On Friday 25th and Saturday 26th June 2021, a surprisingly small group of athletes worked together to complete the club's relay, transporting a bottle filled with Irish seawater at Whitehaven all the way across to Roker, where it was emptied into the North Sea. The runners included experienced athletes and our more recent C to 5k graduates, and were ably supported by Lee Drummond and Rebecca Pottinger on bikes, who managed to pedal through the day and night for a total of 21 hours and over 142 miles. The video above (put together by Tom Millmore, who also did all of the organising, brilliant job Tom!) shows our athletes at various stages throughout the night and the following day, coping with delays, detours and the hideous weather that plagued most of the run, which didn't dampen their spirits but certainly ended up soaking their clothes! This journey succeeded in its main aim of raising money for the very deserving local charity "Heel and Toe", and the total currently stands at a fantastic £1,222. Thank you to all who have contributed, either by donating and/or running, driving or cycling almost around the clock, you are all amazing and we're sure the money will be put to very good use.  Any further donations will of course be most welcome - this is the link.

Later this evening (June 25th), Birtley athletes will leaving Whitehaven by foot, bike or support van at the start of a long journey east all the way back to the North Sea coast. The first runner will fill a water bottle from the Irish Sea - this will then be transferred between the various legs until Roker Beach, where the last runner will empty the water into the North Sea. The runners of the various stages are listed below, they will have cycle support all the way thanks to Lee Drummond and Rebecca Pottinger and hopefully they'll all be joined by our younger members on the latter stages.  This is an epic relay of 142 miles, last done by the club in 2012, and is a huge undertaking - big thanks to Tom Millmore for his amazing organisation of both runners and support teams.

We are raising money for a very worthwhile cause, the local Heel and Toe Charity, and there is a JustGiving page set up on their behalf, link below. We are close to our target, please help us reach it before our runners reach the North Sea tomorrow! 

Hi, following our raffle for the Diamond league tickets, we have made a donation to the Air Ambulance for £50 - many thanks for those who contributed. The donation was made on behalf of Birtley AC, but I had to give my name for the club debit card, hence my name on the receipt! 

Huge congratulations to our Couch to 5K group on completing the course. They have really risen to the challenge and we are immensely proud of the progress we have witnessed over the last 10 weeks. 
They were all a bit nervous before the dreaded 30 minute minute run but they smashed it! Most of them ran for nearly 40 minutes in the end and some even attempted the Harrass Bank finisher. 
We hope to see some of them in our Joggers Group sessions going forward.
Our next Couch to 5K intake will be September 2021.

This week saw two of our members completing Ultra Distance Races.
Firstly, Jamie Graham completed the Cow Shed Backyard Ultra. He ran a staggering 70.84 miles over a lapped course in a time of 17 hours. What an amazing achievement.
Secondly, Steve Palmer ran the Ultra North 55km (32.86 miles for those who use old money!) Steve is a new club member and we are immensely proud of his hard work and dedication. 

We also had a great turnout on Sunday at Churchill Playing Fields for the latest Northern Track League. 
Chris Perkins stormed to victory in the 400m along with Katie Francis in the 3000m. Michael Graham also wowed the crowds with his amazing javelin performance and a win in the 200m.
Amy Drummond, Mia Openshaw, George Beevers, Kirstin Farquhar, Tess Graham, Lorna Graham, Mia Openshaw, and Rebecca Pottinger all represented the club and did us proud with their performances.

Last week Graeme Swaddle, Amy Drummond (along with Nala), Rebecca Pottinger and Zoe Towers competed in the Derwent Reservoir 10 Mile trail race. It was a challenging race with plenty of hills and baking sunshine. The beer at the finish was certainly a welcome sight!