Weekend update
At the British Athletics Cross Challenge in Milton Keynes, Mahamed Mahamed (handicap -5.2) made immediate progress on the British Athletics Cross Challenge series as he won the Milton Keynes leg with Kate Avery (handicap -0.1) also victorious. Over in Belfast, Adam Craig (handicap -5.0) and Michelle Finn (Ireland) were impressive winners on a soggy Dundonald course at the Bobby Rea International Cross Country event..
Mahamed Mahamed opened up the cross series with a second place behind Marc Scott (handicap -5.6) in Cardiff last month but was not to be beaten in Milton Keynes as she surged to victory in 29:37.
He is clearly fond of the course at Teardrop Lakes having won on the previous two occasions and there was to be no stopping his run to a third win in a row.
Sam Stabler (handicap -3.2), who was also in Cardiff, pushed the favourite all the way but had to settle for second in 29:42 while Tom Evans (handicap -3.2) and Jack Gray (handicap -5.4) rounded off a top four who all went under 30 minutes.
Like Mahamed Mahamed, Avery clearly likes the Milton Keynes race as she ensured it was two from two for her personally with victory in a tight women’s race.
Avery, winner last year and back out on the cross country circuit, picked up her first victory of the year at Teardrop Lakes in 20:11, pushed all the way by training partner Amy Griffiths (handicap -0.7), who was second in 20:15.
Bronwen Owen (handicap 0.9) completed the top three with 20:18 while Emily Hosker-Thornhill (handicap -0.7) was fourth in 20:29.
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There was a great win for Scotland's Adam Craig (handicap -5.0) at the Bobby Rea International XC in the Belfast suburbs near Stormont. Craig ran the muddy course in 29:56 ahead of the Wales duo of James Hunt (handicap -5.0) and Ieuan Thomas (handicap -4.7).
Ireland’s World Championship steeplechaser, Michelle Finn powered home in 19:11 to take the podium honours in the women’s race. Mhairi MacLennan (handicap -0.3) was just behind in 19:14 comfortably holding off Northern Ireland's Fionnuala Ross (handicap -0.2) who completed the course in 19:35.
At the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca in Spain, Charlotte Arter (handicap -1.9) continued her fine run of recent form as she finished seventh as the highest European, in the mountains in northern Spain. She was joined in Spain by fellow Brit Jenny Nesbitt (handicap -1.4), who was two places behind in ninth.
At the Lindsays Scottish Athletics National Short Course Cross Country Championships, Andrew Butchart (handicap -6.9) claimed his second win of the winter, on his second appearance since the IAAF World Championships in Doha.
Butchart, victorious at the Scottish East District League in October, was once again dominant as he took on another cross country race in Kirkcaldy, winning a tight 4k race in 11:54.
The Olympic finalist was pushed all the way by Sol Sweeney (handicap -4.5), who finished second in 11:55, and Carl Avery (handicap -5.0), who was one place behind in 11:58. Butchart’s effort also helped the senior men’s team from Central AC take victory.
In the women’s race, there was a Fife AC one-two as Annabel Simpson (handicap 0.3) won in 13:57, seven seconds ahead of clubmate Jenny Selman (handicap 0.5), although Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds were the most consistent club and would take the team title.
Some of the bigger vents over the weekend were:
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- 2,022 |
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- 1,709 |
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- 1,430 |
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- 1,335 |
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- 1,118 |
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- 1,081* |
* Provisional
Other results via the following links: