Published: 1 March, 2012
by STEVE BARNETT

THOUSANDS of eager athletes came out with the sun on Saturday as Hampstead Heath hosted a record-breaking English National Cross-Country Championships.

A record 4,622 runners took part in 10 separate races at Parliament Hill Fields, including the 125th running of the senior men’s race.

With former winners at the spiritual home of cross-country including the likes of national legends David Bedford, Brendan Foster and Paula Radcliffe, it was the perfect event to launch the Hampstead Heath Festival of Sport and Wellbeing.

Members from the Highgate Harriers Athletics Club certainly had reason to cheer as their senior men’s team recorded their best position in more than 20 years by finishing fifth out of 125 clubs.

All six of Highgate’s scorers crossed the finishing line inside the first 100 runners to notch up 360 points overall and finish as the top London club.

Out of a field of 1,688 finishers, Murray Strain was the first Harrier home with a time of 38 minutes, 20 seconds to take 38th place.

Ben Noad completed the 12k race in 38:37 to finish 48th, while Shaun Dixon clocked 38:58 to take 61st spot. Henry Dodwell (38:59) was 64th, Ryan McKinlay (39:02) was 67th and Danny Russell (39:25) was 82nd.  

With the support of their No. 1 fan and mascot Hungarian Vizsla Sydney (inset right), the Highgate Harriers’ senior women’s team also did well as they finished 22nd out of 73 clubs.

Tessa Hill finished the 8k race in 31:30 to take 60th place, while Elinor Winter (33:43) and Louise Faherty (34:23) finished 147th and 174th respectively.

In a field of 650 finishers, Natasha Cendrowicz (38:16) came 351st and Kirat Nandra (47:01) was 584th.

There was also a special mention for junior runner Terry Fawden, who was 33rd out of 373 finishers in the boys’ U-13s race.