Schools Area Team Cross Country - 17th October 2006

A total of seven Richmond and Zetland junior athletes took part in the Schools Area Team Cross Country Championships at Allertonshire School, Northallerton on Tuesday 17th October and achieved some fabulous results in the process, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with in this event. The competition is open to year 11 and below, which applies to all those who are 16 years old or under.

Dougie Roberts took the honours in his race, winning outright over the course, which was approximately 6km in distance, getting the proceedings off to a flying start. Rosie Adams also won her race, over 3 laps covering 5km and hung on to cross the line in first position. In the same race, Jane Thornton had an excellent run to finish comfortably inside the top 20 athletes and show good form at the start of the winter season. Amy Coulson was another winner in the year 7 girls race, finding her footing well and taking top honours, while James King achieved the same, excellent result for the year 7 boys. The ubiquitous Marc Scott had no trouble in finishing first in the year 8 race, easing his way to victory over the 3km course, while brother Rob Scott was close behind to take the runner’s up spot in 2nd place overall, rounding off a fine afternoon’s racing for the younger members of the club. One notable absence was Fergus Roberts, who was suffering from a sore foot and was unable to compete – a real shame considering his excellent form in the recent NYSD cross country league.

Pathfinder 25 Trail Race - 7th October 2006

Staying off-road, early on the morning of Saturday 7th October, Neil Piper and wife Liz found themselves in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors at Commondale, on the start line for the Pathfinder 25 Trail Race, a popular event, which is mainly a challenge walking event. As the title suggests, the course winds its way for 25 miles over the open moors, through Kildale, Westerdale, Botton and Danby, before returning to Commondale, climbing over 2500 feet in the process, making it a demanding race for all those who choose to take part. Those at the sharp end run the whole way, with the winner eventually finishing in 3 hours 26 minutes, while others opt for a more sedate pace and walk or jog the paths. Neil and Liz plumped for the walk/run option on this occasion and with good weather and dry ground underfoot, finished in a fine time of 6 hours 14 minutes, placing them 3rd in the walking category.

Cardiff Half Marathon - 15th October

Having recently moved back to south Wales, Shirley Mathurin opted to take part in the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday 15th October. This is an increasingly popular event, with the chance to take in Cardiff Castle and Bute Park en-route, before finishing with a lap of the track in the Millenium Stadium. Shirley was pleased to finish in 2.09.43 and show that she is still running well over all the distances.