Brighton and Hove City AC were the only Sussex club to travel to the National Cross Country relays in Mansfield. It was a cold and windy day but the ground underfoot was firm and the rain held off until after the event had finished. Each team of four runners was required to run 5k (2 laps) of parkland and wooded stretches.
Andrew Donno ran the crowded first leg and was forced to get his elbows out and chop his stride as he battled for room amongst the 151 other runners. With the first lap complete Andy was able to find some space and pushed on to bring Brighton back in 78th position in 16:56.
Chris Thomson took over on second leg, it was a good run from Chris who picked people off all the way around his leg and with 16:53 brought Brighton back in 58th.
Matt Bristow took over from Chris on the third leg and went out in a small group of runners, towards the end of the first lap he was tucking in behind a small group of runners to try and stay out of the wind. A solid second lap led to a total time of 17:36, Brighton were now 60th.
Jason Benniman completed the team with a leg of 19:13. Jason has been suffering with illness since competing in the World Duatlon Championships in Italy and by his own admission had a lot of fitness to gain. Nevertheless Jason ran a hard final leg and brought the team back in 69th position.
It was a good day out in Mansfield despite the cold and the consensus was that it was worth the trip. For a full set of results please see the link from the English Cross Country Association website.