NEAR-PERFECT weather conditions for running and surprisingly firm going made for an intriguing North West Cross Country in the grounds of Thornhill College in Derry.
The meeting was the sixth fixture of nine in the Athletics Northern Ireland Cross Country League with North Belfast Harriers defending their lead in both men’s and women’s tables.
However, it was host club City of Derry Spartans that dominated proceedings, taking one individual and both team victories in the two races.
The man stopping the clean sweep was Jared Martin, a 22-year-old Ballydrain Harrier, who swept to an impressive win in the men’s race.
Martin had finished runner-up in the NI & Ulster Novice last month but seemed to have stepped up a gear from then as he took control of the race almost from the gun.
Martin had a 10-metre lead at the end of the first lap over Luke Dinsmore and Enniskillen’s Frank Buchanan which grew to well over 100 metres by the end of the six kilometre course.
Dinsmore, leading the Annadale Striders challenge, held on to the silver medal spot while City of Derry’s Declan Reed overhauled Buchanan for third late in the race.
Martin is reading Modern Middle-Eastern Studies at Oxford University and was part of the Dark Blues’ team that recently lost narrowly to Cambridge in the annual Universities’ Cross Country match that dates back to 1880.
The Spartans also supplied the individual winner of the women’s race which would have been much more intriguing had it not been combined with the men’s contest.
Judith Storm seemed to start conservatively before coming through to the front.
Storm’s clubmate Lucy Jackson followed a similar game plan to take the runner-up spot as North Belfast Harrier Elisoa Crawford faded out of contention.
Finn Valley’s Leoni Cooke also seized the opportunity to grab the final place on the podium.
The host club also took both senior men and women’s team titles but the real interest was further down the listings.
Going into the fixture, North Belfast Harriers headed both tables.
The Stags had a sizeable advantage over Annadale Striders in the men’s and that remained the same after both clubs fielded makeshift line-ups.
It was a closer affair in the women’s standings with North just two points ahead of Tafelta AC but despite being understrength they increased that lead, beating their Magherafelt rivals although only fourth in the team competition.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Perseus Karlstrom was the winner of the 20K at yesterday’s World Race Walking Tour event in Dublin.
The four-time World Championship medallist covered the distance in one hour, 18 minutes and 39 seconds.
Mexico’s Noel-Ali Chama-Almazan took second in 1:20:05 with Finland’s Veli-Matti Partanen third in 1:20:33.
Ireland’s David Kenny was fourth in 1:21:38.
Slovakia’s Jakub Batovsky took the 10K in 46:37 from talented junior Andrew Glennon from the Mullingar Harriers club who stopped the clock at 47:06.
Ireland’s Brendan Boyle and Kate Veale finished runners-up in the mixed relay behind Slovakia.