HORSES for courses is a saying that came to mind when seeing Jack Millar’s excellent fifth place in the senior men’s race at the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships last weekend.
The Bristol & West AC runner is a thoroughbred runner on most surfaces but he excels on mud so after what seems to have been a dry winter the course and going at Loughborough suited him perfectly.
Millar had already retained his South West title this year, finished fifth in the Midlands to help the club lift the team title and also placed 19th at the ‘National’ but Saturday’s performance against a high class field was his best yet.
And surely it was no coincidence that it was the muddiest course he has raced on since finishing fifth in the ‘National’ at Parliament Hill last year. Some runners just glide over the stuff.
Millar is one of those so a great way for him to end the winter and send him into the rod running season with his spirits high.
Team Bath’s Dylan Stoneman, who was also representing Avon& Somerset, ran strongly to finish ninth in the U17 men’s race – his last in that age group.
Inter Counties Cross Country Championships, Loughborough
Senior men: 5 Jack Millar (B&W); 46 Simon Byrne (Swindon).
U17 men: 9 Dylan Stoneman; 10 Harry Maxwell (both Team Bath AC); 235 Alex Hearn (B&W), 243 Oliver Draper (B&W), 245 Kyle Burford (NSAC).
Senior women: 73 Freya Spruit (TB); 171 Susan Duncan (Weston).
U20 women: 15 Annabelle Wallace (TB); 36 Tilly Spinney (WH); 102 Alexandra Oliver (SGS).
U17 women: 152 Sophi Hayes-Hoyle (B&W).
13 girls: 26 Sophie Maxwell (TB); 46 Heidi Martineau (NSAC); 95 Lola Simpson (WH); 161 Tilly Coomber (B&W).