Law Trust Cross-Country League Round 2 – Sunday 7th November

Posted on By Anthony Brand

It’s less than a week until the second round of the series to be hosted by Western AC at QE2 School in Peel. Details of timetable, course maps and general instructions will be posted during the week.

Please check the timetable carefully when it is published as it will differ from Round 1. Each host club organises its own timetable best suited to course length etc.

Important entry information is as follows:

1 – Entry is online only. If you are one of the 300 people who entered prior to the first round, and you have paid in advance for the full series, you do NOT have to do anything this time or for the remainder of the series. Just turn up on the start line a few minutes before the start time of your race wearing your race number which you have already been issued with. If you have lost your number you will need to attend the registration desk in the school building between 12 noon and 1pm on Sunday for a replacement. There will be a small charge.

2 – If you have already entered but only paid for the first round, you will need to make payment prior to racing on Sunday. You can pay online (preferably), or by cash or cheque (payable to IOM Athletics) at the desk on Sunday between 12 noon and 1pm. See the link below for payment details. As above, keep your number from the previous round.

3 – If you have already entered and paid, but did not run in the first round and have not collected your race number, these can be collected from the desk between 12 noon and 1pm on Sunday.

4 – If you are not one of the 300 who have already entered you need to follow this link to enter online. Entries will close at midnight on Friday and no entries will be available after that. Details of how to pay are on the link. You must collect your race number from the desk between 12 noon and 1pm on Sunday. https://manxfellrunners.org/iomxc-entry-2021-2022

Thanks once again to Manx Fell Runners for allowing us the use of their website to host the online entries.

Law Trust IOM Cross-Country League – Round 1 – Port-e-Chee

Posted on By Anthony Brand

The new cross-country season got underway in fine style at Port-e-Chee Meadow on Sunday 17th October2021. The first round of four took place under grey skies, the overnight rain having softened the ground a little, but conditions were ideal for cross-country.

The senior races at the Manx Harriers organised event were dominated by established stars Ollie Lockley and Rachael Franklin, the former already selected for next year’s Commonwealth Games and the latter hoping to join him. Both looked in excellent form heading into an important winter season.

Lockley was majestic and made it look deceptively easy as he glided smoothly around the largely flat course and powered up the short sharp hill near the end of each of his three laps, a distance of nine kilometres. He made light work of the varying underfoot conditions, keeping a consistent tempo throughout despite running the whole race solo, well clear of the field.

Alex Bell finished second, a good performance and his best senior cross-country result to date. He is now focusing more on shorter distances on the track, but showed here that he still has plenty to offer over the country.

Third place went to Nhlanhla Nzama who is in a rich vein of form after his recent excellent performance in the London Marathon. He proved his versatility with a strong run over very different terrain.

Sam Looker was not far adrift in fourth place, and he was followed by super-fit veteran athletes Mike Garrett and Paul Condon.

Rachael Franklin continued her strong comeback from an injury-affected year, demonstrating that she is close to her best once again. It was a delight to see her back doing what she does so well and she dominated the six-kilometre women’s race over two laps of the course.

Second place went to Elissa Morris with one of the runs of the day. She too is on the comeback trail after injury and illness, and impressed hugely. She held back a little in the early stages of the race before surging past a number of the men on the second lap to finish only 84 seconds adrift of Franklin. Third place went to Laura Dickinson, always such a strong cross-country runner.

Dawn Atherton, another with a recent Marathon in her legs, just held off impressive cross-country newcomer Emma McMullan to take fourth in a close finish, with Caroline Caren sixth.

Running over the same distance as the women were the u17 men. Corbyn Schade and Charlie Swales enjoyed a close and high-quality contest before the former opened up a winning gap in the closing stages.

The day had opened with two cracking under-nine races over one lap of the main field. The boys’ race produced the closest finish of the whole day with Billy McMullan just getting to the line first ahead of Leighton Curphey in a thrilling sprint finish, both boys being given the same time. Cameron Eyres was third just two seconds further down. The girls’ race was won by Megan Williamson just two seconds clear of Sienna Curphey, with Isabella Quaye third. The quality on show in the under-nine races was fantastic.

The u11 races over two laps of the main field were also excellent. Seamus Hall made an impressive transition from the under-nines by winning his first race in the older age group, with Tim Perry and Gabe Campbell not far behind in second and third. Olivia Martin was in fine form as she won the girls’ race, and Poppy Clayton and Tara Nelson took second and third in their first race in the age group.

There was real quality in the intermediate age group races, the closest contest being in the u15 boys race over 3,900 metres where Sam Perry took victory over clubmate Lucas Stennett by just two seconds. In the concurrently-run u17 women’s race, victory went to Macy Hillier, an athlete who has performed consistently well for several years now.

Harry Stennett produced yet another cracking run to win the u13 boys race over 3,000 metres, while an equally convincing victory in the girls’ contest went to Holly Salter. The u15 girls raced over the same distance and sporting all-rounder Lola Bass was to the fore in this one.

Also racing over 3,000 metres were the short course competitors, an option for junior, senior or veteran athletes to race over a shorter distance which proved very popular. Becky Watterson was well clear of all the competitors including the men with an excellent run, and second across the line was former high jump star Hollie Quaye.

Here are the full results.

  • Grateful thanks go to the team of officials who worked so hard to set up the infrastructure for the season, and to all those who assisted at the venue. Thanks also to Douglas Rugby Club for the use of their clubhouse and car park, and to the farmer for use of the fields.
  • Round 2 takes place at QE2 School in Peel on Sunday 7 November with racing getting underway at 1pm.
  • Video footage of the action is on the manxathletics.com Facebook page.

David Griffiths
19 October 2021

Law Trust IOM Cross Country League – Round 1

Posted on By Anthony Brand

Entries have now closed for the first of four rounds of the Isle of Man Cross Country League, sponsored by Law Trust, which takes place at Port-e-Chee Meadow near Braddan Bridge on the outskirts of Douglas on the afternoon of Sunday 17 October. This round is organised by Manx Harriers, with race HQ being at Douglas Rugby Club. The first race gets underway at 1pm.

The course is largely on agricultural grassland which is fairly flat with one hill on each long lap. The senior races will be run over slightly reduced distances for the first round, with mileages likely to increase later in the season.

The senior, veteran and junior men’s race will be over three full laps of the course, a distance of approximately nine kilometres. The senior, veteran and junior women, and under-17 men, will race over two full laps, a distance of around six kilometres.  The minimum age for competitors is seven years on the day of the race.

All competitors must make arrangements to collect their race numbers from Manx Harriers clubhouse at the NSC from 5pm to 7pm on Friday. If you cannot attend you should arrange to have your number collected for you. Anyone who has not yet paid for their entry by bank transfer must pay when collecting their race number on Friday. Payment can be made by cash, or by cheque payable to IOM Athletics Association.

There is a large parking area at the Rugby Club, but perhaps not enough to accommodate everyone. You may have to park in the vicinity of the NSC and to walk up the road from Quarter Bridge – please allow plenty of time.

Timetable and approximate distances are as follows:

12 noon – Course open for inspection

1.00pm – Under 9 Boys, 900 metres (1 short lap)

1.05pm – Under 9 Girls, 900 metres (1 short lap)

1.10pm – Under 11 Boys, 1,800 metres (2 short laps)

1.20pm – Under 11 Girls, 1,800 metres (2 short laps)

1.35pm – Under 15 Boys, Under 17 Women, 3,900 metres (1 short lap, one large lap)

1.37pm – Under 13 Boys and Girls, Under 15 Girls, Short Course, 3,000 metres (1 large lap)

2.10pm – Under 17 Men, Junior, Senior, Veteran Women, 6,000 metres (2 large laps)

2.10pm – Junior, Senior, Veteran Men, 9,000 metres (3 large laps)

Here is the course map

Please report to the start line of your race at least five minutes before the start time. Spectators please keep off the racing line and obey instructions from marshals.

Law Trust Isle of Man Cross Country League – Everything you need to know!

Posted on By Anthony Brand

With less than two weeks to go before the start of the new cross-country season I thought it would be useful to share some information on what to expect from the races, as we are always delighted to welcome newcomers to the sport. There will be plenty of information prior to the first round and throughout the season, but please ask if you have any questions.

When are the events?

There are four rounds in the series. To count for the league you need to complete at least three races. If you complete all four, your best three results will count. The fourth and final round also doubles as the IOM Cross-Country Championships. There is a team element to that one.

In each round the first race will be off at 1pm. Details are as follows:

Sunday 17 October – Round 1, Port-e-Chee Meadow, Douglas, organised by Manx Harriers

Sunday 7 November – Round 2, QE2 School, Peel, organised by Western AC

Sunday 5 December – Round 3, Port-e-Chee Meadow, Douglas, organised by Manx Harriers

Sunday 16 January – Round 4 (including IOM Championships), Crossags, Ramsey (to be confirmed) organised by Northern AC.

What age is cross-country for?

Seven to seventy plus! The age groups are under-nine (minimum age seven on the day of a race), U11, U13, U15, U17, Junior (U20), Senior, and Veteran. A child who reaches their seventh birthday during the season will be able to take part from then on. The veteran’s age groups start at 35 and go up in five-yearly bands. So if you are aged seven or older and have a reasonable level of fitness then come and give it a go!

What are the distances?

Unlike track and many road races, distances in cross-country are more approximate than precise. The four rounds of the league are run on different courses and the distances do vary, though not by too much. The distances for the first round at Port-e-Chee are purposely kept a little shorter for most age categories than for the other rounds to allow competitors a reasonably gentle introduction.

There will also be a Short Course option in each of the four races for the U20, Senior and Veteran age groups, which are suitable for newcomers to cross-country, or sometimes for middle-distance track runners (or even sprinters) who want competitive action during the winter but not over the full distance courses. The Short Course races are usually around 3 to 3.5 kilometres.

The approximate distances for the Port-e-Chee course will be confirmed in the next few days, but are likely to be in the region of 900 metres for under-nine boys and girls, 1,800m for U11 boys and girls, 3,000m for U13 boys and girls, U15 girls and the Short Course. U15 boys and U17 women will race over 3,900m, U17 men, junior/senior/veteran women will do 6,000m, and junior/senior/veteran men 9,000m.

What are the courses like?

We are lucky to currently have three good courses for cross country. The descriptions below are for the full lap – the U9 and U11 races are held over shorter laps which are generally fairly flat. The races are held over multiple laps depending on age group and distance. Full information on the courses will be provided prior to each race by the organising club.

Port-e-Chee Meadow, Douglas – Manx Harriers will be hosting Round 1 and Round 3 at this venue, which has Douglas Rugby Club as the base. Last season saw a return to this venue after many years. The course uses the perimeter of the rugby pitches and also the adjacent agricultural grassland. The course is largely flat fast running with varying underfoot conditions. The perimeter of the rugby pitches was boggy in places after heavy rain last year. There is one ‘up and down’ hill on each long lap.

QE2 School, Peel – Western AC have used this course in recent years. It was also their base for cross-country in the past but on a different course – much of which is now covered with houses! The start and finish of the races is on the school field which is on a gentle incline, then all age groups apart from U9 and U11 go onto the adjacent farmer’s fields to do multiple laps (depending on age group) before returning to finish on the school field. Whilst there are no long hills, there is a lot of up and down and some of the short climbs are quite sharp. There are a couple of low hedges to hop over. The course is usually dry and firm.

Crossags Farm, Ramsey – This is the longest-established of the courses currently used for cross-country and has been used by Northern AC since the 1990s. The lower part of the course is fairly flat apart from a sharp climb through one of the fields followed by a descent. There then follows the longest continuous uphill section on any of the courses – initially though a large field, then up a track through a wooded section, crossing a narrow stream near the top. There is then a fast descent through fields with some sharp turns. After heavy rain this course can be very boggy and sometimes has areas of standing water in the lower fields. It’s a good challenging course!

How to enter 

David Griffiths
1 October 2021

Law Trust Cross-Country League – IMPORTANT ENTRY INFORMATION

Posted on By Anthony Brand

There have been some major changes to the entry procedure for the cross-country league this season, so please read the information below very carefully.

In recent seasons, the numbers of competitors has made things extremely difficult for the registration team prior to the first round, so the manual entry system has been replaced with an online entry system to bring the event into line with the majority of other events with big participant numbers.

The crucial things to note are that entries this season are ONLINE ONLY, and that entries will CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT ON WEDNESDAY 13th OCTOBER. There will be NO ENTRIES AFTER THAT DATE, INCLUDING ON THE DAY. There will be opportunities for those who don’t enter the first round to enter subsequent rounds prior to those events – more on that later.

Here is the procedure to enter (thanks to Manx Fell Runners for allowing use of their website to host the online entries):

  1.  Go to this link https://manxfellrunners.org/iomxc-entry-2021-2022 – for families you will need to complete a separate entry for each individual. Please check age group carefully – details are on the form. For veteran athletes (35 and above) the category is based on age on the date of the first round (17/10/21). Entries will CLOSE at midnight on Wednesday 13th October. There will be NO further opportunity to enter prior to the first round.
  2. Payment should be made to IOM Athletics, preferably by Bank Transfer. Details are: Isle of Man Bank, Sort code 55-91-00, Account number 14347237. Details of entry fees are on the entry form. We would encourage entry for the full series. Please use your name as payment reference, or in the case of payment for a family, use for example ‘Kelly family’. The cut-off for online payments will be midnight on Wednesday 13th October (same as for the entries).
  3.  Numbers must be collected from Manx Harriers clubhouse on the NSC perimeter road on Friday 15th October from 5pm to 7pm. This will be the only collection session, so if you are unable to attend you MUST make arrangements for someone to collect on your behalf. If you are unable to make payment by bank transfer (as above) you must pay by cash or cheque (payable to IOM Athletics) when collecting your number.
  4.  There will be NO entries, form-filling etc on the day of the race – race day is for racing only!
  5.  The online entry system will re-open prior to rounds two, three and four – more information will be posted at the time.

One further thing to note is that there will as usual be a Short Course race option for U20, senior and veteran athletes. You enter as normal stating your age category, then it’s up to you on the days of the races whether you run the short or long course.