Belles are National Cross Country Relays champions for third consecutive year
Belgrave Harriers retained the national cross country relay title to make it three in a row in Mansfield.
Sophie Hicks, Sarah Astin and Kate Axford made up the winning team; the latter two have been ever present in the three victorious teams since 2023.
It was another successful day for the Belles in the National 3-Stage Cross-Country relay at Mansfield, the A team winning for the third successive year and the B team 11th out of 122 teams, ahead of all the other B teams.
Mansfield avoided the heavy overnight rain in the South and conditions were good on a bright, sunny blustery day. The course was much firmer than usual and altered slightly with an extra short loop coming out of the woods compensated for earlier on to keep the distance 3km. A few logs for runners to jump over were another addition.
With lead off runner, Sophie Hicks just recently being selected to run for her native New Zealand in the World Cross-Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida in January, the team with Sarah Astin and Kate Axford was made up o three full Internationals.
Sophie got the team off to an excellent start running 30 seconds faster than in the race last year. Holly Dixon of Cambridge set a ferocious pace with Herne Hill's Saskia Millard. Sophie kept her head sticking with the small chasing group, then closed on the Herne Hill runner over the last hilly grass section keeping their lead over Belgrave down to just 4 seconds at the change over in 5th place.
With several teams including Cambridge putting their fastest runners in the first leg, it took Sarah Astin less than 800m to move into first place ahead of Herne Hill. She then powered away to carve out a massive lead of 28 seconds at the end of the second leg.
Herne Hill had kept their fastest runner Lucy Jones, who had only recently returned form altitude training, to the final stage. She ran well, the third fastest stage of the afternoon, but was unable to catch Kate Axford. Kate's leg was easily the fastest of the day and she extended the Belles lead to 46 seconds at the end of the race. It was another comprehensive victory for the Belgrave team.
The Belles also had a very strong B team. Alex Barbour ran an excellent first leg finishing net very far behind Sophie in 11th position.
On another day Alex could have easily ran for the A team. Alex handed over to Molly Canham, ran much quicker than she did last year in a time of under 11 minutes. She was followed by Alex Gandee, racing here for the first time pulled the team back to finish an excellent 11th position at the end. We had by some distance the fastest B team in the country.
Photos by Charlie McCarthy
