From Neil Chapman…
Christos had a great run at Meltham on Sunday less than 24 hours after finishing 12th in the U20 race at the Northern XC Championships. In the aptly named Meltham Tough 10k he stuck with Nigel Hockin of Slaithwaite Striders all the way, outsprinting him at the finish to win by one second.
This race is just a mass of hills, which is born out by the fact only six runners have got under 35 minutes in the last 12 years, so 33.18 for Christos is a fantastic result, particularly given the headwind at the most exposed part of the course. What was key in this race was how he dealt with the downhill sections of the course which have been a bit of an achilles heel in the past, and this race has a steep one mile of descent in the latter part of the race, which he attacked all the way and even pulled back a small gap that opened up. A great result!!