By Owen Morgan
Charlotte Arter took inspiration from Eliud Kipchoge’s historic sub-two-hour marathon on Saturday morning to produce a brilliant winning performance at the Cardiff Cross Challenge just a few hours later.
The Cardiff AC athlete ran away from a high quality field, including clubmate and training partner Jenny Nesbitt, who made it a Welsh one-two during the opening leg of the British Athletics Cross Challenge.
After winning the senior women’s title, Arter revealed she had watched Kipchoge’s remarkable achievement before lining up on the start line on the Llandaff Fields course.
“It was absolutely incredible,” said Arter. “For us, in our lifetime to witness a sub-two marathon is pretty awesome.
“Just the way he runs and his form. I was watching and thinking ‘I need to try to replicate that form in the cross’. He is incredible and it’s great for the sport.”
Arter was delighted with her own performance on Saturday afternoon, which saw her cover the challenging 6.4KM course in 21:31. “It was really fun. Cross country is my favourite season.
“Cardiff is always a great way to start the season. We are in the midst of early winter training so it’s just good to get racing again and see where we are at.
“I’m really happy with that performance, I think it bodes well for the rest of the cross country season.”
The Chris Jones coached athlete is now setting her sights on the Liverpool leg of the British Athletics Cross Challenge next month, incorporating the European Cross Country Championships trials, which she won last year to gain a place in the Great Britain team at the event in Tilburg, Holland.
Arter added: “The next port of call is going to Liverpool in the best possible shape and making the team, first off.
“If I can get to the Europeans, build on my seventh position last year and get close to those medals – that’s my aim for this winter.
“I feel like I’m getting back to my normal self after a bit of an up and down summer. I think the winter training suits me and I’ve got the strength back I think I was lacking earlier in the year.”
There was further Welsh success in the men’s under-20 race where Wrexham’s Matt Willis was an impressive winner over the 6.4K course in a time of 19:55.
Willis, who last year won the ITU World Duathlon title, emulated the feat achieved by Cardiff’s Jake Heyward last year by winning the under-20 race.
The multi-talented teenager said afterwards: “It was the first cross country of the season and I really enjoyed it. It’s nice to get the win in my home country, so I’m really happy.”
As well as duathlon and triathlon successes last season, Willis made the GB team at the European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg, and is once again targeting the championships this year, before returning to the triathlon.
Willis said: “My target this year is on the European Cross Country because it’s my final year as a junior so I’m going to try and hit that pretty hard and then after Christmas I think it will be more focus on triathlon.
“I’ll focus on cross country until Christmas, then I think my coach up at Loughborough has the idea that I need to cycle and swim a bit more, so that’s quite sad, but it’s got to be done! I’m sure my running won’t suffer too much!”
The senior men’s race was won by Cambridge and Coleridge AC’s Marc Scott, who claimed this year’s title in the absence of reigning champion Charlie Hulson. The Welshman was due to run but is preparing for his first crack at the marathon distance in December.
Scott, fresh from competing at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, switched to the cross country discipline seamlessly despite the conditions over the 9.6K course becoming more muddy as the day went on.
The Great Britain star took the win in a time of 29:21, ahead of Southampton’s Mahamed Mahamed. Cardiff’s Mike Ward produced an excellent run to finish third in a time of 29:47.
Scott said afterwards: “I came here to win the race and that’s what happened, so I’m pleased with the day. It was hard out there, especially after 10 races beforehand.
“The conditions were tough and then you get the lapped runners, so all gets a bit muddled up, but they were proper cross country conditions and that’s what we want.”
The senior men and masters race was the climax of a wonderful day’s racing, which kicked off late morning with the under-11s race and featured age group races right up to the seniors.
The event also incorporated the first fixture in this year’s John H. Collins Gwent League featuring hundreds of club runners from all over Wales and the south west of England.
The full results can be found on the Cardiff Cross Challenge website and the John H.Collins Gwent League website.