Sunday, 10 December 2023, will go down in history as the first CC6 league race Winchester Running Club participated in, not only a historic first but a competitive one, too, with the men’s team coming first and Adrian Fautly winning outright.
Seventeen athletes in black tops took to the Kings Garn Enclosure, the third race this season, after a lengthy stroll from the race car park to the start, dodging miniature ponies and empty car parks. The storm clouds held off until the finish, and the undulating gravel trails of the enclosure proved profitable terrain for our runners. The women’s team came second overall behind Southampton Athletics Club, Alex Lane leading us in 2nd, with Ellie Swire (8th) and Sam Parkinson (11th). Special mention goes to Gill Goodwin and Sam Parkinson, who came first in their age categories.
Adrian led in the victorious men with Magnus Gregory (3rd), Stan Parkinson (4th) and Will Hadley (31st). It was great to see so many club runners, some of whom had not run in a competitive race for some time. We were all treated to the CC6 cake stall at the finish line, fortifying us for the long (and wet) walk back to our allotted car park.
The full results can be found on the revamped CC6 (https://cc6.co.uk) site; you may notice that individual results for WRC members have been back-dated to the prior two races for this season regardless of membership status, making it easier to score for the season. The next race is also in the New Forest on the 14th of January at Ocknell. See you there, maybe with a new club vest!