Richard Goodman European U20 Cross Country Trials

Goodman won more than admiring glances!!

I have previously written of the remarkable 16 year old Richard Goodman. His star continues to burn brightly!

Brian Sacks of the JC wrote;

Richard Goodman, 16, achieved a remarkable victory in the GB trial race for the European under 20 Cross Country Championships over 6.7 km at Liverpool last weekend. Always comfortable in the leading group, Goodman broke away in the last 200 metres to win by 4 seconds. A measure of his achievement is that runner-up James Wilkinson is three years his senior and 6 seconds faster over 1500 metres, while further down the field, Simon Horsfield, 19, has a 3:41.77 1500m time that is equivalent to a sub-4-minute mile. Goodman will now join the GB team for the European Championships at Dublin on Sunday 13^th December.

Goodman told JC Sport: “After my performance in the National Cross Country Relays a month ago, where I was third fastest under 20, I realized that I could challenge for a place on the GB team for the Europeans. I decided to prepare by taking a break from competition and I stepped up my training total from 40 to 60 miles a week. In my quality track sessions, my coach and I concentrated on developing the sudden changes of pace needed to respond to any break that other runners might throw in. For the last week I tapered down my training, and really felt good on the day.

“In the race itself, I was expecting a very fast start, but actually I felt quite relaxed in the group of seven that broke away from the field early on. I realised that I just needed to beat one of this group to secure my place on the team. Mud was flying everywhere and the conditions were quite dangerous. At the end of the first lap a couple of the favourites stepped up the pace which cut the leading group down to four, but I still felt comfortable. Once I turned into the final straight I just took off – it felt amazing”.

My old Club website reported;

GB Trials for European Cross Country Champs - mudlark 'humbug' Richard Goodman steals the show 29th Nov 2009
With a quite awesome performance against runners up to three years older than him Richard Goodman made little of the sodden Sefton Park course to gain a well deserved victory in the GB European Cross Country Trials against the best U20s in the UK.
It was a well rested Shaftesbury athlete who toed the line, having benefitted from four weeks of uninterupted high quality training. Rarely being mentioned in the pre-race media coverage clearly worked in Richard's favour as the announcer ran through the leading names without mention of him - maybe it was because he had forgotten to put on his number!?. While the top runners set off at a good pace, led by triathlete Brownlee, Richard sat in and calmly covered any surges as a large group of pre race favourite James Wilkinson, Nick Goolab, Jonny Hay, Callum Hawkins, Phillip Bernstein, Dan Clorley, Ross Murray, JohnvMacDonnell, Matt Gillespie, Phil Hurst, CharlieMacLean and talented fellow top U17s Shaun Webb and Tom Curr began to break away with a small gap of 20 metres from an even larger group which included our own Jake Shelley and Niall Fleming. By the end of the first lap the field was beginning to break up as Wilkinson and Goolab forced the pace with Goodman still looking very comfortable on the leaders' shoulders and Hay, Hawkins and Gillespie a few metres back. The decisive break was made by Goodman as he re-entered the main field with less than 600 metres to go, pulling Wilkinson and Goolab with him with the dangerous Hay and Hawkins hanging on for dear life as the sticky surface began to take its effect after 7kms of demanding running. Firstly Wilkinson eased up to Goodman with fellow Birmingham Uni student Goolab hanging in for dear life and Hay beginning his usual charge. As they turned the hairpin corner to enter the final straight it was neck and neck but surely the experience and three year age advantage would now take effect; Goolab stumbled as first Hay and then Hawkins passed him but it was Richard who unleashed his 1500m speed to win comfortably by 5 seconds from Wilkinson with Hay surging to third and Hawkins just getting the better of the unfortunate Goolab with Matt Gillespie taking 6th.
Niall Fleming had a solid race to finish 29th in amongst the runners who usually finish around him in the bigger races so he should be feeling positive about future races at this level as he has two more years in this age group. Oxford Uni Fresher 'humbug' Jake Shelley was well below his best in 32nd and clearly found the conditions not to his liking but he will have a good week's rest before hopefully winning his first Oxbridge 'Blue' in the varisty match on Wimbledon Common next weekend - good luck Jake!
Full results are now out - go to:-
www.uka.org.uk/media/news/november-2009/28-11-09-liverpool

So Richard gets a couple of weeks rest before he joins the GB U20 team at the European Championships being held in Dublin on Sunday 13th December.
Full details may be found at www.dublin2009.ie