Ilford AC runners put on an heroic fight back after suffering disaster at the start of a major championship race.
The four man team were genuine medal contenders when they lined up for the senior men’s South of England Cross Country Relay Championship on Saturday.
Current Essex Cross Country Relay Champions, Paul Grange, Tom Gardner, Alex Richards and Ahmed Abdulle, had their sights set on a top three position when lining up at the start of the fast, flat course in Wormwood Scrubs, West London.
But they were soon on the back foot after first leg runner, Grange lost five minutes to the leaders after being part of a small group which was sent off course – adding a mile onto what should have been a 2.5 mile lap.
Grange had settled comfortably at the rear of half a dozen runners which had just lost contact with three leaders. But as they reached half distance, the lead runner of this group mistook a turn, taking the pack off course and back to where they had come.
By the time the mistake was noticed and they rejoined the correct loop, too much time was lost.
Grange clocked a time of 17:39 and handed over to second leg Gardner – in 29th place.
Facing a monumental battle to claw back as much time against the best runners from across the south of England, the team set about a stunning comeback, picking off as many places as possible.
Gardner passed 13 runners after lapping the course in 12:48, handing over to Richards who blasted past another six competitors, clocking a blistering 12.24.
Despite the insurmountable gap, last leg athlete Abdulle unleashed the fastest split of the entire competition, pulling back two more places, on his way to a 11.30 lap.
He brought the team home in 54:21 for seventh place out of 36 teams, 6:21 behind winners Windsor and Hounslow AC, who clocked 48.07. Chiltern Harriers AC came second in 40:18, followed by host club, Thames Valley Harriers, in 48:41.
Had it not been for the mishap on leg one, the team’s time would have put them firmly in the battle for bronze.
Team captain Gardner said: “I couldn’t be prouder of the performances – everyone showed fantastic determination despite a major set back.
“While a lot of other teams might have let their head drop facing such a mammoth task, the team got stuck in and fought for every position.
It’s a shame we lost so much time because of the confusion on the first leg, where a section of course wasn’t clearly marked out and a small second group went the wrong way. But sport’s all about how you deal with adversity and Ilford AC showed how we do it.”
| POS | NAME | BIB | GUN TIME |
| 1 | Windsor S E & Hounslow AC | 40 | 00:48:07.750 |
| 2 | Chiltern Harriers AC | 5 | 00:48:18.550 |
| 3 | Thames Valley Harriers | 32 | 00:48:41.150 |
| 4 | Aldershot Farnham & DAC | 1 | 00:50:13.200 |
| 5 | Reading AC | 27 | 00:51:05.200 |
| 6 | Harrow AC | 10 | 00:54:09.450 |
| 7 | Ilford AC | 16 | 00:54:21.900 |
| 8 | London Frontrunners | 17 | 00:56:00.350 |
| 9 | Herne Hill Harriers | 12 | 00:56:14.100 |
| 10 | Thames Valley Harriers B | 33 | 00:56:35.950 |
| 11 | Arena 80 AC | 3 | 00:56:43.100 |
| 12 | Vegan Runners UK | 37 | 00:56:44 |
| 13 | London Heathside AC | 22 | 00:56:53.250 |
| 14 | West 4 Harriers | 38 | 00:57:36.400 |
| 15 | Serpentine RC | 30 | 00:57:46.300 |
