ON THE day Steve Dawes laid claim to another winter league cross-country title, the eye-catching run in race four of the 2007 series came from a triathlete. Ian Scholes held off many of the island’s county championships team to take third place over the tough Fauxquets Valley course to stake a late claim for the GIAAC team, who travel to the Hampshire Championships early in January.
Scholes completed the six laps in 40min. 50sec., more than three minutes adrift of Dawes and a minute and 18sec. behind runner-up Dave Dyke.
In doing so, Scholes surprised himself and pointed to whose shoes he was wearing for the quality of his performance.
‘I must thank Lee Merrien for the spikes - the fast shoes,’ joked the man who, by the nature of his number one sport, has no need for spiked shoes.
‘I’m really pleased with the run. I realised at the end of the first lap I was still up there with them and it gave me encouragement.
‘On laps four and five I just pushed it and the gap grew.’
The race for places three to 10 was the most intriguing part of the penultimate event in the five-race series.
Once Mark Mercier, again troubled by a tendon problem, dropped out while challenging Dyke for second place, there seemed no doubt who would finish first and second.
But behind Dawes and Dyke there was a good and fluctuating battle between Ronan Shally, Lee Garland, youngsters Matt Loveridge and Will Bodkin and the two triathletes, Scholes and Dave Holmes.
Scholes was back in 10th place well into the opening lap but was up to sixth by the road crossing on the second lap and third at the same point later.
Thereafter he pulled away from Shally who was to hold on for fourth.
Holmes, too, inched his way up the field and was to place fifth.
David Crosland was another to finish strongly and last the distance, but it was still a long way adrift of Dawes, who was pleased with his run.
‘It was quite good conditions seeing the rain we’ve had,’ said the winner who worked hard although there was no Alan Rowe to push him on this occasion.
‘The first lap I went off a bit fast which made the rest of the race hard work,’ said the overall champion.
The women’s race resulted in another comfortable win for Louise Perrio, although by her own admission she was not at her best.
‘I found the terrain difficult,’ she said.
Behind her, Martine Scholes dropped out early on with a recurrence of an injury, which allowed young Sarah Mercier a clear run to second spot in the women’s standings.
Scholes had headed the youngster on lap one but by the end of the second Mercier, who ran excellently in the UK Cross Challenge race in Liverpool the previous week finishing 30th-best under-17, moved ahead on the second lap and at the end was not much more than a minute behind Perrio for five laps.
Kerry Robin was third woman to finish, winning her own personal battle with Tricia Lewis by a 23sec. margin.
Both women have proved to be real finds and will surely be welcome additions to the club’s county team early in 2008.
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