2016 National Champs - Young Athletes
Woodford’s young athletes were thin on the ground at Saturday’s National Championships held over the undulating countryside between Donington Hall and the Donington race track in Leicestershire. Louise Gilbert had the best of the runs by our athletes with her 153rd place but she was one of only four Woodford runners participating following several late withdrawals from injury and illness.
The course was a demanding mix of flat, exposed agricultural fields and long steeply undulating parkland beside the Hall with particularly heavy going to the last kilometre of each lap – and there was a cold easterly breeze for most of the day. Despite the distractions of the low flying aircraft coming into East Midland airport and the noise from the saloon cars racing at the nearby circuit, skylarks could be heard in the quieter moments. However, the atmosphere where the club tents and flags were gathered was one of eager and perhaps nervous anticipation and once the racing got underway, spectator interest was fully engaged with the greatest day in the cross country calendar.
Joe Geller (U15B) was off in the second race of the day for two medium laps; he finished strongly but his initial caution might have cost him a higher place as he sought to run an even paced race. Joe finished 254 in the field of 366 runners but with them finishing at the rate of 70 or 80 per minute, a poor line through a muddy section could easily lose a runner 10 places. He will, no doubt value the endurance strength that the winter season has given him when it comes to track racing this summer.
Holly McArdell (U13G) was appearing in her first Nationals and confessed to not hearing the starter’s gun but nevertheless made the most of her experience even if turning an ankle late on in the race. She picked up 364th place of the 449 finishers and summarised the race afterwards as ‘tough’. Her sister Alicia (U20W) was one of our non-runners but having qualified for English Schools next weekend understandably decided to prioritise that event. We also lost Sidnie Ward (injury), Liam Waldron and Hayden Maleary (illness) in the U13B race and Siena Taylor (school trip) from the U15G race. This left Louise Gilbert as our only U15G runner and her 153rd place of the 354 was an admirable effort from her, showing further evidence of her increasing confidence and strength.
Our last participant was Harry Cavell - our lone U17M runner and he confessed to paying a heavy price for getting caught up in the furious start as the 100m wide tide of runners jockeyed for a clear run through the narrow gate at the end of the start area. He found the race hard going finishing in 206th and said afterwards that his legs felt dead.
We might bemoan the lack of Woodford runners but this is not unique to us; of all the Essex clubs participating in the junior age group races, only Chelmsford (U13G) and Orion (U15B) could field a scoring team. In the U15B race, there was a total of only 6 Essex runners, 8 in the U13Gs, 6 in the U17Ms and 5 in the U15G. There is undoubtedly something to be said for being one of team whilst waiting on the start line of these races and then being able to share in the experience afterwards. Let the motivating for next winter start now!