Cross Country, Club Races and New Challenges

Winter is upon us, and that means we are well and truly into the cross-country season. The second fixture of the season took us to the lovely Sutton Heath, near Woodbridge, on 30 November. This single-lap route takes runners across the heath, past the pigs, and through the occasional puddle. What we hadn’t bargained for was just how sandy it would be – it felt more like running on a beach!

We were really pleased to field a full team of Hares for this event. The ladies’ team consisted of Ellie Landridge-Brown, Elaine Turner, Nathalie Hooper, Fiona Holland and Belinda Godbald. The men were Kevin Long, James Woolley, Tom Cowley, Richard Cowley, Alli Maclean, Rob Taylor, Paul Barton, Andrew Cross and Sam Ashdown. It was great to welcome newcomers to cross country, all of whom embraced the challenge completely. James ran an outstanding race, finishing 24th in a very competitive field.

We also hosted our annual 5 and 10 mile races in Hadleigh on 23 November. This well-attended and smoothly organised event would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our Race Directors, Deb and Andrew Stewart. After three years at the helm, they have decided to hang up their RD jackets and pass the baton on. The club would like to extend its sincere thanks to them both.

On 4 December, Kevin Long was invited by a friend to take part in a Hyrox race at London’s ExCeL Centre. The Hyrox event consists of eight 1km runs, each followed by an exercise station – including rowing, weighted exercises, burpees and plenty of squats! Unsurprisingly, Kev felt the effects for a few days afterwards. The event had a fantastic atmosphere and ran smoothly, despite around 10,000 people racing each day. Kev would definitely recommend giving it a go if it sounds like your sort of thing!