Today I took part in the Under 11s District Cross Country Race at Gardens Field School. Most of the girls running were in Year 5 or Year 6, but I’m in Year 4, so I really wanted to do well again. Six girls from my school were taking part, and this was the final race in the Under 11s District League. I knew that after the race, there would be trophies for both schools and top individual runners, so I was even more excited.
We all lined up at the start, ready for the race. It was meant to be two and a half laps long, and the full distance was meant to be 1.1 kilometres. I got a decent start and found myself in about eighth place. The beginning of the race had an uphill climb, which was harder than I expected. But I kept going, trying my best to stay strong and focused.
As the race went on, I pushed myself and moved up the field. I soon found myself in fourth place and kept running as hard as I could to catch the girls in front. I held onto that fourth-place position until the end. I finished the race in 3 minutes and 4 seconds, and my watch showed the distance as 0.78 km. My pace was 3:57 per kilometre, which was faster than my last few races. Still, I felt a little disappointed to finish fourth.
After the race, my dad reminded me that all three girls who finished ahead of me were in Year 6. That made me feel better because I’m only in Year 4. It means that next year, they won’t be in the race, but I will still be in the Under 11s as a Year 5. I now feel more confident and hope that next year, I can try to win as many races as possible.
Later on, we had the prize-giving ceremony. My school was competing in the large schools group, and we won first place overall! Our school captain went up to collect the big school trophy. I felt so proud of my school, and everyone was cheering and smiling. It was a lovely moment, and I could see how happy all of my classmates were.
They also gave out trophies to the top three individual girls in the large schools group. I was over the moon to find out that I had finished second overall and won a trophy! Even though I’m still in Year 4, I was really proud of how I ran. My goal for next year is to try and come first in the races and win the top prize. I also hope my school can win the big school trophy again too. It was a great day for both me and my school, and I’ll always remember it.
