Varied weekend of action for West Norfolk members

A varied weekend of action for West Norfolk Athletic Club members began with Ryan Oakes taking on the Manchester Hyrox on Saturday.HYROX is a global fitness competition that combines endurance and functional strength. It consists of eight one-kilometre runs, each followed by a functional workout.Designed for athletes of all levels, HYROX bridges the gap between endurance races and functional fitness events like CrossFit.The competition takes place in major cities worldwide and is structured into various divisions, including individual and double categories.Oakes, who isn’t afraid of a new challenge dived head first into the event, completing all the functional fitness sections and smashing each kilometre on what was a fantastic debut.He competed in the duo’s category with a friend of the club Ryan Watts, and they finished 18th in the under-30s category out of 712 teams.If anyone is interested in trying a Hyrox-style event, Watts is holding a Hyrox boot camp at Alive Lynnsport on Sunday, March 2 with the hopes to raise funds for Starlight UK children’s charity. The event is open to men (10.30 am) and women (11.30 am) and will be held in the barn. Professional personal trainers, food and a raffle will also be there on the day.If Hyrox is something you would like to try, please contact Ryan Watts on social media platforms.Sunday saw the rearranged Hereward Relay take place after originally being postponed back in November due to adverse weather. Runners battled the harsh winds of the Cambridgeshire Fens and the thick mud of the farm trails and is regarded as one of the toughest events on the running calendar.WNAC fielded two teams on the day. Team Hammer comprised of: Mark Garrett (leg one) Peterborough to Whittlesey (6.9 miles) 51:27, Megan Miller (leg two) Whittlesey to March (10.5 miles) 1:20:35, Martin Koenigsberger (leg three) March to Welney (11.5 miles) 1:35:47 and Ben Collison (leg four) Welney to Ely (10.9 miles) 1:21:31.Team Hammer finished 17th out of 95 with a combined time of 5:09:20. The other WNAC team was named Team Sprint, comprising of: Ricky Bailey (leg one) 55:35, Katrina Wasteney (leg two) 1:45:47, Samantha Stringer (leg three) 1:53:25 and Ben Foxwell (leg four) 1:28:40Team Sprint finished 55th overall out of 95 with a combined time of 6:03:27.WNAC member Ryan Oakes also ran the fourth leg of the relay for an unaffiliated team just hours after completing the Manchester Hyrox on Saturday, finishing the leg in an impressive 1:13:58.On Sunday, WNAC had members taking part in the Reepham Cross country.The Reepham Cross Country is an annual winter race organized by the Reepham Runners. The event features a multi-terrain course of approximately 10 kilometres and participants navigate paths, fields, bogs, and dykes, encountering plenty of mud and water along the way.The junior race was one lap of the challenging and fun course whilst the senior athletes had to endure two laps of mud and freezing water.In the junior race (one lap), Thomas Elsdon finished second in a time of 25:28, Rhys Howard, who made his debut at the event, ran for fun with clubmates Wilf Gosnell, also making his debut, and Aidan Howard, all three finishing the one-lap course in 37:17In the senior race (two laps), Henry Gosnell and Adam Howard finished the course and were placed 40th and 41st respectively, both completing the course in 58:21Not far behind in 42nd place was Rob Gosnell, with a time of 58:32.