Athletics’ relay good weekend

Warwick Athletics Club were the first club this year to receive the ‘Ernst & Young One to Watch’ award in commendation for hosting a double whammy weekend with Cross-Country Relays on Saturday 29th October and a Track ‘Championships’ on Sunday 30th October, both operating on the University’s very own Cryfield fields.

The two events saw Warwick Athletics Club welcome a host of new visitors, with members of the Triathlon, Squash and Rugby clubs all participating in the festivities.

With the expected return of rain over the preceding days, the University of Warwick Athletics & XC Club feared the worst before the Saturday Relays. However, with sunshine and intermittent rain on the day, we were all treated to a course that was neither too soft nor too hard.

Competitors from a range of athletics clubs completed a 3.3km loop as part of male, female and mixed teams. The event included University clubs from much further afield than previous years, with Bristol, Nottingham and Leicester all taking part. As a result of the good conditions and seemingly increased competitiveness, the atmosphere surrounding the event bred optimism and heightened expectation for good individual and team times.

The first men’s team across the line was Coventry Godiva A, a full three minutes quicker than the course record. Not to be outdone, Warwick University Women’s A team also took the female course record by a clear minute.

Unsurprisingly, James Trollope (of Coventry Godiva) went on to set the fastest time ever for the 3.3km course. ‘Team Nice Ones’ also smashed the previous best for a mixed team by almost six minutes.

However, it was not only individual achievement that was witnessed on the day. With sponsorship provided by Brose, Warwick University Athletics Club were able to both create a fast course and drive marketing efforts to increase attendance from 32 teams (in 2010) to 52 teams taking part in this year’s event. Warwick Relays is the club’s biggest home fixture in its annual sporting calendar.

The day was not just about breaking records: a cake sale also raised over £120 for the ‘Right to Play’ charity. Therefore, it was not only the competitors who can be proud of their contribution to the weekend.

As part of Warwick Sport’s SportsFest initiative in hosting a weekend of sporting tournaments for Freshers, Warwick Athletics Club hosted a Track fixture that included 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 4x100m and 4x400m. But in the end, the older student generation could not resist getting involved themselves, and removed the limitation for it being solely for Freshers!

Despite sore legs for those who took part in racing the previous day, 40 athletes took to the track to test their speed, and to try and make it to a podium position. With complimentary tea, coffee, biscuits, cake and doughnuts the atmosphere was wholly encouraging and relaxed, which lifted spirits far enough to make some athletes take part in up to three events.

The talent levels in the club are ever soaring and current levels of involvement and turnout to training sessions would suggest that despite breaking ten club records in 2010-11, the year ahead is going to be very, very exciting.