Some interesting comments about cross-country courtesy of Cybi Striders...

By Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 September 16, 2023

North Wales Cross Country League

Some interesting comments about cross-country courtesy of Cybi Striders...

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com

www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk

Most of us think of Cross Country (XC) as being wet, muddy and one of those PE lessons we used to try and avoid at all costs. However, the NWXC league is quite different (apart from the mud!) 

The league runs over 5 events from October to February across North Wales and Shropshire with a variety of clubs in attendance, and runners of all styles and speeds taking part. Whilst there is a club element to the league, the individual competition is the main draw for many runners. Some runners even turn up to be the only club representative in some rounds, especially where they clash with other events!

The XC rounds are held on Saturday afternoons; juniors in the morning. The first event starts at 1pm and is the Women, U17 Men and over 65 Men competing over courses of roughly 4 miles. The Senior Men start at 2pm and generally compete over 5 miles; the difference in race distances has been discussed widely and is a hot topic even at international level.

Yes, there will be mud and club kit (which must be worn) being in need of a good wash afterwards, but the fun of XC cannot be underestimated. Anyone thinking they are not of a good enough standard need not worry, the support is fantastic with many families spending the whole day there. Rest assured that events do not run whatever the weather, you won’t be asked to run in the middle of a storm like at school.

Cybi Striders have seen an increase in attendance at XC rounds in recent years and are looking to field more runners at this season’s events, with an aim to get more “first-timers” out to give XC a try!

The first round of the season is 14th October at Treborth Playing Fields; many members will have run sections of the course on the Coastal Path, under the Britannia Bridge and around the Athletics Track (not on it!).

For anyone interested in taking part, please contact us before the end of September so that we can register runners. All athletes will be given a numbered and chipped bib to keep for the season. And all this is provided free of charge to runners.
If you want to know more, ask at Monday Training, Club Runs or via the Facebook page. Pob lwc!!

*This is the link to the latest updates for the North Wales XC League: 
Don Hale Blog: (UPDATED): NORTH WALES CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE FIXTUR... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2023/06/north-wales-cross-country-league.html?spref=tw 

donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025

Don Hale is a best-selling British author and former investigative journalist. He has been Journalist of the Year on three separate occasions in the past. and his extensive campaign to help free Stephen Downing for a murder he did not commit, won him both the Campaign and National Journalist of the Year Awards, A former regional newspaper editor, he was awarded an OBE in 2002 for campaign journalism. He has also been a lead investigator in several other successful, high-profile, miscarriage of justice and human rights cases. He has written several best selling books including - Murder in the Graveyard a true crime mystery story. There is also Buster Crabb - Ian Fleming's Favourite Spy, and Mallard about the battle to create the fastest steam loco in the world against the challenge from Nazi Germany, and more lately, there is The Jersey Boys and Liberation, about the secret stories of occupied Jersey during WW2, told by several resistance heroes and historians.