Izzy Fry reflects on team silver at European Cross Country Championships
Newbury’s Izzy Fry has enjoyed a short but sweet cross country season.
She qualified for the 2024 European Cross Country Championships after performing well at a qualifying event in Liverpool.
Fry then went on to claim a senior women's team silver medal, as she made up part of a British podium trio in Antalya, Turkey earlier this month.
Competing all over the world can bring about logistical challenges, with this latest trip forcing Fry to adapt her usual preparations.
“We actually only headed out a couple of days before,” Fry explained.
“It was quite a long travel day. I had to travel from Loughborough to Manchester, then a four and a half hour flight.
“Once we arrived the time difference was quite difficult to deal with too.
“They’re three hours ahead, so trying to fall asleep at a reasonable time was almost impossible.
“But you have to put all of those things you can’t control aside.”
Fry also had to contend with one of the most unconventional racing environments of her career.
“On Saturday we went and walked the course,” she explained.
“The most bizarre course I’ve ever run on!
“It was in the middle of nowhere, five laps of what felt like an obstacle course.
“There was sand, mud, manmade hills, logs and brush fences.
“It was definitely different to your standard races, but it made it pretty fun, as you had to stay switched on throughout the entire race.
“If you didn’t run sensibly for the first half, you would get found out.
The leading Brits ended up in a pack, with Kate Axford finishing tenth, Reading’s Jess Gibbon placing twelfth and Fry ending up fourteenth overall.
“Eurocross is really nice because the team comes ahead of individual aspects,” Fry explained.
“It wasn’t necessarily intentional, being so closely packed, but that was a benefit when it came to the scoring.
“The top three Brits score, so it was nice to contribute to the medal.
“It was great to have two Brits just ahead of me and knowing that if we can stay on our feet we’ve probably secured a medal.
“In hindsight I was a little bit too reserved with how I raced it.
“I really came through the field and picked people off the entire way.
“It’s a nice feeling to end the year on a high.”
Fry’s attention post-Christmas will turn towards a more solid surface, with plenty to get stuck into in 2025.
“December 31st I’ll head out to South Africa to do a four week training camp,” she explained.
“Then I’m heading out to Boston to do an indoor season.
“That will probably look fairly short. At the moment I only have two indoor races planned.
“Based on how they go, we’ll plan the rest of the year heading into the summer.
“It’s an important season, with British Championships and World Championships late on, so it’s important to plan ahead and make sure we peak at the right time.”