Prestigious event in the North East of England sees the evergreen Samuels and Johnson come out on top
BLAYDON RACE, Newcastle, Tyne & Wear, June 9
Regular north east winners Calum Johnson and Carl Avery came out on top of the men’s race over nearly six-miles while Sonia Samuels was a women’s section winner over junior Charlotte Dillon.
It was Johnson’s third win in this prestigious event having previously emerged on top in 2022 and 2024 following a fourth spot in 2018.
The 2024 Inter-Counties cross-country champion had a margin of 24 seconds over Avery, who just got home ahead of Finn Brodie and Adrian Bailes in a close clash for the runners-up spot.
For Avery, who also followed Johnson home last year, it was his fourth second placing here.
The 2016 Olympic Games marathoner Samuels headed all of the men in her over-45 age group to take the women’s category by exactly the same 24 seconds winning margin for her third win in the race after victories in 2017 and 2024.
It was Dillon’s first outing in the Blaydon race and came after a third spot in this year’s junior Inter-Counties cross-country championships.
Overall (6M): 1 C Johnson (Gate) 28:09; 2 C Avery (Morp) 28:33; 3 F Brodie (Morp) 28:34; 4 A Bailes (Birt) 29:34; 5 Z Kettle (Tyne Br) 29:40; 6 J Tulley (Morp) 29:43; 7 M Headley (Tyne Br) 29:50; 8 D Richardson (Gate) 29:54; 9 J Ridding (Sund) 29:54; 10 G Hughes (B’hill) 30:13; 11 A Dumez (M’boro) 30:16; 12 J Largey (NE Proj) 30:18; 13 M Watson (High) 30:20; 14 B Hodgeson (B’ham M) 30:23; 15 J Douglas (Gate) 30:26
M40: 1 K Swainson (Sheff RC) 31:21
M45: 1 M Kearney (Elvet) 32:25
M50: 1 M Anderson (C’mont) 33:35; 2 M Denison (L Fell) 33:45
M55: 1 M Turnbull (Elsw) 36:39
M60: 1 P Redmond (Sund) 37:07; 2 B Hetherington 37:17; 3 M Salkeld (J&H) 37:30; 4 J Ripon (Elsw) 37:40
M65: 1 T Tinsley (C’mont) 39:36
Women: 1 S Samuels (Sale, W45) 32:10; 2 C Dillon (Hought, U20) 32:34; 3 M Cardno (Hallam) 33:33; 4 A Leadbetter (Newc W) 33:40; 5 A Sneddon (J&H) 33:55; 6 H Warburton (Tyne Br) 33:58
W40: 1 S Attwood (Crook) 33:45
W45: 2 J Heslop (E;sw) 35;47
W50: 1 D Foster (T’dale) 36:57; 2 L Short (T’dale) 38:50
W55: 1 W Chapman (Sund) 37:35
W60: 1 J Murdy (S Shields) 39:07
W70: 1 L Valentine (Wash’ton) 50:38
