On the 18th of October, we had our school’s House Cross Country race, and I was really excited about it. Last year, I finished 4th in this event, but this time, I was determined to take the win. I was already riding a wave of confidence after winning the Under 11 District League Cross Country at Fleetville, and I had my sights set on another victory.
The course was around the school grounds, which I guessed was about 1km. My plan was to start strong, get ahead quickly, and build up my pace as the race progressed. I have really good stamina from running 5K ParkRuns regularly, and I love long-distance running. I’m not much of a sprinter, so it usually takes me a bit of time to find my rhythm.
I got off to a decent start and gradually moved to the front. But as we were running around the school, one of the other girls deliberately pushed me, causing me to go down the wrong path. I was really upset, as this wasn’t the first time she’d done something like this to me. She even did the same to another girl, who nearly tripped. Since I had to run back to rejoin the main route, I fell back into 5th place. Even though I was frustrated, I was even more determined to win. I wanted to show her that I could still win fairly, despite her cheating.
Before long, I managed to regain first place and found myself running alongside the pace setter, who’s one of the teachers at my school. I focused on running as hard as I could and keeping my lead.
When I crossed the finish line, I was thrilled to have won, especially after finishing 4th last year. My final time was 3:36, with a pace of 4:09 per km. Although I wasn’t completely happy with my time, I knew it was because I’d been pushed off course. My Dad always reminds me not to retaliate or get distracted by things like that, and instead to focus all my energy on the race itself. He’s always told me to compete fairly and with integrity.
Winning this race, along with the District League earlier in the week, made it a really special few days for me. So many of the girls in my house were counting on me, and it felt amazing to pull through for them. I felt a huge sense of pride and accomplishment.
Afterwards, the teacher who ran with me went over to my Dad to tell him I was really talented and should join a running club. It made me so proud to hear that, especially as I’m already part of one. I know I’m running well, and I’m determined to keep improving, run faster, and win more races. I absolutely love running. One thing I took away from today is that you should always race fairly, respect others, and if you’re knocked down or pushed off course, just get back up and keep going. I remember my Dad showing me a race where Mo Farah was knocked down but picked himself up and went on to win. I’m not Mo Farah, of course, but that’s exactly what I wanted to do today, and I’m so happy that I did.
