Greater Manchester Cross Country Champs 2012

Another January and my racing year starts with the Greater Manchester Cross Country Championships.  The race was staged once again at Woodbank Park, Stockport.  Two parts of this park, the top fields and the bottom fields.  Joined together by a big steep downhill and a big steep uphill!  Both hills very muddy as well.  This race seems less supported each year and I am not sure why this is the case.  It is the County Champs and therefore I feel it deserves peoples full support.  We have a strong XC series in Greater Manchester and I often wonder if it would be possible to stage this race within one of the league races.  Therefore reducing peoples racing fixtures by one and building a bigger field, but then I suppose you have those who run the manchester League who will be off running other county champs.  So I dont know what the answer is to making sure this race gets a big field.
Race started and I started out quick.  A few came with me and by the end of the first lap the field was starting to break up.  I was slowly moving away from Andy Nixon of Stockport who had a great race.
By the fourth lap I was starting to feel it and can maybe put this down to the recent cold I had which resulted in me missing some sessions.  I am over the cold now and looking forward to hitting the sessions in full again.  By the end of the race it was me 1st, Andy Nixon 2nd and Chris Kays of ECH 3rd.  Salford managed to win the team race from, wait for this, Salfords B team. 
Well done to all who ran and thanks to race organisers.  Another cracking organised event.  The race had a few fallers who failed to finish, hope those I saw covered in mud holding various limbs are recovering well.
Garmin of the race.