Just 7 brave IOW Road Runners lined up on the start line of the open Cross Country Competition at Smallbrook Stadium on Sunday 13th Feb.
Luckily we managed to get a really strong mens team out on the course and two awesome ladies to represent the club.
The weather on the lead up had been pretty wet to say the least making for what some crazy mud lovers might describe as perfect conditions for cross country running. In the words of Ross Wilkes himself “it’s not cross country if I haven’t bought half the course home on my shoes”.
Both ladies and gents ran the same course in the open competition with a distance totaling just over 10km.
With their laces tied extra tight so as not to lose their shoes in the swampy conditions over the fields and down the footpaths toward Nunwell they went.
Ross Wilkes’s flying feet had no problem whizzing around the course, barely touching the ground long enough to sink into the mud and securing him a finish time of 42:33, taking third spot overall for the third year running and 2nd Senior Male. Ross described his day as “mud sweat and tears” and joked that you’d think he’d know how to win it by now but was genuinely thrilled with his performance.
Sean Williams was our next man to cross the finish line with an awesome time of 45:45 and hot on his heels and completing our first mens team was Nick Kenney with another brilliant performance finishing in 46:02. Sean and Nick took 6th and 7th place overall and also the first and second Male Vet 50 positions. These three results sealed the deal for the top spot in the mens team competition giving our boys gold for a fourth time running.
Making up our five strong team of gents were Stephen Johnson finishing in 50:49 bagging himself the 6th Senior Male spot and Ian Dyer who also ran a blinder crossing the line under the hour in 55:27 and taking the 7th Male Vet 40 place.
First in for our ladies and running her first event for two years was Sally Neuman.
Our girl got out there and represented our ladies in true style and despite a little fall on the course she got up and carried on bringing it home in 1:18:45 taking the third position in the Female Vet 50 category. Sally said it “was wet and muddy and the wind and rain just topped the morning”…………hmmmm, sounds delightful Sally!
Margaret Niland-Murphy completed our 7 strong team for the day crossing the finish in 1:24:42.
Awesome running team! A massive well done to all of you. X
Ross Wilkes 42:33
Sean Williams 45:45
Nick Kenney 46:02
Stephen Johnson 50:49
Ian Dyer 55:27
Sally Neuman 1:18:45
Margaret Niland-Murphy 1:24:42
