Every 1’s A Winner Baby: Steel City XC Champs 2025 Norfolk Park

Race Date: Sunday 19th January 2025

This event has had a number of incarnations over the years either as a discrete race like this one, tacked onto one of the South Yorkshire League races or as part of the now defunct Sheffield Running Club XC event at Graves Park. After some lobbying, the Club Cross Country Championships returned this year with a three lap, 5.2km jaunt up and down the hill that is Norfolk Park described by one competitor as “brutal and difficult to catch your breath.” The cold weather seems to have persisted since Christmas so the ground remained frozen with patches of snow and ice remaining in places. No mud but some tricky downhills as one of the leading men found to his cost “decking it” on the final lap.

Body language with hands deep in pockets give a suggestion of the “feels like” temperature with everyone just hanging around rather than doing their warm up. Perhaps they should have had more porridge for breakfast.(Kate Scott)

Organised on a “minimalist” basis with positions recorded by taking your finishing token as you cross the line and write down your own finishing time if you want it recorded in print. There is a view that times are pretty meaningless on cross country anyway. A classic worthy of King Alfred from the leading woman who got half way around the second lap before realising that she had left the oven on with a batch of her favourite cookies inside. It was therefore an even quicker adrenaline fuelled sprint home to find some nice crisp pieces of charcoal but luckily the house hadn’t burned down. We are advised that she later returned to Norfolk Park to finish the race but unfortunately everyone had gone home by then.

In the deep mid-winter with patches of ice remaining. Spikes may have been uncomfortable on the hard surface but gave better grip.

Pos Name Cat Time
1 (1) Rob Byers MSen 21.00
2 (2) Seth Kirby MSen 21.15
3 (1) John Kilcoyne M45 21.38
4 (1) Thomas King M40 21.53
5 (1) Warren Brown M50
6 (2) Andrew Mansfield M40 23.12
7 (1) Jed Turner M60 23.39
8 (3) Ben Baxendale M40 24.00
9 (1) Emily Green FSen 24.00
10 (1) Jim Rangeley M35 24.11
11 (2) Neil Schofield M50 24.10
12 (3) Patrick Lewis MSen
13 (1) Hannah Shillitoe F35
14 (1) Paddy Treehowes M55 25.12
15 (1) Lucy Broom F50
16 (3) Robin Nelson M50 25.22
17 (1) Hannah Holliday F40 26.00
18 (4) Harry Browne MSen 27.04
19 (2) Andy Rowland M60 27.37
20 (1) Dot Kesterton F70 27.45
21 (4) Joel Driver M40 27.56
22 (1) Nicky Rafferty F60 28.00
23 (2) Kate Reece F70 28.05
24 (2) Kate Scott F60 28.34
25 (3) Karen Clark F60 29.05
26 (2) Mick Brogan M55 29.17
27 (2) Laura Rangeley F35 29.54
28 (3) Louise Rowley F70 30.30
29 (2) Chris Froud M45 31.07
30 (4) Jo Gleig F60 32.11
31 (1) Peter Brown M65 33.45
32 (2) Richard Pegg M65 34.00
33 (1) Chris Reece M70
34 (3) Natalie Thomas F35 40.13
35 (4) Hannah Wright F35 41.43
36 (5) Eleanor Bull F35 44.04
37 (1) Rebecca Pierce F55
First woman across the line was Emily Green with Rob Byers the first of the men although there is an argument that virtually the whole field should be disqualified as they missed going around the flag on laps one and two. With medals to be awarded in five year age categories all but five of the thirty seven finishers had a podium finish of some sort so a chance for nearly everyone to earn some bling. (Editor’s Note: a thirty five year old man is not a veteran).

Kate Scott working hard on the hill. She nearly didn’t make it as she originally went to Graves Park. (Sam Ainscough)

The informal, low cost, club only approach to organisation seems to have worked quite well and it is hoped that the Club Championships, using the slot between the County and Northern Championships, will become a regular on the fixture list although perhaps with more advanced publicity and avoiding a clash with The Brass Monkey. We hope that after making her cross country debut one competitor recants on her belief that she is just a road runner as she has to return next year to defend her F40 title. As ever, massive thanks to Race Director Richard Pegg and the marshals and officials who all stood outside in the freezing conditions. Perhaps they should all get a medal too.

 

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