For the penultimate Lincolnshire Cross Country League fixture, Stroxton near Grantham was the venue for the second time this season an event that was again jointly organised by Grantham Running Club and Grantham Athletic Club.
Following a period of what seemed like continuous rain in the week or so running up to the fixture, the undulating farmland course provided plenty of challenges including some extensive, extremely wet and muddy stretches. The gloriously sunny weather, all be it with a bit of a breeze, was a bonus.
The men raced first over a distance of 8.64K. GRC’s men each put in a great effort in what was a very tough race, with Jake Richardson leading from the start, a lead which became more commanding as the race progressed. Collectively, GRC’s men dominated the race as can be seen in the following results and also wiped the board with age category wins:
1st – Jake Richardson – 32:11
2nd – Joaquim Jeronimo (Flash) – 37:29
3rd – Rob Howbrook – 44:48
5th – Kev Wallace – 46:07
6th – Peter Jennings – 46:16
7th – Niall O’Faolain – 49:48
For the ladies, Rachel Hamilton got a good start in the 6K race and maintained a consistent pace to finish first for GRC and second overall. Strong performances were also put in by cross country stalwarts Harriet Morgan, Andrea Ward, Sarah High, Caroline Davis and Sylv Hull along with cross country debutant Nichola Webster. As with the GRC men, the ladies were equally successful placing first across five different age categories.
The ladies results were:
2nd – Rachel Hamilton – 30:57
3rd – Harriet Morgan – 35:43
4th – Andrea Ward – 36:13
6th – Sarah High – 37:27
7th – Caroline Davis – 37:44
9th – Sylv Hull – 38:08
10th – Nichola Webster – 38:27
