Ivanhoe Runners were represented in the National Cross Country Championships held at Donington Park. Andy Lindley had watched the Nationals at Parliament Hill last year and was inspired to do it as a “home” event, even though he only returned from a skiing holiday earlier that day! He ran well over the muddy and hilly 12 course and was rewarded with a fine time of 1.06.30, for 1,371st position out of 1,730 starters, a great performance in a quality field.
Andy's report on his full experience is below.
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English National Cross Country Championships 2016
February 27th 2016. The date of the English National Cross Country Championships at Donington Park. I’d really enjoyed supporting at last years race at Parliament Hill, and with this years race being literally just up the road, I knew I had to run this one. The only problem, this date was the last day of an Alpine skiing holiday. A check of the flight and race timetables, and I realised I should be able to get back in time for the race. Decision made and race entered.
I was up at 5am (4am UK time) to start the journey back, and arrived home at noon. Time for a bit of breakfast/lunch, then I fitted the new pins I’d treated my XC spikes to. I’d ordered 15mm ones, as I knew the conditions would be soft. Even though I’d never ran on ones that long before, I was hoping they’d be ok.
I arrived at Donington at 1:45 (for a 3pm race start) and the marshals kindly made me park as far away from the race village as possible, somewhere just outside Breedon I reckon. Still, the brisk mile hike was a good warm up! During the trek, I noticed that all the kids who’d raced earlier were relatively mud free. A very reassuring sign after last years London mud fest. I picked up my number and bought a long sleeved event t-shirt for a bargain £6, then headed over to the course to watch the start of the ladies race.
Then it was time to get ready. It was very cold, only 4C, but I knew I’d get warm during the race so I elected to run in just shorts and a vest. I was just a little bit chilly waiting for the start! I bumped into an old mate, who now runs for a London club, and we exchanged a few words of encouragement, then all 1730+ of us were lined up ready for the start. The start line was about 50 yards wide, and I’d been allocated a pen right in the middle. The gun went and we were off. After a few yards, I looked both left and right. All I could see was this huge crowd of charging runners, and I was right there in the middle of it. An amazing experience. I’d decided to set off steady, as I didn’t know how my legs would hold up after a hard weeks skiing, but my watch told me I’d started at 6:30 pace, my 5K pace. Oops!! I slowed down a bit!
The course was fairly straightforward. Three laps of a 4km loop to give a 12km (7.5 mile) race distance, all on grass around fields. It was fairly hilly, but nothing that was not runnable, and technically, very easy. No tree roots, rocks, stream crossings, or stiles like the Derby Runner races! After a 7:30 first mile, still fast but ok, I settled into a steady rhythm. The course then looped round on itself, and I could see the line of runners in front me. The huge number of different club vests was a great sight to see. I was running along feeling fine, and picking off runners one by one, including one guy from local rivals, Hermitage Harriers. The hills were tough, but I was getting up them ok, and even passing a few people on them. At the top of a particularly difficult one, Club Captain Nick and Treasurer Phil, gave me a shout out. Unexpected Ivanhoe support, and a great boost. The next 5 miles were pretty consistent. All 8:15 to 8:30. I was deliberately trying to avoid the worst of the mud, figuring the few extra yards taking a longer line, would use less energy than ploughing through thick sticky mud. Then the inevitable happened, and the race leaders lapped me just before the end of lap 2. To watch them fly round the course was awe-inspiring. Superb athletes.
I was now starting to tire. Most cross-country races are 5 to 6 miles long. I’d already run that far, and I’d still got 2 miles to go. I was also struggling with my spikes. I’d had three near falls with my right fore foot digging in, and the constant crossing of gravel tracks meant the pins were digging into the bottom of my feet. Maybe the long 15mm ones weren’t such a good idea after all! The last two miles were a struggle. I was tired, my feet were hurting, and the course tape meant I was forced to run through the mud. I knew the last mile was going to be virtually all uphill, so it was just a case of digging in and keep going, even though I was losing a few places. I got onto the finish straight, and tried to speed up a bit, then almost lost a shoe in the mud. After a quick stop to pull it back on, and a lot of encouragement from the crowd, I was running again. I managed to pass one guy in the final straight, and then it was finished. The last two miles were both around 8:45, and I’d lost some places, but I’d kept running right to the end. I finished 1371st out of 1730 finishers in 1:06:30. My mud dodging tactic also meant I ran an extra 0.5 mile! Overall I was really pleased with my run. I was in the same field (pun intended!) as some of the best runners in the country. I’d finished in a reasonable position, and not disgraced Ivanhoe or myself. My legs were battered after a weeks skiing, and waking at 4am was not the best race prep. A truly memorable race.
Andy Lindley
Ivanhoe Runners
Race results