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Click on photos to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Steve Perkin |
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Click on photos to enlarge - use browser back button to return Pictures by Steve Perkin |
The sunshine burnt off early morning mist to provide ideal conditions for the first major running event of the autumn for Chiltern Harriers' young endurance runners.
The venue at Rushmoor Arena, Aldershot for the SEAA Road Relays provides traffic-free, undulating circuits for athletes and is a good indicator of how runners are faring after the first few weeks of early autumn training.
The event attracted the best running clubs from the whole of the south of England, from Cornwall to Suffolk, and Kent to Northamptonshire.
There were six Chiltern Harriers teams participating. For the girls, all three teams were competing in the increasingly strong Under 13 age group and were the first race of the day on the shorter 2.3K course.
Both A and B teams got off to good starts on the very competitive first leg with Jessica Franks handing over 18th place for the A team, from 52 complete teams, in 9.03, and Emma Barraclough close behind for the B team in 20th in 9.07.
Amy Harris took on the second leg for the A team and put in great run of 8.51 (7th fastest 2nd leg of the day) to push the A team up to 11th. However, the B team's Connie Lewis had the run of her life to record 8.43 (3rd fastest 2nd leg of the day) to bring the B team up to 9th. This was the equal 20th fastest leg of the whole race.
Ellie Jones ran a solid anchor leg for the A team in 9.06, maintaining 11th spot, the best placed Buckinghamshire team. Claudia McInerney finished off for the B team and with 9.42 brought them home in 18th place - the third best B team in the race.
For the C team Rosalind Firth suffered from breathing problems on the first leg but bravely finished her lap to enable team-mates Harriet Ferguson and Katie Royals to complete the race in 52nd place.
The boys' teams were evenly distributed through the age groups. In the Under 13 race (each leg 3K) two young athletes made their club debuts. Newcomer Alex Johnson ran the first leg in 12.14, James McCarthy gained places on the second leg with a run of 11.49 and new recruit Jimmy Davies had a fantastic start for the club to record 11.02 to bring the team up to 14th.
On the fourth leg Michael Goddard faced large gaps to make up, but ran very strongly to bring the team up to 8th spot from the 30 complete teams. His 10.27 was the second fastest leg for the whole Under 13 race.
Missing injury-hit Jack Dutton, the mostly first-year Under 15 boys, George Gillingwater (10.40), Dan Barraclough (10.54), Ollie Church (11.30) and Liam MacDonald (11.50) ran a solid race to finish in 25th spot. In the Under 17 men's race with laps of 3.8K, Alex Shelley ran a great first leg of 12.47 to place the team 15th. Allan Stewart made ground with 12.51 to bring Chiltern up to 11th, Dan Loach lost a few places on leg 3 in 14.16 and Alex Watson gained a couple back with a run of 13.21 on the final lap. The team finished 16th.
Overall a very positive experience for the 21 athletes involved with much promise for the season ahead.
The cross country season begins in earnest on October 11th with the first Chiltern League race of the season at Cassiobury Park, Watford.