Today I unexpectedly ran my first Welwyn Fun Run! I had no idea I’d be taking part until I woke up that morning. My dad had spotted the race online the night before, so instead of doing our usual ParkRun at Pitshanger Park, we decided to give this new event a go. It was a 2K race for children aged 4 to 14, and while I was excited to run, the weather wasn’t exactly on my side—it was raining when I woke up, and I knew the day ahead might not be the most pleasant.
When we arrived at the venue and parked, it was still pouring down. We had a short, soggy walk to the field, but thankfully, by the time I picked up my race number, the rain had stopped, even though the skies still looked grey and gloomy. I took a moment to check out the course, which was entirely on grass, and noticed a steep hill that looked like it would be a real challenge. There were trophies on display too—one for the first boy and one for the first girl—which definitely motivated me even more!
At the start of the race, I settled into a comfortable pace, quickly finding myself in 7th place. There were around 50 of us running, a mix of both boys and girls. I was determined to get to the front and maybe even win that trophy! I kept pushing, and by midway through, I had moved up to 5th place. Looking ahead, I could see only four boys in front of me, so I felt confident I was the leading girl in the race.
I crossed the finish line, checking my watch to see I’d run 1.97 km in 9:14, at a pace of 4:42 per kilometre. By my standards, that was a bit slow, but the hill had really taken it out of me. It made me realise I definitely need more practice on hills to get better at handling tough courses like this one. But as I finished, I felt a huge surge of excitement, knowing I was the first girl across the line and sure that the trophy was mine.
However, when we went to check the official results on the screen, I was shocked to see I’d been marked as the second girl! Another girl was listed ahead of me, which didn’t make sense to me or my dad, who had watched the whole race. We tried to find someone to ask, but the prize ceremony wasn’t happening for a while, so we decided to head home, disappointed, thinking I’d missed out on the trophy.
Back at home, we kept checking the results online, and the mystery girl was still listed as ahead of me. Not convinced, my dad emailed the organisers to ask about it, and later that evening, we finally got an answer. It had been a mistake! I was actually the first girl, and there was a trophy waiting for me after all! My dad will be picking it up for me, and I can’t wait to see it.
Overall, I’m really pleased to have won, even though my time wasn’t what I’d hoped for. I know I’ve got work to do on my hill running, but I’m determined to come back stronger next year, smash my time, and hopefully win another trophy!
