- Cross country report by Andy.
2 Lostock ladies and 4 men braved a chilly Saturday afternoon to attend the final cross country of the season. The ladies went first completing a 3 lap 4.8 mile course, very nearly the same as the mens. ( don’t know why we don’t run together) Rachel was first in at 44:02 despite showboating and executing a comando roll in the soft mud on the second lap. Jenna was close behind with a time of 47:31.
The mens race of 3 laps 5.25 miles, got under way at 2pm after a mini false start when the front of the group went to set off on the pre-gun whistle. They were rounded up and we all went on the gun.
David, on his first cross country outing, set off like a rocket and I saw him disappear down the hill already 30 yards in front of me. I couldn’t see Paul or Mark but I knew I would be somewhere between them.
The now familiar course was particularly dry with the usual starting swamp reduced to a slightly muddy bit. The afternoon air was very cool and I had plenty of time to regret not wearing a base layer under my vest.
I spotted David a couple of times opening up his lead over me all the while and moving up the group nicely, but no sign of Mark or Paul. I had a pretty steady race, settling in half way round the first lap and just losing a couple of places to those who wisely hadn’t done Parkrun in the morning.
I crossed the line with a time of 44:19, with David storming round in a fantastic 40:37 and Mark finishing in a respectable 51:42. Paul had an achilles issue on the first lap, but he’s made of stern stuff, and battled on to ensure qualification for the Club championship. He still managed to finish 2nd Lostocker with a time of 41:25.
Here’s looking forward to next season.
