ECCA Men's National Cross Country Relay Championship, Berry Hill Park, Mansfield
Claret & gold remains prominent at national level
Alan Mead reports: The drama began early when a phone call to Paskar, not yet present just before the train was about to leave St Pancras, revealed that he was just getting out of the shower – at home in Roehampton – thinking the race was on Sunday. Following swiftly given instructions he donned his kit, leaped onto his bike and pedalled furiously to Putney where he locked his steed and then rode the tubes, East Midlands Trains and taxi, arriving 45 minutes before he was due to race. While the latter stages of this entertainment was going on the remainder of our quartet warmed up confident of a top six place and maybe a shot at the medals.
The start had been moved yet again in the evolution of this course and we now believe the race distance to be somewhere around 30 seconds per stage longer than when we set the course record in 2003. As the gun fired and the first stagers of 184 teams climbed towards the top of the first loop a claret streak shot from the pack as if fired from a cross bow and with not a minute gone Nick Goolab had thrown down a challenge that was to be totally ignored. Ripping around the first 2.5k circuit he was 10 seconds clear of the pack and it stretched to 12 before the race to the line pulled him back a couple of ticks. It was a great run from Nick that stood up as second best of the day.
We all knew that Mark Pollard would be in the firing line after our expected strong start and he had the most unenviable task of all – hanging on as best he could while under attack. Andi Jones of Stockport slowly pulled him back but the real turbulence was just a little bit further down where Aldershot’s Andy Vernon was creating havoc, moving up from 18th, to 10th to 3rd and dragging a whole flurry of runners with him as he progressed. His second circuit saw him inevitably surge into a lead which AFD were not to lose – and in Vernon’s wake Polly found himself mugged by Sale, Bristol & West, Sale, Bedford, Luton and Shaftesbury Barnet.
An unshaven Paskar, showing no other signs of his hasty flight from London, was soon running smoothly and overhauled the latter two clubs but those left ahead were all serious contenders for medals and it was going to take something extraordinary now to make further advancement. Kris Gauson was keen to take on the anchor role, having flown round the course at Cumbernauld the previous week in the Scottish relay. He flew past runner after runner, but they were all lapped men and although the gap came down to those ahead we couldn’t gain any more positions.
As it happened, Bristol & West had fallen foul of the entry rules and we were thus promoted from 6th to 5th. So, excellent running from our men and claret & gold remains prominent in the big races.
1 Aldershot F&D AC 1:02:54.05; 2 Sale H Manchester 1:03:21.45; 3 Bedford & C AC 1:03:55.35; 4 Stockport H & AC 1:04:28.70; 5 Belgrave H 1:04:46.60; 6 Notts AC 104:52.85; ... 184 teams started; 157 teams finished.
N Goolab 15:24.05; M Pollard 16:51.60; P Owor 16:22.65; K Gauson 16:08.30.
Fastest: 1 A Vernon (Aldershot F&D AC) 15:02.10; 2 N Goolab (Belgrave H) 15:24.05; 3 D Garbutt (Durham City H & AC) 15:34.15; 4 A O'Gorman (Stockport H & AC) 15:35.70; 5 J Hay (Aldershot F&D AC) 15:38.50; 6 J McDonnell Luton AC) 15:39.50.
Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.