Southern Masters XC Champs - WADAC's Golden Girls

The 2017 SEAA "Southern" Masters could not have been more different to last years. The weather was fantastic crisp & sunny with hard frozen ground cf last year's rain soaked mud fest. All our travel plans worked out (cf last year!) and with 13 athletes taking part we had the luxury of full teams and even some cover for the just in cases. We had a number of runners in form and/or new to age group (or indeed new to club) so there was some justified optimism in our ranks and boy did those ladies deliver!
nIn this enlightened competition however the V50 and V60 men get first chance on the course....still frozen and not yet churned up by the masses. Great to see Marius Kwint out in the Black & Gold, taking 29th place overall and leading our V50 team to 12th. Franklyn Young, Steve Oliver and Adrian Haughton were the other WADAC runners out there enjoying the best of the conditions.
nThen the ladies.....all age groups off in one mass start. Our W50 ladies (Karen Rushton (W50 silver medal), Karen Hazlitt (13th), Kay Noyce (16th) all ran brilliantly to take the W50 team Gold medal with Alison Fenwick and Madeline Vosser running well in support. In the W40 age group Kathy Bailey was first home for WADAC (W45 silver medal) and fantastic performances from Sam Parkinson and Jo Jefferies secured the W40 team silver medal.Never one to miss out on a cross-country event Joy Radford put up a strong solo performance in her age group (and drove the ladies team bus - thanks Joy!).
nThis is always an entertaining fixture, crossing swords with other Vets from around the South, but also mixing with the Inter-counties teams sharing the venue. Lots of WADAC juniors out there representing their county in the morning and then more WADAC talent out in the afternoon with India Lee, Jo Meek and Mel Wilkins contesting the senior ladies inter-county race. Maybe something to have in your diary for 2018?