BRITISH CHAMPION

Claire is British Champion.

Claire Martin is the newly crowned British and Irish Masters cross country champion. Selected for the England Masters team, 36 year old Claire from Aqueduct travelled to Dublin to represent her country in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country International held at Santry Park, Dublin, the venue for last years European Cross Country Championships. On a muddy but flat 4 lap 6 kilometre course, the Telford AC athlete was content to run with the leading group for the first two laps then sensing a gap she made her break at the beginning of the third lap. She extended her lead to 80 metre by the finish as she came home in 22.07 ahead of her nearest rival fellow England runner Emma Stallard in 22.21 with Scotland's Melissa Whyte third in 22.26. England were second in the over 35's team race to Ireland but won the overall womens race whilst Ireland were second with wales third, Scotland 4th and Northern Ireland 5th. Claire who was the winner of the opening North Wales Cross Country League and 3rd in the first Midland Womens League so far this season plans to race at Wrexham in the next North Wales League, before focussing on the cross country championships after Christmas.

Paul Sanderson