Thanks to KADS chair Ryan for this report from the 2025 National Cross Country Championship.

The one where we pitched the tent in dog turd, Eve put me and Dom in a compromising position and the debate continues about how many KADS does it take to pitch and dismantle a tent. The rest of those stories will remain in the NSFW version ;)! 

For me the National XC relays is the pinnacle club event of the year. The one where we get to represent the club in a national event and take on the very best athletes. For me I was very lucky many years ago when the then club captain Dale Mellor introduced me to the XC relays and this year was my fifth occasion representing the club at Berry Hill. A venue I love to hate (many years ago we raced 3 times here in about 6 weeks and to this day one of those events ranks as the funniest time I’ve had at a race). 

The aim today was to get on the front of that start line amongst the big boys. Unfortunately, with 5 mins to go before the start of the race I was up at the tent, oblivious to the fact the race started at 1440 and not 1450! I quickly ran down to find all the bigger boys were standing around the starting funnel and I was unable to elbow my way through. Thankfully I was accompanied by Robin and we had a quick chat about tactics deciding it would be foolish to take on the big boys. The likes of Holme Pierrepont and Beeston runners were also lingering about and the local clubs had a quick chat before heading to the start line.

It’s at this moment I always say a quick prayer to the big man and think about tactics. I swear by the Mike Tyson mantra that ‘everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face’ or in this case ‘the gun goes off.’ The first bit of this course always feels a slog heading down towards and around the lake before disappearing up into the woods. Elevation wise it’s not a massive incline but always enough to feel it. This year we had the added bonus of a double log jump under the Sportsshoes arch before a bigger log jump later on. Some people got good photos, others didn’t (myself included!). There was a slight course change this year which took out the slog up to the top of the woods however meant we did a lap around the field where the wind buffeted you at every turn. Once lap 1 was completed, we got the chance to do it all over again. 

The support of the crowd in various places on this course, particular through the woods is brilliant. The race didn’t quite go to plan for me. I was hoping for a sub 20 but given I had a cold I’ll take the 20:33. I was also quite disappointed to lose a couple of places in the last half mile, in particular to the HP runner (I did get my revenge at the next XC event!) 

As ever it was an honour to lead out a KADS team consisting of myself, veterans Dan Bailey and Liam Johnson and brought home in fine style by debutant Joe Timson. We also had another men's team and ladies team who all ran brilliantly. 

After the run came the tent dismantling. I think the final figure was 6. 6 KADS to dismantle a tent. And then there it was, underneath the floor of the tent, the offending dog turd was found. The only turd in the vicinity and we managed to pitch our tent on it. FFS. 

2025 has been a good racing year for me and despite a few minor niggles sometimes testing the progression, steering clear of injury for the majority has been a big plus.

This has allowed me to enter more events than I've ever done, with my washing machine constantly spinning after being graced by the frequent presence of a sweat-filled KADS vest.

ParkRuns, 4&5-mile road races, 10ks, DRL events, cross-countries, relays, a half marathon and even a (mini) fell race, I've loved doing them all, but one distance I hadn't covered race-wise was the 10-mile, not for around 15 years in fact!

Enter Sunday's Derby 10, my latest outing representing the mighty KADS. I felt prepped and ready for this one, but although the 10-mile distance was a regular marker for long training runs, I was unsure of the race pace I'd be capable of. 'Do I go out at HM for a strong finish or 10k and maybe regret it later?' Needless to say I opted for the latter.

It's always good to see fellow KADS out there and I was glad to stand on the start line alongside several with pace levels I had knowledge of and could use as a guide, for a short while anyway!

So off we went! With adrenaline kicking in and being submerged by swathes of runners all trying to slot into position, the start, as it always does, felt fast. Too fast, I thought as I powered (surprisingly comfortably) through the first mile in 6mins 43secs.

'Good start, but I'll never keep this up,' my mind was saying. 'It will calm down in a bit!' But it didn't, and with the heart rate remaining stable I seemed to be happy trading blows with the runners around me for the next two miles, which were both clocked at 6.47. 

I was also buoyed by not only the power of my new contact lenses, but also the (ever diminishing, but still visible) sight of Aston and a baseball-capped Rich Myres running side-by-side in the distance, which told me I was going pretty well.

By mile 5 and two more unexpected 6.46/6.47 splits, I was well into my own race feeling rather pleased with myself, but I couldn't quite shake off the monkey on my shoulder which was constantly telling me it was a 10 'miles' and not 10k. Doubts that I could keep up the pace surfaced, as well as the even worse prospect of a painful last three miles.

Despite the negative thoughts I managed both the next two miles in 6.53, with the mind more relaxed thanks to the more peaceful rural surroundings of Elvaston Park keeping me distracted. The field had also stretched out too, which added to the tranquility. Only three to go now!

This was the section I most feared as I had been unsure if I had the strength in the legs, but three miles is just a ParkRun right? It's amazing what a 'glass half full' approach can do for you psychologically.

As it happened, miles 8 and 9 were in fact the toughest, but both achieved at just under 7-minute-mile, with the only target now to maintain that to the finish. Digging in, the legs were tiring, but I knew that if I could manage the 'obligatory' sprint at the end (well in my mind it's sprinting), I'd be more than happy.

Cheered on from the sidelines by Stu Laurie who was proudly donning his finishers medal, I tried to ignore the hideous sight of a lower league football stadium in front of me (Forest fans will understand), as the course swept left, swept right, and the same again as I attempted to imitate Lewis Hamilton taking on the chicanes of Silverstone.

Crossing the finish line in 1hr 8mins 20secs was an unexpected pleasure, as I caught my breath and made my way over to cheer on the rest of my fellow KADS, pleased with the morning's work. Also, the rare 'double treat' of a finisher's medal and a t-shirt just added to what had been a great event. Special thanks to Jo Myers for the pics!

Next goal is to keep up the progress while also navigating the temptations of Christmas, which as we all know is not an easy feat.

​Dan Bailey

Remembrance Sunday saw 17 KADS gather at Chaddesden Park for the second XC race of the season. At 11am we observed the silence to honour our fallen servicemen, and then we set off to tackle the course. 

2 laps of grass, mud, leaves and woodland. Mostly flat, but with the fun obstacle of crossing the brook twice each time!

One of my favourite XC courses and a lovely Autumn morning for it!
Big thank you to Micky and Adam for the support!

First home for our Men was Aston Cassidy, Well done Aston! Very closely followed by Ryan. 
Next up was Joe Timson, Dan Bailey and Luke Jones. Robin came in as 6th man home and Rob Gooch completed the first team.
Great efforts from Dave Saunders, Rob Gibb and Paul Coe. Well Done all 🙌🏼

Onto the ladies, Helen Woods was first back home, in 6th place overall! 
A welcome return from Kerstine, who was second lady back. I was up next, then Georgina Riley completed the Ladies first team 👏🏽
Fantastic runs from Amy Tomlinson, Bev and Wendy. Well done Ladies!

Awards were also given out for the BDL summer league season:

Well done to Helen Woods, for 3rd place overall 🥉 As well as 2nd place in her age category 🥈

Well done to Rich Myers who won 3rd place in his age category! 🥉
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We have had a strong start to XC and have some great results for so far (with lots left to play for!) 

✨KADS Ladies were the 3rd team on the day and sit 3rd overall in the standings so far ✨

⭐ Helen is currently 1st in her age category 
⭐️ Bev is currently joint 1st in her age category
⭐️ Wendy is currently joint 3rd in her age cat

⭐️Paul Coe is currently 1st in his age category 

Please see below for further team and individual scores. 

https://www.webscorer.com/findraces?pg=results

Eve Taylor, Ladies Captain