National Cross Country Championships: FLYCARB Fuels Champions
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The English National Cross Country Championships is one of our favourite races. There are no pacemakers, times don't matter, and it's a manic race from start to finish.
This year, on a fast but demanding course in Sedgefield, FLYCARB athletes delivered exceptional performances, including several national champions.
Senior Women’s Title Decided by a Late Surge
The senior women’s race remained tightly contested deep into the final stages. With just over a kilometre to go, FLYCARB favourite Lucy Jones made her move. After more than 7 km of racing over uneven ground and hills, she produced a decisive surge that broke the field and secured the national title.
Dominant Junior Performances
In the junior women’s race, Rebecca Flaherty delivered one of the most commanding performances of the day. She steadily applied pressure throughout the race before breaking clear and extending her lead to 25 seconds by the finish.
In the junior men’s race, Matthew Pickering returned from a long injury layoff to claim silver, missing the win by just a few metres. Close behind, Cosmo Benyan continued his outstanding season, securing bronze in another tightly fought contest.
Senior Men’s Race: Strength in One of the Deepest Fields Ever
The senior men’s race featured one of the strongest fields in recent history. From the opening kilometre, the pace remained relentlessly high.
Richard Slade produced an outstanding performance to secure bronze, and FLYCARB co-founder Jack Gray held on for another top 10 finish.
Why Surges and Hills Hurt So Much
Every climb and acceleration forces athletes above their lactate threshold, increasing acidity in the muscles. This acidity reduces muscle effectiveness and makes it harder to maintain pace.
Athletes who cannot buffer and clear this acidity are forced to slow. Athletes who can recover quickly are able to surge again.
The Role of Bicarbonate in Repeated High-Intensity Efforts
Sodium bicarbonate increases the blood’s buffering capacity, helping neutralise the hydrogen ions produced during intense efforts.
This helps athletes recover faster between surges, climbs, and accelerations.
In racing terms, this means athletes can:
- Respond to attacks without exceeding their limits
- Maintain pace over repeated hills
- Recover more quickly after surges
- Produce stronger finishing kicks
This buffering effect becomes more important as races progress and fatigue accumulates.