Newcastle has long been famous on the running calendar for hosting the Great North Run but 2009 sees the running of the first full Newcastle Town Moor Marathon. This event will involve 5 laps of the moor on November 22^nd. The almost inevitable cold and windy conditions of the Moor will make this a challenging event for its 100 entrants but should also make for an exciting race for both competitors and supporters. A team who all run together at a nearby club, Heaton Harriers, have decided to brave this run in order to raise sponsorship for St Oswalds hospice.  

St Oswalds is a hospice located in Gosforth which offers high quality care to both children and the elderly facing terminal illness. This is a charity close to the hearts of many people in Newcastle as they have provided care for many friends and relatives when it was most needed. We all feel strongly that it is important for the local community to support the charitable organisations on our doorstep as well as more publicised national causes. The dedicated work of all those involved with the hospice can only continue with all our support as nearly £5million of voluntary giving is needed each year.  

The Team

Dave “the Sprint” Sanders will be making his debut over the marathon distance. After a summer of fast 10km results and a memorable 400m hurdles in the Northern League, Dave will be hoping to keep up his speed over the full 26.2 miles. A recent injury has interrupted his training and we are hoping that his Achilles heel does not turn out to be his Achilles heel on the day! Dave is anticipated to continue through the finish line and head straight to the County for a well deserved pint following the race!

This will be a second marathon for Alan “Smudger” Smith so he understands the challenge of the full marathon distance – although conditions on the Town Moor may be a little different to his first race in warm, sunny Majorca! With 15 Great North Run medals under his belt, Alan was very keen to take part in this first “home” marathon. Alan has been working up to the full marathon distance with great race results at the Tynedale 10 Jelly Tea and the Nottingham Half Marathon in the last few months.

Kate “Katastrophe” Sloan will be on familiar turf on the Town Moor as she cycles over the moor every day to work. After completing the Edinburgh Marathon earlier this year, Kate is hoping to take this one in her stride!

Since the race is in Newcastle we hope that many of you will be able to come down to the Town Moor to see the team in action. Our supporters will also be collecting donations on the day so please do come along and cheer us on!