Following on from the Middlesex road relays two weeks ago, our young athletes stepped up a level to complete at the South of England Road Relay Championships on Sunday. The event switched this year from its traditional venue in Aldershot to Bedford Aerodrome, now a car racing venue. There were mixed comments about the course: while flat, it was featureless with very strong winds and offered few good spectating opportunities. It was certainly the case that team numbers were down on last year.
We sent a team in all categories except the Under 13 girls, and all the athletes ran well, though some coped better than others with the windy conditions. The U17s fared best, the men’s and the women’s teams each finishing around two-thirds down the field. Both Nicola Ravenhill and George Kerry made the most of the competitive edge enjoyed by those on the opening leg, and were well supported by the other team members.
The U15 and U13 boys did not field a complete team last year so it was gratifying to see them finish the race. Kane Foster put in an especially quick run on the opening leg, continuing his fine performance at the Middlesex relays.
The club’s distance runners will now turn their attention to the cross country season, with the first North West London League fixture for the younger athletes at Berkeley Fields this coming Saturday.
ESM results summary
Men:
U17M (4500m): 66:04 (George Kerry 15:12, John Fielding 15:35, Luke Adar 17:31, Jack Whittaker 17:46)
U15B (3000m): 45:42 (Kane Foster 9:35, Ilyes Iman 10:50, Chauncey Edwards 13:37, Matteo Lamagna 11:40)
U13B (3000m): 45:28 (Mahiis Hersi 10:41, Dylan Rice 11:21, Marco Lamagna 12:17, Najiib Hersi 11:09)
Women:
U17W (3000m): 33:58 (Nicola Ravenhill 10:16, Cameron Thomas 11:42, Roisin Lynch 12:00)
U15G (3000m): 34:52 (Lucy O’Brien 10:49, Fiona Coutts 12:00, Estelle Belgrave 12:03)
Full results here