Hartlepool road race gets big attention

The 2017 Hartlepool Marina 5 Mile event will be held on Sunday, April 9.

Around 550 runners will tackle the course from outside the Hartlepool Maritime Experience and along the seafront promenade to Seaton Carew and back.

The town’s Burn Road Harriers athletics club will once again host the race which starts at 10.30am. Organisers are confident it will be a sellout.

Chairperson Jane Wistow said: “We only opened it on Monday and already there were 100 entries by the next day.

“I think we are at about half full now.”

The chip timed event is held along a flat course which attracts fast times for runners who come from all over the region and from much further afield, said Jane.

“People come from down south and we get people from all over the North East.”

The race will once again get underway from the road near the Wingfield Castle and will finish near the ship as well.

Last year, former Hartlepool Mail journalist Dominic Shaw won the road race in a record time of 24 minutes, 24 seconds.

The New Marske Harrier beat last year’s champion Greg Jayasuriya by more than a minute and a half with Mike Joyeux third in 26 minutes and 7 seconds.

Dominic clinched a prize from sponsors, Pearts Fencing, for setting a new course record.

Darren Armstrong was the first runner in from the host club Burn Road Harriers, and he finished in 15th in 28 minuts and 2 seconds.

Durham City’s Joasia Zakrzewski was the first female in a course record of 28 minutes 56 seconds and New Marske’s Hassan Ben-Tiba was the first under-20 finisher. To complete a good day for New Marske, the East Cleveland club clinched the team prize.

Runners can now enter for this year’s race which costs £10.50 for affilated runners and £12.50 for non-affiliated runners.

More details, and a link to the online application form, are available by visiting the Burn Road Harriers website at http://www.hartlepoolburnroad.co.uk/