St Mary’s Athletes Help Secure Team GB & NI Win at Edinburgh XCountry

Following their success at the European Cross Country Championships last year, athletes from the Endurance Performance and Coaching Centre (EPACC) at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham have helped Team Great Britain and Northern Ireland notch another win at the Bupa Great Edinburgh XCountry. The team, which included twelve EPACC athletes, secured a 159 - 146 point win at the competition, which took place in Holyrood Park on Saturday 11th January, beating Team Europe and the USA to the top spot. The captain of the Men’s Senior team, Andy Vernon, came in at second place in the Men’s 8km run behind the USA. EPACC athlete Emelia Gorecka ran in her first senior category and clinched the third spot in the Women’s 6km race. Charlotte Purdue, Lily Patridge and Steph Twell also competed in the race, with their points pushing Team GB and NI from third to first place. Andrew Reid-Smith, Director of Sport at St Mary’s, said “Some strong performances saw GB & NI achieve a dramatic overall win that went to the final race. The Women’s Senior team secured the victory with four EPACC athletes coached by Mick Woods all gaining crucial points.”