National Cross Country Championships at Nottingham

Chiltern’s U13 Boys were the heroes of Nottingham at the National Cross Country Championships on Saturday. The team scored a convincing win at a grey and muddy Woollaton Park and Alden Collier added the National title to the Southern he won at the end of January.  The boys were the top team from 44 complete teams from around the country. Zoe Gilbody also ran brilliantly and won the U13 Girls individual title.

The boys race was fifth on the programme and by then the already wet running surface had been thoroughly churned up into a quagmire. The Chiltern boys began positively with Alden always in the leading three and Archie and Euan Pinder well up. By the end Alden had to work very hard to hold off the challenge of Gianleo Stubbs of Shaftesbury Barnet. Archie was an excellent 12th, Euan 39th and Max Baxter 48th. The score of 100 was 60 ahead of second place. Also running well were Alex Hughes (50th), Isaac Jessop-Tranter (80th), Callum Powell (134th), Daniel Munn (161st), and Leon Doran (190th) from 384 finishers.
 
Chiltern’s U13 boys have an enviable record in the event in the past few years, being winners in 2018, silver medallists in 2010, and bronze medallists in 2013 and 2017.

Earlier Chiltern had produced another race winner in the shape of Zoe Gilbody in the U13 Girls race. Zoe ran strongly from the start and won by ten seconds. Frankie Baxter was 12th, Lesedi Nkoane 31st and Savarnah Pandya 163rd to complete the scoring team that was fifth from 32. Also contributing were Beth Togneri (174th), and Lily Jessop-Tranter (200th), from a field of 357. Lucy Wilkinson was also going well but unfortunately had to stop due to dizziness.
 
The third team to threaten the podium were the U15 Girls. Abbie Henderson battled hard for 18th, Holly Henderson was 25th, Maddie Hughes 29th but Alice Brown had a stomach bug midweek and was down on normal form in 127th and the team were fourth from 38 complete teams. Also running well was Ellie Shield in 138th. Just two Chiltern U15 boys faced the starter, Mac Nisbet in 46th and Oakley Denson in 195th.
 
To complete the Chiltern presence Sophie Morton ran in the U20 Women’s race and was a creditable 90th.