Bad weather didn’t put off region’s hardy cross-country runners

THE North East Harrier League committee prides itself in bringing in a ‘Try Cross-Country’ for nine-11year-olds. The innovation, brought in five years ago, has proved a huge success with around 150 youngsters - split evenly among boys and girls taking part at every fixture.

However, while it has to be celebrated bringing in more minors into the sport it is now notable also that more and more adults are taking up cross-country running for the very first time.

Last weekend’s North East Harrier League fixture in Gosforth Park was a prime example for the senior races, men and women, totalled more than 1,000 - something unheard of a few years ago. The numbers are so encouraging because those who lined up in Gosforth Park were all members of a local athletics club.

Whereas open road races are now made up of numerous unattached competitors, that is not the case when it comes to cross-country, a point emphasised by the NEHL women’s secretary Vicki Thompson.

She said: “You just have to take last weekend.

“It was lashing down early in the morning and you would have thought it would have put many people off.

“However, that was not the case. Yes, the weather improved but by then many would have made the decision not to bother.

“Cross-country runners are a hardy bunch, or should I say mad, for there was a record turnout in the men’s race and a near-record in the women’s.

“As the winter draws in and the courses become more testing it will be interesting to see if the numbers drop off - but if I was a betting person I would bet against that.”