Our Men Win in the Chingford League at Trent Park
What a great day! Our men won the Chingford League fixture which is fantastic!
Saturday afternoon saw races galore for the Seniors including the fourth Chingford League race of the season as well as our own Club Championships and the Fraternity & Sorority Cup; all hosted by the Club at Trent Park. Forty-nine of us raced but the Club also provided marshals, officials and helpers aplenty all led by the indefatigable Rob Scott (thoroughly deserving all the many plaudits he has received). The encouragement our runners received from our marshals throughout was both welcome and motivating. The day was a true testament to our Club’s spirit and proof of the extent to which we are thriving and growing.
It was a chilly but dry day; ideal weather for cross country. The course on the South side of the Avenue was great, marked out and marshalled superbly, not too muddy, undulating in the way we have grown to love at Trent Park with even a little stream to cross in the woods. Proper cross country at a venue most clubs envy.
The race was fiercely competitive with the presence of Clubs competing solely in the Fraternity & Sorority Cups adding to the usual mix of Chingford League clubs and contributing to a huge turnout. The Stags, having turned out in great numbers (20 women and 29 men raced!), were in the mix throughout and our new Club Champions, Alex Lepretre, a magnificent 1st overall, and Jo Kent led our men and women home. Huge congratulations to them both! There were many other great performances including lots of fierce but friendly competition between club mates and lots of personal achievements. Near the front Gary Pelosi, Ed Spencer and Kath March performed to their usual high standard but there were great performances throughout including from Simon Brown and Stephen Lake; two new members making Club Debuts in the Chingford League. Further back Anna Murray, Milan Balaz and Anneli Sydenham had great races and to date seven Stags have raced in all four Chingford League fixtures which is great commitment.
In the Fraternity and Sorority Cups against very strong opposition our men finished 4th while our women were 5th.
The next Chingford League fixture is on Saturday 21st January and is another great cross country race; this time at Epping Forest with the beautiful views we enjoyed so much last year. It’s a fixture anybody who has raced or trained at Trent Park will relish so let’s attend in big numbers since turnout matters. Everyone is welcome and everyone is needed! Spread the word.
David Scott