On Saturday 25th October, the North London Cross Country Championships were held at Trent Park. The event provided ideal autumn cross-country conditions this year, the ground was firm underfoot, not too muddy and though the skies threatened throughout, the rain held off until everyone finished. A great turnout and atmosphere made for a competitive race!
Jess Gaffney (21st place senior) led the Hillingdon women home with a strong, confident run. Her new shoes clearly paid off, helping her handle the drier course well and finish inside the top 25. Melanie Spencer (23rd place, 9th Master) was the second HAC woman home, with another consistent performance from, finishing just two places behind Jess and well inside the top 10 masters. Caroline Ford (26th place, 12th Master) continued her reliable cross-country form, maintaining pace throughout and adding valuable points for the team. Hollie Ford (35th place senior) produced a solid effort from, rounding out the senior scoring positions and helping secure a competitive team result. Zoe Dobbs (38th place, 20th master) showed great determination, holding position through the later stages and contributing strongly to the masters’ points tally. Andrea Capera Patino (57th place, 37th master) in her first ever cross-country race, Andrea tackled the course with enthusiasm and completed the team effort, rounding off an an excellent debut performance.
Team Results
Senior Women’s Team: 6th place (Score 105)
Masters Team: 4th place
With improving conditions and several standout individual performances, it was a rewarding day for Hillingdon AC’s women. The team showed great depth and camaraderie, with Andrea making her debut, there’s clear momentum building for the rest of the cross-country season!
Dan Thompson was the sole representative for Hillingdon AC men, finishing in 22nd place in a field of 95. Unfortunately this marks us as a non-scoring result due to a lack of participants.
Cross Country season is now well underway, with numerous races being held, a reminder to all that if you are signing up for races, please make every effort to attend. Injuries, illnesses and other circumstances may intervene, however we have seen a high dropout race in the last couple of weeks, in which has cost the club significantly in entries. We look forward towards the upcoming fixtures!
