London Heathside

[Paul Lemmon]

This Saturday the Cross Country season brings us back to Parliament Hill for the South of England Championships. There are 10 races in all covering all age groups for both men and women and we have made at least 1 entry for each race, so all being well there will be Heathside vests in action almost throughout the 5 hours. The timetable and distances are as follows:

11.00 Under 15 Boys (4.5k)
11.20 Under 13 Girls (3k)
11.35 Under 13 Boys (3k)
11.50 Under 15 Girls (4k)
12.10 Under 17 Men (6k)
12.40 Under 20 Women (6k)
13.05 Under 17 Women (5k)
13.30 Under 20 Men (8k)
14.05 Senior Women (8k)
14.50 Senior Men (15k)

We have 16 women and 27 men entered, made up mainly of those who have been racing regularly so far this winter along with a couple who had specifically asked to be entered for this race. Hopefully that will be enough to cover everyone who wants to run, but in case it isn't then that's an even better reason than normal for arriving in good time, at least 30 minutes before the start of your race. All being well I will have the numbers and I imagine we will be based not far from the bandstand. The Heathside flag should be flying to guide you to us anyway. All runners will be given timing chips as well as numbers, so make sure you don't lose them before the start!

I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you that Parliament Hill is a very hilly course and, unless the weather gets even colder than expected and causes the ground to freeze, it will also be ridiculously muddy in parts. Long spikes will almost certainly be the best choice of footwear, with studs as the other reasonable alternative. Some socks and shoes to change into post-race may also make sense, especially if you plan to pop in to the Bull & Last for a quick bit of refuelling before going home. I think that is all I need to tell you, any questions please ask, so I hope to see plenty of you there on Saturday to either run or to cheer us on.