular Blaydon Race over 5.7 miles first back was Malcolm Ingram in 34.43 , Kevin Allen 35.17 , Geoff Hewitson 36.45 , John Dennis 39.12 and John Stephenson 45.20.

The Thirsk 10 mile road race had Malcolm Ingram again first club member home in 63.00 , Gerry Hehir 69.30 and Graham Laverick 75.02 .

The undulating 10km course at Kirby Malzeard saw John Johnson returning to form with 40.07 , Gerry Hehir 42.59 and Alan Thompson 62.06 .

The Bowderdale 10 mile fell race last Sunday had Peter Carden as the first club member in with a time of 91 mins , closely followed by Martin Lowrie showing a clean pair of heels to his arch rival Gerry Hehir in respective times of 92 and 93 mins ; Julia Steele ran 99 mins and Alan Thompson 2 hrs 41 mins.

The third club Summer handicap was won by Helene Rusby who has made massive improvements from fun runner standard to genuine athlete . Her time of 24.41 was a personal best; the overall series leader is Keith Langridge who ran 19.03 .

The following article was posted on: 2nd June 2005

The following article was posted on: 25th May 2005

At the annual club road race Malcolm Ingram was the winner in 38.24 on a demanding hill top 10km course , second was John Johnson in 39.25 and Geoff Hewitson in third with 39.32 ; first woman was Julia Steele in 43.59 .

On the fells Mike Mallen made a welcome return by finishing the tough Helvellyn mountain race in a time of 2 hrs 10 mins while at the Killhope fell race over 7 miles Peter Carden finished in 10th position in his first club race followed by Julia Steele as 5th lady overall , then Graham Laverick close behind.

At the Pier-to-Pier 7 mile coastal race Malcolm Ingram was first club member back in 45.24 , Kevin Allen in 46.25 & Geoff Hewitson in 46.30 .

Alan Thompson competed in the O`60 category at the Ripon 10 mile and ran 1 hr 45 mins.

Dennis Brown meanwhile continued his duties for the BBC / Nova by escorting "Cain Dingle" off Emmerdale round to a PB of 48.03 in the Great Manchester Run 10km.

Just to update you for the start to the track season.

First race was North East Track League at Monkton and entered the 'A' race (call me stupid). Very fast, as you would expect, and won by Ryan Stephenson in 1min55sec. I finished 7th in 1:59.04 which was a good start to the season. Went downhill a bit in the next race. North East Champs at Gateshead. Drawn in a very slow heat and got blasted away in last 100m and finished in 2:02.30 and didn't qualify for the final. Improved two days later in the NYSD league at Darlington when decided to try a different tactic and led from the start to win in 1:59.9.

Not a bad start to the season but should be in shape to do at least a second quicker and just need the right race. Changed tactics at Darlington to run my own race rather than sitting in the pack. The old sprint finish isn't quite as good as it used to be so need to be more forceful if a slow race. Would have qualified for the final of the North Easterns based on other two times.

The following article was posted on: 20th April 2005

The London Marathon was the focus of four athletes who had trained up for six months for this event. Kevin Allen ran a PB by 2 minutes by running 3 hrs 6 mins ; Gerry Hehir had another consistent run of 3 hrs 29mins whilst Julia Steele produced her best yet by 5 mins in a time of 3 hrs 32 mins ; Terry Lawton ran a brave 5 hrs despite being hampered by several injuries in her build-up.

The club's 5000 mts track championship was won by Malcolm Ingram in a time of 18.37 , second was Geoff Hewitson in 19.15 and third was George Boyek in 19.20. First lady was Karen Partridge in 24.20.

The following article was posted on: 7th April 2005

The Hartlepool Marina 5 mile race saw Keith Langridge produce yet another terrific performance to win the O`45 prize and 21st position overall in a time of 28.28 ; new member Peter Carden ran 33.58 and John Stephenson 37.44.

The first Summer handicap at the club was a close run affair with George Boyek just outsprinting Helene Rusby and Keith Langridge similarily grabbing third place ahead of Emma Foster over a testing 3.3 mile course.

The following article was posted on: 24th March 2005 (Updated)

The results from the Winter Handicap 2004/05 have arrived and are listed below for your information. As you can see there were some impressive strings of performances. There is no doubt about who the winner is - John Stephenson with an emphatic 12 points! (We all know what the prize is - same as ever - 25 seconds off the next handicap time.)

The presentations were held on the 5th April at the club house after the first Summer Handicap race of 2005. Below are photos of Gordon Hope - Club President - awarding the winners of the Winter Handicap.

Times for the season are also listed below to show who has been improving:

Every one is now looking forward to getting off the track and running the Summer Handicap course. Not long to wait... April 5th by my reckoning!

The following article was posted on: 23rd March 2005

After a Harrier League season reduced to four races, Crook members were able to celebrate promotion back to Division One due to a stirring team effort at the last event at Prudhoe which is renowned for being the toughest course, much to their liking . In unseasonally warm conditions Keith Langridge was first home in 29th position in a time of 36.26 , Mike Mallen 36.51 , Geoff Hewitson 39.51, John Johnson 40.00 , Graham Bradshaw 40.43 , Martin Harbisher 43.06 , Dennis Brown 43.36 , Paul Cowen 44.44 , John Nightingale 46.53 , Dave Welsh 48.02 and Allen Purdham 51.54.

Over at the Morecambe 20 mile road race Gerry Hehir completed his London Marathon preparations by running 2 hrs 29 mins whilst Malcolm Ingram completed Coniston 14 in 1 hr 30 mins.

The following article was posted on: 16th March 2005

Malcolm Ingram was fleet of foot in the Redcar half-marathon last weekend by achieving 1 hr 20 mins & finishing well up in the Over 40 category despite being at the top end of his age category ; it was John Nightingale`s first attempt at this distance and did very well in a time of 1 hr 48 mins.

Gerry Hehir meanwhile was warming up for the London Marathon by running the Hull 20 mile race in a time of 2 hrs 35 mins.

The following article was posted on: 10th March 2005

Results from the Haweswater Half-Marathon held around an undulating course on Sunday 16th March. Kevin Allen clocked up an excellent time of 1:23:03 , coming in 20th place. John Johnson ran 1:28:44 and Gerry Hehir 1:35:03.

The following article was posted on: 15th February 2005

Results from the Royal Signals Road Relays Chammpionships held at Saltwell Park on Saturday 12th February.

The Crook & District AC team managed to come a respectable 7th in the Veteran Mens Relay. Team member times were as follows:

The following article was posted on: 3rd February 2005

The AGM and Presentation Night was held on January 25th 2005 and all the present incumbents were re-elected for the forthcoming year. They are:-

• Dennis Brown ( Honorary Secretary & Captain )
• Leo Noble ( Chairman )
• Harry Binyon ( Treasurer )

You can contact these people (as always) if you have some business or issues regarding the club. See how here.

A new President was elected in the form of Gordon Hope , now retired from work & running & seeking a focus in life apart from how many holidays he can fit in!

The 2004 awards went to the following:-

The following article was posted on: 21st January 2005

On a beautiful Winters morning at Durham City riverside the annual Cathedral Relays occurred over 3 legs of 1.8 miles each.

The mens veteran "A" team did remarkably well considering they were in the "Over 40" age group and the first two runners were closer to 50. Keith Landridge set off at a cracking pace recording 9.45 and just losing 3rd place at the handover to Malcolm Ingram who ran 10.28 and finally John Johnson recording 10.50. Other veteran team times are listed below.

The senior team had the clubs quickest runner , John Nunn on the first leg and he produced 9.32 , Kevin Allen ran his best ever time of 10.04 and John Johnson 10.50.

Errors or omissions can be reported by email to the .

Page last updated on January 7, 2009 .