ENGLISH NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009: PARLIAMENT HILL
James Chettle
‘I’ve seen it far worse.’ I will attempt to avoid a Pattisonesque rant here but there are few phrases that are more infuriating to hear upon pulling oneself across twelve kilometres of the quagmire that is Parliament Hill in mid–February. 15 mm spikes were the order of the day, and even these were of little help to the runners taking on the hilly and extremely muddy course.
In spite of the conditions underfoot, the day itself was remarkably pleasant as not a cloud in the sky was to be found over Hampstead Heath. The women’s juniors was the first race that saw Harey participation, with Naomi Taschimowitz (Taunton AC) putting in a fantastic run to claim 18th place (out of 109).
 |
Next was the turn of the junior men with Will Mackay (Riverside Runners), Chris Bannon (Coventry Godiva Harriers), Jon Undy (Tonbridge AC) and Tim Pattison (Macclesfield Harriers) taking to the start line. Mackay and Bannon had both shown good recent form and the scene seemed set for a tight battle between the two. But in what was probably his best performance of the season Mackay set a quick pace at the start, established a good rhythm and looked in total control of his race all the way to the finish. His 29th place finish (out of 173) was testament to the strides he had made since Varsity. Following a rather measured start, a solid performance from Bannon saw him take an impressive 48th place. Tim Pattison, making his full return to competition after a two month absence following a freak injury, unsurprisingly found the second half of the race tough. Upon being passed by a summer training camp acquaintance, the Macclesfield Harrier decided that running all but the last 200 meters of the course was sufficient work for the day. A battling run from an injury–affected Jon Undy saw him across the line as the third finisher from the Hare & Hounds, in 144th.
The Hare & Hounds sole representative in the Senior Women, Polly Keen, unfortunately become the second harey of the day to withdraw. A calf injury forced her out of the race and would see her miss out on the finale of the College League the next day as well.
 |
By the time the Senior Men took on Parliament Hill the course really was at its worst (I don’t care what the old–timers say). ‘James Gill’ and James Chettle were running for the Hare & Hounds, though the former had mysteriously adopted a Geordie accent. In a stunning performance, getting amongst the leading runners at the start and staying with them, Armstrong finished in 60th, while Chettle finished some way behind in 311th. Other hareys were competing for their home clubs: Liam Richardson (Southampton RC) finished 475th out of 1455 finishers while
James Kelly (Belgrave Harriers) found the race tough, but still recorded a creditable 72nd.
 |
All–in–all a fun experience, though one you’re probably glad not to have to repeat for another year.