A chilly Tuesday evening in Middlesbrough saw round 2 of the summer Track and Field meetings. Katie Abel, Vicky Meaby, Kate Butterworth, Emily Chaytor, Lucy Owens and Sophie Owens represented the ladies. Myself, the only gent. I’m happy to report that there were no kit or safety pin issues this time – but a few late arrivals meant a dash to register for the Woman’s Discus. I watched on, having been designated chief bag security officer.
With the field events you’re never quite sure what to expect in terms of the number and calibre of the athletes. On this particular evening the girls were up against some seriously good throwers – and it’s fair to say that a podium result was not going to be on the cards. That said, and despite a few fouls and wobbly trajectories, everyone managed at least one decent 10 metre plus throw. Top Striders thrower was Vicky who edged Kate by a few centimetres.
With the discus finished, Katie took over bag duties, whilst the rest of us headed to the long jump pits. The woman’s senior event saw consistent jumping from the Striders ladies – and after 2 rounds it was Kate who was leading the overall event with an excellent 3.52 metre jump. Unfortunately, she was pipped to first place by the final jump of a rival competitor. A great effort though. Yours truly rolled back the years with first place in the men’s senior long jump.
Last event was the 800 metres. With Sophie on bags, it was left to Katie, Lucy and me to eek out 2 more laps from our tired legs. Katie and Lucy ran excellent times of just over 3 minutes.
So there you have it, an enjoyable evening of runs, jumps and throws. Next meeting is back at Darlington on 16th May.
Paul J