Reet, where do I start? My last marathon was back in 2018 in Manchester, where despite doing a decent time it lead to the start of my ongoing injury problems (not that I ever mention my injuries). So I decided never to do them again. Playing football until 40 was the real reason behind these […]
I am sure most of Group 2 know me and my running journey but for everyone else, I will give you the brief version. In April of last year I had a bit of a midlife crisis and realised I was due to turn 40 and was also reasonably overweight. Fat and forty is not […]
“Where are we meeting and what time?”, asked someone. “5:30am outside Greggs!”, was the answer. The food of athletes — surely the answer was obvious! Finally, it was here, the great Hoops excursion to the Capital to participate in the 2025 Cross-Country Nationals at Parliament Hills. Can I take this moment to thank the club […]
It’s that time of year again where everyone is ready for Spring and our annual club parkrun series! Our Spring Series takes place over six consecutive Saturdays offering an opportunity for regional parkrun tourism and friendly competition. Spring Series competition rules Anyone taking part in the series needs to be registered for parkruns and wear their Saltwell vest […]
The Saltwell club fell series for 2025 is going to be run under a new, more accessible format to encourage as many runners as possible to give it a go. Check out all the details of the new format and races on the Fell Series page. The proposal for the change came from member Sam […]
In June 2024, over 800 runners lined up to take on the epic route of Hadrian’s Wall from Carlisle to Newcastle. Among them were a handful of Saltwell’s finest. Below they share their stories of an physical and emotional journey as they tackled this iconic ultra event. What made you want to take on a […]
In 2021 I took the brave step of signing up for my first fell race, the Hexhamshire Hobble, a ‘reasonably straightforward’ 10.4 ish mile race marketed as a good first fell race for the road runner who can get round a half marathon. I still needed other members of the club to tell me I […]
When you think of Benidorm, running probably isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. Sunburned holidaymakers in mobility scooters, maybe. Full English breakfasts in pubs called the Red Lion, perhaps. But every November Benidorm hosts both a 10k and a half marathon, and so when the opportunity of a bit of late autumn sun […]
The famous Brampton to Carlisle 10-mile… It’s officially the oldest 10-mile road race in the UK and the Border Harriers Athletics Club website proudly boasts this fact. I had been eyeing up this one ever since joining the oldest running club in Gateshead at the start of the year. You see, it’s not just the […]
Speaking once with some fellow runners, I was asked what was my running obsession, that thing, that once achieved, would give me the full satisfaction, even if it was the last running thing I could do. The answer to that question at the time was: a sub 3-hour marathon. At the time I could not […]
Stood in my friend’s kitchen in December 2022, my phone alerted me to a new email announcing a very unexpected successful ballot place in the Berlin Marathon. Truth be told, I’d forgotten I’d entered! Training started and it was going well up until the Great North 10K, where I not only came away with a […]
After hearing a lot of “Thornley is brutal” from others in the club, I wasn’t sure what I’d let myself in for when I signed up to this year’s cross country season. Thornley Farm has a reputation as one of the hardest NEHL cross country fixtures, but I’d never done cross country before and was […]
Saltwell Harriers have been competing in the Hodgson Brothers relay since 1988. The History This mountain relay covering 25 miles of Lake District fells was inaugurated by the Hodgson family in 1986 as a memorial to their son and brother Ian, who was killed in a cycling accident, aged 25 the day after competing in the […]
Earlier this year myself, Barry, Rav and Aaron decided to enter the 2024 Moy Park Belfast Half Marathon. We also thought it would be fun to sign up Graham for his 40th birthday so with encouragement from Lyndsey and without Graham knowing, race places were confirmed, accommodation found and cheap flights booked, well in advance […]
So cross country season is here again… if you’re new to Saltwell and are considering trying it this winter I would highly recommend it! And if you have signed up already, well done. When i first signed up for cross country about six years ago I wasn’t sure what to expect as I hadn’t done […]
Muddy cross country races may feel along way away but the North East Harrier League have released their fixture list for the 2024/25 season — including a brand new course! Saltwell Harriers are always proud to put out men’s and ladies’ teams in this cracking annual competition. See our cross country page for more information […]
