The penultimate race in the Three Counties Cross Country league was held last Sunday with a new HQ venue and course to tackle at Caddington (located in between Luton and Dunstable). The nearby Dunstable Downs gave an indication the course would be somewhat hilly and, with the recent wintery cold snap, hard underfoot. Further challenges were experienced soon after runners set off with a series of kissing gates to negotiate. This led to a rather anticlimactic start as 300+ runners queued to pass through the first two which made racing and the normal jostling for position impossible. It wasn't until a good mile or two runners thinned out and overtaking made possible, but still limited by the narrow paths and technical terrain. For those who had been significantly held up, this made for a difficult race and impacted on being able to gain on positions to a degree.
For Biggleswade AC, 14 runners finished on the day. Nick Sinclair, Rob Morgan, Sam Wall and Jake Genever avoided much of the starting chaos and put in strong, sustained efforts up and down the relentless hilly 5 mile course. Nick was first across the line for BAC in 26th place overall and 4th in his age category, and Rob Morgan one place behind in 27th and 3rd in his age category. Sam Wall was 5th in his age category and next in, Jake Genever, was 9th in his. Other scorers for BAC men were Phil Rowlett, Stuart Highland and Ian Grimwood. Unfortunately the BAC men were one short for a full scoring team and had to forfeit points as a result. For BAC women, Nicky Upperton was first home, coming in 10th female and 2nd in her age category. Nicky is currently vying for the 2nd overall female prize in the league with one more race to go. Roxann Holder, Natalie Morgan and Jackie Warren were the remaining point scorers, supported by Felicity Wall, Magdalena Hartley and Emma Bell.
In terms of BAC team results, the men were 12th, women 9th and 12th overall in this fourth race. The team league position currently stands at men 13th, women 10th and a combined 13th overall. The next and final league race will be on 1st February at Leighton Buzzard.
Full league results are published on the Three Counties Cross Country League website.
The Three Counties Cross Country league runs from October to February, comprising of five races each month. All races are off-road and routes are typically along trails and footpaths through woodland, parkland or around farmland. It's a fun, social league solely based on finishing position rather than time. And as a reward, refreshments (including cake) are served afterwards for all runners. If you'd like to know more and are interested in taking part - it's not too late! Please contact
(Photo credit: Amy Genever)