KFL Cross Country #3 – Knole Park –

Cross Country 3 – Knole Park, Sevenoaks

 

For the 3rd Cross Country race of the season, we headed to the picturesque Knole Park in Sevenoaks. There were fewer TRAC runners today than the past two races since lots of them were out running or marshalling the Thanet Coastal 5 and 10 mile races. Those of us who chose trails over road were up bright and early to get to the other side of Kent for a 9am start.

 

Set in the grounds of a grand country hall, the race consists of a single lap with a mixture of grass and gravel. Compared to previous years, it was relatively firm underfoot without much mud to make the trails slippery. There was a slight drizzle and a little bit of wind, but nothing we’re not used to out in Thanet! Otherwise the weather was fine and mild for this time of year.

 

One of the highlights of this course are the deer which roam the grounds, who cleverly stayed out of the way of the hoards of XC runners tramping about today.

 

 

Apart from a congested start line, the paths are wide enough to prevent bottlenecks and runners have plenty of room to run the course. After an initial incline in the first couple of kms, runners descend into a valley before climbing a small hill, descending down into the valley again and coming back upon themselves – this time against a slight uphill which demands both mental and physical stamina. The course is one of the least technical and finishes on a long stretch of downhill, giving runners the chance to work their way up the rankings if they’ve left anything in the tank.

 

There was a great energy at the finish line today – everyone was cheered across, with team TRAC scoring well once again.

 

Well done and thank you to everyone for supporting the XC this morning, some fantastic racing and results. On the men’s team, Alex Dugard, Lee Hardie and Adam Foster were the first 3 back this week. With Brittany Crombie leading home the ladies followed by Jo Kemp and Nikki Boyes. 

 

Ladies Team managed 7th place this week despite a few key runners unable to make it – great teamwork! And the mens team went up a place to 5th for this one – great stuff! Combined Team again in 6th place for this fixture.

After 3 races team TRAC is overall holding strong in 7th place in the combined standings. And 6th place in both the ladies and mens team standings.  

 

To see the full results, click on the following link:

https://kfl.canterburyharriers.org/

 

 

 

 

Results are as follows:

 

Overall Position	Gender Position	Runner	Time	Rtg
8	8	Alex Dugard	28:47:00	97.98
28	28	Lee Hardie	30:28:00	92.20
37	37	Adam Foster	31:07:00	89.60
40	40	Matt McCarthy	31:10:00	88.73
54	53	Christopher Brenchley	31:45:00	84.97
67	64	Philip Morton	32:45:00	81.79
92	86	Phil Stevens	34:13:00	75.43
118	106	Robbie Weatherley-Day	35:34:00	69.65
132	117	Alex Hoss	36:12:00	66.47
134	16	Brittany Crombie	36:22:00	91.43
148	130	Chris Pascoe	36:38:00	62.72
156	136	Andy Jones	36:54:00	60.98
204	33	Joanne Kemp	38:26:00	81.71
236	193	Mike James	39:56:00	44.51
310	69	Nicola Boyes	43:06:00	61.14
361	85	Abigail Hoss	45:08:00	52.00
400	297	Matthew Stanley	47:07:00	14.45
411	110	Janet Morgan	47:46:00	37.71
472	329	Tim Kerr	53:45:00	5.20

 

Ali Smith made the annoying error of changing layers pre race and forgetting to put her race vest with her number bib back on! But she ran brilliantly even if she couldn’t get an official result. 

 

Cake highlights today were Chris’s cupcakes, Phil’s pound cake and Nikki’s pre-race energy balls. Thanks, all!

 

 

 

Thanks to Brittany Crombie and Jo Kemp for the race report. The next fixture in the KFL Cross Country season brings us onto home turf, where runners take on the infamous water ditches of Minnis Bay, Sunday 5th January. Enjoy the break! If last year is anything to go by, expect mud!