Sunderland Harriers out to defend Royal Signals title
This time they will be relying on Steve McMahon, Steve Potts, Paul Blakey, Steve Gordon, Graeme Pullan and Martin Blenkinsopp
The Over-50s beat North Shields Poly to win their title last year in again winning by a big margin to add to the Sunderland medal haul.
The four-stage relay team will be selected from Tim Field, Michael Thompson, Paul Merrison, Paul Collins and Darren Fletcher.
The improving Houghton Harriers’ Senior team will be looking for another good performance after finishing third last year in winning their first ever medals in the senior men’s and senior women’s relays.
After Cameron Allan had led the way on the first leg with the second quickest time overall, Lee Dover, Johnny Evans, Rory Graham, Chris Coulson and Will Bellamy, ensured the clubs first medals.
And the Houghton women’s team took well deserved silver medals, behind Morpeth, through Eva Hardie,
Lara Greggs, Nicole Phillips and Anna Pigford.
Olympian Alyson Dixon, just back from four weeks high altitude training in Iten, Kenya, is expected to compete in the Sunderland Strollers team.
She is targeting the Tokyo marathon on March 1, and at the age of 41, it will be interesting to see what time she achieves.
She often uses the Signals relay to gauge her form before a major Marathon and this time instead of London, it is Tokyo.
She will be joined on her trip to Japan by club-mate and Over-50 Wendy Chapman, a leading national veteran endurance runner.
At the age of 37, Dixon smashed the Veteran Women’s Over-35 Signals course record and it still stands today.
Signals course records: Senior men – Morpeth 65.00, 2017 - leg Ricky Stevenson (New Marske) 10.09, 2012. Veterans 40 – Sunderland Harriers 71.12, 2010 - leg Guy Bracken (NSP) 11.02, 2013. Veterans 50 – NSP 49.37, 2018 - leg Guy Bracken (NSP) 11.09.
Women – Chester-leStreet 49.12, 2010 - leg Laura Weightman (Morpeth) 11.22, 2014. Veterans – NSP 55:06 – 2016 - leg Alyson Dixon 11:33, 2016.
The timetable is: 12noon – Women and Over-50 Men’s Four Stage Relay. 1.15pm Senior Men and Over-40 Veterans Six Stage Relay.
The postponement of the Thornley Hall Farm Harrier League meeting on Sunday, was an unprecedented third postponement of the season.
It was called off due to flooding of the car park.
The Meeting has been rearranged for Sunday.