Women win promotion to Divison One - Met League Race 5 – Trent Park

Our women are on the up! We have won promotion to Met League Division One next season.

A huge thank you to the 48 club members who turned out for Met League races this season – that’s an amazing level of competitive participation. We had excellent Met League debuts from Ann Philips, Stephanie De’Ath and Stelios Michael plus season debuts for Mandy Violet, Helen Hoyle, Ed Spencer and Michael Martin.

Specific appreciation is due to those like our first finishers Martha Hall and Ed Spencer who turned out for the final fixture and won us enough points to get our Women’s team promoted and keep our Men’s team in Division Two.

The last race was on home Trent Park turf on the same course used for the Chingford League/Fraternity Sorority Cup race in November, so our runners knew exactly what they had to do. The weather was perfect but the ground was heavy. Nevertheless, knowing that every point mattered, our runners pushed hard to pass as many rivals as they could. Ed Spencer, Raj Patel and Simon Brown all finished in the top 100 of the 370 strong field. Martha Hall and Jo Kent were in the top 50 out of the 160 women. 

As well as those who slogged through the mud and sprinted up the finishing hills, thanks is also owed to everyone who supported the team by travelling to fixtures to cheer us on and take photos, like Margaret Butler and Brian Lallaway or helped with the logistical magic at the finish line, like Tracey Deeks. 

The team spirit has been brilliant all season, epitomised by Kathryn Ellis and Steph Harrison who not only run very fast, but warm down by shouting encouragement to every runner after them in the women’s and the whole of the men’s race.

Anna Murray and Dave Byrne, Team Managers