The race start was back up the hill from Wallington towards Cambo and it was clear we were on for a very rapid decent back down the hill when the race started. The race referee reminded runners to keep left as roads would be open throughout the race and emphasised the desire to keep road running alive in Northumberland. The race started at 9:35 and by then the sun had burnt through the clouds and while it was still cold, it was bright and fog free.
A field of around 300 runners set off and after descending around 200ft over a mile to a sharp left turn towards Hartburn over another 4.3 miles of undulating terrain. Marshalls were present at all of the major junctions and the roads were very quiet. The field rapidly became strung out at the front and the combination of the sun and the hills quickly warmed up and cold extremities! From Hartburn, the route climbed 250 ft steadily over the next 7 miles as the route took in Scots Gap and traveled along scenic but fairly featureless country lanes. Mile markers were present along the whole route and according to my Garmin, were very accurate. Eventually, the route ended up at Cambo at mile 12 where the course rapidly descended from where it had started and back down to the finish at Wallington in the grounds of the main hall.
A good crowd welcomed runners back and volunteers were on hand to issue goodie bags (including a good technical t-shirt) and a bottle of water. James Buis was announced as winner of the race by nearly 3 minutes and was awarded his prize with Andrew Cairns (North Shields) 2nd and Ivan Hollingsworth (Morpeth) 3rd. Kirstie Anderson of Tynedale won the ladies race. (Full results are attached).
All in all, a well organised and pleasant race but with the undulating route, not a massive PB potential. I will definitely race it again next year.
