Suffolk Winter Cross Country League and Champs

The New Year kicked off with the Cross Country Championships held on home turf at Holbecks on 4 January. Although the sun was shining, it was a bitterly cold day with the ground frozen solid. It had been a couple of years since any cross country had been run on this course, so it was great to return to such a challenging venue.

Nine races took place throughout the day, starting with the juniors in the morning, who ran distances ranging from 2km to 5km. The afternoon saw the senior men and women take on distances of 10km and 8km respectively. For many of the clubs attending, the course and terrain were completely new, with the hills proving to be a major talking point.

We were delighted to have five juniors taking part: Lydia Farmer, Maia Chamberlin, Alfred Wise, Aderyn McDonald and Joel Farmer. All put in sterling performances and we are extremely proud of them.

Our senior men were represented by Tom Cowley, Rob Taylor, Adam Chamberlin and Richard Cowley, while Val Gladwell, Nathalie Hooper, Belinda Godbold, Fiona Holland and Lucy Jay competed for the women. Val and Belinda both came away with medal placings, with Val finishing first in her age category and Belinda third. Congratulations to them, and to everyone who took part.

On 11 January, we headed to Haughley Park for the third race in the Suffolk Winter League Cross Country. This popular local event takes runners through the woods of Haughley Park, with some surprisingly challenging ups and downs along the way. Unfortunately, we were unable to field a full team, but our senior men were represented by James Woodley, Tom Cowley, Richard Cowley, Andrew Cross, Rob Taylor and Paul Barton, with James finishing an impressive 13th overall.

The ladies were represented by Nathalie Hooper, Fiona Holland and Belinda Godbold. It was also fantastic to see junior Noah in action, finishing second in his race—an excellent result.

On 25 January, a small team of Hares made the long journey up to Lowestoft. The course winds around field and woodland edges, with an added stretch on a BMX track. This year, the organisers introduced a new challenge – a very big, steep man-made hill! The descent proved just as testing.

James Woodley made it look easy, finishing in a fantastic 10th place, followed home by Rob Taylor, Richard Cowley and Andrew Cross for the men. First Hare lady across the line was Nathalie Hooper, followed by Fiona Holland, Belinda Godbold, Sarah Watkins and Dami Bastos. A small team delivering fantastic results. One of the highlights of this venue is the on-site café, so naturally a post-run celebration was in order.

On 8 February, another small team headed to Pakenham for the penultimate race of the season. For once there was no rain, although there was still plenty of mud. The picturesque course takes runners past a Tudor house, around a lake and through beautiful woodland. Fiona, Nathalie, Dami and Sarah formed a full ladies’ team, while James, Richard, Tom Cowley, Rob and Andrew made up the men’s team. James pushed hard to secure an impressive 7th place. The men put in strong performances and were there to cheer the ladies down the finishing straight, each one finding an extra sprint to the line and a smile.

On 15 February, a few of us travelled to Horseheath Racecourse for the final cross-country race of the season. Mother Nature threw everything at them – rain, sleet and snow – making the already undulating course even muddier than usual, with the added joy of running through the splash not once, but twice! Rob and Andrew represented the men, while Fiona, Nathalie, Sarah and newcomers Anne Herbert and Bonnie McGill completed the ladies’ team. It was certainly a baptism of fire for Anne and Bonnie. Strong running all round, especially given the conditions.

We did manage to have one evening off from running and had a post Christmas social at The Kings Head in January. It was a great way to get together, relax and chat and share our running achievements from 2025.