READING MAKE CROSS COUNTRY RETURN
THE first outing of the cross country season kicked off this weekend for Reading Athletics Club in Kings Meadow, Bournemouth.
It was a perfect day conditions wise for racing, with the senior women competing 6k on a hard and fast course.
The Senior women had a strong representation with many athletes competing off the back of a successful track season and other athletes returning from injury or with heavy legs from the Reading HM.
The Reading ladies put on a gutsy display with everyone starting strong to get into good positions on the fast first lap.
Lauren Church led the team up and over the hills, through the woods to finish in a career high position of fourth, showing her continued form from the successful track season.
Emma Howsham followed closely in eighth position having a determined run showing her continued excellent form with Laurie Marlow completing the scoring team by finishing strongly in 15th position for a superb race.
Next home was Sophie Crumley with the performance of the day finishing 18th after a challenging year with injury, and Sarah Holmes then followed in 30th with a confident performance to start the season.
Hayleigh Wood followed in 41st position with a solid run showing all her additional half marathon miles are paying off in racing, with Georgia Walton having a fantastic return to cross country racing finishing in 66th position with her fastest mile pacing in recent years.
Lee Fellows brought the team home in 79th position, proving her excellent range across all distances backing up her Reading HM PB from the previous weekend.
Overall it was a very successful day for the ladies with the team finishing in second position.
The team will next compete in their next cross outing on Saturday, December 4.
Meanwhile, Berry Hill Park in Mansfield played host to the 2021 edition of the National XC relays.
Run over a very challenging course that encompasses various undulating sections, as well as a twisting wooded passage, Reading AC’s Senior Men’s team would have to navigate two laps of this gruelling terrain, totalling 5km per leg.
Fielding two teams of four athletes, the boys in red, white and blue were well represented in the Nottinghamshire countryside.
Present on the start line for the first leg were Sam Rodda for the A-team, and David Lewis for the B-team; with 172 teams competing, the competition was fierce.