It was certainly a big day of strong cross country competition today at Nudgee for the Queensland All Schools Cross Country Championships.

A more suitable date and convenient venue allowed for a higher standard of competition than the last couple of years across many races and it was great to see so many clubs and school teams giving it their all.

Intermittent showers added even more mud to an already shifty course underfoot providing a challenging big race environment in which to try to practice maintaining solid running form.

At the top levels of distance running these days although it’s fast disappearing you sometimes see winning runners whose technique could be a bit better but what all of them have in common is an ability to maintain close to what is the best relaxed form for them under tough conditions like we had today.

There was certainly a much more competitive Open Short Course 4k race with plenty of the younger brigade coming through to stake their claims.

For Ashgrove Rangers we saw Gold Medals go to Patrick Reid (11 years 3k), Dylan Reid (13 years 3k) and Lynda Bateson (60 plus 4k) with Eva Hurley (11 years 3k) scoring a Bronze making it her first ever Cross Country individual medal.

Tom Burrows (QE2) also got a Gold in the Open Para 4k while it was also good to see Aidan Hobbs (Intraining) striving valiantly for an Open 4k Silver against a fast encroaching younger brigade.

Thanks to everyone who ran and well done to Queensland Athletics for providing an event that will be a critical development path component for Queensland distance running over the next few years where youngsters coming through can see senior local role models like Aidan not just out somewhere in cyberspace but actually in the same arena as them.

ASHGROVE RANGERS MEDAL SUMMARY

GOLD

11 Years Boys 3k – Patrick Reid 10:21
13 Years Boys 3k – Dylan Reid 10:01
Masters Women 60 Plus 4k – Lynda Bateson 26:00

BRONZE

11 Years Girls 3k – Eva Hurley 11:42

We would really like to thank all of our athletes, parents, coaches and officials who helped make this key development event a great meet for us this year.