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Lewes AC Battle the Hills at Whitbread Hollow in Key 2025/2026 ESSCCL Whitbread Hollow Fixture
Twenty-seven members of Lewes Athletic Club turned out on Sunday, 8th February, to compete in the fifth fixture of the 2025/2026 ESSCCL (East Sussex Sunday Cross Country League), hosted by Run Wednesdays at Whitbread Hollow, Eastbourne.
The five-mile course took runners across exposed South Downs chalkland, featuring rolling hills and a notoriously challenging uphill section. While the surface is typically less muddy than other cross-country venues, the chalk underfoot can be slippery. Conditions on the day were favourable, with the rain finally clearing and little wind to contend with.
With Lewes AC defending their 2024/2025 league title, the fixture carried added importance as teams jostled for position ahead of the final round.
Lewes AC produced several strong individual performances. In the men’s race, Teo van Well (M45) finished 9th in a time of 30:02, closely followed by Julian Good (M40) in 10th place with 30:06, and Jim Risdale (M40) taking 12th in 30:32.
In the women’s field, Emily Hague (Senior Female) recorded a time of 38:24, with Emma Rollings (F45) finishing in 38:48 and Sally Norris (F45) close behind in 39:19.
Cumulative league standings also continue to reflect Lewes AC’s depth across age categories. Stephanie Crespin currently sits 3rd in the F50 category; Karin Divall leads the F65 standings in 1st place; Teo van Well holds 1st in the M45 category; Gerard Dummett is 4th in M65; and Bob Hughes is 3rd in M70.
Following this fixture, Lewes AC now sits 4th overall in the league standings, with everything still to play for at the final event.
The sixth and final fixture of the East Sussex Sunday Cross Country League will take place at Pett on 29 March 2026.
Reflecting on the day, Lewes AC team member Stephanie Crespin said: “A huge thank you to our team captain, Sally Norris, for looking after everyone so well and, of course, for the much-appreciated post-run sweet treats.”
Want to Improve Your Running Performance with Lewes AC?
Lewes AC offers various training sessions to help boost your performance at road and trail running events:
- Strength and Conditioning: Join our coaches on Monday nights to improve core strength and stability. Sign up here.
- Track Sessions: Fine-tune your technique, pacing, and endurance on with distance based track sessions Thursday evenings, or time based track sessions on Saturday mornings. Sign up here.
- 10k/Half Marathon Training: Get help feeling confident and hitting PBs on race days with our new dedicated Saturday morning track based training sessions. Sign up here