Triumphs at Three Counties XC Wootton

Stellar Performance by Both Men’s and Women’s Teams
A whopping 47 squirrels participated in the Three Counties XC League at Delapre Abbey, Northampton, hosted by Wootton Road Runners. The course was refreshed with a new route in the reverse direction to the usual one, adding an extra layer of challenge as all the ups became downs and vice versa. The weather may have been cold, but the sun shone bright, creating a fabulous morning for cross country.
 
Women's Team Triumph
Our women's team emerged victorious, beating both Rugby and Northampton A.C. and Wootton Road Runners on their own turf. Katie Harbon led the charge, securing the first position, followed by Hannah Ridley (8th), Rhia Botha (12th), and Tash Pitman (15th), who all played crucial roles in the triumph.
 
Men's Team Excellence
The men's team showcased their strength, securing a commendable 2nd place behind a superb Rugby and Northampton A.C. The combined team results placed NHRR 2nd overall, narrowly trailing behind Rugby and Northampton A.C.
Scoring for the men were: Sam Coxon (7th), Mike Roberts (8th), Darren Sunter (9th), Ben Sewell (21st), Stewart Overton (23rd) Vince Wright (25th), Rob Jowett (27th) and Shahab Ahmed (30th).
 
Current Standings
After two races, our women's team unsurprisingly stands strong at the top, leading by 2 points. The men's team is holding 2nd place, trailing by 2 points to RNAC but leading AFF by 2 points. In the combined team competition, NHRR is in 2nd place, level on points with RNAC. The next event is our home race, so as team captain John Auld puts it, let's embrace the mud and kick off the festive period with some fantastic running!

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Personal Bests and Chilly Adventures at the Hatfield 5 Mile Race
This weekend, 11 intrepid members of #TeamNHRR chose the road over the trails and ran the Hatfield 5 Mile Race. Despite the chilly weather, spirits were high, and everyone seemed pleased with their performances. The race saw some outstanding personal bests, including Kris Whitmore (whose impressive time of 00:30:45 was a PB for the second year running on this course), James Keogh (00:31:24) and Georgia Barker (00:48:05 - despite recovering from a cold!). Richard Barker (00:48:06) described the race as chilly, busy but well managed, and praised the random goodies on offer, from Half Marathon t-shirts to alcohol-free gin tonic! A special shout-out also to Claire Hooley (1:01:50) for beating her previous time from last year 4.5 minutes. Other squirrels who ran this race were: David EDWARDS (00:32:56); Rachel ARNOTT (00:33:21); Geoff DAVIS 00:48:35; Philip FLACK 00:49:28; Angie WADE 00:51:23 and Sheila LEAVY (01:02:29). 

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Doncaster 10K
Two weeks after his superb PB at Battersea, Tom Barclay travelled North to take on the Doncaster 10K. Tom commented that the race was “extremely well organised with perfect conditions.” He crossed the line in an impressive 33:52 a huge 42 second PB! 

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​Parkrun Roundup
NHRR team members take part in Parkruns all over the country every week, and this week was no exception. Special mention to Jon Hunt (a.k.a Batman) who on discovering that Gotham City do not host a Parkrun, chose Stevenage to celebrate his 50th Parkrun alongside his trusty mates Robin and the Joker.

The Joker (a.k.a Paula Holm) fled from Batman and Robin to achieve 1st ‘Masked’ Lady while Mike and Natalie Phillips achieved their Parkrun PBs in 19:36 and 23:01 respectively..Here are the results:

Castle Park: Dawn Power (26:42)

Coldhams Common: Georgina Quayle (24:50), Carina Quayle (36:42)

Eastville: James Godfrey (28:46), Frances Stanton (29:26)

Goole: Tom Barclay (23:22)

Henlow Bridge Lakes: Michael Banister (20:15), Rob Milburn (25:04)

Houghton Hall: Kris Whitmore (19:40)
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Letchworth: Ian Datlen (21:50), James Dalton (23:55), Daniel Mallett (24:09), Steve Brenton (25:33), James Poulton (25:55), John Russell (26:36), Alice Noakes (27:26), Jennie Fraser (32:29)

​Lowestoft: Chloe Lucas (21:19)

Milton Country: Brian Judkins (37:53)

Stevenage: Mike Phillips (19:36), Michael Over (20:17), Paula Holm (21:24), Natalie Phillips (23:01), Jon Hunt (24:01), Chris Stokes (24:01), Matt Ankers (25:05), Russell Hagan (27:35), Helen Giffin (30:23)

Teignmouth Promenade: Elwyn Howell (24:20)

Weymouth: Natalie Lawrence (19:51)
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Wollaton Hall: Paul Jackson (18:15)