Cross Country Team captain Lorraine Griffiths has kindly submitted the second cross country race report and I was delighted to have been a part of this one. If Carlsberg made Cross Country teams… well you get the picture, the support and camaraderie was second to none and I love the fact that young Josh Berry photo bombed the guys group photo. Next time maybe we can get a group photo of the ladies and the men together to show the full extent of the great turnout.
Tracy Kennish, Marcomms and Media Liaison
Last Saturday was the second race in our Cross Country calendar and it was another for the Gloucestershire league. It took place at Blackbridge, Gloucester. This is a venue the Cross Country teams know well, as the ladies team had 2 races there last Season and the men 3! As venues go, it’s probably one of the flattest but somehow that doesn’t make it that easy, it just means that we all push ourselves harder.
Once again, Black Pear Joggers had a fantastic turnout, with 21 women and 15 men. Quite a few of our team were trying Cross Country out for the first time and were treated to an absence of mud (I’m sure it’ll be a different story by January). The ladies race was 4.2 miles and the mens 5.3 miles. No race distance is ever the same and the scenery and undulations are all different, which means that each race poses its own unique challenge and accomplishments. The main challenge at Plock Court is not getting dizzy going round and round the field at the beginning. It was lovely to get off the field and into the wooded area and then into the next field.
F
irst h
ome for the Ladies Team was Emily Seward in 28 minutes 37 seconds, a brilliant 30th position, followed not long after by Jemima Lowe in 29.08 and Victoria Watkins in 29.17. Both Jemima and Vicky missed last Season’s Cross Country so it’s great to see them both back running strong.
The Ladies teams were 8th, 20th, 29th, 36th, 39th, 40th and 41st. It’s amazing to have 7 Ladies teams and we fielded the largest team by a long way. We did really well in the Masters Teams with our A team 4th.
First home for the Mens Team was Adam Jackson in 31.11, he was 21st. There was a real battle for 2nd and 3rd Black Pear Jogger man home, with Rob Bowery finishing in 32.42 and Tony Farnsworth in 32.45. It was Tony’s first Cross Country race and first of many I’m sure. The mens teams were 5th and 18th (mens’ teams consist of 6, whereas the ladies consist of 3). The Masters A team were third.
Once again Black Pear Joggers put in some excellent performances at the Cross Country and the enthusiasm shown by all of our runners and the camaraderie amongst the team really is lovely to see. The men and Ladies are split up for the next race on Saturday, as we have our first races for the Birmingham and Midlands Leagues respectively. We’ll all miss each other but I’m sure we’ll all have eventful races.
Lorraine Griffiths, Ladies Cross Country Captain
For more information about events, leagues, costs, joining the merry band of cross countriers or even popping along to support your fellow BPJers (as all cheering is most welcome), please look at the dedicated page on the BPJ website by clicking this link.
And if you are still unsure, check out these smiles …
