Winning Start to 2023

The Senior Men kicked off 2023 on a high note, winning the Surrey County Championships in Lloyd Park on 7 January. This is an event that various configurations of men's teams have excelled in over the years, finishing on top of the podium in 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2014 in recent times.

The 2023 Edition was led in by Fred Slemeck in the bronze medal position, followed by Ed Mallett in 6th, brother George in 11th, Finn Johnson in 12th, U23 Henry Silverstein, home from university, in19th, and Austin Hall in 61st.

Given his superb silver at last year's Championships at Denbies Vineyard in Dorking, the pressure was also on team captain Fred to get amongst the individual medals. 'I felt I really had to back that up', he says, 'so I was absolutely buzzing at the end of the race'.

From the off he made his intent clear, spearheading a breakaway group of four runners, including last year's winner, Sam Eglen of Aldershot, Farnham and District. 'Going into the wind on the first lap no one was quite sure whether to go for it, so I just decided to take it on and led for two laps. I have a kind of over-inflated confidence over the country', he laughs. 'If we were on the track there is no way I would try to go with these guys!  Then on the the third lap, my stomach was churning and I got stitch. I was really struggling as the boys I was running with had a bit of a surge and got away. At that point I thought, oh no, I'm going to end up twentieth, but luckily I recovered and held the gap.

'At the top, just before the last big downhill they went again and I was resigned to fourth, but suddenly we hit a really muddy patch, and I caught Sam Eglen and managed to kick away. I back my finish any time, but for the last run in I was looking over my shoulder – at the same time trying not to throw up at the finish! One place lower than last year, but I beat the winner from last year, and the two guys ahead of me (winner Dominic Nolan of Croydon Harriers and Nathan Mapperley of Cambridge & Coleridge AC) have significantly better PBs on the track and the road, so I can't really complain!'

U20 Ellen Weir was afforded a transfer into the Senior Women's race in order to bid for a place in the Surrey team for the Inter-County Championships Loughborough on 11 March, and she duly delivered a great run, finishing in fifth. Claire Grima, the only other Senior Women entered in the race, was 41st.

The U13s also had a great Championships, with both Boys and Girls teams winning silver medals.  For the Boys, Thomas Whorton took the individual silver medal, with Harry Allen (11th), Theo Creed (17th) and Oliver Mealor (33rd) completing the team. For the Girls Isabella Harrison came home with the individual bronze, followed in by Selin Ciceksever in 12th, Alexandra Bramwell (22nd) and Freia Harper-Tee in 28th.

For the U15 Boys, Noah Fernandez (12th), Zac Elliott (29th), Nikhil Raizada (32nd) and Henry Lord (37th) were fifth; for the Girls, Iona Alexander (22nd), Vivienne Johnczyk (27th), Dillan Quinn (33rd) and Lara Delport (41st) were sixth.

The U17 Men's team of Theo Webb (6th), Cameron Elliott (8th), Jack Hobden (27th) and Tom Davies (31st) just missed out on the medals in fourth; while the combined U17 and U20 Women's team of Eloise Davies, Kiara Valkenburg, Abbie Grey (U17) and Millie Thorpe were also fifth.

Hector Revill, the sole HW representative in the U20 Men's race, came home in 18th.

* The County Qualification system means that not everyone is eligible to compete in the Surrey Championships, so racing elsewhere in the Senior Men's races  around the country were James Stockings, who finished in fifth in the Essex Championships, and Archie Walton and Sam Todd, who both finished ninth in the South-West Championships and 12th in the Norfolk Championships respectively, while Rhys Boorman was 12th in the Sussex Championships at Bexhill.