David Anderson shares some of his favourite local races:
There are some races I take part in every year. There aren’t many, and they’ve built up slowly when I’ve found something a bit special.
One is The Dark Skies Run, which is just over a marathon distance, goes around the beautiful Kielder Reservoir and kicks off at around 6pm so you run as the sun goes down over the dark skies park and, assuming it’s clear, (two out of three times so far!), you get a stunning view of the stars.
Another favourite is Jedburgh Three Peaks Ultra Marathon, which is an annual pilgrimage over the border to run up to and over the Eildon Hills, where King Arthur and his Knights are rumoured to sleep. It has grown from a small event to now needing a ballot for entry and there are few runs with more unicorns or better volunteers.
The other favourite run is the Blaydon Race. It’s a north-east tradition with singing and dancing at the start outside of Balmbra’s Music Hall and running along the banks of the River Tyne to end in Blaydon for pickled onions and beer. It has it’s own song and the annual rendition of the song is a joy to witness. (The song is often sung by supporters of Newcastle United). At just under six miles, it’s not a long race, and for me it’s the only road race I enter. I’m more of a trail runner at the end of the day, but I get caught up in the atmosphere like everyone else. The 150-year-old bell from the song is rung to send the runners on their way. The first mile is through the streets of Newcastle, roads you would not normally be able to run along.
For further info see here: https://blaydon-race.co.uk/
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