This week, 29 athletes from RAF Brize Norton travelled to RAF Halton for the RAF Cross Country Championships. Competing in a field of 106 athletes, the men’s and women’s races started together at 1pm.
The women's race covered a distance of 6.3k around the challenging hilly route whilst the men ran 11.1k. First home, and retaining her title, was our very own Senior Aircraftman Chloe Richardson. She was backed up by great runs from Ruth Tucker in 5th place, Flight Lieutenant Kimberley Adams in 8th and Bracher in 18th. These impressive performances resulted in RAF Brize Norton’s ladies winning Team Gold.
As in the women’s race, RAF Brize Norton also dominated the men’s race as Flying Officer Kallenberg came home in 1st place. He was followed home by Senior Aircraftman Simon Birch in 3rd place, Senior Aircraftman Tom Thayre in 5th place (whilst also winning the U23 gold medal), and Flight Lieutenant Alex Gibb in 8th place to round off the scoring team. Other notable performances included 4th U23 from Senior Aircraftman Aleksander Anastasiou, 37th from Flying Officer Tommy Brooks, 61st for Squadron Leader Neil Merritt and 87th for Max Thompson. Strong packing from the team at the front of the field ultimately resulted in Team Gold.
This is the first time in a number of years that a station has won both team trophies. Such a result is testament to the commitment shown by the athletes but also the hard work put in by those who support the team, mainly Carl Thompson, who can often be found at the Gateway Fields, taking the athletes out for a lunchtime session.
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