Grand Prix Race 8 – Raby Castle 10Mile (10k-10M Category)
Sunday September 16th saw 16 GP runners and Richard Bickerton travel down towards Darlington to the beautiful Raby Castle for a 10-mile race around the grounds.
It was a mix of weather on both 5-mile laps, the first lap we experienced no wind at all and humidity but then depending on your pace during the second lap some may have experienced wind a little rain or sun through the trees. The wildlife was out in force and deer were a plenty to see with some runners having them cross right in front of them whilst running.
First home for Blyth was Michael Stott who took maximum points in division 1, Will Brindley took another 5 points and holds a 1-point lead.
Simon Clough was the only runner in div 2 and now takes an overall lead at the top of that division also by 1 point.
Div 3 saw Sean Morris take maximum points and hold on to first place with Steve Dobby and Heather Christopher having strong runs to keep him in their sights within the division.
Div 4 saw the most runners take part, a massive shout out to Nikki Courtney who was not 100% as she recovers from illness but put in a strong run. Mark Rudkin continued his dominance taking maximum points again, there were strong runs from our now famous GNR pacer Katie Donaldson, David Stamp and Ray Carmody.
Div 5 saw 2 runners with Lee Anderson taking the victory and Rob Kelly secure 6 points to take top spot for now in the div.
Div 6 also saw 2 runners, Claire turner taking the maximum points, with Suzzane Claassen taking 7 points and top spot also in the div.
Div 7 saw Richard Robinson as the only runner and secure 7 points to extend his lead at the top.
As you can see there’s still a lot to play for in the upcoming races, who will decide to try point block, who will think I’ve done and enough and play it safe. It’s certainly going be one to watch as rumours were circulating of point blocking already been discussed by some on the day. Next up is North Tyneside 10k good luck to all.