A huge well done to our Colleagues at Blaydon Leisure Centre

A huge shoutout to Sam and Annabelle valued employees at Blaydon Leisure Centre, who took part in this year’s annual Blaydon Races. Both celebrated standout performances; Annabelle finishing as the 1st U19 girl with a time of 40.15 and Sam whose target was to break the 30-minute barrier, achieving 29.31- 13th place overall! 

Speaking to Sam after the race, his pre-race preparation included a lie in, a luxury when employed as a lifeguard at a Leisure Centre! He warmed up at Gateshead Stadium another of our standout facilities in Gateshead, before jogging down to Newcastle quayside to take his place on the start line.  

Sam was aiming for under 30 minutes and knew he needed to achieve just over 5-minute mile splits. It was tough as he approached Scotswood bridge, but Sam told himself this is where the race begins and gave it his all to come in at 29.31. 

After the race, Sam told us ‘He was delighted with his time- He thoroughly enjoys the Blaydon Race and hopes to be back again next year to improve further. 

 Annabelle felt nervous and excited before the race. Having participated before she was looking forward to the event and visualized running a good race.

As soon as she crossed the start line, she was ready, she was aiming for an average pace of 6.45 min miles. During the first couple of miles, she told herself to relax. As the race progressed, she was starting to tire but told herself to just keep going. The last mile was a tough mental battle, but she continued to push all the way to the finish line.

After the race, Annabelle told us that she felt relieved and proud to have completed the race. She was thrilled to have placed 1st U19 girl. She was happy with her time of 40.15 but feels as though she has more to give, so can’t wait to come back next year to break 40 minutes!

A huge well done to Sam & Annabelle for their achievements from the whole team at Blaydon Leisure Centre.

Has this given anyone the motivation to run next year? Start your training at Blaydon Leisure Centre on our low impact surfaced 6 lane Athletics track, you could be celebrating your success on the 9th June 2027!

https://bookings.better.org.uk/location/blaydon-leisure-centre/athletics/2026-06-12/by-time