Neil Jeffries
18 February, 2025
Sport

Chill wind but warm smiles for Whitbread Hollow runners

Hastings Runners sent a team of 14 to Whitbread Hollow for the fifth race of six in the 2024/25 East Sussex Sunday Cross Country League season, hosted by Eastbourne’s Run Wednesday club

Hastings Runners cross-country team members at Whitbread Hollow, Eastbourne.

The sun shone, occasionally, and it didn’t rain. But with a fresh easterly wind slicing around the Hollow – just west of Eastbourne seafront– and up over Beachy Head where the course took them, runners were soon reminded that there is no such thing as an ESSCCL meeting without some form of challenging conditions.

First Hastings Runners home were MV35 Lewis Parsons and MV55 Martin Noakes, while the club’s female champion Claire Thomas and Jane Coles were the best placed in the women’s portion of the race. There were also good times recorded by Martin Turner, Paul Burchett, Andy Knight, Ruth Spiller, Jo Nevett, Darren Barzee (returning from injury), Trish Audis, Xiulan Han (undertaking her first cross-country race) Shana Burchett and Krista Barzee.

The ESSCCL concludes in just over two weeks’ time in the HR-hosted event at Pett on 9th March.

Hastings Runners Tracy Ratnarajah, Jo Fellows and Natasha Slow ran the women-only Peasmarsh Valentine Trail.
Hastings Runners Tracy Ratnarajah, Jo Fellows and Natasha Slow ran the women-only Peasmarsh Valentine Trail. Credit: Contributed

• Taking part in last weekend’s Peasmarsh Valentine Trail – a 5.5 mile women-only run organised by Grass Routes – were three from Hastings Runners: Natasha Slow, Tracy Ratnarajah and Jo Fellows.

Hastings Runners welcomes new members of all abilities aged 12 and over for fun, training and competitive running. Visit hastingsrunners.co.uk