Bourton 10k – February 22nd
Katherine Jones was our only entrant in this fast, always over-subscribed early season race, but was rewarded with a sub-40 minute result.
Position | Name | Time (Chip) | Narrative |
130 | Katherine Jones | 39:28 (39:22) |
Winning time: 31:21 Number of finishers: 629
Cirencester 10k – February 22nd
A new race, promoted by a Yorkshire company, which organises several races in Cotswold area. The closed road course, started and finished in Cirencester town centre with a loop through the Bathurst Estate.
Position | Name | Time (Chip) | Narrative |
159 | Sarah Kerswell (FV60) | 48:09 (48:02) | First FV60 |
703 | Linda Stevens (FV65) | 1:07:53 (1:07:21) |
Winning time: 33:41 Number of finishers: 872
Dursley Dozen – February 15th
Now in its 36th edition, the 12 mile race (not 12 hills!) includes over 2000 feet of climbing, woodland, open country, mud and gravel paths. At one point, ropes are provided on a precipice. Ralf reports “12 miles, 2000ft, lots of very muddy mud, great race, well supported.” Plenty of photos of Ralf (enter bib number 10 in “Find Your Photos” and look for the yellow vest) in the link below.
Position | Name | Time (Chip) | Narrative |
89 | Ralf Arneil (MV50) | 1:52:13 (1:52:04) | Fourth MV50 |
Winning time: 1:24:12 Number of finishers: 502
Oxon XC Race 4 at Cotswold Farm Park – February 1st
Tom Preskett reports:
Another good day in the mud and hills. An impressive 19 harriers travelled over to the picturesque Cotswold Farm Park. A tough course with very little flat and some near vertical downhill bits. What’s notably this year is the new runners. Over half of the 19 are new to XC, most having joined less than a year ago. We wouldn’t have a full men’s team without the new blood. Great for the future of the club. With good weather the men set off first. Representing us at the sharp end as usual was James B: 38th overall and 2nd VM50. A good run. The other VM50 Glen returned from injury and holiday to run strongly in his 2nd WH race. Our sole VM60 this time was Rob W who had a great race, finishing 6th in the age category and 7th in our team. Aging like a fine wine. The youngster of the group, Jonathan, was 6th WH home and continues to improve. Keep it up. The rest of us are the 40 something middle-age-spread-deniers. James G and I pushed each other along to finish in 64th and 67th , an improvement for us. Louis finished well as always, enjoying good prep for Grizzly. Ed ran strongly and did the Thame slaying that was required overtaking 2 in the last half a mile and then not allowing one of them to outsprint him. Ian continues to improve and help the team to a strong position. Well done. Florian returned from a lot of travelling to run with commitment around the moguls. And Ross shows his ultra endurance to run a consistent race. As a team, we consolidated our position as 2nd in div. 2, beating Thame by over 100 points.
Whilst the men were still huffing and puffing the ladies set off. In VF50, two of our new harriers Valerie and Caroline ran hard and tough, epitomising what it’s all about. Well done both of you. Just ahead the more experienced Sarah also ran hard and tough. All of them beat many ladies much younger. Lizzie K keeps getting better and was a magnificent 3rd VF50, 26th overall. Quality stuff. Flying the flag in VF40, Vicky showed a good turn of pace at the end to sprint into the top 100. Speaking of good sprint finishes Lizzy W chomped through the field up the last hill and round the last field to be our 4th WH lady home. At the very sharp end Jasmine had a great 2nd lap and final straight to finish 23rd. A fantastic performance in her 3rd race for the club. Finally, also in her 3rd race, Grace was quality. 8th. This stat speaks for itself. Big thumbs up. And the ladies team stretched their lead in Div. 2.
Out on the course was capt. Caroline, stepping in to marshal at the 11th hour. Also supporting was Dave, Sue and Mike. Thanks to all of you. That’s all I saw, let us know if you were also there. Thanks also to James B, Dave and Sue for setting up the tent and anyone who provided cake. The tent base camp is part of the fun of the XC. One more to go – Henley, 1st March. All welcome.
Men
Position | Name | Time | Narrative |
38 | James Bolton (MV50) | 32:45 | Second MV50 |
63 | James Groves (MV40) | 34:38 | |
67 | Thomas Preskett (MV40) | 34:50 | |
94 | Ed King (MV40) | 37:05 | |
120 | Ian Lee (MV40) | 38:33 | |
139 | Jonathan Wilford (SM) | 39:34 | |
157 | Rob Webster (MV60) | 41:10 | |
159 | Florian Combe (MV40) | 41:18 | |
190 | Glen DiPalma (MV50) | 43:26 | |
201 | Louis Warden (MV40) | 44:25 | |
212 | Ross Nutter (MV40) | 45:28 |
Winning time: 28:41 Number of finishers: 264
Women
Position | Name | Time | Narrative |
8 | Grace Harrison (SW) | 37:23 | |
23 | Jasmine Presho (SW) | 40:00 | |
26 | Lizzie Kelly (FV50) | 40:09 | |
82 | Elizabeth Welsh (SW) | 47:13 | |
99 | Vicky Walker (FV40) | 49:21 | |
116 | Sarah Dawson (FV50) | 51:25 | |
127 | Caroline Sloan (FV50) | 51:53 | |
132 | Valerie Berryman-Bousquet (FV50) | 53:09 |
Winning time: 34:08 Number of finishers: 149
Cross Country Handicap Competition 2025/26
Including Results of Cotswold Farm Park Cross Country (Race 4 of 5)
Name | Actual Time | Handicap % | Adjusted Time | Points (Race 4) | Total Points (Position) |
James Bolton | 32:45 | 100 | 32:45 | 17 | 69 |
Tom Preskett | 34:50 | 92.2 | 32:07 | 20 | 66 |
James Groves | 33:38 | 89.8 | 31:06 | 23 | 80 (2) |
Ed King | 37:05 | 91.9 | 34:05 | 11 | 20 |
Dave Cantwell | n/a | 83.4 | n/a | n/a | 46 |
Jonathan Wilford | 39:34 | 82.1 | 32:29 | 19 | 50 |
Ian Lee | 38:33 | 80.5 | 31:02 | 24 | 83 (1) |
Rob Webster | 41:10 | 79.7 | 32:49 | 16 | 34 |
Florian Combe | 41:18 | 79.0 | 32:38 | 18 | 73 (3) |
Ross Nutter | 42:35 | 77.5 | 36:01 | 09 | 16 |
Adrian Smith | n/a | 75.2 | n/a | n/a | 21 |
Iain Claxton | n/a | 71.3 | n/a | n/a | 30 |
Louis Warden | 44:25 | 76.1 | 33:48 | 14 | 19 |
Neil Preddy | n/a | 65.8 | n/a | n/a | 14 |
Kevin Game | n/a | 75.0 | n/a | n/a | 04 |
Angus Claxton | n/a | 100 | n/a | n/a | 25 |
Grace Harrison | 37:23 | 85.1 | 31:49 | 21 | 65 |
Kirsty Lee | n/a | 81.0 | n/a | n/a | 28 |
Jessica Tallman | n/a | 79.5 | n/a | n/a | 31 |
Caroline Johnstone | n/a | 73.8 | n/a | n/a | 46 |
Lizzie Welsh | 47:13 | 72.0 | 33:59 | 12 | 47 |
Sarah Kerswell | n/a | 70.5 | n/a | n/a | 21 |
Liz O’Farrell | n/a | 69.6 | n/a | n/a | 58 |
Vicky Walker | 49:21 | 68.2 | 33:39 | 15 | 40 |
Caroline Sloan | 51:53 | 65.3 | 33:53 | 13 | 27 |
Val Berryman-B | 53:09 | 64.9 | 34:30 | 10 | 16 |
Lizzie Kelly | 40:09 | 75.6 | 30:21 | 25 | 49 |
Jasmine Presho | 38:33 | 78.0 | 31:12 | 22 | 54 |
Glen DiPalma | 43:26 | n/a | n/a | Non Qual | Non Qual |
Sarah Dawson | 51:25 | n/a | n/a | Non Qual | Non Qual |
Note: The best 4 results from the 5 races to count. No entries to competition after race 3.
Woodcote 10k – January 11th
Early season road race opener, the Woodcote 10k is a one lap course in the Chiltern Hills between Woodcote and Goring with a total elevation of nearly 500 feet. Organised by the Rotary Club of Pangbourne, it is described as an undulating, meandering course, along back roads, flanked by woods and farmland. Eleven runners were disqualified! Plenty of photos of Lizzie (enter bib number 163 in “Find Your Photos”) in the link below.
Position | Name | Time (Chip) | Narrative |
73 | Lizzie Kelly (FV50) | 46:30 (46:26) | Second FV50 |
Winning time: 32:03 Number of finishers: 365
Oxon XC Race 3 at Horspath – January 4th
Caroline Johnstone reports:
What a turn out! There were a whopping 25 racers (15 men; 10 women), photographers (thanks Juan and Carey), supporters (thanks Mike), tent putter-uppers (thanks James B and Tom), bakers (sorry not to have names) and importantly, the team race volunteer, Megs, who is the only reason any of the rest of us could be there at all – thank you.
Conditions wise, it was absolutely freezing (note to self – take spare socks for afterwards next time), but that made for good running conditions with not too much mud.
In terms of the women’s race, there were some fantastic results. Grace stormed home in 16th place overall (total female runners = 186) and our second female finisher Lizzie was 3rd V50. Only 10 seconds behind her was Jess (8th VL40), despite the fact she stopped twice on the course to do up her shoe laces! Kirsty L followed shortly coming in 9th VL40 with an injured, but thankfully still intact, toenail. Jas was our 5th female, coming in 56th place overall and knocking 2 minutes off her time from the same course in December. I trailed in behind her after struggling on the second lap. Liz O’F run well and also knocked 1.5 minutes off her time from December. Old time Woodstock Harrier, Valerie, who has only just recently returned to the club must have enjoyed round 1 of the XC as she come back for more which is wonderful. She ran strong and finished smiling so we look forward to seeing her at future races! Caroline S also ran very well, finishing 10% higher in her age category (proportionate to the number of runners) compared to the first XC race, a great improvement! Finally, Vicky, wins the prize for dedication – her birthday is tomorrow but she is celebrating it today – and she chose to celebrate it by doing a XC race! She tells me her family thinks she is mad. Well you are, but everyone who does XC is a little bit mad in my book. Great running all round!
For the men, there were also some great results. For the first time I got to see a Woodstock Harrier finish an XC race before the ladies race started. That was Angus (Iain’s son) who flew past us to finish 8th overall (total male runners = 316). He was also 5th SM and only 15 seconds short of coming 3rd SM. Angus, what a way to introduce yourself to the club!!! We look forward to seeing what you can do in future races. 2nd WH male to finish was James B, who got stuck in a bit of traffic going into the first hill but still came in as 2nd V50. Next in were Tom P and James G. There was only 3 seconds between them this time, with Tom P just coming out in front (last month it was James G)…. we shall see what the next XC brings! There was also rivalry between Iain C and Louis, but when Iain made his move to pass Louis on the 2nd hill, Louis speed up, leaving Iain behind and also sneaking past Ross before the finish too. Kevin stuck to his strategy of walking the hardest bits of the hills (which I wholly endorse – better to walk and finish then not to race or finish at all) and finished strong. There was similar determination from Neil who fell over but kept going. There was less drama from Ed K (unusual) who just got on and ran (probably while still chatting) and finished as 5th WH male, followed by Ian L, Jonathan W and Florian. Interestingly, Florian is using XC to support his triathlon training which is a great example of how participating in races can support wider training goals. Finally, Adrian just keeps getting better and better and finished a huge 8 minutes faster than he did in this XC last year (I think we know why he won the handicap prize for 2025!) and Rob W impressively finished in 9th V60, one of only three men to get a top-ten age category finish (Angus and James B being the others). Again, well done all!
I’ve already broken my new years resolution of no race report errors. I’m so sorry David W. Thank you also for supporting, particularly in the cold. It was appreciated!
Men
Position | Name | Time | Narrative |
8 | Angus Claxton (SM) | 27:30 | |
60 | James Bolton (MV50) | 30:39 | Second MV50 |
92 | Thomas Preskett (MV40) | 32:32 | |
93 | James Groves (MV40) | 32:35 | |
143 | Ed King (MV40) | 35:29 | |
161 | Ian Lee (MV40) | 36:31 | |
167 | Jonathan Wilford (SM) | 36:54 | |
169 | Florian Combe (MV40) | 37:03 | |
208 | Rob Webster (MV60) | 39:08 | |
238 | Adrian Smith (MV50) | 41:13 | |
256 | Louis Warden (MV40) | 42:28 | |
259 | Ross Nutter (MV40) | 42:35 | |
265 | Iain Claxton (MV60) | 43:08 | |
268 | Kevin Game (MV50) | 43:11 | |
305 | Neil Preddy (MV60) | 48:07 |
Winning time: 26:13 Number of finishers: 318
Women
Position | Name | Time | Narrative |
16 | Grace Harrison (SW) | 34:37 | |
45 | Lizzie Kelly (FV50) | 37:45 | Third FV50 |
50 | Jessica Tallman (FV40) | 37:55 | |
51 | Kirsty Lee (FV40) | 38:07 | |
56 | Jasmine Presho (SW) | 38:33 | |
60 | Caroline Johnstone (FV40) | 38:51 | |
100 | Liz O’Farrell (FV50) | 42:51 | |
124 | Vicky Walker (FV40) | 44:38 | |
149 | Caroline Sloan (FV50) | 47:21 | |
167 | Valerie Berryman-Bousquet (FV50) | 49:59 |
Winning time: 29:07 Number of finishers: 187
Cross Country Handicap Competition 2025/26
Including Results of Horspath Cross Country & County Championship (Race 3)
Name | Actual Time | Handicap % | Adjusted Time | Points (Race 3) | Total Points (Position) |
James Bolton | 30:39 | 100 | 30:39 | 12 | 52 |
Tom Preskett | 32:32 | 92.2 | 30:00 | 17 | 46 |
James Groves | 32:35 | 89.8 | 29:15 | 22 | 57 (3) |
Ed King | 35:29 | 91.9 | 32:36 | 02 | 09 |
Dave Cantwell | n/a | 83.4 | n/a | n/a | 46 |
Jonathan Wilford | 36:54 | 82.1 | 30:18 | 14 | 31 |
Ian Lee | 36:31 | 80.5 | 29:24 | 20 | 59 (1) |
Rob Webster | 43:14 | 79.7 | 31:11 | 07 | 18 |
Florian Combe | 37:03 | 79.0 | 29:16 | 21 | 55 |
Ross Nutter | 42:35 | 77.5 | 33:00 | 01 | 07 |
Adrian Smith | 41:13 | 75.2 | 30:59 | 08 | 21 |
Iain Claxton | 43:08 | 71.3 | 30:45 | 11 | 30 |
Louis Warden | 42:28 | 76.1 | 32:19 | 05 | 05 |
Neil Preddy | 48:07 | 65.8 | 31:39 | 06 | 14 |
Kevin Game | 43:11 | 75.0 | 32:23 | 04 | 04 |
Angus Claxton | 27:30 | 100 | 27:30 | 25 | 25 |
Grace Harrison | 34:37 | 85.1 | 29:27 | 19 | 44 |
Kirsty Lee | 38:07 | 81.0 | 30:52 | 10 | 28 |
Jessica Tallman | 37:56 | 79.5 | 30:09 | 15 | 31 |
Caroline Johnstone | 38:51 | 73.8 | 28:40 | 23 | 46 |
Lizzie Welsh | n/a | 72.0 | n/a | n/a | 35 |
Sarah Kerswell | n/a | 70.5 | n/a | n/a | 21 |
Liz O’Farrell | 42:51 | 69.6 | 29:49 | 18 | 58 (2) |
Vicky Walker | 44:38 | 68.2 | 30:26 | 13 | 25 |
Caroline Sloan | 47:21 | 65.3 | 30:55 | 09 | 14 |
Val Berryman-B | 49:59 | 64.9 | 32:26 | 03 | 06 |
Lizzie Kelly | 37:45 | 75.6 | 28:19 | 24 | 24 |
Jasmine Presho | 38:33 | 78.0 | 30:04 | 16 | 32 |
Note: The best 4 results from the 5 races to count. No entry to competition after race 3.