Ally Pally Met League madness - joyful and triumphant

There was a massive Heathside turn out on Saturday afternoon for the last Met league of 2012, not surprisingly really, as, happily for us, it was based right on our doorstep.  Whether fired up by all that pre-Christmas alcohol or the slightly warmer weather had defrosted everyone, or maybe the knee-deep mud was an extra challenge – whatever the reason, we had over 100 Heathsiders taking part, and we had many terrific performances on a very tough course. As Chris has written a full and frank super-enthusiastic  race report I won't steal his thunder or bore you with duplicating any of  it- read the full uncensored version below!

I have had no other information about any other race participation over the weekend (apart from the Parkruns) which must be a record in itself. Full results of all races are listed at the end - please note that no times were given for any of the U13, U15 or U17 Ladies races in the Ally Pally Met League. Also apologies for anyone I may have missed off, or to anyone who was in fact racing at the weekend but didn't get their results to me.

[Ladies - check out the announcements section of the site for last minute entry calls for the Middlesex and National XC Champs! Don't miss out!]

Ton-Up and No Dilly-Dally at Ally Pally -  report by Chris Hartley

Met League Race Three Saturday 15th December, Alexandra Palace

Let's start with a bit of shameless trumpet-blowing:

First - Sarah Swinhoe (Women's V40 category)
First - Jackie Wastell (Women's V50 category)
First - Women's Vets A-team, Div 1
First - Senior Men's B-team, Div 2
First - Men's Vets A-team, Div 1

Pats on the back all-round for London Heathside: a huge turnout saw over ONE HUNDRED of our Juniors, Senior Women  and Senior Men taking part in some fantastic races - some kind of record, surely. Not only that, but the club had  some truly outstanding individual and team races, putting many of our teams in a satisfyingly strong position going  into the Christmas break.The course at Ally Pally was challenging, to say the least. Rare dry weather during the  week couldn't last, and Friday saw another deluge, which left the course saturated, slippery, and very muddy in places. Even the longest spikes could not prevent a few runners from falling on the treacherous downhill section of the course. The heavy conditions drained strength from even the hardiest of legs, and reduced the pace up the hill to Alexandra Palace to little more than a crawl. Simply finishing the race was a challenge. For the club to produce so many outstanding runs is a truly impressive achievement. Athletes and coaches alike, take a bow!

Starting with the Juniors, Heathside fielded four competitors in the Under-13 Boys race (3km), with Isaac Costley leading the club home with a 12th place finish in a field of 50 in a time of 11.08. The team finished sixth on the day and now stands 10th in the League. In the Under-13 Girls race (3km), Molly Sherman led four Heathside athletes home with a 22nd place finish in a field of 35. The team finished 7th, to stand 9th in the League after three meetings.Only two Heathside men took part in the Under-17 Men's race (4km), with Jasper Crockford finishing 48th, and Leon Brocklehurst 49th (25th Under-15) in a field of 56. The team now lies 13th in the League. It was a different story in the Under-17 Women's race (4km), with another superb performance from Lucy Carter, who finished 5th in a field of 35 (3rd Under-15), Rachel Seckl (7th), Lily Beckford (16th), Yanna Raykov (17th), Ottavia Laidler (18th and 8th Under-15), and Genevieve Weston (20th and 10th Under-15). The Under-17 Women's team finished second and stands third in the league, a mere 6 points behind Woodford Green in second. Congratulations, girls! "Let's go for Woodford Green in 2013" (see what I did there?).

The Senior Women's race (6km) saw 25 Heathside athletes pack a field of 156, with some outstanding running across the board. Sue Rust exceeded even the high standards she has set already this season, to finish a superb 6th in a time of 23.20, serving-up her noisy supporters a great battle with the other elites over the final few kilometers. Even with this terrific run under her belt, Sue would probably acknowledge that the run of the day came from Team Manager Sarah Swinhoe, who finished a very impressive 11th overall and 1st Veteran, in a time of 23.56. There were also strong runs from Clare Miller (17th in 24.24), Isobel Rea (22nd in 24.39), Leigh James (24th in 24.45) and Bridgit Napleton (37th in 25.28). It was a pleasure to see Angela Howe back on the course, with a very respectable 43rd place (25.41). Jackie Wastell put in yet another strong showing, finishing 49th overall, in 25.53, and 1st V50. That makes two first places for Heathside in the Women's Vet categories! Caroline White finished 81st and 2nd V55 in a time of 28.04. The Women's A-team finished third on the day, and now lie 4th overall in Divsion One. The B-team stormed to second place in Division Two, and are now fourth after three fixtures. The C-team finished 3rd in Division Three and are fifth overall. In the Vets categories, the Women finished a fabulous 1st, and now stand second in Division One, only 10 points behind leaders Serpentine. Women, are we gonna win this league, or what?! The Vets B-team finished a superb 5th overall, and now lie 8th overall in Division One.

On to the Senior Men now (8km). What can I say, Heathside? I have counted SIXTY finishers. Six-zero. Soixante. We turned the field of 392 into a procession of blue, gold and red. Amazing. The much-anticipated return of Tom Aldred to the team did not disappoint. Tom produced our first top 50 finish of the season, leading the team home in 26th place in a time of 28.38. Congratulations, Tom - good to have you back! Tom inspired great runs from Rob O'Grady (57th in 30.17), Matt Convery (66th in 30.38), and Dan McKeown (72nd in 30.46). If there were a prize for most improved runner in 2012, Dan would be my nomination. George Stewart, as reliable as a Swiss watch, led the Veterans home, finishing 86th in a time of 31.12. Other performances which caught the eye came from Howard Gold (109th in 32.05), and Andy Welshman (125th in 32.36). Special mention must also go to the huge raft of Heathside runners who packed-out the second half of the field but held-off other clubs' runners to facilitate stronger team performances for Heathside's B- and C-teams.

On to the Senior Men's team performances. The A-team, with 7 in the top 100, and all 12 scorers in the top 125, finished 5th in Division 1 and now lie 6th after three meetings. The B-team really shone, finishing first in Division 2. The B-team now stands in 3rd place in Div. 2, with a real chance of promotion to Div 1 next season. Come on men! The C-team finished 3rd in Div. 3, and stand 3rd overall, also with a real chance of promotion. On to the Vets now: the A-team have overcome their early season jitters, and finished first on the day, to stand top of Div 1. The B-team finished fourth in Div 1 (yes, Heathside had TWO teams in the top four!), and now lie 7th in Div 1.
The Vets C-team finished 2nd in Div 2, to lie 3rd after three meetings.

Full results at www.metleague.co.uk/results.html

Congratulations to ALL who took part, including the amazing supporters and marshals. And special thanks to our coaches - Zac, Kabir, Jacob, and everyone who has helped to get us all in such good shape.

Now we can enjoy a well-earned Christmas rest before the challenge resumes in the New Year, at Perivale on 12th January.

Happy Christmas to everyone from Sarah and Chris, your Cross-Country team managers.

RACE RESULTS
Met League Race Three, Saturday 15th December, Alexandra Palace

Under-13 Boys (3km)

12   11:08  Isaac Costley U13
16   11:13 Liam Garrett U13
38   12:16 Antanas Weston U13
41   12:43 Ollie Selby U13  

Under-13 Girls (3km)

22 Molly Sharman  U13
23 Phoebe Crockford U13
26 Ella Conlon  U13
30 Naomi Conlon  U13

Under-15 Boys/Under-17 Men (4km)

48 19.14 Jasper Crockford U17 
49 19.22 Leon Brocklehurst U15 

Under 17  Women/ under 15 women (4km)

5 (3rd under 15) NT Lucy Carter U15 
16 (9th under 17) NT Lily Beckford Under 17      
17 (10th under 17) NT Yanna Raykov U17                       
18 (8th under 15) NT Ottavia Laidler U15                       
20 (10th under 15) NT Genevieve Weston U15

Senior Women/Vet Women/Under-20 Women (6km) 

6   23:20 Sue Rust SEN                                       
11  23:56 Sarah Swinhoe V40 (1st V40)                                                    
17   24:24 Clare Miller SEN                                            
22  24:39 Isobel Rea V35 
24 24:45 Leigh James
37  25:28 Bridgit Napleton V45 (3rd V45)                                                   
43  25:41 Angela Howe V40                         
46   25:46 Elspeth Storrar SEN                              
49  25:53 Jackie Wastell V50 (1st V50)                                                                                  
59   26:45 Fiona Alston SEN                                                                          
67   27:16 Catherine Jeremiah SEN             
69   27:23 Katherine Vinnicombe SEN                      
72   27:37 Jane Higgins SEN                                
76   27:52 Claire Morrissey SEN                                           
81  28:04 Caroline White V55 (2nd V 55)                                           
86   28:32 Claire Thornhill SEN     
87   28:33 Emma Grayson SEN     
88  28:38 Ruth Miller V50       (2nd V50)               
96   29:12 Sarah Guy SEN                         
115  30:07 Ursula Wilson V40               
119  30:28 Caroline Boyle V35  
120   30:32 Charlotte McCrossin SEN        
121  30:37 Joanne Irwin V40                                                 
126  31:05 Barbara Tomaszczyk V50                    
134  31:51 Gabrielle Johnson V40                      
                     
Senior Men/Vet Men/Under-20 Men (8km)                                                                                            
26   28:38 Tom Aldred SEN                                         
57   30:17 Rob O'Grady SEN                       
66   30:38 Matt Convery V35                 
72   30:46 Daniel Mckeown SEN                 
86  31:12 George Stewart V40 (3rd V 40)                
87   31:16 Alex Galloway SEN             
88   31:20 Kevin Gadd SEN                 
104  31:53 Julian Ferraro V45                 
107  32:01 Liam Proudlock V45               
109  32:05 Howard Gold V40               
116   32:15 Tom Bestwick SEN               
121  32:20 Miron Woldemichael U20               
122   32:21 Anthony Hall SEN               
125  32:36 Andy Welshman V45                
129  32:39 Chris Hartley V45                
130  32:40 Jonathan Hopkin V45                
132  32:45 John Flahive V45                   
141   33:00 Adam Mitchell SEN                
153  33:25 Norman Mitchell V50                
156   33:32 Ryan McCrickend SEN                       
159   33:40 Tom Stephenson SEN                
160  33:42 Andy OwenV40 M                      
161   33:43 Marcus Tillotson V35              
170  34:00 Daniel Szajna U20                
171   34:00 Alex Sweet SEN               
183  34:30 Dominic Jackson V45                
186  34:41 Robert Shulman V45                
191   34:51 Alex Weatherill SEN                                                                             
195   34:55 Matt Fassnidge SEN                
196   34:56 Stuart Meiklejohn SEN                
197  34:59 Melvin Wachira U20                                       
204  35:06 Anthony Wilkinson V40                                                                    
214  35:23 Costi Stavrianakis V40                                     
219  35:27 John Driscoll V40                
220  35:28 Andrew Johnson V40                       
221   35:36 Marco Luna SEN                                 
231  36:14 Pete Crockford V50                                   
238  36:25 Stuart Amblin V40                                      
241   36:28 William Whitaker SEN                       
244  36:32 Simon Hazell V40               
257   37:04 Brian Boyle V35 M                   
258   37:09 George Margesson SEN                         
262   37:14 Stephen Meredith V35                          
265  37:20 Paul McCrossin V40                                                                     
268   37:28 Roberto Mienone SEN                                            
270   37:33 Andrew Prystawsky SEN               
275  37:47 David Walton V50                
294   38:26 Andy Carthorpe SEN                
306  38:54 Nick Desausmarez V45                
314  39:22 Marco Maserati V50                
329   39:53 Gavin Parish V35                
332  40:29 Andrew Hudson V50                       
333   40:35 Joe Hine SEN                                            
337  40:49 Nik Skipper V55                     
352  41:58  Maxim Cardew SEN
367  43.35  Izaiah Turner U20
381  45:53 Ken Townson V40
387  48:24 Adrian Essex V60
388  48:43 Tim Nagy V45
                       
PARK RUNS                       
                       
Ally Pally parkrun, 15/12/2012.
24 Lyn EVANS 00:28:54

Brighton & Hove parkrun, 15/12/2012
Mark DERRY 00:20:37
 
Finsbury parkrun, 15/12/2012.8 Carl Andrew HEAP 00:20:31

Gunpowder parkrun, 15/12/2012.8 Di GARDINER 00:24:17

Hackney Marshes parkrun, 15/12/2012.3 Jake Leon Justin LEE 00:20:37

Hampstead Heath parkrun, 15/12/2012.44 Rick BAKER 00:25:59
45 Andrew SULSTON 00:26:05

Highbury Fields parkrun, 15/12/2012.4 David HELLARD 00:19:14
7 Brian HEFFERNAN 00:19:39

Results for Pymmes parkrun, 15/12/2012.7 Brian BOYLE 00:23:57