So cross country season is here again… if you’re new to Saltwell and are considering trying it this winter I would highly recommend it! And if you have signed up already, well done.
When i first signed up for cross country about six years ago I wasn’t sure what to expect as I hadn’t done it since school where, as much as I enjoyed it, it wasn’t very glamorous. What a shock I got when i turned up at Wrekenton XC course on a sunny Autumn Saturday. About 1,000 people all in a field, dozens of colourful club tents pitched and real buzz of excitement around the place.
The North East Harrier League really is a brilliant team and individual event. Six courses around the North East. Each totally different, with their own well known sections be it a muddy tight corner, a long fast descent or a view of a castle! I think my favourite part of it all is the support from fellow club runner. The ladies run first then the mens race so you get to cheer on the race before or after yours. There’s nothing better than hearing your name and words of motivation shouted as you’re covered in mud and gasping for air with a lap to go!
Footwear is always a big talking point. Each course is totally different. Some are basically ran in farmers fields. Others are more on trails in park areas. Some are a combination of both! A typical one with all-sorts that I like is Lambton. It has some great steep hills and a couple of good fast descents. But a long section of a lovely trail along the river wear and even a short tarmac section.
Weather and ground conditions also plays a big part in footwear choice. So early on in the season the courses may be really dry and it may be a course with lots of trails. In this situation I would personally prefer to run in trail shoes. But a couple of months later on a winters day when its rained for a fortnight I would certainly recommend wearing spikes. The best thing to do is take both and have a little walk and look at the course before hand and make your decision.
You can buy a good pair of spikes for well under £50 and I would definitely recommend trying them on. Start Fitness is a good place to go and you get 10% off with your England athletics membership card. I think £40 is the most ive spent on a pair of spikes. I would also recommend getting some different size spikes. The actual spikes are removable from the shoe and range from 9mm to 15mm. They are easily removed with a key. They will explain in the shop if you are unsure.
So if you haven’t signed up yet, get yourself in. You don’t need to run all six races if you sign up. You just attend whichever races you can. But I’m pretty sure after your first one you will be eager to try and do as many as possible! I can’t guarantee this but there’s also usually cakes getting passed around at the end too which is always well received.
What better way to spend a winter’s afternoon…
Davey Todd
Photo by Stuart Whitman Photography
