Wet wet win

Cross Country - Leeds Relays

By Matty Sutton

Leeds teams ran well on home ground at the weekend against tough competition. The Women’s A team were overall winners while Leeds’ Men’s A came in fourth.

            The 3 km course was run on grass on the Bodington fields and included a brutal 100 metre hill on the final stretch.

            Near constant rain prior to the race and a freezing fog on the day made for tough conditions and a boggy course that hindered the achievement of fast times.

            The event, organized entirely by Leeds students and associates went smoothly, with a great turn out from Leeds runners as well as local teams and British universities.

            The three-member Women’s A team completed the three leg relay in a time of 38 minutes 57 seconds. Mary Ferrier, Leeds Women’s Race Captain ran in as second fastest woman with a time of 12.25.

            Mary commented that she was “very proud” of all the teams and said it had been a “great day all round”. She gave special mention to “veteran runner” Sarah Graham and Katrine Suave, a foreign student who is studying in Leeds for this semester.

            The Women’s E team beat the D team with help from Sarah Graham who ran the third leg for the E team immediately after racing for the A’s.

            The six-runner Men’s teams ran well with the A team placing fourth out of 23 teams.

            Dave Burtle, the Men’s Race Captain, praised Alex Bellow for his rapid 10.55 lap and said he was “really impressed by the first year”.

            He said the men’s performance was excellent considering the “pretty horrible conditions.”

            Club Captain Max Sanders congratulated volunteers for the day’s success which was a tribute to the hard work of the whole club.