Inter Counties 2010 - Part Two

     " I WAS OVER THE MOON'

Freya Murray takes the win with a fine turn of speed. xman2010.

 

Those were the words Freya Murray said to me after winning the World Trial and Inter-counties over 8k at Crofton Park, Birmingham. Not forgetting there were also great runs from Steph Twell, yet again, and Fay Fullerton in the women's senior race reports Alastair Aitken for Runners Digest. 

    It was going into the final lap that Murray, and Twell, who had moved up and Faye Fullerton were clearly the main favourites for the rostrum. Murray really worked hard in the closing stages to win well. The first fifteen of the 265 finishers were 1 Freya Murray (Scotland East) 27:21, 2 Stephanie Twell (Hampshire) 27:30, 3 Fay Fullerton (Essex) 27:41, 4 Hannah Whitmore 27:47, 5 Emily Pidgeon 27:54, 6 Laura Kenney 28.04, 7 Sonia Samuels 28:06, 8 Jessica Sparke 28:10,  9 Hatti Dean 28.21, 10 Jo Wilkinson 28.23, 11 Gemma Steel 28.29, 12 Claire Hellisley 28.30, 13 Jane Potter 28.32, 14 Naomi Taschimowitz 28:33 and 15 Natalie Gray 28:39.Winning team North East.

    Even though FREYA MURRAY is the current Scottish Champion, won in the South African World cross trials, and placed in the Fukoka International cross country (Not  to mention being a 15:32.9 5k track runner in 2009), it must have been just about her best cross-country result ever at Crofton Park " Definitely as far as cross country goes. I was over the moon!'

    ' I just went out there hard as I could so, I was pleased with the result. I knew there were a lot of people besides Steph Twell who had been having good results like Hatti Dean and Laura Kenney'

    How did it all begin for Freya Murray " It was when I was eight I started to run. My big brother John and Nicola my sister ran. My brother came back with a Scottish Schools vest and that inspired me and I wanted to get one. I took it seriously at 16 and went through the ages of running in the Scottish Schools.'

    ' Steve Jones has been coaching me since last May and it has been a massive help"

    STEFF TWELL:- " I wanted to make the team for World cross country. I knew I had to qualify in the top 3. That was what my coach was saying from the word go. In our pre-race talk we wanted to do that and I had been working hard trying to get the 'block' behind me. Winning the National meant a lot to me and, I would love to have won at Crofton Park  but my coach and I look at the bigger picture.'

    ' I intend doing the 1500 in the Summer and keep in touch with the 5k."

    FAY FULLERTON, who was 4th in the National is coached by Warren Roe, who was on the victorious Havering Veteran National and Southern teams some years back with my greatest friend I ran with, Mike Robinson, who died age 70 in October so, I was obviously very interested in his stable of athletes he coaches and Fay Fullerton was one of those.

Murray and Fullerton chase Twell. Copyright Xman2010

    I talked to her for the first time for Running in London when she came 2nd in the Southern last year.That was run in very heavy mud at Hillingdon!! " I was injured after that race. I don't like the mud anyway and, not a dry bit on the course that day. When I was warming up I felt sore and in the race I was very, tight. Only a few days after the 'knock on effect' meant I was injured and was out for 7 weeks. I struggled to get back for the track and did go jogging a bit it was difficult. I was not doing anything specific. I paid the price, got injured again and got swine flu in the Summer. I have run a bit more leading up to this year. You can't compete with the likes of Steff if you have an injury and when you are really fit it is hard enough!'

    'This Summer our aim and targets are to do the 800 and 1500 and trying to sort out what competitions to do.

I ran indoors this year (1500- 4.21.72/9:12.97- 3k). I have been doing lots of track sessions and trying to combine that with some miles and cross-country, which has been hard when the snow was on the ground on the track. There is only so much aqua jogging that you can do!"