A group of 10 athletes from the Isle of Man – nine from Manx Harriers and one from Northern AC - made the long trip to Sedgefield in County Durham to compete in the English National Cross-Country Championships on Saturday.

The north-east venue proved to be an excellent one, with an undulating course that was surprisingly firm underfoot on a day that was dry and calm.

The standout performance came from Rory Teare in the under-13 boys race over a distance of 3.1km.

He followed his Lancashire victory in December with a highly-impressive 15th place in a field of nearly 250, the highest place ever achieved by a Manx athlete in the u13 boys race at the event. Indeed, only six have finished higher in any category over the years.

Rory actually led the race in the early stages, confidently setting a strong pace on the first short ascent. By the second of the two laps he was still inside the top 10 and, although losing a few places in a very close finish, he crossed the line in an excellent 15th place.

Sienna Morrissey continued her fine progress with 80th place in the under-17s women’s race over 5km, looking smooth and strong throughout. She judged the pace intelligently, finishing halfway up a strong field on her national debut.

The 4km u15 boys race featured Seamus Hall and Illiam Thomas, who finished 174th and 209th respectively. Seamus is in his first year in the age group, while Illiam was an event debutant gaining valuable experience of racing in big fields.

Faith Teare finished in a solid 134th place over the same distance in the u15 girls race, experiencing the national atmosphere for the first time.

Max Hammal has been training mainly for middle distance over the winter and his 6.1km race was useful endurance work ahead of the track season. He ran well throughout to place 179th in the u17 men’s race.

Laura Dickinson achieved her highest placing to date in the 8.3km senior women’s race, finishing 134th in a field of 531. A true devotee of cross-country, she has contested every age group at the national from u13 upwards.

Gail Sheeley, now a V60 athlete, achieved a remarkable 216th place finish in the same race. Although there are no age categories in the senior races, it is doubtful whether any were ahead of her from the same age group.

Jack Clague, another event debutant, placed 133rd in the junior men’s race, showing great resilience in his longest race to date over a distance of 10.1km.

The sole Northern AC representative was Paul Renshaw, recently returned to running competition after many years away. Unfortunately, he badly aggravated an existing calf injury early in the senior men’s race, forcing his retirement. Best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

For the 35th time, the Manx Harriers trip was organised by Andy Fox who also prepared most of the athletes for the race. All are extremely grateful to Andy for the huge contribution he continues to make to local athletics.