Course record for Morpeth’s Laura
MORPETH Olympian Laura Weighman was in record-breaking form in Elswick Harriers’ Good Friday Relays at Newburn Riverside Park.
Weightman, who was not quite at her best the previous weekend in the National Road Relay Championships in Sutton Coldfield where she posted the second fastest overall time, bounced back in fine style to give Morpeth a winning start which they never relinquished.
Contesting the first of three 2.2-mile legs, Weightman (pictured) scorched round the twisting course to arrive at the first changeover in 10min 52secs, 16 seconds inside the course record she set in last year’s event.
North Shields Poly were in second place at that point, thanks to Charlotte Penfold’s run of 12:03, which was the second fastest of the day.
Jarrow and Hebburn were in third place (Georgia Campbell, 12:31) with Elswick fourth, thanks to a 12:40 split by teenager Robyn Bennett.
Josie Cram brought Morpeth’s second string into fifth place (12:48) just ahead of Gosforth’s Rhian Purves who recorded 12:53. Catriona MacDonald consolidated Morpeth’s lead on leg two (12:29) with Jarrow and Hebburn still second thanks to Steph Pattison’s stint of 12:45.
Gateshead moved into contention after Michelle Nolan moved through from ninth to sixth with the fastest time of the stage (12:20) and the third fastest overall.
As a contest it was all over as Jane Hodgson set off on the final leg to extend Morpeth’s advantage to 2min 16sec at the finish (35:46, a new course record) after recording the stage’s joint fastest time of 12:25.
Alex Sneddon brought Jarrow and Hebburn home in second place as Gosforth moved into a podium spot for the first time to complete the one-two-three after Helen Warburton’s 12:25 leg.
In the veteran women’s relay over the same 3x2.2-mile contest victory went to North Shields Poly in 40:31 with first stage runner Carla Maley the fastest of their trio in 13:02.
Sunderland Strollers finished in second place a minute and 37 seconds adrift, with Heaton just holding off the challenge of Gosforth to take third place in 42:49, with Heaton getting the better of their Newcastle rivals by four seconds.