Cross country extension

The cross country season was extended for me yesterday. (Son) Robbie was particularly careful (slow) in the Glen Lough mud and finished a full 18 minutes behind the next runner even though there was a suspicion that he ran a lap short. I was relieved that he did not insist on doing another lap but thanks to all the officials of Western AC for waiting for him.

And the time taken from the race starting to me finishing was also extended.  Although I had been at the venue a full hour before my race was due to start at 2.25, I had just completed my final preparations and stopped to talk to Dave Newton who incredibly won his first cross country championships 40 years ago and is still in good shape, when Ian Callister shouted at 2.23 that the race had already started.  It was still only 2.24 as the three of started chasing the rest of the runners who had already long departed the top field.  

I wasn’t too worried about my late start as I had completed a long run the previous day and in some ways it took the pressure off and turned the race into a handicap.  It would soon have been water under the bridge but instead, because there was no bridge, I was left to negotiate the 24 river crossings that make the Glen Lough course unique with Peter Bradley, who started even later, in pursuit.

I used to see a lot of Glen Lough course in my school days as travelled  from Kirk Michael to Douglas High School for Boys and we would stop outside the farm each morning for the Quayle brothers to take the bus.  I remember Peter, who was watching the race yesterday, sitting next to my brother each morning and John and Martyn (later) were also regulars.  Later I remember Peter setting off for agricultural college to Beverley with my cousin Graham.

It’s all too easy to take the landowners for granted and we are all grateful for the Quayle family for allowing us to use their land, just as with all the other land owners who make the Medis Cross Country league so enjoyable.

It takes so many people to take advantage of those facilities and, in addition to the three clubs who promoted the five events there are a number of people such as Lewis Veale, David Griffiths and Cheryl Pryke who are involved in all races and publish the results by the middle of the evening.

As I ran up the hill for the final time pulling an ugly pained face I did realise, when I saw photographer Ian Astin, why some people tell me to put my camera somewhere unpleasant. But I was soon thanking Ian for the great selection of photos that we have come to expect from him.

I had my wellies in the car and as I was cleaning the mud off my legs, clothes and shoes when I got home I thought how much easier it would be next winter to wear the wellies and stick to filming the races.  But within minutes I was noting that I needed new cross country shoes for next winter.  My cross country career is a lot shorter than Dave Newton’s but it will continue for another year.