KATE Maltby doesn’t race the Midland Counties Cross Country Championships very often but when she does the Bristol & West AC runner makes it count.
Maltby’s decision to make the journey to Mansfield from her home in the Lake District to support the club paid off handsomely as she made the podium in third place.
Amazingly that was a repeat of her bronze medal when she last contested the senior women’s race at Leamington – 11 years ago!
Since 2011 Maltby (pictured right) hasn’t taken part in the event preferring to concentrate upon other races, most latterly her love of racing on the fells, a discipline in which she has earned international honours for England and Great Britain.
Maltby has crept into the veteran W35 status now so should feel extremely satisfied with her run as she finished behind runaway winner Katie Holt of Stoke and Birchfield’s Lillian Partridge.
It gave Bristol & West AC a great start in the team competition but unfortunately the quartet fell short of the bronze medals by just five points.
Annabel Granger, enjoying a superb run in 26th, Catie O’Donoghue and Rebecca Pierce packed solidly in 26th, 27th and 28th respectively but it left them agonisingly short.
Senior women: 1 Katie Holt (Stoke) 28:35; 2 Lillian Partridge (Birch) 29:15; 3 Kate Maltby (B&W) 29:22.
Teams: 1 Birchfield 43; 2 Charnwood 50; 3 Stoke 80; 4 Bristol & West AC 85; 5 Leamington 85;
26 Annabel Granger; 27 Catie O’Donoghue, 28 Rebecca Pierce.