Morpeth Harriers’ Carl Avery won the 71st running of the Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile road race in most convincing fashion, leaving his closest rival trailing in his wake to win by over a minute in 49:22. It was his first run in the race for a decade.
Avery’s win will have been ideal preparation for his next race, the Malaga Marathon in three weeks’ time.
Competing for the women’s title, Steph Davis raced alongside her Leeds City training partner, and 2022 winner Stephie Pennycook, before pulling away to win in 54:51, a minute ahead of Pennycook’s 55:53. Davis claimed an additional prize for going sub 55 mins, the first time this prize has been claimed for a number of years.
Davis adapted particularly well to the challenging second half of the race, quite different to her usual flatter training terrain. He next outing will be the Telford 10K.
Pennycook plans to train and race during the winter with the aim of moving up to half marathons in 2024.
These performances were particularly meritorious as the 700 strong field set off into a blustery headwind after overnight rain. Salford’s Tom Cornthwaite led Avery through the first mile in a very brisk 4:28, but was soon to pay the price, trailing by some thirty metres as the second mile marker was reached in 9:13.
After three miles the Morpeth athlete had opened up a gap of some eighty metres, with a group including his club mate Finn Brodie, last year’s runner up Kieran Walker, representing North East Project, Salford Harriers’ Marc Brown and host club Border Harriers’ Nathan Postill chasing and catching Cornthwaite before they had covered four miles.
Avery went through the half way mark in 24:12 and continued to clock miles of just under 5 minutes all his way to the line.
Walker, who had pursued home last year’s winner Phil Sesemann, was never in sight of this year’s winner, but pulled away in the latter stages to record 50:34, with a sizeable gap to Brodie’s 50:51 in third. Postill stormed home in 50:57 in fourth, an improvement of nine places and more than a minute on last year for this fast developing young athlete. Brown was four seconds adrift, with the last of the group William Tighe of Leeds City clocked at 51:02.
Jasmine Wood came home to claim third women’s prize in 59:17.
Morpeth Harriers took first men’s team prize with ease, on 11 points, with Phillip Winkler in seventh joining Avery and Brodie, with Border Harriers second on 34 and North Shields Poly 90.
The Women’s first team was Tyne Bridge Harriers, made up of Kathryn Stevenson, Rebecca Blain and Alison Dargie, on 37 points from Heaton Harriers on 45 followed by Dumfries Running Club 61.
