Mud in Manchester
Sophie Kirk: Cross country and Athletics club travel to Manchester
After a successful Fresher’s Fair and first run (with a record turnout of 80) Cross Country and Athletics club travelled up to Manchester for our first race of the year. Expecting cold temperatures, mist and rain we were surprised to find ourselves faced with a lovely sunny day!
Birthday boy Sam O’Neil was first up for Men’s A finishing in the top third whilst new member Ed Hallett took the lead representing Imperial Triathlon Club in the B team. Fresher Liam put in a great run for the club and the A team finished a very credible 13th place against some strong teams from the northern universities. The B team was largely made up of new runners but still put in a good time to finish in 30th position. Thanks to Sam and Phil McCorquodale for running twice!
Meanwhile in the women’s race, due to a certain committee member missing the bus the team was down to just two (insert classic Imperial ratio comment) and it was up to Club Captain to run twice. The muddy but flat 2.1 mile course was no trouble for seasoned cross country runner and social sec Insa however and as a result the team finished a great 36th place.
The real highlight, and main event of the weekend, couldn’t come soon enough: showing the ‘northerners’ how partying is done in the south! An unusual alliance with Leeds University was made such that we could take on Edinburgh Uni in a ‘chanting war’; their cries were soon silenced with calls of “You’re not really Scottish”. After a traditional curry, the highly anticipated boat race required our men’s team to step up to the mark. A great performance from Frenchman and newbie Davy Martin put us in true contention for the title with a sub 2-second pint; unfortunately though Matt didn’t put in enough training over summer and we were pushed back a place or two. However the highlight of the evening was the tuneful rendition of ‘Naan Bread’ to the tune of Hey Jude; I’m sure we will all have this in our heads for many weeks to come!
We are now looking forward to future weekend races away, and the London Colleges Cross Country League. If you want any more information about Cross Country and Athletics Club email run@ic.ac.uk
