| Last weekend saw King’s Lynn Triathlon Club members tackle the annual Houghton hall cross country event. | |
'G' Jordan - Anna Seaman - Karen Wood
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Houghton Hall situated in West Norfolk is a beautiful Palladian mansion built for Britain’s first prime minister Sir Robert Walpole in the 1720s. Best known locally for its impressive permanent collection of contemporary sculptures displayed around the grounds, it also hosts West Norfolk Athletics Club (WNAC) tough cross country course with the event tagline ‘mud, sweat and holes’ Adding to what is seen as a very challenging course to run, the autumn Sunday morning came with beating heavy rain and 42 mph winds, adding to the mud and copious amounts of cow droppings underfoot. Competitors running the course were faced with the infamous cowpat corner, Pit 1 and Pit 2. Each pit consisting of a 3 to 4 meter drop, with a slippery climb back out. The course consisted of 3 laps, with a total distance of 5 miles (8KM) One comment overheard explained the cowpats were particularly impressive this year! A beautiful runny consistency with a ‘ shiny ‘ skin on top.
First across the line after a battle with all mother nature could throw at him, saw Ian Kidman in 39:27, followed by Geraldine ‘G’ Jordan in 43:33 and grabbing the 3rd female vet medal. Completing the KLTC trio was Karen Wood in 49:49. Also pictured (in group photo) saw Anna Seaman finishing in 47:55. 'G' Jordan expains, "This was my third time at Houghton xc and despite the dire weather, it was my favourite to date! Fantastic atmosphere and fab effort by all the marshals and organisers. The youngsters had churned up the course nicely for us seniors and the cowpats were way squishier than normal. I ran the whole course with a big grin on my face…in fact, this was frozen in place by the headwind ? It was a three-lap mudfest which I would highly encourage others to do. A great run made all the better because my Son ran it too" On that note we must mention Paul Keaney, G’s son, running an impressive 33:30 to finish 5th overall. |
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Also on the day saw Tri club member Emma Thompson enjoying the mud, running under Ryston, and finishing in 46:20. |
