North District Cross Country, Fort William - 03/10/2009

Fort William held no surprises this year as the first North District Cross Country League for the 2009-10 season. The wind and rain that had been predicted for the west coast arrived with vengeance but did little to dampen the spirits of the Caithness Amateur Athletic Club athletes.

For some the annual soaking at Fortwilliam marks the start of their favourite part of the athletics calendar; for others it arrives with a certain amount of apprehension as cross country provides the vital endurance base to any good athlete and yet it does not come without a degree of sacrifice and hard work.

The course this year was not quite so water logged as last year but there was still plenty water to go around with a number of streams to be negotiated. The runners were a mixture of novices and the more experienced athletes who have competed in cross country for a number of seasons, and the results to a certain extend represented this.

Outstanding performances of the day went to Sarah McKinnon in placing 2nd in the Under 17 Women. This race was slightly fraught for all of the athletes as a mis-direction by one of the marshalls meant that athletes completed the same multi-loop course but with the loops in various different orders.

Sarah in common with all of the CAAC athletes had been well prepared by the coaches as to the correct route and stuck to her guns when a marshall was trying to direct her incorrectly during the race. This resulted in the rest of the field of athletes following her and so two variations of the same race were played out with the final placings not being evident until athletes entered the last field.

Also of note on the day was Rob Murdoch in the Under 15 Boys who worked well in tough conditions to finish in 3rd place; an excellent start to his winter series.

The full results for CAAC athletes are as follows:

The next North District fixture is at Thurso Moors on Saturday 31st October. This will also double up as the CAAC Cross Country Championships and as such there will be no club in the morning.

All athletes should turn up suitably dressed including wellies, running kit, club vest and a full change of clothes at 12.15pm at the Naver changing rooms.

The cost of the event is £1 and any parents wanting to help should contact Sophie Dunnett (07756298913).

End-of-Document