Uxbridge Met League XC, 3 Dec 2022

The Uxbridge course is the best in the Met League - a two lap course featuring a river crossing with muddy scramble up the bank on the other side and a super steep climb that most have to walk up. My forte! Thankfully weather conditions were a bit kinder than last year and water levels of the river were ankle deep rather than waist deep.

The race starts with a slow, gradual climb up a field, which I took nice and steady to find my groove. After a sharp turn the course goes back down the same hill, where I pushed to pick off all those that had gone out too fast. Then straight into the steep climb, still picking them off one by one. Got a bit stuck behind a couple of girls in the windy wooded single track section that headed down towards the river for the first time. The crossing is always a bit daunting with all the spectators heading there to watch the mayhem. Thankfully a smooth leap and a couple of steps saw me across and scrambling up the far bank (spikes compulsory for that bit!).

The second lap was more of the same. The race had spread out a lot by this point and I found myself running alone for most of it, trying to catch the girls in the distance. Rounded the corner to the final uphill sprint finish to find myself with 50m both ahead and in front - that was enough to convince me to finish the race with a casual jog across the line! 28th overall and 1st in for my club - my most successful XC race to date.

Emily Young