It was another busy weekend of running with Pickering runners participating in 9 different events, and many other members of the club out supporting them.

On Saturday, Kelly and Mike Richmond ran The Lap, a 47 mile ultra trail run around Lake Windermere. You may think running around a lake would be fairly flat but no! The route packed in 8,276 feet of climbs and technical descents. Kelly and Mike were pleased with their training but not so pleased with the blustery rain and that they both had a virus a few days before. Despite the setbacks, Kelly crossed the finish line in 10 hours 42 minutes placing her 10th female and Mike finished in 11:00.

Andrew Bates ran the Trail Escape Edinburgh Marathon. Another hilly and blustery event with 1200m of climb in the Pentland Hills culminating in stunning views over Edinburgh and The Firth of Forth once the clouds lifted in the second half of the race. He was justifiably pleased with his time of 6 hours 33 minutes finishing 121/175.

David Stephenson ran the Cronkley Fell Race in beautiful Upper Teesdale, a 17k trail race with 570m of climb and several stream crossings. This year involved an additional thigh-deep wade out to an island in the river Tees because runners just love an extra challenge! David crossed the finish line in 2 hours 25 minutes. He was pleased to finish quicker than 2025, and unscathed, unlike last year when he broke his nose.

The Castleton Show Fell Race, the penultimate race in the summer series, also took place on Saturday. Unlike the other races in the series, the route is entirely on roads but the undulating course packs in nearly 1,000 feet of climb over 6 very blustery miles. Richard Robinson had a great run finishing in 44 minutes 36 seconds, placing him 18th overall. Paul Smith was next for PRC in 50:44, 3rd M65, followed by Jo Towler in 55:52, 2nd F50, Nicola Wise in 70:25, 3rd F65 and Dean Wise was hot on her heels crossing the finish line in 71:13.

Sunday saw the 23rd running of the Yorkshireman Marathon, an off-road event on the moors of Bronte country based in Haworth; another hilly race with 3,238 feet of climb. The weather was drizzly and overcast to start but brightened during the second half. Simon Rycroft had an excellent run, finishing in 4 hours 27 minutes, which placed him 34th overall out of 230 finishers. Lucy Saggers had a tumble part way round but fortunately it was a soft landing in mud so no harm done. Her time of 5:08 placed her 3rd F50.

Lynn Humpleby and Nicola Thorpe chose the half marathon option, 15 miles with nearly 2,000 feet of climb.

Nicola finished in 3 hours 34 minutes just 5 seconds ahead of Lynn Humpleby.

In direct contrast to the lonely, peaceful moors, Sunday also saw the 45th running of the Great North Run, which attracted 63,000 runners making it the biggest half marathon in the world. Due to the crowds just getting to the start line can be quite an achievement and chasing a fast time can be frustrating so it is a race to relax and soak up the atmosphere. Both Erin Outram and Amanda Welburn-Smith enjoyed the Geordie love with Erin crossing the finish line in 2:15 and Amanda in 2:51.

New PRC member, Sean McDermott ran the Tallinn marathon in Estonia in 4 hours 9 minutes earning him a good for age time for London Marathon.

Lynsey Hatfield ran the Vale of York 10k. Her time of 53 minutes and 5 seconds was close to her personal best.

On the other side of the world, Jemima Edwards ran the Bridge to Brisbane 10k in Australia in 49 minutes 14 seconds to raise funds for Sharing Stories, a charity dedicated to preserving aboriginal heritage and culture.