LOCATION

Boston, USA

Pre-race: Euro xc: "It means a lot to be in this team: it’s nice to see my hard work pay off. It’ll be unreal to run for Britain on home soil – it’s not often you get the opportunity. I’m determined to enjoy the experience and perform to the best of my ability when it counts.”

Aine was 15th in the Junior race at the European Cross-country in Edinburgh. 

Aine said:  “It was good fun. It was brilliant! How the race went didn’t shock me. I am really pleased with 15^th. I always get out-sprinted though and two people came past me today. The support was great. Even the Irish seemed to be supporting me. It’s good to compete on home soil. I really didn’t get that nervous. I pretended it was the Reebok Cross Challenge!”

Great Britain took the team Gold medal. 

Vicky Gill outclassed a strong Senior Women's field, dominating the race throughout.

With first place taken it was left to Helen Lawrence (Wirral AC) and Aine Hoban (Wakefield Harriers) to fight it out for the runner up spot. In a close finish Lawrence came out on top clocking 19:55 to Hoban’s 19:57.

UKa: 20-year-old Aine Hoban (Wakefield & District H & AC), running for the North of England, put in an impressive performance, finishing 13th in 22:16.  Vicky Gill (England & Chorley Harriers) was the next GB finisher in 16th place, two seconds down on Hoban while Lorna Vyse (England & Woking AC) was 19th in 22:27 and Mara Yamauchi (England & Harrow AC) 20th in 22:37.

Pre-race: Senior Women’s 4km Championship:

Running: Last year’s three medallists face a re-match: Kate Reed (Bristol and West AC) is hopefully over a foot injury sufficiently to put up a fitting defence of her title; last year’s Silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey (Ashford AC) proved her form by winning the British Students Indoors 3000m in 9:08 last weekend; Bronze medallist Freya Murray (Edinburgh) is a former European Junior medallist for Norwich Union GB.

Among the other contenders, Hattie Dean (Radley AC) is in the form of her life having won the British Students’ Cross Country title and the National Silver medal; former Inter-Counties Under 20 Silver medallist Aine Hoban (Wakefield Harriers) is a student at Nottingham University and ideally placed to have done her homework on Wollaton Park’s vagaries; Laura Kenny (Royal Sutton Coldfield) won the English National Junior title a fortnight ago; Getenesh Tamirat (Belgrave Harriers) was seventh in the European Trials over 5km at the Reebok London Challenge in November and is stronger over shorter distances; and Katrina Wootton (Bedford and County AC) won Inter-Counties medals at every age group as a teenager – Gold as an Under 13 in 1999, Gold as an Under 15 in 2000, Silver as an Under 17 in 2002 and Silver as an Under 20 in 2004.