English National Cross Country Championships – Wollaton Park, Nottingham

Sarah, Sarah, Caroline and Matt

Gav was 1321st

Six members of Grantham Running Club joined thousands of other runners in the muddiest, arguably toughest, English National Cross Country Championships in recent memory at Wollaton Park on Saturday 22^nd February.  The effects of Storms Ciara and Dennis on top of already wet ground left the course and its surrounds saturated. Simply staying upright was a challenge and finishing the race could be considered a real accomplishment in conditions that purists like to call ‘proper cross country’. 

The senior women raced before the men over an 8km course and it was Sarah Chynoweth who came home first for GRC, clocking 43:30 and finishing a highly respectable 269^th. She was followed in 679^th by Caroline Davis (54:05) and Sarah High 744^th (56:15). The race was won by Danish international Anna Moller of Aldershot Farnham & District in 32:59.

The senior men raced on a 12km course and it was club cross country champion Jonny Palmer who led the way home with a solid run to finish 289^th in 51:33. Matthew Williamson followed in 998^th (1:02:26) with Gav Meadows finishing in 1321^st place (1:08:12). The race was won by Callum Johnson of Gateshead Harriers and AC in 43:36.