Race report: Round 3 of the Southern Cross Country League

Words by Aaron Webb, winner of round 3.

Conditions were cloudy and humid in round 3 of the Southern Cross Country League at Bourne woods. A turnout of 11 from the club made up a small but determined team.

As we all lined up, the start line was a sea of colour with athletes in club vests huddled, desperately trying to stay warm and out the wind. The gun went and several sharp corners and narrow muddy tracks saw plenty of nerves and jostling for position. I decided to go out hard leading from the off, on the basis that a fairly muddy course meant finding the fastest (and driest) line with limited space. The fast start meant I didn’t have to worry about squeezing past people in the later stages of the race.

Heading out onto the main loop  at kilometer 2 (now in second) gave way to long muddy sections and a brutal climb at kilometer 3. I managed to power up the hill and settled into a fast but comfortable pace to try and chase down the leader.

With about 2 km to go, and back in the lead, I looked round to see an empty path behind me. However it was still too early to celebrate as I knew those behind would be finishing fast, so I pushed on with my legs now starting to burn. 

Less than 1km to go, at the top of the final climb I look back to see a sizable gap to second and third. “Could this be it? Can I actually win?”. Rounding the final corner and with a quick sprint to the finish I had done it. Finishing 1st overall and delighted to see Alex Thompson take second place. A one-two for the club!!

Within 5 minutes though I was rather cold again and had to layer up and seek shelter under the catering gazebo.

Overall, this was one of those races where resilience mattered. The weather and course won’t live long in the memory, but the results certainly will. A very solid day’s work from the club with full teams in the male and female race.