Charlotte Penfold, UK U17 800m record-holder, enjoys cross-country win

Former teenage prodigy Charlotte Moore leads home 400 women at Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League in Alnwick while Emile Cairess breaks the UK 10 miles record and Sam Harrison runs a fast 10km

Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League, Alnwick Castle, March 4

On the same weekend that the current UK 800m record-holder Keely Hodgkinson was winning another major title, another former junior sensation Charlotte Penfold (née Moore) gained a rare cross-country victory in the shadow of picturesque Alnwick Castle.

Penfold, who 21 years ago ran a 800m of 1:59.75 at the age of 17 when finishing sixth in the 2002 Commonwealth Games final, was first across the line and the fastest woman at Alnwick.

That time in Manchester was the UK junior record until broken by Hodgkinson but Penfold’s time still stands as the UK age-17 record ahead of Jess Judd and Hodgkinson.

Penfold, who became a primary school teacher in her 20s and is now more likely to compete in parkruns, started in the slow pack and was easily the quickest and she was followed home by another former precocious youngster Justina Heslop who won the English National under-15 title in 1994.

Seventh across the line Jane Hodgson was the quickest from the fast pack but her time was 45 seconds slower than Penfold’s.

Altogether 431 women finished and Tyne Bridge won the women’s division one team event.

For the men, under-20 Morgan Kendall from the slow-pack was first across the line from Matthew Briggs as that pair were over two minutes clear of a 499-strong field.

First man Morgan Kendall (David Hewitson)

It was fifth across the line, Marcus Shantry, a non-scorer, who recorded the fastest time of 35:34 though Kendall’s time – the fourth best – suggested he should have been with the fast pack.

North Shields Poly easily won the team event on the day.

Men (H’cap):
1 Morgan Kendall Durham City U20 36:44 (actual 36:44)
2 Matthew Briggs Morpeth H 36:52 (36:52)
3 Alex Black North Shields Poly 39:20 (39:20)
4 Neil Sillence North Shields Poly U20 40:27 (40:27)
5 Marcus Shantry Durham City Harriers 40:34 (35:34)
Fastest: Shantry 35:34; 2 Chris Coulson Houghton AC U20 36:21; 3 Conrad Franks Gateshead M35 36:42

Div 1 TEAM: 1 North Shields Poly 53; 2 Tyne Bridge H 104; 3 Morpeth H 112

Women:
1 Charlotte Penfold (North Shields Poly, W35) 27:04 (actual 27:04)
2 Justina Heslop (Elswick, W40) 28:58 (actual 28:58)
3 Jessica Eaton (Tyne Bridge H) 29:28 (29:28)
4 Elizabeth Joyce…