Race Report, Surrey League XC round 1 @ Epsom Downs
1pm on Saturday 14th October 2023… What a time to be alive as cross country racing made a triumphant return to our running calendar! Those that hadn’t satisfied their running appetites throughout the summer were chomping at the bit to get stuck in to the early season, not too wet, not too muddy 1st race of the 4 part ‘tetralogy’.
The ladies were first up, and after a tough 22/23 season… were going to be racing in the unfamiliar territory of division 2. (Partly due to a reshuffle of the leagues, splitting two divisions into three to accommodate an influx of new teams into ladies XC racing). Anyway… this was our chance to lay an early marker and show the rest of the teams that we want to be back in our rightful division 1.
For the ladies it was a 2-lap 6km (approx 30 furlongs) jaunt around the perimeter of Epsom racecourse. The going was ‘good-to-firm’ and it was a bright sunny (but not too warm) day, ideal for some speedy racing. 15 FRC ladies on the starting line were raring to go…
The race began and ladies XC co-Captain Hannah Cox wasted no time in getting in to the front runners leading the charge down the hill. Fast forward 22 minutes-ish and the First Lady came it to view on the brow of the hill with just 300 metres or so to get to the finish line… It was Hannah striding down the hill and taking the victory in race one… Incredible racing from Captain Fantastic! Next over the brow was a Woking lady, followed by a Croydon lady then it was Alice Malin taking 4th place overall.
With the top 5 ladies from each team scoring, we were then eagerly awaiting the next Bandita’s to race to the finish line. The consistently consistent Sophie McKeeman came in 3rd FRC lady with Leslie Gill and Charlotte Clover taking the final scoring spots. This team performance ensured that the ladies sit pretty at the top of division 2 after the first race. Well done team… What a great start!
On to the men now. After a slow and bumpy start to last season, we decided to take no chances and to start the season with a bang… No fewer than 31 fine Fulham gentlemen made the journey to Epsom to toe the start line for race one. For the chaps it was an 8km two-lapper to test our fitness and grit. At the start line the men were basking in the the same fine and sunny weather that the women had enjoyed… This was again perfect conditions for a fast race! A lightning fast start with the recent 2hr26 Berlin marathoner Tom Mackay leading the way for FRC; hitting a sub 3-minute first km down the hill.
Those perfect conditions that I mentioned above… they did not last long at all. Within 10 minutes of the start, there was a sudden downpour of rain accompanied with an icy wind… This had come out of nowhere?? However, this change of weather made for a more-fun race.
So on to the fastest FRC finishers… There was no surprise to see Tom Mackay romping home in 5th place overall… This guy never fails to deliver on the big stage! Next across the line and making his XC debut in stripes was Dillon McEvoy in a solid 19th place. Callum ‘never misses a race’ Mason was 1-minute behind and taking 29th place. Dan Mahoney; fresh back from an injury-ridden summer (although you’d never guess that based on this performance) took 4th with Nick Thomas hot on his heels taking 5th bandit. The final 5 scorers for the A team were Leo Gebbie, Dylan Williams, Mattia Gobbo, Tom Curtis and John Wray. After round one the men sit in 4th place.
Thanks to everyone that came to race and cheer and get us off to a great start to the new season. It was also great to see so many new bandits joining the XC cause. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do as the season goes on and we get fitter and faster.
I’ll finish this by saying that It’s great to turn up to chatty club-runs and social running events… But it is even greater to turn up and represent this great club in racing against our Surrey League XC rivals.. (…which is where the real fun in running is). Cross Country racing is back and it’s gonna be a great season… Spread the word!
Full FRC results
Women's
Hannah Cox (1) in 24:14
Alice Malin (4) in 25:23
Sophie McKeeman (11) in 27:08
Leslie Gill (13) in 27:27
Charlotte Clover (16) in 27:40
Emily Penn (17) in 27:54
Faye Lynam (20) in 28:2
Caitlin Bailey (32) in 29:10
Alice Rees (50) in 31:02
Rosie Cook (63) in 31:33
Flossie Dove (69) in 32:03
Emma Less (72) in 32:23
Alice Heath (101) in 35:07
Alexis Cannon (106) in 35:53
Louise Garlick (122) in 40:02
Men's
Tom Mackay (5) in 27:17
Dillon McEvoy (19) in 28:57
Callum Mason (29) in 29:57
Dan Mahoney (31) in 30:04
Nick Thomas (36) in 30:17
Leo Gebbie (38) in 30:29
(2C) Dylan Williams (43) in 30:40
Mattia Gobbo (48) in 30:48
Tom Curtis (50) in 30:51
John Wray (74) in 31:47
Stuart MacDougall (78) in 32:03
Tom Sherry – (89) in 32:39
Henry Grantham-Wright (92) in 32:47
Tim Lowe (94) in 32:50
Nick Bell (101) in 33:03
Thomas Daley (106) in 33:30
Daniel Hobson (108) in 33:35
Ash Broom (112) in 33:46
Trevor Ingram (136) in 35:28
Benjamin Skjold (137) in 35:30
Monty Dove (148) in 36:09
Hubert Brandts (159) in 36:45
Doug Wood (162) in 36:53
Peter Dyer (164) in 37:14
Richard Morris (165) in 37:16
Ben Cockshull (191) in 41:08
Rick Cannon (192) 41:09
David Canfield (193) in 41:28
Ed Bruce (197) in 43:32
Josh Hinh (202) in 48:45
(2C) Sam Ennis (203) in 49:39
Race report provided by XC Captain Trevor Ingram
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