Toughing it out!

A quiet week on the racing front which was dominated by Race 4 of the Three Counties Cross Country League, hosted by Dunstable Road Runners.  Below is an update provided by John Auld

Dunstable 3 Counties Cross Country Race 
First of all, well done to everybody that ran today. The course was indeed challenging - but I know everybody that ran took pride in toughing it out for the team.

32 squirrels ran.

Thanks also to Jo Sopala for taking our scores in - standing in freezing wind and James and Pete for on-course support!

I’m delighted with this result as we did have some circumstances leading to athletes not being able to run.  Luckily, we have a good strength in depth and fantastic team spirit.

The course was brutal on the hills of the Blows Downs Nature Reserve. There were many challenges including hills, slippery surfaces, kissing gates and cows.

These results are provisional as they have an unknown runner at position 23… So they need to find out who has that token…

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Team 1st, Women 1st, Men 3rd

The top 3 in each competition as below;
Team: NHRR, BH, SS
Women: NHRR, BH, SS
Men: BH, WRR, NHRR

Scoring for the women was Katie Harbon, Rhia Botha, Hannah Ridley and Astrid Mckeown.

Scoring for the men was Shahab Ahmad, James Warner-Smith, Matt Sayers, Craig Cartier, Vince Wright, Mike Bannister, Ian Datlen and David Edwards.

The men were only 2 points behind WRR - it was really close.
The women absolutely smashed it!

Which meant in the combined team - we still won quite comfortably.

League results…
Not compiled at the venue. But by my calculations this places the men on the podium for the league. WDAC had an awful result today.

BH 55pts, WRR 50pts, NHRR 45pts
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The women are comfortably 2nd. In touching distance of the lead - but realistically BH would have to have a bad result in the final race. It is very possible however! Another result like we did today will have BH worried! SS are running well too - so it’s very possible for them to get in-between us.

BH 54pts, NHRR 52pts, SS 48pts

Team are also 2nd in the league. 

BH 54pts, NHRR 51pts, WDAC 38pts

ParkRun Roundup

Bedford:
Thomas Buzzard (20:39)
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Brookleys:
Joseph Barker-sherry (25:17)
David Annetts (33:52)

Frank’s Farm:
Ben Snowden (22:54)
Craig Snowden (24:53)
Chris Powell (25:14)
Bev Rimmer (40:23)

Great Denham:
Simon Hawes (29:19)

Houghton Hall:
Gregor Bowie (32:44)

Letchworth:
Michael Over (22:26)
Martin Jackson (22:29)
Tracy Pitcairn (22:33)
David Brewer (22:43)
James Dalton (23:31)
Verity Hague (24:27)
Jon Hunt (25:15)
Jo Harbon (30:48)
Lucy Hurley (31:51)
Karen Shaw (32:09)

Jubilee Bedford:
Kris Whitmore (19:23)
Sam Whitmore (23:06)
Isabelle Allen (30:25)

​Sandringham:
Tracey McCreath (36:39)

Stevenage:
Chris Stokes (21:27)
Daniel Wrigley (23:49)
Sophie Thrussell (23:56)
Andrew Coates (25:38)
Matthew Sayers (28:19)
Bob Davis (32:24)
Amanda Greig (33:57)
Vanessa Rolfe (39:02)

St Marys:
Linda Aird (29:52)

Tooting Common:
Tracey Palmer (33:00)

Worsley Woods:
Laura Preston (35:42)

Wythenshawe:
Philippa Hardcastle (28:21)