Please see the results and report from the latest race here: results nov -19 2011
Last Saturday was the third race in the Advisa Hepburn Oracle Cross Country series. The race was set in the immaculate grounds of St. Ouen Manor and another glorious warm autumn day saw a massive turn out with seventy nine runners completing the course with quite a few of these runners new to the event. The weather was amazing and one can recollect last year’s November race at the same venue when snow lay on the ground.
The course was an anti-clockwise loop with the start adjacent to the car park. The course then meandered through the woods before dropping down to the lake and then circum navigating the manor. There was then a steep climb up the manor steps, a sharp right turn and climb along the grass verge before turning one hundred and eighty degrees and finishing down a steep descent on the tarmac road to the finish.
The 7/8 age group ran one loop, the 9/10 age group two laps and the older children three laps.
The first race underway was the 7/8 age group with the boys starting thirty seconds in front of the girls. Thirteen boys completed the run with Luke Killian leading Jacob Stanton by about ten feet at the turn. Both runners accelerated on the descent and Jacob caught Luke near the finish only for Luke to sprint again and win by five seconds. Aaron Poole was comfortable in third place. Some of the faster girls caught the slower boys and in an exciting finish Lily Scott just proved too strong for Ellie Boustouler. Tilly Bertram held off the pack for third place,
The second two lap race was again started with the boys some sixty seconds in front of the girls due to a very large entry of twenty four boys. By the turn on the second lap Isaac Du Val had a commanding lead but on the descent a group of seven boys led by Jack Hardisty took off in pursuit and with each runner pushing his colleagues along it looked as if Isaac might be caught at the line. Amongst the cheers Isaac just had enough juice left in his tank to win by two seconds from Jack with Tom Webster narrowly taking third place by one second. The girls’ race was more clear cut with Florence Gothard winning by a large margin of thirty six seconds from Jennifer Cullen and Adele Maher.
The final race of the day saw nineteen runners grind out the three laps. In the 11-12 age group William Brown was just too strong for Sam Maher leading him home by nine seconds with Joe Hugh in third place. In the girls race Brooker Lidster looked to have the race in the bag but again on the descent Yasmin Lookess just failed to catch her on the line. Amber O’Driscoll was placed in the third position. Florence’s older sister won the Girls 13-14 age group from Ella Nichols.
After the race Trevor Griggs from Advisa Hepburn Oracle presented four glorious yellow shoulder bags as spot prizes, followed by the medal ceremony and luck draw cinema tickets. The next race in the series takes place at Queen’s Valley with runners check in the lower car park beneath the dam. This will take place on 10th December 2011 at check in time of 12:45.
For further details contact Peter Hinds on 862436 or email [email protected].
