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January 2007
Repeat
performance by Halligan
No major shocks at this years IOM Cross Country
championships at Glenlough in Glen Vine, as predicted John Halligan
repeated his victory of last year with a comfortable win over fell
runner Simon Skillicorn. Halligan started tentively behind a large
group of athletes who had to cope with the freezing cold and
increasingly muddy conditions they disappeared deep into Glenlough
only to re appear with Halligan about 30 metres in front of
Skillicorn and Kevin Loundes with Gianni Epifani and Darren Gray a
further ten metres behind. As the race progressed Halligan pulled
away increasing his lead by about thirty metres a lap, meanwhile
veteran athlete Andy Fox was moving up through the field to
challenge for third it was without doubt the run of the day some of
the athletes in front of him are twenty years his junior but he
battled every step of the way to claim third place and the veterans
Championship, Loundes just held off Epifani for fourth with Darren
Gray sixth. Local Tri-athlete Russell Collister also had a great run
to finish ninth and second vet home just four seconds behind another
runner having a good run Andy Watson. Manx Harriers took a clean
sweep of all the team medals as they took all but one of the top ten
places. The ladies race was won by Sarah Nelson her first major
championship win, Nelson had a race long battle with team mate Gail
Griffiths who struggled on the heavy ground in the final stages due
to lay off with injury over the last five weeks, third was Dawn
Yates who along with Bridget Kaneen fourth made it a comfortable
team victory for the Harriers.
Under 17 boys winner Ryan Fairclough the
starlet of the Northern Athletic Club was given a shock by local
junior tri-athlete Sam Brand running in his first cross country race
outside of school he pushed Fairclough to the limits, Fairclough
just had that little extra in the closing stages to take the title.
Conor Delanbanque had a comfortable win in the under 15 boys race as
did Rachael Franklin in the under 15 girls, it was elbows out for
the runners up spot behind Franklin as Bronwen Kaneen stumbled into
Pollyanna Rogerson in the sprint finish both girls were going flat
out for the line Kaneen was given the verdict after a judges
enquiry. Then came the minor upsets Jack Garrett has won every round
of the cross country this season but newcomer Nathan Pierce from QE2
had other ideas and recorded a six seconds victory over Garrett in
the under 13 boys race. With Sarah Astin away competing in the UK
cross country Challenge who would take her title? Emily Ashe was the
odds on favourite but Ashe could only finish fourth behind Maxine
Smalley of Western AC third and Caitriona Cox who put in a
remarkable performance to finish runner up to Hannah Scarlett of QE2
High School. Alice Ashe won the under 11 girls race from Laura Cain
with Alexandra Ross third.
There’s nothing better to warm you up on a
freezing cold day if you’re the organising club than your members
winning medals and Western Athletic Club were rewarded with a
treble, Shaun Moore won the under 11 boys race by five seconds from
Mark Turner of Northern AC who just beat Alex Price in a sprint
finish, then Will Morris first and team mate Ben Stevenson second
had a thrilling race in the under 9 boys only a second between them
at the finish, and then to give them their third gold medal in a row
came Marissa Stevenson in the girls race winning by just four
seconds from Ruth Nathan Manx Harriers and Amy Smith of Western AC
third.
A disappointing part of the day was the medal
ceremonies it was so cold that many parents disappeared with the
athletes before they could be presented and then they were scrapped
altogether in favour of giving them out at the Annual prize
presentation in April.
Thanks to our hosts Western Athletic Club for a
great course, Bernie Shimell our Chief Time keeper and the most
important lady on the day the one giving out the hot soup.
The next round of the Manx Gas Challenge is
Sunday 11th February on Pulrose Golf Course in Douglas,
not the 4th as advertised in a few places. |