And so summer is drawing to an end, the autumn road races are upon us, and our minds start to turn to what's next.
Luckily, Cross Country season has come round again with a mix of local London fixtures and the 5 Chiltern League fixtures that take place further afield (a muddy field).
Why run cross country?
There are so many reasons, not least it's one of the best ways to build up your core strength and stamina - it's a great team effort on the day and there is nothing like charging up a muddy hill mid-winter with your spikes clogged in mud.
Whilst you may need new shows, spikes are relatively cheap to buy - members last year found good pairs on both Vinted and eBay.
How do I enter?
First up - you need to be a club member... Assuming you are, for Chiltern League all you need to do is let Bill O'Connor know you want to run and he'll enter you - it costs you nothing and makes you fitter than the proverbial Butchers Dog!
Once you have entered and run one Chiltern League fixture you don't need to let Bill know when you want to run in subsequent events - you will have your same number each time you show up.
The distances run are around 6,000m for Women and 10,000m for Men. There are age graded medals at the end of the season.
Whilst we're in the 2nd Division out of two, we finished very strongly last season having been relegated only a couple of years ago, so there's every chance you could be part of a promotion winning team!
The other fixtures on the list are a variety of SEAA and Middlesex races and details will be shared in time - with these races we pay a small fee to run. Bear in mind, we still have to pay the entry if you can't run on the day, and as the club can't subsidise members who enter and decide not to run, we may ask for repayment for no-shows.
Any questions about any or all of this please do contact Susan Kennedy, Bill O'Connor or Sam Sutherland - your current Cross Country Captains, and keep your eyes open for upcoming fixture announcements on WhatsApp, in the newsletter and here, on the website.
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