Cross country really is a great half day out for club members and we always have a good time, regardless of the weather or running conditions. This was a tough one. It didn’t look too bad from the start, (although you could see that the finish was uphill!), but the slippery mud and relentless inclines soon took their toll. As Sam said, 900ft in 10K is outrageous. I think all of us had to walk at least once, but this was acceptable and had the advantage of giving us the strength and breath to pass others (who had exhausted themselves by actually ‘running’ the uphills) on the downhill.
Despite the slog, most agreed this was a good, if very challenging, cross country course. Luckily, it’s not about time, but positions, and with 11 club members taking part – and finishing, this all adds up. Sarah High was our first lady back, having passed Andrea Ward shortly after her breakdown at the end of the first lap of the women’s two. Caroline Davies came next, with Nicci Whitaker completing the group and dreaming of swapping her spikes for her party shoes.
The men’s race started before any of us made it round and they had the agony of three laps to run. Russel Whitaker came in first, confessing that he’d had to walk for the first time ever in a race. Sam Jepson was next, closely followed by Andrew Goddard, then Peter Bonner, Peter Jennings, Matthew Williamson and Craig Drury.
In positive news, the rain held off until after we’d finished, no one broke any bones, and many of the group had the GRC Christmas Party to look forward to. With the Lincolnshire XC meet in Louth the following day, Sarah High, Sam Jepson, Pete Jennings and Caroline Davies really should be proud of themselves.