Potter's back but McGonagle's the new Met league magician

There was such a good turn-out for the 2nd Met League that barely any other races get a mention this weekend. You might need a brew to accompany Captain Chris’s epic report.

Apart from scenic Stevenage, Heathsiders (g)raced the Athens Marathon, Royal Parks Winter 10k and the Winter Ballbuster. See the bottom of the page for those events. In the meantime, hope you’ve got that brew ready – here comes the Met League report.

Met League, Stevenage

Well over a hundred Heathsiders braved the squally weather to make the trip to Stevenage on Saturday, and they were rewarded for their efforts with some magnificent individual and team performances. The course at Stevenage is relatively flat, and the lack of mud allowed the road specialists amongst us to give the off-road masters a decent run for their money for once. Collectively we upped our game after the solid start we made at Claybury in October, and we now have a real platform to build on as the season progresses. Huge thanks to EVERYONE who took part, including our helpers and supporters, and in particular those who were giving the Met League a go for the first time. It was a privilege for me to be a part of another really impressive Heathside team effort.

Ruairi McGonagle continues to be the rising star amongst the Juniors at Heathside, winning the popular new Under-11s Boys and Girls race at a canter for the second time. Ruairi led the 94-strong field by 8 seconds over the 1500m course, and was backed-up on the day by Arthur Reed (32nd), Oliver O’Connor (37th) and Rose Garrett (42nd and 11th girl from 38 taking part). This race, which was only introduced this season, is already proving a great success. If you have kids who are 9 or 10 years old, and they fancy giving cross-country a go, bring them along next time.

Elsewhere amongst the Juniors, the highlights were Genevieve Weston’s 36th place finish from 65 competitors in the Under-17 Women’s race. Phoebe Crockford (39th, and 21st from the 44 Under-15s taking part) also impressed. In the Under-17 Men’s race, Johnny Naylor led an 8-strong team home, finishing 33rd from 87 finishers. Liam Garrett is adjusting well to the older age group, finishing 34th, and 10th from the 35 Under-15s involved. Liam is a superb runner in the making, mark my words. The Under-17 Heathside team finished 8th from the 22 teams competing on the day, and now stand 7th from 23 teams with two fixtures completed. Nice one, lads!

The Senior Women’s race (6km, 188 finishers) proved to be another success for Heathside, with 28 Women turning out for the club. We have no less than three Senior Women’s teams, and two Vets teams competing in the Met League, so we need everyone to get involved! If you know anyone who is wondering about trying cross-country, encourage them to give it a go: the Senior Women’s race is a lot of fun (though I say that as a spectator myself!).

Back to Stevenage. Ni’ia Hothersall proved once again that Kiwis really can fly by charging around the fields and woods to finish in a magnificent 9th place in an elite field bulked up by guests from Cambridge University. My only complaint is that Ni’ia didn’t save a piece of her home-made post-race banana loaf for me! Moving on. Behind Ni’ia, Rachel Seckl once again showed why she is a serious prospect, with a 29th place finish. Rachel has only just stepped-up from the Under-17 category this season and already she’s troubling the upper reaches of the senior race: that’s how good she is. The six Women’s A-team berths were completed by Rachel Newstead (32nd), Cathy Jeremiah (36th, and benefitting from smart training on Thursday, for which, rightly or wrongly, I am claiming credit), Rebecca Bunting (43rd), and Leigh James (45th, and defying her ‘I don’t like cross-country claim’ by showing why we like it when she takes part anyway). Props also go to Lily Beckford (67th), a 400 metres specialist who is no slouch at cross-country, and Yanna Raykov (76th), who left the luxury and beauty of Trinity College Cambridge for an afternoon in the rain with us lot at Stevenage. Further down the field there were impressive performances from Vets Jackie Wastell (80th, and everyone’s new favourite Power of Thirteen Fantasy Met League pick), Caroline White (103rd), and Jo Irwin (121st). Welcome back to Jane Higgins (86th), who returned to cross-country after a lengthy spell of injury (Jane pulled up in the National Champs back in February!) and ran as if she’d never been away.

On to the all-important team results. Despite missing the talents of Sue Rust and Sarah Swinhoe with injuries, the Women’s A-team once again finished a magnificent 3rd in Division One, and remain 3rd after two fixtures, only 54 points behind leaders H*ghgate. That title is still there to be won if we can get everyone fit before Ni’ia leaves these shores in December. The Women’s B-team finished 8th in Division One, but are 9th from 10 teams after two fixtures, with two going down at the end of the season. The gap between Heathside B and safety is only 11 points though. Ladies - we CAN avoid the drop, but only if we train well, turn up, and race well. No pressure! Our C-Team finished a solid 5th in Division Two and sit 5th after two fixtures. We need lots more Heathsiders to push our competitors further back down the field.

In the Women’s Vets competition, Heathside A finished 3rd in Division One, and remain 3rd after two fixtures. We are struggling a little after winning the title last season, so the return of Sue Rust and Sarah Swinhoe would be doubly welcome. In the meantime, Bridgit Napleton, Jackie Wastell, Emilia Vyinycky, Caroline White, Caroline Boyle and others are doing a fantastic job of keeping us in the hunt. The Vets B-Team finished 5th in Division One, and sits a comfortable 6th after two fixtures.

On to the Senior Men’s Race (8km, 442 finishers). 61 Heathsiders (that’s SIXTY-ONE) took part - a fantastic turnout. Men, I am impressed, truly impressed.

In what is a very competitive front-end of the Men’s field this season (augmented at Stevenage by some nippy students from Cambridge), a top 50 finish is a real prize. Tom Aldred, returning from his half marathon success, finished 39th in a time of 27.49. The standout performance on the day, however, (and I think Tom will agree) was from Adam Kirk-Smith, who finished 43rd, only 6 seconds behind Tom. Adam is only going to improve as the season wears on, so there’s much to be excited about. Also running well this season is Chris Norris, who blew away his track training companions with a 68th place finish, ahead of the ever-dependable George Stewart (71st). Not for the first time, George was the first Vet to finish - congratulations. A special mention to Matt Convery, who takes his leave from Heathside this month to return to Australia. Matt bowed-out from the Met League with a superb 80th place finish. Bon voyage, Matt! You’ll be missed.

The Men’s A team was completed by James Wooldridge (86th and still not 20 years old - very impressive), Dan Madams (102nd - he CAN run cross-country. Who knew?!), Mike Stocks (105th), Andrew Brooker (113th), Martin Potter, a very welcome return from injury with a typically dogged 116th place finish, Simon Nash, improving rapidly at 120th, and Ryan McCrickerd, another bright prospect, finishing 127th. Chris Hartley (135th) again showed why he is everyone’s first choice in the Fantasy Met League by scoring maximum points, coming in 13th for Heathside, i.e. first in the B-team.

Behind Chris were a few who might have fancied their chances at finishing ahead of him but didn’t. Sam Thompson (142nd), Richard McCaulay (205th), Jonathan Hopkin (210th), ahem. Next time, gentlemen, next time. Nonetheless, there were many impressive performances further down the field. Matt Collins made his debut with a solid 148th finish. Jonathan Litchfield (222nd) is improving as the season wears on, and Gavin Evans continued to defy his preference for tarmac surfaces with a solid 191st place. A pleasure to see Pete Crockford back at the Met League again after injury (he was at Claybury, I know, but I overlooked his comeback in the race report). Adrian Essex made up the back of the Heathside field with a 429th place finish, in a time of 43.44. Sadly this meant that Adrian missed the team photo, which was taken before he finished. No offense, Adrian. It’s just that some of the men were ready to go home!! It’s the run that counts, though, and yours is as valued as any. So thank you!

Right, team results.

The Senior Men’s A-team finished an improved 4th on the day and now sit in 5th spot in Division One, within touching distance of Shaftesbury Barnet in fourth. This season’s success story so far, however, is the B-team, who finished 2nd in Div. Two, and are third after two races, with a chance of promotion - which would be amazing. Train smart, men, and play Chase the Captain for a piece of B-team action! Heathside C, newly promoted from Division Three, finished 7th in Division Two on the day, and are 8th after two races. We need to work very hard here to avoid relegation, so everyone’s race counts.

In the Vets categories, Heathside had a great day, with the A-team finishing first in Division One, and the B-team third. Is a Heathside A/Heathside B one-two a possibility this season? You bet it is! Come on, you fabulous - if slightly weathered - men of 40 or more summers. We can do this! Heathside’s C-team finished an impressive 6th in Division One, and sit 7th from 10 teams after two races.

Finally, on behalf of all who ran, I’d like to offer my thanks to Our Glorious Leader, Jerry Il Sung, for his fantastic support, and to everyone else who helped out. Jacob Howe deserves a special mention for his patience in distributing the race numbers. Nice one, coach!

There’s a six week gap now until the next Met League meeting in Uxbridge on 20th December. Take the opportunity to enjoy some Championship races. Train well, rest well, and bask in the warm glow of being loved by your running club. Oh, and get someone else to come along with you next time, too! Heathside motto: ‘Pack the spikes, pack the field, pack the pub!’

Results

Under-11 Boys and Girls (1500m, 94 finished, 38 Girls)

1st Ruairi McGonagle 7.01

32nd Arthur Reed 7.57

37th Oliver O’Connor 8.05

42nd Rose Garret (11th Girl) 8.10

Under-13 Girls (3000m, 45 finished)

32nd Ella Conlon 14.53

Under-17 Women (4000m, 65 finished, 44 under-15)

36th Genevieve Weston 18.00

39th Phoebe Crockford (21) 18.15

40th Meg Naylor (22) 18.15

50th Holly Conroy-House (30)19.32

54th Rachel Finke (33) 19.48

58th Naomi Conlon (37) 21.15

Under-17 Men (4000m, 87 finished, 35 under-15)

33rd Johnny Naylor 14.47

34th Liam Garret (10) 14.49

37th William Griffiths 14.56

38th Jake Reynolds 15.01

39th Miles Calderazzo 15.06

44th Jacob Phillips 15.21

47th Luke Grey 15.25

80th Marco Dryburgh 17.56

Senior Women (6000m, 188 finished)

9th Ni’ia Hothersall 22.41

29th Rachel Seckl 24.02

32nd Rachel Newstead 24.06

36th Cathy Jeremiah 24.17

43rd Rebecca Bunting 24.29

44th Leigh James 24.31

67th Lily Beckford 25.43

73rd Bridgit Napleton 25.54

76th Yanna Raykov 26.06

80th Jackie Wastell 26.31

85th Lyndall Alston 26.45

86th Jane Higgins 26.50

91st Emilia Vyinycky 27.11

98th Alice Lighton 27.28

103rd Caroline White 27.28

106th Catherine Doherty 27.59

106th Caroline Boyle 27.59

119th Agi Palanki 28.44

120th Noelle O’Regan 28.45

121st Jo Irwin 28.45

123rd Louise Waldman 28.53

130th Edyta Szot 29.09

134th Chloe Adler 29.22

139th Fiona Holland 39.35

161st Shelley Fennel 31.10

171st Alison Harrow 32.56

172nd Laura Boothman 33.58

177th Helen Kehoe 35.43

Senior Men (8000m, 442 finished)

39th Tom Aldred 27.49

43rd Adam Kirk-Smith 27.55

68th Chris Norris 28.49

74th George Stewart 28.59

80th Matt Convery 29.08

86th James Wooldridge 29.15

102nd Dan Madams 29.50

105th Mike Stocks 29.54

113rd Andrew Brooker 30.00

116th Martin Potter 30.03

120th Simon Nash 30.10

127th Ryan McCrickerd 30.18

135th Chris Hartley 30.27

142nd Sam Thompson 30.38

148th Matt Collins 30.44

149th Mark Anderson 30.46

170th Steve Armstrong 31.14

172nd Tom Fancett 31.17

183rd Dave Browne 31.41

191st Gavin Evans 31.48

204th Rob Shulman 32.18

205th Richard Macaulay 32.18

208th Dominic Jackson 32.19

212th Jonathan Hopkin 32.21

215th Stuart Meiklejohn 32.23

221st Alan Whatmough 32.34

222nd Jonathan Litchfield 32.36

226th Norman Mitchell 32.42

227th Mario Cadete 32.42

230th Nelson Wandasiewicz 32.48

232nd Tony Killilea 32.49

238th Andrew Dunderdale 32.58

242nd Adam Ibrahim 33.02

245th Gareth Marshall 33.06

245th Lee Connor 33.06

251st Tim Marshall 33.09

257th Ray Yau 33.25

260th Joe McKeown 33.30

275th Kris Milovsorov 33.41

280th Jim Connell 33.49

285th Patrick Waldron 34.00

288th Marco Luna 34.07

295th Jacob Howe 34.16

301st William Wagstaff 34.33

305th Andrew Johnson 34.35

309th Mark George 34.46

323rd Anthony Chaimowitz 35.17

335th Gavin Parish 35.55

336th David Hallam 35.58

341st Pete Crockford 36.20

348th Simon Hazell 36.30

355th Russell Weston 36.46

357th Brian Boyle 36.50

362nd Elliot Reed 36.58

367th Oliver Pound 37.14

369th Ed Byne (Guest) 37.19

402nd Leo Pemberton 39.11

409th Simon Bailey 39.57

411th Ken Townson 40.10

429th Adrian Essex 43.44

Other races:

Costi Stavriankis completed the Athens Marathon in 2.59:30 “Hot, lots of uphill and cramped up in last 6 miles, but managed to squeeze in just under 3 hours”.

Louisa Pointon did the Royal Parks Winter 10k in Greenwich Park, finishing 58th in 46.07.

Of the Ballbuster, John reports: “Competitors set off at 8am and complete 5  8 mile circuits of Box Hill, 2 on foot and 3 on the bike with extra bonuses of rain and leaves on the road plus Surrey 4x4 drivers adding to the excitement on the blind corners.We all survived and made it home in one piece but none of us were very productive for the rest of Saturday!”

Results : 8 mile run / 24 mile cycle / 8 mile run

John Driscoll 3.11:16  (50.13 / 1.25.25 / 53.13)  36/413  AG 4/72

Chris Hewertson 3.29.19 (59.31 / 1.22.17 / 1.04.07)   143/413   AG 21/55

Sandra Buckton 4.21.43 (1.10.11 / 1.48.56 / 1.18.18) AG 5/8   43/58

Parkruns:

This week’s results can be found at: ParkRun