Race 3 of this years PECO XC League was hosted by Horsforth Harriers assisted by Nidd Valley Runners. The route around West Park Fields & Beckett Park was approximately 4.5 miles with the first 1.2 miles being run by simply following the perimeter of the playing fields themselves, then it was off to do a loop of the woods and Beckett Park. The entrance to the woods is challenging with hazards to negotiate and is justifiably marshalled and made all the more challenging today as the ground, for the most part, was frozen solid. Sharp turns and rough descents are commonplace from this point where runners look for a gap in the fence to access Beckett Park. Meandering to and fro eventually led to Batcliff Woods where zig zagging and looping runs the participants back more than once to other sections of Beckett Park woods. The finish line being near is signalled by entering the fields for the final half mile through the Queen Victoria Arch to the raucous cheers and encouragement of the brave bystanders egging (not literally) runners over the finish line. Out in the blue and white for Eccleshill today we had Julie Steele 44:38, Daniel Jenkins 38:52, Robert Sutton (DNF) and Garry Ellison 38:55. Big thanks to our support crew braving the freezing conditions to cheer our team in!
