Cross Country
Saturday
14th October
The sun was shining….the day was
hot….there’d been no rain in the days prior………and it was cross country…?! What a start to the season! However, all things combined, this brought
the Wesham runners out in great
numbers!! What would have appeared to be
record figures resulted in 14 ladies and 22 men taking part!
The tent was duly
erected, Captain Young was chief
supporter, organiser, photographer and 
general motivator, supported by a
very enthusiastic Marie Wyld
providing loads of encouragement for the girls…leading the less experienced
cross country ladies like lambs to the
slaughter! It was fair to say there
were at least five virgin lady cross country runners ….and once they got over
the initial shock of cross country and how perversely wonderful it was, we all
had a great day out!
It was a fast
start as always….but it was relatively mud free and dry, with just a stream to
cross, once (for the girls – twice for the boys). I know Graham
Vickers did say you could jump it…but he did forget to mention that this
only works if you are over 5 foot 4”!!
The support on the course was great – with the Wesham men around the course shouting words of encouragement just
when you felt like giving up and wondering why on earth you’re putting yourself
through all the mud, sweat and tears..!
The course for the ladies was one big and one small lap of the park and
a relatively nice flat course – well for cross country that is!
Coming in over
the finish line is welcome in any race but none more so than in cross
country…it’s difficult to do any heroic sprint finish; you’re more concerned about
getting lapped by the men; you know you’re looking worse than normal cause not
only do you look like you’ve worked hard – you’re also covered in mud, but that
said…it’s an achievement and one to be proud of! Ladies, whether you’re first over the line or
last, or somewhere in between we all feel the same…it’s as cold (or hot as in
the case at Leyland on Saturday!), muddy, slippery underfoot
and as hard for the first in as the last!
There does
however remain a few mysteries to cross country which will no doubt be answered
as the season rumbles on none more so than:
·
Why has Michaela taken up tattoo spotting in the tent as a side line to a
fantastic cross country comeback..?!
·
How has Captain Murphy reduced her running times and speeded up no end
since last season…?
·
How does Marie have so much enthusiasm for cross country when she knows how
horrendous it can be..?
·
Was the course adequately hill free and
mud free for Pauline to return..?!
·
Has
·
Will Lisa
ever recover from the shock to the system that cross country brings..?!
·
How does Julie manage to make cross country look easy…?!
·
Does Kath
do cross country for fun or just cause it’s a few extra competitive miles..?!
·
How did Helen Jolly manage to do so well and still sprint off to get to
work..?!
·
How does Hayley manage to look like she really enjoys herself when
running..?!
·
On a comeback to running, is Amanda going to make a regular event of
running back to back Saturday and Sundays..?!
·
Will our new Wesham ladies recently recruited be wearing their own Wesham
vest with pride at the next cross country..?!
Sorry I can’t answer
all those questions for you Yvonne,
though I’m sure many in the men’s team will want to be kept posted on tattoo
spotting developments.
I can only add my
congratulations to the ladies’ team. A tremendous start to the season and I’m
sure some credit goes to
the excellent and effective
encouragement, cajoling and nagging (?) from the new ladies’ captains. Well
done all of you. I’m glad you all enjoyed it.
So what of the
men? Twenty two runners and a tremendous start to the season as well.
Individual honours go to Alex (3rd
Vet 40), Derek (3rd Vet
50) and Dave (2nd Vet 60).
Individual
mention must also go to Les Cornwall,
who, despite a pit stop to change into the correct shoes at the end of the
first lap, still managed to qualify for the “A” team. Well done Les.
However, I must remember to check your footwear before the start of future
events!!
You mentioned five lady
cross-country virgins. Well perhaps it’s as well that a certain Mr. Porter wasn’t there. I’m sure he
would have had something to say in his report as I also counted four men making
their Wesham debuts at
cross-country. Welcome to the team, Joe
Hodkinson, Chris Whitlock, John Sharples and George Flanagan. Nine virgins all in one place at the same time?
Could you have resisted saying something Brian?
Also a big welcome
back to cross-country with Wesham to
Norman Bateman. We just need someone
to help him and Dave complete a V60 team. I’m sure someone will step-up
and fill the gap. Also welcome back to Martin
Bates; it’s good to see you running over the country again.
Well that’s it
for now, except to say, well-done and thanks to everyone who ran. We’re now
looking forward to the relays at
Written by: Yvonne and Dave.
Submitted: 29th October 2006-10-29
Edited by: Brenda J
Earnshaw WRR Editor