CROESO 2016
Whilst Emily Benham was winning Gold medals in Portugal seventeen club stalwarts joined nearly 1600 competitors (that makes us over 1% of the runners) at Croeso 2016 in South Wales for a week of mixed weather, mixed terrain and mixed fortunes.
The first two days (long and middle distance) were run over the dunes at Kenfig Burrows in the shadow of the currently newsworthy Tata steel works. The contour detail was complicated and the odd green colours that arose from the blue marsh over printing led to a degree of confusion all round. The rain on Day One didn’t help much either but Day Two was much better weatherwise, indeed those of us who were helping out on the start(s) needed to put on sun block and midge repellent.
Helpers were thanked in the form of Croeso Help Team Tee Shirts which came in the same bland grey colour that most O gear ends up in after years of mixed washing.
Day Three (long distance)was in Margam Forest North, a plantation forest and a complete contrast to the first two races, with much hard climbing and rough going in places. The finish run in was uphill in a dark part of the forest and definitely different.
Due to the unavailability of the original area Day Four (long distance) took everyone to the rain, mists and wind of the open moorland of Mynydd Llangynidr. This was close to the area used for JK 2014 and not dissimilar weather, possibly a bit warmer this year!
The last day saw us in Craig Fawr and Margam Country Park, back nearer the coast and the steel works in beech woodland along a steep slope and open, very muddy, country parkland. Fortunately the weather had improved by the time most us were out on our runs. It remained dry for Captain Charlotte’s much loved prize giving and many of us came away as winners for categories we didn’t even know we had entered. Many thanks Charlotte.
Some past Croeso events have been notable for chaotic parking but this year everything was very well run in this department; even the complicated arrangements for Mynydd Llangynidr worked smoothly. Diolch yn Fawr iawn to everyone concerned in putting on this friendly event.
Results for our small contingent were patchy, with the notable exception of Ben Chesters who was overall winner on M35L, winning 3 of the races and coming a very close second in the other two. Liz Yeadon was overall second in W70S and Peter Hambleton 2nd in M70S, both having completed only four of the five races. The other Sarum results were: Kerry Larsen (W35L, 6th), Carolyn Dent (W50L, 26), Denise Mullins (W65L, 30), Charlotte Thornton (W70L,6), Pat Hart (W70L,16), Joan Hambleton (W70S,5), Freda Peirce (W75L,9), Adrian Dawson (M55S,36), Dave Mullins (M65L,43), Ian Peirce (M70L,9), Dave Battison (M70L,10), Brain Hart (M70L,38), Ricky Thornton (M70S,16), Alan Yeadon (M80L, 12).
Full results are available here
You can find photos of some of us here