The club are looking to enter a couple of teams for the English National Cross Country Championships to be held on Saturday 24th February at Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath, London.
Fancy starting the New Year burning off those extra calories by running around a vineyard in knee-deep mud? Then why not sign-up to the Surrey Cross Country Championships held at Denbies, near Dorking on Sunday 7th January.
Senior Women, 12:00 start – 8km. Teams of 4 to score (NOTE: 60min cut-off time)
Senior Men, 13:45 start – 12km. Teams of 6 to score (NOTE: 90min cut-off time)
Entry fees will be covered by the club
All entrants must be EA registered and comply with county qualification criteria. See here for further details.
Entries close on 29th December so please sign up via the link below as soon as possible
Following an impressive turnout at this years’ race, the club would like to send at least a couple of teams to the 2018 Southern Cross Country Championships. We hope to field a strong team from the club to show off the strength and depth of runners.
The event will take place on Saturday 27th January 2018 at Stanmer Park in Brighton. Full details available here
Entries close in mid-December so please sign up no later than 11th December to allow time to process entries. Entry fees are paid by the club so like other cross country events there is no cost to members.
This weekend is the second cross country weekend of the 2017/18 season. Both our ladies and men’s teams will be in action.
The ladies will be at Nonsuch park. Race starts at 11am. Details here.
Then men are at Epsom Downs. Race starts at 3pm. Details here.
With the different race times, this is a great chance to run one event and spectate at the other. As usual we will meet in a Surbiton pub in the evening to discuss the day’s races. Ask at the end of the race to see where we are planning to go.
Well done to everyone who competed in the first Surrey League Cross Country yesterday, fantastic turnout in both the ladies and gents races. Full results now available:
If you notice any discrepancies in the results, please let the club captains know (Mous and Ann).
Hopefully you all enjoyed the run and if you would like another serving of cross country, on a more competitive, larger scale, then the London Cross Country Championships are fast approaching (see previous post for full details: http://www.26point2.co.uk/seaa-road-relay-and-london-cross-country-championships/) and sign-up sheet.
Deadline for registering your interest is Wednesday 25th October.
The next Surrey League Cross Country race is on Saturday 11th November (Ladies are at Nonsuch Park / Gents are at Epsom Downs)
It is now less that a month until the start of the new cross country season so dust off your trail shoes and sharpen your spikes.
The cross country events are a highlight of the club’s running calendar as they are a great opportunity to get out and run with other club members as a team. All members are encouraged to take part in the Surrey XC league. We welcome runners of all standards to these events. All Surrey XC league events are free for members.
Make sure you get the dates below added into your diary…
Date
Men’s Fixture
Ladies Fixture
14th October 2017 (Grand Prix)
Wimbledon
Priory Park, Reigate
11th November 2017
Epsom Downs (tbc)
Nonsuch Park
2nd December 2017
Roundshaw Downs
–
13th January 2018
–
Richmond Park (tbc)
10th February 2018
Lloyd Park
Wimbledon Common (tbc)
If you want to take part in cross country this year, we have a facebook messenger group for each team. A link to join these groups and other details on cross country are available on the Cross Country page.
A couple of top level events organised by SEAA are on the horizon this Autumn. Both events are highly competitive and will draw a top quality field from around the region. I suggest only the “faster” runners to consider signing up to give the club the best chance to represent ourselves at this level. The plan is to enter one or two male and female teams for both events, subject to interest.
Southern Road Relays – Sunday 24th September – Crystal Palace – website link
Women’s team = 4 x 4.5km, Men’s team = 6 x 6km
Please sign up by MONDAY 4th SEPTEMBER if interested so that we can meet entry deadline
London Cross Country Championships – Saturday 18th November – Parliament Hill Fields, Hampstead Heath – website link
Please sign up by WEDNESDAY 25th OCTOBER if interested so that we can meet entry deadline
All runners must be first claim members and registered with England Athletics.
Tram is suspended between Wimbledon and Mitcham Junction.
Nicked from The Strags ….
The main thing to be aware of is the tram line between Wimbledon and Mitcham Junction is closed for engineering works on Saturday, so for those of you travelling by public transport, the route is now train to Clapham Junction, where you change for a train to East Croydon and can then pick up the tram to Lloyd Park. So, for example, the 12:18 train from Kingston will enable you to pick up the 12:53 fast train to East Croydon, and from there it is a 7 minute tram journey to Lloyd Park, getting you to the start at 13:16, in plenty of time to warm up etc.”
After the Epsom double for the men last month, this month gave the chance to the ladies to complete a cross country and grand prix double over the weekend.
On Saturday 3rd December, the ladies were in action at Surrey League Cross Country on Mitcham Common. 11 ladies took part over a hilly course. The route, which although appearing from the start to be fairly flat, had a number of tough hills hidden away. At only 6km it was at least short and wasn’t muddy. Does it count as XC if you don’t come back muddy?
Credit to those that made it despite traffic and train woes. After a long struggle to find parking, Vicky Gardner only just made it to the start in time, explaining her absence from the pre-event photo. A special mention to Jo Newstead who cycled to the event but sadly missed the race. At least she was in time for cake!
On Sunday 4th December, both men and ladies were in action at Hogs Back Road Race. 29 members took part with Alastair McGeoch-Williams returning to grand prix winning form for this event and Kirstie Mitchell first lady home for the club. Grand prix tables have now been published and can be downloaded here.
Some members have tackled this event in recent years however it was a welcome addition to our Grand Prix schedule. Although a cold start, the clear day presented some amazing views of the hills around Guildford. I am sure many members will be back to tackle this hilly but scenic course again in the future.
Our superstar ladies who completed both events were Caroline Dawson, Sue Garnish, Vicky Gardener, Sarah Lothian, Ellen Lambrix and Jacqueline Chang (who even managed to sweet talk herself a beer as spot prize at the end of Hogs Back). Well done all!
Alastair leads the club home.Peter prepares himself before the race.
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