It was a cracker day for getting your feet wet and at the same time risk of sunburn. There were the usual big numbers in the starting line-ups which may reflect the start of season enthusiasm or maybe something else. The day included 3 separate 4-lap relays and the 1km scratch race for the kids under 10.
The idea is that each relay member navigates the 2km lap encountering a number of log jumps, a lake surrounded by paparazzi, and a bit of a hill. Battle Hill is a pretty cool place and while over the decades the Shaw Baton has been at a number of different locations the current location is the best by a country mile.
The results show that the fastest lap times were:
Women
1 - 7.11 Sarah Drought (SW WHAC A)
2 - 7.21 Emma Douglass (SW Olympic A)
3 - 7.22 Ruby Muir (SW Scottish A)
4 - 7.27 Esther George (SW WHAC A)
Men
1 - 6.15 Thomas Strawbridge (Trentham United SM A)
2 - 6-18 Seamus Kane (Scottish SM A)
3 - 6.19 Jack Shaw (Scottish SM B)
4 - 6.22 Daniel Du Toit (Trentham United JM A)
The outstanding run of the day would have to be by Daniel Du Toit who scorched the course in an impressive time to lead his Trentham United JM team to a decisive win in the grade and by a split second the fastest team time of the day overall. I'm not sure if this has happened before at the Shaw Baton but if it has it would be rare..
And then there is "take no prisoners" Jack Shaw who looked like a man on a mission at the pond. His performance must surely warrant a promotion.
On the entertainment side, the Tricoteuses parked on the bleachers during race 4 jeered, cheered, cajoled and generally encouraged acts of self-destruction to those navigating the pond? But that was just for one race whereas Sharon engaged in this style of communication all day baiting for the money shot?
Race 1 Photos (GU16, JW, SW, MW and MM60+)
Race 4 Photos (BU16, JM, MM34-50+)
Race 2 Photos (U10 Run for Fun)
Race 3 Photos (B&G U12, B&GU14)
