This year’s home international season kicked off with the Veterans team travelling up to Derbyshire to run the individual race on Cowm Rocks and the relay on Haggside.
With four team members making the epic journey done from the Coast and Islands event on Col and four last minute substitutes stepping up we had a full team
Saturday afternoon provided an opportunity to visit local attractions such as strategically located ‘giants’ on local hilltops or ancient stone circles.
Others chose the warmer option of stretching out in the comfortable Hostel the team shared with the English. The evening meal was a cut above the usual offer for such weekends in the up-market Bistro just a short walk from the Hostel.
We were greeted with the news on Sunday morning that the forest had taken its toll on Sam’s knee so we were now down to the bare 3 counting relay teams in the M/W/M and W/M/W formats with 6 teams counting overall. This meant we could not really afford any mis-punches in the dark, damp and murky Seskinore Forest where map-reading conditions were awful in the rain and gloom.
Courses were again of a high quality which made excellent use of a small area containing a good mix of features. On the first leg stampede on M/W/M, there was plenty of evidence of gaffling as runners bobbed between rhododendron clumps, ditches and different woodland blocks. Regrettably, download revealed we had a mis-punch relating to an area with numerous ditch junctions in the murk so we were then down to 5 scoring teams.
As final leg runners came home, England handsomely pulled away from the Scots. However, it was nip and tuck between Team Cymru and Ireland with the lead changing hands as the final teams were completing their last legs. Ultimately, despite some excellent individual runs, our depleted teams came up just short and Ireland duly collected the Stonewall Trophy in our own little competition within a competition.
Thanks again must go out to all of Team Cymru for making the big commitment of attending and being such good company over the weekend.
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