110th Welsh Cross Country championships, Llandeilo
Blame the wind, which started before Christmas and still hadn’t stopped. Or the rain, which had been similarly persistent, flooding roads, train lines, villages and fields. I guess even the toughest runners may have thought twice about showing up for another mudfest, even if this one was the Welsh championships.
Still, you can only compete against those who turn up.
We parked up, as instructed, on the outskirts of the Dinefwr estate, and caught the shuttle bus to the event. A massive tree, toppled by the recent storms, lay on the grass, its roots pointing upwards. The racing had already started: junior runners picked their way through the mud. I collected my number from the race HQ in front of Newton House.
Luke Davis, the commentator said, was hot favourite for the U13 boys’ event. You can tell it’s Luke Davies, he said, because of his socks: one pink, one green. If Luke Davies felt the pressure of expectation, he responded well to it, taking an early lead and extending it all the way to the finish.
The rain held off. The wind was strong but no gale. The senior event would be four times round a rolling, heavy, lovely course. I ran one as a warm up with Kneath, Eamonn, Raul and Martin. Dewi Griffiths, defending champion, was here, and although I’d be on his team, I didn’t want him lapping me!
Some great photos, taken by Gwynfor James.
It was a great day for Swansea Harriers! Here’s a snippet from the report on the club’s website.
[…] arguably the main highlight of the day showing the talent and strength in depth of the senior mens team, saw the B team win team SILVER, just, by a point! The SILVER winning team were Eamon Kirk (14th), Lewys Hobbs (16th), Thomas Guest (21st) Matthew Richards (22nd), Raul Reismann (30th) and Kneath Philippart (35th).
