Veteran cross-country runners chase North East titles in Wallsend

UK-wide endurance running round-up includes the Chichester 10km plus Warwick and Watford half-marathons

NORTH EAST MASTERS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS, Wallsend, January 3

Stephen Jackson took the main men’s race for Sunderland Harriers, but it was younger team-mate Liam Jackson who took the North East Masters title, Martin Duff reports.

Jackson scored in the winning England M40 team in last year’s British & Irish Masters International in Glasgow and, here, retained his north-east M40 title.

The pair were well clear of third placed Robert Balmbra as, further back, new runner Ian Armstrong was first over-50 home but second M50 Ian Salkeld took the masters title here.

The best M60 was Ian Norman when taking his title by more than two minutes, to regain the title he had previously won in 2022, but the older men, from 65 and over, ran with the women.

There, Paul Merrion, who won the M60 title last year before placing third in the M65 class at the Masters International, chased the leading women home to take the M65 title by well over two minutes.

In that women’s race, there was a comfortable overall victory for W40 Jane Hodgson, another England Masters representative, in taking her age group title by over two minutes, as second placed Alexandra Sneddon took the W35 medal.

Further back, the best on an age graded basis were the top two over-55s Wendy Chapman and Jackie Murdie, who both headed W50 winner Louise Lennox. 

Stephen Jackson (David Hewitson)

Men (8km approx)

1 S Jackson (Sund, M40) 29:24; 2 L Taylor (Sund) 29:38; 3 L Balmbra (Morp) 30:49; 4 D Alexander (Gate) 31:48; 5 M Barker (Sund, M40) 32:21; 6 G Wallace (B’hill) 32:27

M40: 4 L Dagleish (Heaton) 34:58

M45: 1 G Watt (Elvet) 34:44; 2 D France (Low Fell) 34:59; 3 P Turnbull (Tyne Br) 35:09

M50: 1 I Armstrong (Morp) 34:18; 2 I Salkeld (NSP) 34:57; 3 L McEwan (Elvet) 35:25

M55: 1 J Duthie (W’send) 35:14; 2 D Moir (Tyne Br) 36:15; 3 J O’Reilly (T’dale) 37:21

M60: 1 I Norman (Heaton) 36:31; 2 S Everett (Durh) 38:55; 3 K Maynard (Sund Str) 40:18

M35 TEAM: 1 Sunderland 91:23; 2 Gateshead 1:45:32; 3 Wallsend 1:46:58

M45 TEAM: 1 Elvet 1:45:57; 2 S Shields 1:50:49; 3 Tyne Bridge 2:02:35

M55 TEAM: 1 Jesmond 2:03:16; 2 Sunderland Strollers 2:04:18; 3 Birtley 2:08:22

Paul Merrison (David Hewitson)

M65 (6km):

1 P Merrison (Sund, M65) 23:37; 2 T Tinsley (C’mont) 26:14; 3 B Allsopp (W’send) 26:57

M70: 1 C Featherstone (Durh) 28:26

M75: 1 G Routledge (Heaton) 46:33

M85: 1 I Barnes (Darl) 45:58

TEAM: 1 Crook…