National Xc Relays 4^th Nov. 2006 Berry Hill Park, Mansfield.

The Alternative Race Report.

 Click Here for Full Results Excel format.  Click Here for a Excel Viewer

The Club hired a charabanc (Under forties look it up) which looked nearly as old as me. However it made its way northward to Mansfield, Senior management and me overtook it easily in our almost as old Alfa, however due to my propensity to overshoot turnings it arrived well before we did.

Incidentally, Mansfield would be in Sherwood Forest if it still existed, that’s the forest not Mansfield; so I was looking out for Maid Marion to ask where she got her make up from in the Middle Ages. I didn’t see her but she was on TV when I got back which probably explains it.

At the venue Tents were raised, fires lit and Billy cans set to boil, metaphorically speaking of course.(health and safety).

The usual controlled chaos ensued, “me, 1^st leg? No way” “ me, last leg? No way”.

“9mm spikes or 12mm spikes?”

 “Number on the front or back?” Can you imagine being a finish official trying to check in runners with numbers on the back?

Then we come to the “Chips” you wouldn’t think a bit of plastic and a Velcro strap would cause much of a problem would you? For those of you reading this because you didn’t get the Sun today, Chips are attached to your ankle by a Velcro strap, and record your finishing position and time. The opportunities for cocking up are almost endless, some put them on with the Velcro inside so it won’t stick to itself . Some discard the Velcro and thread the chip through the laces, resulting in laces being amputated by officials recovering the chip. One of our U17 lads had the bright idea of putting it on his wrist! There by passing it over the tracking beam and rendering the whole team invisible, much to the delight of his team mates. Emma Phillips used hers as a waist band, and was still able to register a reading!

Twenty four junior athletes competed in the event, all but three coming from Keith Holt’s group of athletes.

A total of forty one Birchfield athletes competed, The best results being Senior women @ 13^th , Under 13 boys @ 14^th, and the Senior men @ 15^th ..

It’s worth mentioning that Ben Livesey who is in the RAF travelled from Kinross in Scotland  on about six trains!

Eddie Cockayne.