A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE - TEAM GOLD FOR THE BELLES, PLUS INDIVIDUAL BRONZE FOR SAM AMEND

AUTHOR: Charlie Dickinson

PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Welsh

Just a week before Christmas and no less than eleven Belles sacrificed their family arrangements and shopping to take part in this, the longest women's race on the cross country calendar.

Team results in cross country are all about packing in the upper and middle order and with two in the top ten then to complete the scoring six, runners in positions; 15, 16, 18, 21 plus back up in 23, 28 and 34, all in then top third of the field, it was a truly wonderful team display.

So let's start with the supporting athletes, Vicki Goodwin, so often the saviour for the Belles, over from Switzerland, saw the strength of the team and decided to treat as a nice steady run, the 7 degrees and grass far easier than minus 4 with snow and ice and mountains where she lives.

[ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third]Megan Bailey, exhausted at the end of a very long term at school, still came and as always gave her best, a wonderful team player.Felicity Cole, good to see her gradually getting back to full fitness, looking very strong. Away in January training and on a Yoga course, can't wait to see her back running in February.Helen White, possibly a little disappointed with her run after huge pb for 5km last week and training so well at Battersea. Helen certainly didn't run badly but is more comfortable on the road.It was so good to have Gemma Farrell back in the team after a couple of years smiling as ever, now deciding to target ultra distances, the 7 plus miles didn't bother her.Now the scoring six, led by:Sam Amend in third place, running her usual strong determined race after a nightmare of a journey of over three hours from Marlow with hold-ups on the M25 and even getting changed in the car. Sammi and Alex arrived with barely 15 minutes to spare, but both just got on with their performances vital for both teams.Next Sophie Harris running a wonderfully controlled race, passing loads on the second lap and in only her third ever cross country race, finishing in 8th place. A young runner with a cool racing brain, what a prospect!Then there was a battle all the way between these two.....Justine Lynch and Christina Pennock. Christina just gets better with every race, she too has improved her 5km time by over a minute and a half in 2016, and this was her best ever run. She just got the edge over Justine, delighted to get her first cross country medal as a senior, and also loved passing male athletes all the way around the course. Justine coined the phase, 'You've been Chicked' to the amusement of all (except the men).Becky O'Kill has only just returned from a month on holiday/honeymoon in Peru trekking the Inca trail. She was a little short of running training but it didn't show, she ran strongly all the way round and finished in the top twenty.Next came Lizzie Goldie-Scot, a student based thankfully in London this year, Lizzie has become an important regular member of the Belles team and it was so nice to see her receive her well deserved medal.Note; our first four athletes are all running the London Marathon in 2017, watch out!Results;

1. A. Clements (Kent AC) 43.02, 2. L. Reid (Tonbridge) 44.10, 3. S. Amend (Belgrave) 44.27,

8. S, Harris 46.58, 15. C. Pennock 49.35, 16. J. Lynch 49.41, 18. R. O'Kill (Prince) 50.01, 21. L. Goldie-Scott 50.32, 23 G. Farrell 50.42, 28. H. White 51.16, 34. F. Cole 52.14, 65. M. Bailey 57.14, 84. V. Goodwin 67.51.

Teams;

1. Belgrave Harriers 81, 2. Kent AC 98, 3. Dulwich Runners 150.