JK Sprint 2019 - James Hammond

FVO athletes were to the fore as the 2022 championship season got into full swing, with the Scottish Night Championships followed up by the first SOL of the year.

The Night Championships saw competitors descend on Edinburgh's Braid Hills, as the event returned from its COVID hiatus, and there was a mix of defending champions and new names on the medal rostrum.

Once again, there was real dominance of the mens Veteran classes by FVO, with the club's athletes filling both M40 and M45 podiums. Will Hensman led the way on a course that has only been out of FVO hands three times in the last 15 years, winning in 42.12, 29 seconds ahead of Dave Godfree, who was the leading M45. Steve Feltbower (48.59) and Simon Finch (88.40) made up the M40 podium, while the M45 platform saw Roger Goddard (57.27) and Paul Hammond (62.09) both mounted up.

Despite being in the top age bracket now, Beccy Osborn turned on the style to win W50, and along with it the Veteran Womens trophy, in 48.18. while Alice McDaid made her championship debut, and stayed composed to be the leading W40 (63.12).

The Juniors and UltraVets race the same course at the night championships, and James Hammond was out of sight on his course, winning his 2nd M16 crown by more than ten minutes, in a time of 26.56. while Scarlett Kelly was 3rd on the Junior Womens course, which she led briefly at the mid-point, and was the top W14 (30.34).

There were silver medals for Jamie Goddard (M18 - 35.25), Mark Holliday (M65 - 42.47) and Hazel Dean (W55 - 45.57), while Jon Cross (M55 - 43.10) and Bryony McLeod (W21 - 54.02) both came home with bronze.

The next day, the 2022 SOL series got underway with the first race at the infamous Gullane Dunes, and there were nine from the club on course podiums, and another eight in leading class positions.

James Hammond led an all-FVO Brown course podium, winning in 62.19 from Will Hensman (66.46), with Jamie Goddard 3rd in 73.12. James and Jamie were the 1-2 in the M18 class, as Will won M40, and Roger Goddard tucked in for 5th place on the course, and 2nd M40 (77.02), and there was more success in Short Brown, as Dave Godfree won both course and M45 class in 51.54.

Sam Hunt was the leading FVO athlete on Blue, 2nd on the course in 48.05, and top M16, while Hazel Dean (62.49) and Alice McDaid (75.04) made it a club top two in W40, and there was another all-FVO class podium in W50, with Rona Molloy 3rd (44.28) on the Short Blue course, to win the class, while both Heather Fellbaum (51.49) and Cathy Tilbrook (52.10) ran up a class to fill the podium.

There were two FVO athletes on the Green course who raced onto the podium in their class, as Fiona Hendrie (58.51) took 3rd in W60, and Katie Hensman (73.27) notched the same position in W16. Meanwhile. Scarlett Kelly was 2nd girl on Light Green (40.24) and Eilidh Connor's 3rd place on Orange (43.29) gave her the W12 win. Finally on White, Esme Finch was way out in front to win in 23.50, and Freya McDaid (45.56) got in just ahead of her sister for 3rd place on the course.

The results keep FVO in second place in the Scottish Inter-Clubs Championship, as ESOC extended its lead at the top of the table. However, the FVO juniors have a firm grip of the Junior Inter-Club Championship, with a lead of more than 10,000 points from MAROC.