Please note that Monkton Stadium will close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and will remain closed until Tuesday 4 January 2022, when normal hours will resume. Opening times:
Friday 24 December – Close at 3pm
Saturday 25 December to Monday 3 January – Closed
Tuesday 4 January – Normal hours resume
Coaches may decide to provide training sessions between Christmas and 4 January, but this is entirely at their discretion. They deserve some well-earned time with family and friends over the festive period, especially after the restricted Christmas we all had last year.
Jarrow and Hebburn AC Boxing Day Handicap will return this year on Sunday 26 December, meeting from 10am at the Clubhouse at Monkton Stadium for an 11am race start. The run will be preceded by a minute’s silence for past members and those who have passed during the last two years. Participants have the option to run either 1 mile or 3 mile, which will take place around Bedeswell Park (Campbell Park). The course will be cleared and marked for the day, with yellow directional arrows. Tea/coffee and biscuits will be provided at the clubhouse, subject to the Council providing access. If the clubhouse is closed, then people should meet at Monkton Stadium car park to register and collect their number. The handicap is free to enter, but there will be a charity collection on the day, so please bring some change.
Everyone is welcome to take part; all ages, abilities and coaching groups. Start times and handicaps are calculated based on your season’s best 5km or parkrun time. Those with the quickest 5km times start last, and if the handicaps are accurate, all runners will finish roughly around the same time. Please adhere to COVID-19 rules in place on the day. It would be sensible taking a lateral flow test before turning up. Please do not attend if you have tested positive for COVID-19 or if you feel unwell, even if you just have typical cold symptoms.
Coach Michael Bunn is organising the handicap, so please contact him on michaelbunn58@hotmail.com or text him on 07792029876 (remember to include your full name) to confirm your attendance and provide your best 5km time. Please do this as soon as possible, to avoid a last-minute rush calculating handicap times. Michael will also need at least two timekeepers (one to time and one to take numbers), so if anyone is able to volunteer, please get in touch with him.
There will be a presentation after the race and full results will be uploaded to the club website. We hope everyone enjoys the run and has a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
