North Midlands XC – Markeaton – 13/10/2018
After the summer break our Cross-Country Championship races return with the first race being at Markeaton in the highly competitive North Midlands League.
As a relatively small club we do struggle with getting members interested in Cross County but luckily the weather had been good to us so we managed to persuade a few new faces to give it a try. Regrettably I was not able to participate due to injury but as the reigning Male Cross Country Champion I would have liked to have been in it so took the opportunity to take some photos instead.
The course is, of course, quite tough and very different for those used to road running. Cross Country is not everyone’s cup of tea but everyone should give it a go to see how tough it can be and also how rewarding it feels at the end 
The weather on the day was perfect and the ground firm but, honestly, it is much more fun when it is muddy – having the right footwear and picking off people in muddy conditions makes you feel really good
So the course is 2 laps for the ladies (6k) and 3 laps for the gents (10K) (booooooo…). As it is such a competitive league, for the men, managing to not get lapped before the end of your 2nd lap is quite an achievement :O
Overall, brilliant day and a great Turnout for the club with 8 gents and 3 ladies. Regrettably Chris H only managed 2 laps before having to pull out at the start of the third – still got photos of you tho Chris H :O
Of course, after getting changed the day has to finish off with a trip to the Jonty Farmer for a celebratory drink (True SRC style)
Results
Spray 41.26
Chris M 43.25
Jason 43.58
George 44.43
Zak 45.17
Brendan 49.09
Steve C 50.29
Chris H DNF
Fiona H 32.15
Jules 37.47
Alyson 39.15
Pictures
Plenty taken and hopefully I’ve posted the best (apart from the blurry finish one of George!)
