Possibly the first time Keswick AC has fielded a team at this prestigious event, with the location this year at Graves Park down in Sheffield at one of the country’s most historic venues for XC, having hosted many events such as the National and Northern XC over the years.
It’s a good 3 hours from Keswick, so the team of 4 made a day of it with a warm-up run of 40 minutes around Burbage Valley in rather unpleasant conditions. Thankfully the weather eased for the race and left the well-drained course in good condition for some fast times. The relays cover all age groups, with 4 per team. The men’s race: ‘The Cutlers Relay’ was the last event of the day at 14:10. The team of Phil Winskill, Alastair Thomas, Jacob Tonkin and Harry Bolton all ran hard, finishing in 21st.
Around 74 teams from across the north took part, so 21st for a relatively inexperienced team was an awesome first outing. All-in-all a good day with the journey home requiring a celebratory meal to refuel tired bodies. Roll on next year!

Full Results: https://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2017/naxcrsm.htm