Club History

Newton Aycliffe A.C. was founded in 1983 by a small band of enthusiasts, of whom John Burnside and Rob Nicholson are still active members. Much of the early history and records of the Club’s achievements have unfortunately been lost or forgotten, but it is hoped that some of the gaps will gradually be filled. In October 2010 the Club’s name was changed to Aycliffe Running Club.

1984    Julie Beckford is first lady in the Bowes 10K, the Gentian Run half-marathon and the Flymo half-marathon.
1985    An excellent year for Julie Beckford – first lady again in the Flymo half-marathon, the Shildon Rail Trail X/C, the Shildon 6, the Leeds Horsforth marathon, the North Tyneside marathon in 3:06.30 (still a Club ladies’ record), the Upper Teesdale half-marathon and the Born to Run half-marathon!  In the Great North Run Julie set a time of 1:20.26 – also still a Club ladies’ record.                                                               1986   Gill Hale wins the ladies’ event in both the Roseberry Topping and the Simonside fell races.
1986  Julie Beckford is first lady in the Flymo half-marathon for the third time. She also wins the Appleton Wiske half-marathon and the Raby Castle 6.2 race.
1987   Gill Hale is again first lady in the Simonside fell race.
1987 Julie Beckford repeats her success in the Appleton Wiske half-marathon, wins the Flymo event for the fourth consecutive year and is first lady in the Hamsterley 10.7 road race.
1987   Ian Monkman wins the Junior Guisborough Moors race.
1988   Another great year for Julie Beckford . She wins the o/45 title in the British Veterans X/C championships, is first lady in the Kia-Ora half-marathon, the Spennymoor Easter  run, the Wensleydale half-marathon, the Hamsterley Forest 8 X/C, the Appleton  Wiske and Flymo half-marathons (again), the Loftus and Bedlington 10 miles (the  latter in 61:30 – still a Club record), and the Sedgefield 20K race. She is also the first o/45 lady in the Barnard Castle 10 miles, the Whitley Bay marathon, the Darlington 10K in 36:28 – still a Club ladies’ record, and the South Shields 20miles in 2:14, also a still existing  Club record.
1989   Julie Beckford  is first lady in Durham Dales Challenge (28 miles); Richard Bunch is first o/40. Julie also wins Darlington Women’s Own 10K.
1990   Richard Bunch wins the Two Dales Challenge in 4h 3mins., completing a hat-trick of victories and keeping the trophy.
1990   Triple success at the Ripon 10K Country Run – Mike Brunskill wins, Chris White is first vet. and Paul Guy first junior.
1990   Mike Brunskill wins the Aycliffe Country 12 and the Willington Open Cross-Country events.
1991   Paul Guy wins the Guisborough Moors Youths’ Race.
1991   Aycliffe’s team of Mike Brunskill, John Tatham, Peter Milburn and Dave Askew win the team event at the Masham Half-Marathon.
1992   Christine Brunskill is first lady in the Jorvik 10 in 66:04, the Ripon 10K Country Run and the Shildon Rail Trail Race; Mick Brunskill wins the men’s event at Shildon.
1992   Kevin Vose, Dave Askew, Colin Hinde, Ian Monkman and Mike Brunskill are runners up in the Lightfoot 25 x 1 mile track relays.
1993   2nd place in the NYSD X/C League 1992-1993, 10 points behind Mandale A.C. but well clear of Middlesbrough and Cleveland and 7 other teams. The team finished in the top 2 in every race.
Counters during the season were Kevin Vose, Joe McReady, Ian Monkman, Mike Brunskill, Paul Guy (J), P.McHugh, Dave Askew, Peter Milburn, Graham Whitchurch, Tom Vinall.
1993   Runners up again in the Lightfoot 25 x 1 mile relay (Kevin Vose, Dave Askew, Colin Hinde, Mike Brunskill, Joe Mccready).
1993   Aycliffe’s team of Kevin Vose, Mike Brunskill, Joe McReady and Ian Monkman wins the Richmond Relay, beating some of the best teams in the North-East.
1993   NAAC provide both the first and the second teams in the Dolphin 10K Darlington road race.
1993   Mike Brunskill wins the inaugural N.E.Counties Fell Champs. at Alwinton, as does the NAAC team of Mike Brunskill, Peter McHugh, Peter Milburn and Graham Whitchurch(?)
1993  Sue Milburn is first lady in both the Shildon and the Whorlton trail races.
1994  The Club wins the NYSD X/C League 1993-1994, over 70 points clear of Loftus, and finishing 1st in 5 of the 6 races. Keith Langridge and Steve Wright joined the 1992- 1993 counters.
1994  Kevin Vose wins the North-East Half-Marathon Championship at Redcar in 68 mins.
1994  Sue Milburn is first lady  in both the Hamsterley and the Rose Tree trail races.
1995  Dave Middleton finishes first o/50 in the Captain Cook race. He wins the Ferryhill run.
1995  Aycliffe win the team event in the Swaledale Marathon, with Mick Brunskill finishing 2nd and Dave Middleton winning the o/50 category.
1995   Aycliffe’s team of Ian Monkman, Joe McReady, Mick Brunskill and Tom Vinall wins the North-East 10 mile Championship.
1996   Aycliffe again win the team event in the Swaledale Marathon.
1996   Dave Middleton again wins the o/50 category in the Captain Cook race.
1996   Sue Milburn is first lady in both the Redcar and the Woodland half-marathons.
Dates not known, but some time in the 1990s:- ?     – Colin Hinde wins the Teesdale Marathon, with Richard Bunch finishing 3rd.??     – Matthew Bell wins the Heart Spark 4 mile Trail Race, with Peter Milburn 3rd. With Adam Gibson and Michael Turnbull also finishing well, the Club wins the team race.
1998   Club organises the first Newton Aycliffe 10K Road Race and Fun Run.
1998   Sue Milburn is first lady in the Gateshead 5K and the Wild Goose Chase trail race.
1999   Peter Milburn wins the Swaledale Marathon in 3h 15mins. and the Swaledale Figure of Eight Long Course; Dave Middleton wins the Figure of Eight Short Course.
1999   Sue Milburn wins the lady’s o/40 category in the NYSD X/C league.
1999   Richard Harvey wins the o/55 1500m at the British Vets. Champs.
2000   Sue Milburn is first lady in the Rose Tree trail race.
2001   Ladies team wins first place in the Barnard Castle 10 mile road race.
2001   A bumper year for Sue Milburn – first lady in the Billingham 5K, the Amble Coastal Run, the Billingham 10K, the Lamplight 5m. and the Leeds Abbey Dash!
2002   Sue Milburn wins the F o/40 category, Kevin Greenall the o/50 and Richard Harvey the o/60 in the Tees Forest Trail series.
2002   Sue Milburn is first lady in the Hamsterley fell race.
2003   A field day for the Club in the Tees Forest series! – Sue Milburn wins the F o/40 category, Pat Edwards the F o/45, Matthew Bell the Junior men’s, Peter Milburn the o/45, Richard Harvey the o/60.
2003   Sue Milburn is first lady in  the Egton Gooseberry road race.
2004   Sue Milburn wins her category again in the Tees Forest series – this time F o/45. George Reid wins the o/45 men’s category, Richard Harvey the o/60 and Ray Todd the o/65.
2004   Sue Milburn repeats her 2001 success in the Billingham 10K.
2005   Richard Harvey wins the o/60 category in the Tees Forest series.
2005   Dave Middleton, John Burnside and P. Towler join a select band of runners who complete all 25 Great North Runs since the inaugural one in 1981.
2005  The Ladies Team wins the Swaledale Marathon.
2006   Richard Harvey finishes first o/60 in the Redcar Half-Marathon and first o/65 in the Richmond 10K.
2006   Sue Milburn wins the F o/45 category and James Askew the Junior men’s in the Tees Forest series.
2007   Richard Harvey wins the o/65 3K at the British Masters Indoor Champs and is first o/65 in the Oxford 10K.
2007   Sue Milburn is first lady in the Sedgefield trail race.
2007   Sue Milburn and James Askew repeat their 2006 Tees Forest series success. Kevin Greenall wins the o/55 category and Ray Todd the o/70.
2008   Julia Atkinson-Tait is first o/35 lady in the Pier-to-Pier race, and first o/40 lady in the Darlington 10K, the Staveley Stampede 10m and the Richmond 10K.
2008   Sue Milburn is first o/50 lady in the Croft 10K and first o/45 lady in the Ayhope Skyline 10m.
2008   Ray Todd finishes first o/70 in the Sedgefield Trail Race.
2008   James Askew is the first u/18 and u/20 in the Great North Run. He also wins the Junior men’s category again in the Tees Forest Trail series.
2008   The Ladies Team wins the Hellhole Trail Race at Stanley; Janet Raper finishes first o/45 lady.
2009   Janet Raper finishes first o/45 lady and George Reid first o/50 man in the Absent Friends Trail Race.
2009   Julia Atkinson-Tait is first o/40 in the Fountains 10K and the Ravenstonedale 10K.
2009   Sue Milburn starts a very successful year with victory in the o/50 category in the Yorkshire 10K Trail Race and follows  it up with o/50 victories in the Roman Wall Show Fell Race, the Bellingham 4m Trail Race and the Jolly Hog Run.
2009   Peter Milburn wins the Ampleforth 7m Trail race as well as the o/50 category.
2009   William Crossen and Henry Johnson represent Darlington Schools in the Durham Tees Valley International Sports Partnership Meeting. William wins the u/15 1600m and Henry the u/11 800m.
2010    Pat Edwards wins the o/55 ladies’ crown in the Absent Friends Trail Race in 47.05.
2010    The Club’s ‘A’ team has an easy win in the Neptune Relays at Sedgefield.
2010    Sue and Peter Milburn achieved a winning double in the Knaresborough Multi-Terrain 10K. Sue was the first lady to finish and Peter won the o/50 category.
2010   Sue Milburn finishes first o/50 lady in the Penshaw Monument 3 mile Hill Race.
2010   James Askew wins the Croft Rally Circuit 10K.
2010   James Askew and Henry Johnson finish first in the senior and junior races respectively at the Sedgefield Show.
2010   Sue Milburn finishes 1st o/50 lady in the Tees Pride 10K race; Henry Johnson wins the 3K fun run.
2010   Sue Milburn again finishes 1st o/50 lady in the Serpentine Trail Race.
2010   Club name changed to Aycliffe Running Club.
2010   James Askew wins the 5K event at the Memorial 5K and 10K races in Newcastle.
2011    James Askew wins the Absent Friends Trail Race;  George Reid is the first o/50.
2011    Although still only 19 James Askew finishes 3rd in the Northern 10 miles Road Race Championships.
2011    James Askew wins the Aycliffe 10K – the first junior runner to do so. Henry Johnson is first in the Fun Run.
2011    A good evening for the Club at the Pitstop 10K at Croft. James Askew wins the event for the 2nd successive year; Peter Milburn is the first o/50 finisher and Richard Harvey the first o/60. Henry Johnson wins the Junior Race.
2011    Another good year for ARC members in the Tees Forest trail series. Jodie McMaster wins the Junior Women’s category, George Reid the o/50s, Kevin Greenall the o/60s and Ray Todd the o/70s.

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