The Imperial March

The Cross Country team began the road season in breath-taking style last weekend, storming to victory in the Men’s team category at the Salisbury 10 mile. A road race that ranks in stature alongside the likes of the London Marathon, the Tour de France, and the Indy 500; fourteen of Imperial’s leanest athletes took to this hallowed start line with the scent of success in their nostrils. With Chris Thomas’s infamous bowels suitably cleared, the starting gun heralded the passing of 723 runners over undulating tarmac that ran through exotic Wiltshire countryside.

Team gold was the men’s objective, and the team’s strategy was perfectly executed. With the top four runners scoring, Chris Thomas and James Ellis paired up at the front with individual silverware in sight, while Matt Douthwaite took Alex Warnakulasuriya for a run that was metronomically paced by our towering stalwart. Tom Miller. Adam Malagowski, Duncan Ingram, Lewis Jackson, Anil Keshwani and Willy Bonneuil all ran admirably in pursuit in a team performance that embodied the spirit of our club. This is a group that fights equally as hard for collective success as it does for personal bests, and this spirit was reflected in everyone’s results.

Local hero Alex Mundell, Leanne Lyons and Antoinette Hardijzer represented the ladies. What they lacked in numbers they made up for in their performances. Alex blew the Senior Ladies field to pieces in one hour and eight minutes, coming fifth in her category. Leanne and Antoinette followed home in superb fashion, finishing eighth and thirty-fourth respectively in times that beckon great seasons for both of them. There is great potential for a ladies’ team victory in the near future, and our results will surely tempt more members of the Club onto the road, giving us the girls and firepower we need to win the honours we deserve.

The men’s victory was secured with an aggregate time of three hours and 48 minutes. All four runners covered the distance in under an hour, putting three minutes between Imperial and Lordshill Road Runners. Chris and James received silverware for their second and fourth place finishes, and the men were awarded a cup sizeable enough to fulfil a number of functions at our next social. Reports of Alex Warna depositing his breakfast several times on the finishing straight are unconfirmed after an epic sprint finish.

Special credit goes to incoming Ladies’ Captain Alex Mundell, who managed the team so capably throughout the weekend. This truly was one of the highlights of the athletics calendar. Our rival London colleges will look upon these results with trepidation, as we continue the Imperial March on the track, for the first round of the LCAS track and field championships this weekend.