REFLECTIONS ON YESTERDAY'S RACES

  Wow! What a fabulous start to the 2010/2011 cross country season with the first regional fixture, the opening event in the COMPLETE RUNNER cross country league which was organised with the usual efficiency by hosts, Skyrac A.C.  Bright sunshine and warm conditions made for good to firm underfoot conditions and we spectators, many with jackets draped around their waists, enjoyed some keen racing.

 KATIE WALSHAW is a very familiar face on the northern running scene and it was good to see her emerge from the pack to notch up her 4th. victory of the year; her other 3 1st. places on the track.
 F35 Helen Berry followed her in in 2nd and with an 8th and 12th they won the team race from Keighley.
(Fairly) new mum Jo Buckley, racing her way back to full fitness, was a fine 3rd .
  90 ladies finished compared to 98 in 2007 the last time Skyrac hosted the first leagie fixture.
  Numbers may increase in one or more of the other 3 events particularly as there were some quality runners missing from Bingley, Leeds, Scunthorpe and Wakefield.  Perhaps with the weather they forgot the cross country season had started.

   By contrast, the winner of the mens race was probably a new face to many spectators, certainly myself.  ALI MAUIZBIN. His record shows this Sudanese athlete has been progressing in the 3K steeplechase over the season and now making his mark on the country, pulling away from HOLMFIRTH'S MATT PIERSON.
 Superb, super vet MARTIN ROSCOE (m45)
was 3rd showing a clean pair of heels to so many younger athletes.  Leeds City with 6 in 12 were clear winners but Bingley did  put 4 infront of Leeds'
5th counter with 7/8/9/10.

 

Participants in the mens race were well down from 2007 from 232 to 170.  Compared with twenty years ago when 10% of the first 100 were over 40 yesterday 40% were over 40.  In the younger age groups it was pleasing to see numbers for the boys races up from 2007 but the girls were slightly down.  the youngsters peak at u/13 and u/15 then go down dramatically  at u/17 level as they get into sex, drugs and rock and roll!  Or should I say the pressures of GCSEs and A levels ?

  Hope you enjoyed the slideshow of yesterday's races. No apologies for picking out this one which perhaps summed up the mood of the afternoon...................