In Loving Memory of Chris Fenwick 1954-2025

Chris sadly passed away on the 29th November after suffering a heart attack while out running with his Son Gary two weeks earlier. Chris’s whole life centred around his love of sport and exercise. From an early age Chris took part in various sports, he represented his school in cross country running, swam at county level and later played table tennis at a high standard. He also followed boxing with great interest and loved getting together with his Son Gary, Brother John and Daughter in law Zelda to watch his beloved Newcastle United FC play on TV.
Chris spent his whole life training and leading a healthy lifestyle although it was relatively late in life that he took up athletics, following his Son Gary into the sport in 2015 at the age of 60. Chris started training regularly at Hexham with his Son and training partners Doug Maxwell, Lea Stephenson, Darren Towart and Peter Sunderland. Soon after he would make himself a member of Tynedale Harriers AC with the intention of competing for his new club. He soon got the bug and before long he was dedicating six days per week to training for his preferred ‘sprint’ events. As a self-employed metal worker, he even decided to start work an hour earlier so he could close his workshop earlier in the evening and dedicate more time to his training!
Chris was a family man and a proud Grandfather to three Grandchildren, he patiently spent hours of his time teaching them the value of regular exercise and how to stay healthy. He
introduced them to Park run, taught them to swim and ride their bikes and loved it when they came to watch him compete in his athletics meetings. He was a relatively quiet man most of the time, but he loved being at the track and thoroughly enjoyed talking with fellow athletes with whom he shared a love for the sport. He was fiercely competitive, enjoyed chasing personal bests and thrived on the friendly rivalries that would develop over the years. However, he also knew the value of ‘taking part’ and loved to encourage and support fellow athletes, especially those who were new to the sport.
Over the ten years he had in athletics, Chris won various Championship medals in the North-East and Scotland and to this day still holds NEMAA age group records in the sprint events. Despite these achievements Chris had always wanted to win a medal at a ‘National Championships’. When he turned 70 in December of 2024 and moved into the V70 age
category, he saw an opportunity and set about training for the British Masters Championships the following year. In September of this year, he attended the British Masters Championships in Derby and came back with a bronze medal in the 100m, achieving exactly what he had set out to do. His family were so proud of his achievements and the dedication he had shown to the sport. Sadly however, this would be Chris’s last competitive race.
He will be dearly missed by his family, friends and fellow athletes within the veteran athletics community.
​Gary Fenwick

Chris's funeral will be held at 12pm on the 16th of December at Mary Magdalene Church in Prudhoe, open to all who wish to attend.