12 Halstead Road Runners travelled to Wix near Harwich on Sunday to compete in round 4 of the NESS XC league. The race was run on a very flat course but the conditions under foot proved very challenging. Large sections of the route were either rutted ploughed fields or just energy sapping wet clay like mud which weighed your feet down. Along side this there was a very strong wind blowing across the open fields meaning the only respite the runners had was found by jumping ditches to get a bit of cover on the small sections in the woods.
Out of the 71 ladies running Anoushka Springett continued her excellent debut XC season narrowly missing out on a top 20 finish, to cross the line in 21st place. A few places back in 29th was Emma Healy, another lady running well & having a consistent strong season off road. Completing the ladies team today was Jo Roulson, who is using the XCs to strengthen her training for this year’s London marathon, and it proved to be working with Jo holding off a late charge in the final run in from a rival runner.
In the men’s race Matt Thomas put in another excellent performance to prove his worth finishing 8th out of the 140 men competing. James North was next back with another strong run, even though he has been battling illness all week, to finish in 33rd spot. A few places back in 39th was Bradley Doe, who had an great last mile of the race picking a few runners off and gaining some valuable places. 1 of the picked off runners was Steve May who finished 5 places back in 44th place. Proving age is just a number Bob Langley had a great run to prove all his recent training is paying off crossing the line in 68th. The men’s scoring team was completed by HRR’S XC stalwart Gavin Ripton with another fine run in 88th. HRR’s male captain Perry James continued his good form on the off road stuff to come home in 101st, with the ever present Andy Carter battling the elements on his favourite surface to finish in 109th. Bringing HRR men’s team home 4 places back, having admitted struggling with heavy legs was Darren Powell in 113th position.
These results meant that Halstead finished 3rd overall in Pool B on the day and are still in 1st place overall in the league going into the final race at Hadleigh, Suffolk in a couple of weeks time. This means that a strong performance on the day can hopefully gain Halstead promotion to Pool A for next season. Well done all HRR runners in Harwich today!
BENFLEET 15.
Aidan Kelly took on the challenging 15 mile multi-terrain course on Sunday. The race incorporates sections of the Canvey Island Sea Wall and the undulating Hadleigh Downs. A tough course with brutal headwinds, Aidan finished in 2:34.32. Great running Aidan
