Best Defence

KATE AVERY AND MAHAMED SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND THEIR TITLES AT THE MILTON KEYNES CROSS CHALLENGE

- Martin Duff

THE second round of the British Athletics Cross Challenge series saw the event again piggy-back on to the Chiltern League and witnessed 1767 runners compete over increasingly soggy laps.

Morning sunshine for the youngest age groups gave way to increasing cloud and then persistent rain for the start of the junior and senior events. The ground also cut up badly as the afternoon progressed.

The main senior races saw Mahamed Mahamed notch up a hat-trick of victories here, while women’s winner Kate Avery also retained her title from last year.

Men

IN boggy conditions a large group were content to amble around the first short lap and even into the first of the full laps there was still a group of over a dozen in contention before the pace began to lift.

Early on, Mahamed was content to be toward the rear of the leading pack which included Jack Gray and his Cambridge & Coleridge cross-country relay silver winning teammate Jonathon Escalante-Phillips. Sam Stabler, fastest on Mansfield’s opening leg the previous week, Tom Evans, Alex Teuten, Jack Millar, Liam Dee, and Bedford & County’s James McMurray were also in the mix.

National cross-country champion Adam Hickey, having his first run out since his 2:16:56 debut marathon in Berlin six weeks ago, was also there or thereabouts.

With the starting straight now well cut up, the leading group spread out across the course looking for a better surface as they ventured on to their second big lap.

Stabler, Gray, Millar, and Evans were marginally ahead of Mahamed before things began to break up, as the field passed the start point for the final time and headed out on the last circuit.

Mahamed began to push on with Gray at his shoulder and Evans a clear third. But they were all still looking for firmer ground across the width of the course.