2nd July 2022
TRAIL TEAM BRONZE FOR WOMEN AT THE EURO OFF ROAD RUNNING CHAMPS
The women’s team sealed a superb bronze medal in the Trail race at the European Off Road Running Championships to take Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s medal tally up to five for the three-day event.
Racing in her first Trail Championships for GB & NI, Eleanor Davis enjoyed a storming run as she finished the 47.4km race in fourth position overall in a time of 4:28:50, not far from a podium finish.
The Preston athlete built into the race well, going through the 20.5km mark in seventh place with the clock at 2:17:58 as she faced another 27.2km of the challenging course in El Paso. By 31km, she had raced herself up to fifth position and with only a couple of kilometres to go, as Czech Republic’s Marcela Vasinova started to fade, the Briton took advantage to leap up to fourth position overall.
Not long afterwards, her compatriot Sharon Taylor (Helm Hill) earned a top ten finish in a time of 4:41:26. It was a position she held from the 20km mark and contributed to the team’s overall bronze medal placing.
The third Briton across the line was Nichola Jackson (Keswick) who secured 14th position in 4:48:25, and it confirmed the trio’s place on the podium along with France and Spain.
The race was won by France’s Blandine L’Hirondel by nearly a seven-minute margin, as she completed the 47.4km course in 4:11:22.
The men’s team ended the competition in fifth place overall with Brennan Townshend (Keswick) the top Briton in the field. The GB & NI debutant maintained good form during the race, moving up three positions in the second half of the race to take 13th in 3:57:48.
Billy Cartwright (Matlock) was just over two minutes further back on Townshend as he crossed the finish line in 16th in 3:59:56, while Ricky Lightfoot (Ellenborough) was the third British counter in 20th with a time of 4:06:28.
Although France won team gold, the race was won by Belgium’s Maximilen Drion Du Chapois in 3:43.01.
The Championships return for the final day of action on Sunday for the senior and junior up and down mountain running races.
Sunday 3 July
08:30: Up&down mountain race – Elite Senior men (18km) El Paso
08:45: Up&down mountain race – Elite U20 men (5,4km) El Paso
10:30: Up&down mountain race – Elite Senior women (18km) El Paso
10:45: Up&down mountain race – Elite U20 women (5,4km) El Paso
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