Cross_Country_ Middlesbrough Athletic Club (Mandale)

October
12th	NYSD League	Croft Autodrome	Directions / Times	Results
26th	NYSD League	Summerhill, Hartlepool	Course & Times	Results
November
15th	UK Cross Challenge	Gateshead		Results
16th	NYSD League	Flatts Lane Country Park	Results	U11 Results
29th	UK Cross Challenge	Liverpool		Results
December
7th	NYSD League	Acklam Grange	Directions & Times / Course	Results
13th	NE Championships	Wrekenton, Gateshead		Results
21st	Loftus & Whitby	Poultry Run	Application	Results
January
18th	NYSD League	Caedmon School, Whitby	Google location / Times	Results / u11
24th	Northern Championship	St Helens
Febuary
8th	NYSD League	Blakeston School, Stockton	Course / Times	Full results photos
21st	National Championship	Parliament Hill
March
7th	UK Cross Challenge/InterCounties	Wollaton Park, Nottingham
15th	NYSD League	Richmond Racecourse	Directions & Times / Course	Full Results Photos
21st	English Schools			Results

Significant moves to revitalize British Endurance Running
Ian Stewart appointed to lead UKA's endurance strategy, and Lord Sebastian Coe asked to form a new endurance advisory group, full article in UK Athletics website. more>>

North Yorkshire & South Durham Cross Country League 15 th March 2009 Richmond Old Racecourse.
Athletes were treated to warm spring like conditions for this final League race of the season, making for an enjoyable day for both athletes and supporters. Our small contingent all performed well.

U-13 Boys Only 1 club competitor, new member Ben Spencer running very well to finish 4th, Ben is a first year in this age group.

U-13 Girls Once again Hannah McLean in 2nd place, followed by new member Annabel Blott in 8th position in her first race for the club. Also guest runner Emma Whortley soon to be a club member finishing very strongly in 5th place. 22 athletes.

U-15 boys Mathew Rhodes in 15th place followed by Chris Milburn in 21st.

U-15 Girls Missing athletes resulted in us drawing on 37 points with Scarborough. Jessica Wilkinson in 7th Lauren Cuggy 8th and Bethaney Brown in 12th.

U-17/U/20/SEN/WOMEN Only 2 athletes Stephanie Allison (u-17) in 6th place and Rebecca Maguire (u-17) doing well to finish after running most of the way with a lace undone in 15th.

U-17 men. Nick Wooly in 7th place our only athlete.

U-20/sen/vet men. Mehari Habteab once again running well to finish in 5th, followed by Adam Morrell (u-20) in 6th . Paul Kitson (Vet) in 36th position.

Many thanks to the athletes who have supported the club and League during this long winter. Also special thanks to both Michael and Marino for putting up the club tent and for the photography, as well as the work that Pat and Julie put in much appreciated.

Dave Wilkinson

Full Results and event photos. more >>

North Yorkshire & South Durham League, 8th Febuary 2009, Blakeston School, Stockton
The 6 th race in the series, it was expected that there may be a increase in numbers in the junior races due to the cancellation of the Schools inter-counties races the day previous. However, this did not materialize. After the bad weather of late the sun was out and we suddenly had Spring conditions.

U-11 mixed race saw 10 year old Phillippa Stone showing much determination to be first over the line. Well done.

U-13 boys no club athletes.

U -13 girls with only 1 club athlete competing. Hannah McLean running very strongly to finish 2nd .

U-15 boys only 1 athlete, Mathew Rhodes finishing 16th in this very competitive age group.

U-15 ladies. This race produced the lowest numbers of participants of the season. Once again our girls did us proud ,with Jessica Wilkinson in 3rd, Lauren Cuggy 5th Emily Fields 6th Catherine Meynell in 10th taking the team race again.

Sen/Ladies/vet ladies/under 17 ladies. Stephanie Allison finishing very strongly in 5th place, Emma Williams in 9th , Rebecca Maguire 16th and vet lady Andrea Rhodes in 24th place. The team finishing a very creditable 2nd place.

Senior/U-20/u/17 men Only 2 runners from the club. Mehari Habtaeb in 8th place and Paul Kitson in 42nd both have supported the team in all races this XC season.

Many thanks to all athletes who have supported the club in this seasons series of NY SD XC races. Also many thanks to the team helpers Julie, Pat, Michael and Marino.

The final race of the series will be on the 15th March at Richmond Race Course.

Dave Wilkinson

full results more>>

5th North Yorkshire & South Durham League races 18th January 2009 Whitby
The bright and breezy conditions were ideal for this year's event. The ever popular course at Caedmon school is full of variety andincludes the now famous (or infamous) challenging big hill. Once again we were lacking in numbers to make any impact in the team events.

U- 13 Boys no athletes

U-13 Girls An increase of athletes from the York club made this age group very competitive, our only athlete Hannah Mclean ran very well to finish in 8th position.

U-15 Boys Mathew Rhodes had a fall at the start managing to recover and finish in 13th position followed by Chris Milburn in 19th.

U-15 Girls due to illness we were unable to enter our usual strong team, the standard at the top end of the field was of a high quality. A guest runner led the field and was followed by the Yorkshire Champion, Running for Richmond & Zetland. Jessica Wilkinson finishing in 6th position followed by Lauren Cuggy in 8th on this occasion the team race going to Scarborough.

U-17/Sen/Vet Ladies Stephanie Allison running strongly to finish in 7th position but, had to be content with 2nd place in the u-17`s race on this occasion, Rebecca Maguire finishing strongly in 12th place and Andrea Rhodes vet ladies in 20th . Sen/Vet Men Mehari Hebeab continues to improve, finishing in 6th position supported by vet Paul Kitson in 38th place.

Full Results >>

Congratulations to our entire club Athletes who qualified for the Schools inter counties races next month at last weeks Cleveland Schools XC Championships. Special mention to Faye Buckton and Emma Williams who finished 1 st and 2 nd in the Sen Girls race and to Jessica Wilkinson and Rebecca Maguire who finished 1st and 2nd in the Inter Girls race. Well done

Dave Wilkinson

2008 Poultry run
Well done Paul Kitson the only entrant from our club at the Poultry run, held just a few days before Christmas day, full results are available on the host club web site Loftus and Whitby. Paul finished 57th in 53 minutes 41 seconds there is also a link to pictures of the run. Paul managed to appear in a few, images 48, 12, 125 and in the background of 164 heading for home.

Paul indicated that again it was another well organized run, in bright very windy conditions, the sections across the fields he had known to be muddier, the event is defiantly a run for people to enjoy before Christmas, there was an added bonus this year of a mug to go with the tee shirt, as it was the 25th time the event had been staged.

Editors note, keep a look out for news of the 26th hosting of this event and lets get more club members entered for 2009.

North Eastern Counties AA Cross Country Championships, Wrekenton Saturday 13th December 2008 The conditions were made very difficult by wind and continuous rain throughout the whole programme.

U-13 Boys, Patrick O`Connor ran a strong race to finish in 11th position.

U-15 Boys, Chris Milbourne in 42nd place our only participant.

U-15 Girls, Jessica Wilkinson with a strong run in 8th place, Lauren Cuggy in 15th, Emily Fields in 19th, Emilia Mack in 29th and Catherine Meynell in 32nd. The team finished in a splendid 3rd place gaining bronzes, well done.

U-17 Women, Rebecca Maguire in 9th place.

U-20 Women, Kristina Grant running stongly in 5th place followed by Faye Buckton in 6th combining with Rebecca Maguire to gain the team silver award.

U-17 Men, Grant Hawkins in 5th place continues through the age groups to perfom well in these Championships.

U-20 Men, Adam Mitchell returned from university to compete, finishing in 11th position.

Senior Men, Mehari Habteab running in his first Championships finishing in 19th place.

Congratulations to New Marske Harriers in achieving so many individual places and a repeat of the U-20 team win.

Dave Wilkinson

Full results more >>

4th NY SD cross country league meeting 7th December 2008 Acklam
The weather condition of the previous week turned the Acklam Course into a tough and testing challenge. On many parts of the course there was surface mud and solid spots of ice in others. A small, but determined group competed for the club.

U-13 GIRLS only one athlete competing, Hannah Mclean who finished in a very creditable 4th place.

U-13 BOYS no club representative

U-15 BOYS only Mathew Rhodes for the club in 16th position finding the pace over the short course a little brisk.

U-15 GIRLS once again a great team effort from our girls. Jessica Wilkinson closing on the leaders and finishing in 4th position, followed by Lauren Cuggy in 7th position, Emily Fields struggling with ill health, but producing a gutsy performance in 8th. Catherine Meynell in 13th completing the teams win. Well done.

U-17/20 SEN LADIES once again Stephanie Allison produced a strong run in 7th place and 1st u-17 lady, Rebecca Maguire unfortunately having a bad fall on the first lap, resulting in retirement, Andrea Rhodes in 25th place enjoying her first year of XC running.

U-17 MEN no club runners.

U-20/SEN/VET MEN. ever consistent Mehari Habteab, finished strongly in 7th position, Paul Kitson 48th and Philip Allison in 75th.

Good luck to all members running in the North Eastern Cross Country on Saturday 13th December, hope to see you all at Whitby on the 18th January 2009 for the next NYSD meeting.

Don't eat too much over the Christmas Holidays. Dave Wilkinson

Full Results more>>

NYSD League Acklam Grange 16th November
The third meeting of this season saw perfect weather conditions, with striking panoramic views of Rosberry Topping, juxster positioned with the areas industrial landscape and sprawling urban conurbation.

Before the main races an 'u11 event' was staged which was the first of this season, on a diffrent course to the older groups, the club had a reasonable turn out, we hope this will be sustained and other u11' join this fun event.

The main course route was different from last year, more demanding, well suited for the senior runners. A small but good overall club turn out saw supreme results, notably from the u15 girl's team coming in first place; this puts them in a good position at the half way stage of the season to be the overall winners. Pictured Mehari Habteab coming in 6th in the Senior Men' race with a time of 37.12, further photos available more>>

Full Resuts >>

Next meeting will be at Acklam Grange 7th December, race times and location. more>>

Northern Athletics Great North Cross - Country Championships, Saturday 24th January 2009, Sherdley Park, St Helens.
Any club member wishing to enter the above event should contact Dave Wilkinson by the latest 9th December, the following information is required:

D.O.B.
England Athletics Registration Number,
Plus Fee,
Seniors/U-20`s £4.00, all other age groups £3.50.

Please note the club is aware that many members have not as yet been issued with England Athletic Registration numbers, Jill King is attempting to rectify this.

"Drowned Rats" an untypical Sunday training session
When sensible teenagers, having taken a look out of the window at the miserable weather outside would decide to remain in the warm, 8 members of my squad braved the elements to put in another Sunday morning training session in Flatts Lane Country Park, which is the venue for NYSD League meeting'.

Apart from the hills and the cross country element these athletes 'enjoy' their Sunday morning winter training but on this occasion they also had to contend with constant rain, wet clothes and mud .....

At the conclusion of the hour and a half session of hard training they decided to finish off with mud slides. A great time was had by all.

Back in Middlesbrough another member of the squad took part in a Bungie Jump off the Transporter Bridge in aid of her charity trip to Africa next February.

Not bad for a group of sprinters.

Jean Simmons

North Eastern Counties Athletic Association 103rd Annual Cross-Country Championships, Cardinal Hume School, Wrekenton, Saturday 13th December 2008

Conditions of Entry the Championships are open to all members of North Eastern Counties AA Clubs affiliated to England Athletics Cross Country with birth or residential qualification or individuals with North Eastern birth Qualification whose club is affiliated to Cross Country. All entries must be first claim membership, see UK Athletics Rule 9.

Club colours all competitors must wear registered club colours.

Entry fees Senior Men/Ladies £3.00, all other age groups £2.00. (no fee no entry).

Details required for entry Full Name, Date of birth, age classification of entry, and England Athletics Registration number (0n club membership card).

Entries to Dave Wilkinson by 5th November 2008.

2nd NYSD Cross Country League race Summerhill, Hartlepool 26th October 2008
On arrival at Summerhill the heavens opened and it rained very heavily for 20 minutes and then the sun came out and remained out for the rest of the afternoon.

The popular Summerhill course was wet and muddy after recent rainfall and competitors had to contend with a muddy water-logged ditch, 4 foot wide and about 1 foot deep on each lap.

The club had a slight increase in numbers competing, but numbers overall were down. We managed to field athletes in every age group.

Further images

U-13 BOYS our only athlete Jack Farrow finished in 11th place

U-13 GIRLS in 10th Hannah McLean and 12th place Francesca Cavanagh.

U-15 BOYS 2 boys fielded, consistant Mathew Rhodes in 10th place and Chris Milburn 14th

U-15 GIRLS our strongest turn out with 5 runners, Jessica Wilkinson much improved finishing in 2nd place followed by ever reliable Emily Fields 4th and Lauren Cuggy in 5th Catherine Meynell 13th and Katey Farrow 14th. Once again finishing 1st in the team competition, well done.

U-17/20 SEN/VET LADIES u-17 9th position Stephanie Allison, u-20 10th Emma Williams, u-17 Rebecca Maguireu struggling with a heavy chest cold finishing 21st and Andrea Rhodes 31st helping the ladies team to finish in 4th place, well done.

U-17 MEN 10th place Nick Wooley and Joe Cox 13th

SEN/MEN 9th place Mehari Habteab, 40th Paul Kitson, and vet Phillip Allison in 76th

Hope to see you all at the next League Race.

Dave Wilkinson

Full Results (note the next meeting will have an under 11 race)

1st North Yorkshire & South Durham Cross-Country League Croft Motor Circuit 12th October 2008
Congratulations to Darlington Harriers for providing a new and testing Cross-Country course at Croft Motor circuit. The weather was typical of autumn starting sunny and gradually turning cloudy and windy. The 2km lap course was the same for all age groups, making it easy to manage and watch, making for an entertaining days Cross-Country running.

Unfortunately for Middlesbrough AC (Mandale) we were short of athletes to make any real impressions on the League, but those who turned out represented the club well.

U-13 boys, U-13 girls no finishers from the club

Further images

U-15 boys
Mathew Rhodes adjusting to the new age group, finishing in 13th position was our only competitor.

U-15 girls
We turned out a strong team again this year and after a tussle with Shildon and Scarborough we managed to win the team event by 3 points. The girls packed well, Emily Fields 6th, Lauren Cuggy 7th, Jessica Wilkinson 8th, Emilia Mack 14th, Francesca Cavanagh 15th and Bethany Brown 21st.

U-17 men no finishers from the club, but it is good to see a increase in finishers in this age group (17).

U-17/U-20/Sen/Vet Ladies
2 under 17 ladies and a vet lady managed to place the team in 5th place. Stephanie Allison in 10th place 1st u-17 lady and Rebecca Maguire 14th place 3rd U-17 lady both did very well in their first senior ladies XC. Supported by Andrea Rhodes V35 in her first XC race since school in 36th.

U-20/Sen
Mehari Habteab in 5th place …he only started running earlier this year and improves with every training session. Paul Kitson in 44th place changing road shoes for spikes. Well done, hope to see more of you at the next League race at Hartlepool in 2 weeks.

Dave Wilkinson

Foot Note, many thanks to Julie, Pat, Michael and Dave for there combinded efforts in managing the team, Marino.

Full Results

Get Ready for the New Cross Country Season
The value of cross country running is a means of retaining physical fitness, its sorely under-estimated, this exciting and challenging discipline of sport, seemingly overlooked as some distant relative of the athletics family.

Conditions may turn the faces of some, competitions frequently include cold freezing rain and occasional snow flurry, the lifting and lowering of weighty, mud-enshrouded shoes through the local farmers' specially ploughed fields, and the occasional shoe-cleansing, foot-numbing gallop through a beck.

Flatts Lane 2007

Athletes relish the cross-country season for its camaraderie, challenge and opportunity to score for the club, huddling around a warm cup of coffee awaiting results. Cross country is the foundation and preparation for track and road, attracting the world's best from 800 metres to the marathon.

Sometimes it seems that cross country is less visible than other sports. Fewer spectators come to see the meets, and fewer cross country stories appear in the sports pages. One reason might be that cross country has to compete with football, and football draws attention. Also cross country meets aren't easy to view from a single vantage point, although the starts and finish normally are at the same location. The running course is spread out over hill and dale, and much of the race takes place out of sight. Spectators who don't do a little cross country scrambling themselves will miss some of the key moments of a distance race, it's a sport that asks more of its spectators than sitting in a stadium.

Notable runners occasionally emerge to bring the sport into the spotlight. That spotlight is well-deserved because cross country is one of the bravest, most underappreciated, and ultimately rewarding of sports. Legendary runners, Coe, Cram and Ovett all regularly raced cross country and left lingering images in the minds of those who've seen them race.

Why not come along to the first of this seasons NYSD Cross Country meeting at ‘Croft Autodrome, 12th October', watch this exciting sport or compete, see you there by the big blue tent.

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