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Pett Finale Caps Off Successful Cross Country Season for Lewes AC
Nineteen members of Lewes Athletic Club took part in the sixth and final fixture of the 2025/2026 East Sussex Sunday Cross Country League on Sunday 29th March, held in Pett and hosted by Hastings Runners.
The five-mile, single-lap course combined woodland trails and open fields. Runners faced an undulating route with plenty of muddy sections. Cool, sunny weather provided ideal racing conditions.
Lewes AC delivered strong individual performances on the day. In the men’s race, Teo van Well (M45) secured an impressive 7th place finish in a time of 28:46, while Jim Risdale (M40) placed 15th in 30:26. In the women’s race, Emily Hague (5th Senior Female) completed the course in 37:29, followed by Emma Rollings (2nd F45) in 38:32.
Across the season, Lewes AC athletes achieved notable cumulative results. Jim Risdale finished 3rd in the M40 category with 1,151 points, while Teo van Well claimed 1st place in the M45 category with 1,175 points. Emily Hague placed 5th in the Senior Women’s standings with 744 points, despite missing one race. Emma Rollings secured 2nd place in the F45 category with 733 points, closely followed by Sally Norris in 4th (697 points). Stephanie Crespin finished 6th in the F50 category with 684 points, and Karin Divall was crowned 1st in the F65 category with 628 points.
Club member David Foster praised the Pett Fixture, saying: “A massive thank you to Hastings Runners for hosting the last race of the season. Great support and encouragement from the marshals. Fantastic and delicious refreshments after. It was truly a great morning of racing.”
I’d like to thank every member of Lewes Athletic Club who turned out in all weathers to take part in the friendly, welcoming and supportive East Sussex Sunday Cross Country League,” said Lewes AC Team Captain, Sally Norris. “They’ve competed alongside people of all ages and abilities. I hope that representing the club, scoring points, and contributing to the overall standings gave them a real sense of achievement.”
Sally added, “Cross country is equal parts racing and comedy. We’ve slipped and slid, climbed hills that feel vertical, and charged through mud pits. It’s been tough, chaotic, and completely ridiculous at times… which is exactly why we love it.”
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.