NECAA Track and Field Championships

[17/18th-May 14]

Saturday

Fantastic weather welcomed the athletes on the first day of the 2014 NECAA championships. A small contingent of Blyth athletes was joined by numerous officials, volunteers and spectators also from Blyth.

First in action was myself in the Triple Jump. Conditions were absolutely ideal, so I was disappointed not to get a PB but 11.41m was enough to secure a bronze medal.

The first Blyth runner on track was Josh Fiddaman in the U13 boys 1500m. Josh has been unbeaten over this distance so far this year, so expectations were high. He delivered in the best way possible, with a convincing victory in 4:50.16. Not only was this a huge PB, but it ranks Josh in the top 10 in the UK!

Jake Jansen was next up on track in the 1500m in a very high quality U20 field. 4:36.9 was a seasons best for Jake, and a big improvement on the time he ran few weeks ago. Making his debut at a full track & field meeting was Lee Cuthbertson, who was up against fierce opposition in the Senior men’s 1500m. Lee ran a measured race and 4:27.8 was a great time, no doubt he can improve on this later on in the season.

The final Blyth performance on Saturday came from Charlotte Ramsey, who secured a superb bronze in the U20 200m. 26.51s was a seasons best and Charlotte was the only non-Gateshead Harrier in the top 5!

Sunday

Another glorious day on Sunday began on track with the 400m hurdles. I was competing in the senior male race, and was lucky not to be disqualified after misjudging a hurdle and very nearly falling out of my lane. I made it round in last place but managed to pick up a club record in 62.09s.

Josh was next up, competing in the U13 boys 800m. There were a couple of boys with faster PB’s than Josh so a repeat of Saturdays gold medal looked to be a tough ask. Josh ran a sensible pace, going through 400m in 70 seconds. Going down the back straight Josh was 25m behind the leaders but chose this as his moment to kick. Down the home straight he gave it absolutely everything, passing the Middlesbrough athlete on the line, to claim a fantastic middle distance double gold. 2:21.49 was the time, which again puts Josh in the top 10 in the UK.

Charlotte Ramsay was back on track next in the 400m, and it was another gold for Blyth as she took a narrow victory. Her time of 60.71s was a PB and improved her own club record.  Alice Dungworth stepped up on track next for the U17 100m, looking to continue her excellent form against a very high quality field. Into a strong headwind Alice ran a strong race, claiming an excellent bronze medal in 13.66s.

Completing the day were the 5000m races. Unfortunately Jake was a non-finisher in the U20 race. Lee ran in the senior race, against some strong opposition. 8th place and  17:44.02 is a genuinely great performance.

So the championships concluded with 3 golds and 3 bronzes for Blyth, which is an excellent return from the 6 athletes that competed. It was also great to watch many great performances from other talented athletes across all the disciplines. Thanks as well to Keith for organising the event, and all the officials and volunteers from Blyth.

Daniel