The annual 5 Mile cross country championship took place on Sunday using a new course. The race was run using our new clubhouse at Norman Park Community Sports Centre as the base. The course used is close to that used for the Kent League races but starting and finishing from the bank by the 50m mark on the track.
21 Runners set off at 10.30am , numbers being somewhat depleted due to other events during the weekend such as the SEAA relays the previous day. Conditions were ideal for the race – dry and sunny with little breeze.
First home was Alex Middleton in an impressing 30.43, followed home by just 15 seconds by Tom Desborough, with Luca Ercolani showing his form is returning in 3rd . Alex also won the Junior championship for the 3rd year in a row! Disappointingly, there was only 1 women entrant this year – but many congratulations to Maz Turner for winning the Championship!
Thanks also to Dave Carton and his fellow marshals for ensuring the race could be run. Special mention should be made of Damian Hayes who turned up just hours after finishing being at an all-day birthday party. No need to ask how he was felling at the end!
The race was the 2 nd in the Bennet Cup series!
| Position | Number | Runner | Gross Time | Club 5 handicap | Net Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 130 | Alex Middleton | 0:30:43 | -0:02:31 | 0:28:12 |
| 2 | 96 | Tom Desborough | 0:30:58 | -0:05:52 | 0:25:06 |
| 3 | 92 | Luca Ercolani | 0:32:02 | -0:05:10 | 0:26:52 |
| 4 | 128 | Darren Corneille | 0:33:39 | -0:03:55 | 0:29:44 |
| 5 | 97 | Gareth Evans | 0:33:53 | -0:08:09 | 0:25:44 |
| 6 | 127 | Steve Evenden | 0:34:39 | -0:07:38 | 0:27:01 |
| 7 | 72 | Matthew Bullen | 0:35:01 | -0:08:45 | 0:26:16 |
| 8 | 131 | Tim Nash | 0:35:14 | -0:09:17 | 0:25:57 |
| 9 | 129 | Matthew Maddocks | 0:35:57 | -0:09:10 | 0:26:47 |
| 10 | 99 | Steven Pairman | 0:38:01 | -0:09:43 | 0:28:18 |
| 11 | 65 | William Brindley | 0:38:14 | -0:10:19 | 0:27:55 |
| 12 | 100 | Ian Montgomery | 0:38:30 | -0:14:46 | 0:23:45 |
| 13 | 81 | Luigi Arcuri | 0:39:01 | -0:12:46 | 0:26:15 |
| 14 | 93 | Mark Ellison | 0:39:54 | -0:11:55 | 0:27:59 |
| 15 | 133 | Jasper Brooks | 0:39:55 | -0:04:16 | 0:35:39 |
| 16 | 98 | Andrew Tutt | 0:41:03 | -0:12:01 | 0:29:02 |
| 17 | 94 | James Unwin | 0:42:59 | -0:14:46 | 0:28:14 |
| 18 | 95 | John Turner | 0:43:39 | -0:18:41 | 0:24:58 |
| 19 | 82 | Chris Pike | 0:44:10 | -0:21:54 | 0:22:16 |
| 20 | 132 | Damien Hayes | 0:44:28 | -0:13:27 | 0:31:01 |
| 21 | 91 | Maz Turner | 1:02:14 | -0:34:25 | 0:27:49 |
-Steve Pairman
