Snowball denied second win by new boy Taylor
MORPETH RUNNER LEADS FROM FRONT IN CRAGSIDE 10K
JAMES TAYLOR denied Morpeth team-mate Mark Snowball a second successive victory in the Run Northumberland Cragside 10k.
The race, held in ideal conditions through the beautiful surroundings of the National Trust Cragside Estate in Rothbury, attracted nearly 700 starters - and it was Taylor who set out his stall from the off.
Snowball, victorious in 2016, slipped immediately into second place and, although he had no immediate danger from behind, he had to eventually give way to finish runner-up nearly a minute behind the winner.
Taylor, a relatively new recruit to the Morpeth ranks, competed in his Edinburgh University colours and it was green for go as he extended his advantage with every stride to win in 34min 09secs which was more than a minute inside his previous best 10k time.
Snowball, whose winning time 12 months ago was 34:29, was slightly slower this time around as he crossed the finish line in 35:04 with third-placed Huddersfieldbased Adam Smith a further minute adrift to complete the one-twothree.
Elswick’s James Old finished fourth in 36:27 to lift the leading veteran award.
The women’s race also went to a Morpeth athlete, Gemma Floyd successfully working her way through to finish in 18th place overall.
Floyd was an even more convincing winner than team-mate Taylor for she crossed the line in 40:47, more than two minutes clear of West Midlands visitor Sarah Watson-Armstrong, who recorded 42:53.
In a charge to claim the thirdplace award, Chorley’s Gemma Preston held off Laura Cheetham (Jesmond Joggers) by just two seconds.
It was Preston’s 10k debut, having cut her teeth on Parkrun events both here in the North East and close to her Lancashire home.