KFL Cross Country – race report from Swanley
Great start to the season at the Swanley Cross Country 2023
Nice to start the season at the 3 lap course at Swanley Park. Well organised and plenty of marshalls who gave some fantastic encouragement on our way around.
An interesting mix of grass, wooded areas, a few hills and a lake to run around. We were lucky with the weather and the ground was holding firm, with just a few slippier patches.
There were 618 runners of all abilities from 18 running clubs, which made for a fantastic atmosphere and excitement on the start line. A minutes silence was observed for Armistice Day and then we were set off down the hill and into the woods and over the train tracks!
It’s a different type of running to what we are used to pounding the pavements? Is it challenging? Oh Yes. But is it rewarding, fun and an amazing team spirit? Definitely Yes.
But don’t take my word for it. Some thoughts from a couple of our runners who were taking part in their first KFL XC for TRAC.
Chris Pascoe ‘’As a first timer to Cross Country I would really recommend anyone giving it a go, the atmosphere, camaraderie and varied terrain made for a fun morning. And to top it off there was a table of baked goods to eat at the end!’’
Steve Hawkins ‘’This was the first cross country I’ve participated in. Was it as hard as everyone said it would be? Absolutely!
There were points during that run where small hills felt like I was running uphill for hours! Heavy legs and breathless for what felt like most of the run.
It may well have been the most difficult 40 minute run of my life, but it has to be one of the most rewarding.
Fantastic team spirit having all the TRAC members cheer the team on, right till the end. Cake Galore to finish too. Does it get better than that after a Sunday morning run?!’’
Look forward to seeing some of you who couldn’t make this one at the next race at Oxleas Woods, Eltham on the 19th November.
Its not too late to join in for the rest of the season. Just contact the race captains and we can get you signed up!
Results
Well done to everyone, some fantastic results (despite some getting caught in a bit of a bottleneck near the beginning!) Matt McCarthy brought it home for the men – also on his debut. And Jo Kemp led out the Ladies team. I think all the marathon running has paid off for Tim Kerr who was pleased to beat his time from last year by an impressive 4 minutes! And two very consistent runners in Chris Brenchley and Jo Holl who were both just 2 seconds different from their times from last year!
|
Overall Position |
Gender Position |
Runner |
Time |
Rtg |
|
53 |
53 |
Matt McCarthy |
33:52:00 |
86.77 |
|
56 |
56 |
Christopher Brenchley |
34:03:00 |
86.01 |
|
84 |
79 |
Phil Stevens |
35:28:00 |
80.15 |
|
131 |
117 |
Chris Pascoe |
37:26:00 |
70.48 |
|
202 |
36 |
Joanne Kemp |
39:51:00 |
84.44 |
|
220 |
182 |
Stephen Forshaw |
40:31:00 |
53.94 |
|
241 |
198 |
Steven Hawkins |
40:59:00 |
49.87 |
|
310 |
65 |
Joanne Holl |
43:09:00 |
71.56 |
|
313 |
67 |
Julie Williams |
43:14:00 |
70.67 |
|
436 |
325 |
Peter Heath |
47:32:00 |
17.56 |
|
439 |
114 |
Janet Morgan |
47:42:00 |
49.78 |
|
469 |
333 |
Tim Kerr |
49:28:00 |
15.52 |
Thanks to Gemma Hawkins for the photos and the shouts of encouragement – much appreciated!
Thank you Jo for the race report and for organising everyone in the XC series !
If anyone else wants to join in the fun then email your run captains and we’ll get you registered.