With a difference of 1'47'' George Pattes crossed the finish line behind Hellenic Champion Periklis Ilias securing his second place in the men's category of the Hellenic XC Championship that was held on July 16th & 17th at Aghios Athanassios, Pella.

The heavy rainfall just a few hours before the start of the race made the conditions even more difficult, since not only mud and rain ruts were added to the equation, but also the humidity was intensified. Pattes and Ilias had control of the race from the very start, going strong from the first second and "clearing" the course of their competition. George's time was 2 hours 5 minutes and 18 seconds.

Crossing the finish line behind them was Manolis Daskalakis (10 minutes behind 1st finisher), Alexis Kokovikas (14'39'' behind 1st finisher), George Nikolaou (16'01'' behind 1st finisher) and Mola Haroun (16'21'' behind 1st finisher). In total, the men's category saw 44 athletes from all over Hellas starting, and only 39 of them finishing.

Congratulations George!