STILL SMILING: Steve Moss and son Andrew after competing in the English National Cross Country Championships
STILL SMILING: Steve Moss and son Andrew after competing in the English National Cross Country Championships

Athletics

THOUSANDS of competitors ran in the English National Cross Country Championships, held in the scenic grounds of Wollaton Hall, on Saturday, February 22.

Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan country house standing on a small hill in Wollaton Park, Nottingham.

The surrounding parkland is home to a large herd of free-roaming deer, and is regularly used for large-scale outdoor events such as rock concerts, sporting events and festivals.

On Saturday there were no deer to be seen in the park but there were a lot of rough muddy paths and waterlogged areas for runners to splash through.

The men’s race, attracting a large field of 1,710, took runners round four laps of ever increasing size to explore the extremes of the park and its muddy hills and watery ditches.

Steve Moss representing Teesdale AC, persevered through to the end of the eight miles and came in 1,526th in 1hr14mins.

This was three minutes and about hundred places behind former Teesdale AC member son Andrew, who now runs for the North Dorset Triathlon Club.