Today, I took part in a school race at Westbrook Hay School. I was entered into the Year 3 and Year 4 race, which was a 1.6km run. I felt really excited because, most of the time, I run in Under 11 races with older Year 5 and Year 6 girls. This was a great chance for me to race against my own age group and see how well I could do. I felt confident, and I really wanted to win. I had trained hard and knew I could run fast, so I was ready to give it my best shot.
The race started around a football pitch before heading into tougher sections. I got off to a great start and quickly moved towards the front. However, the signs on the course were not very clear, and I suddenly found myself in the lead but completely confused about where to go. Without realising, I had taken the wrong turn! I had to slow down, find the right path, and then push hard again to regain my speed. Even with that mistake, I managed to keep my lead and finished in first place with a big gap between me and the other runners. My final time was 06:25, and I had an age grade percentage of 81.09%. My pace was 4:04 per kilometre, which was slower than what I know I can run, but that was because I had taken the wrong route and had to correct myself.
Just as I finished celebrating my win, I was told that my school needed another runner for the next race, the Year 5 and Year 6 race. My school only had three girls competing, but they needed four runners to be able to score points. Even though I had just finished my race and was feeling tired, I decided to step up and run again to help my school. I barely had time to catch my breath before I was lining up at the start again, ready to race a second time. This time, the distance was longer—2km instead of 1.6km. I hadn’t planned to do this race, and I had already pushed myself hard in the first one, but I wanted to help my team.
As soon as the race started, I struggled with my position. I had a bad start because I got pushed and had to work my way forward. I passed as many girls as I could and eventually found myself in second place. The girl in front was much taller than me, and every time I tried to overtake her, she sprinted ahead to block me. She refused to let me pass her, and since I had already used up a lot of energy in my first race, I couldn’t keep up with her sprints. If I had known I was going to run twice, I would have taken it easier in the first race to save some energy. In the end, I finished in second place, only a few seconds behind her. Even though I didn’t win, I was so proud of myself for running two races back to back and still finishing in the top two.
After the second race, my legs felt completely shattered! I was exhausted but really happy with my performance. When it was time for the medal ceremony, I was awarded a gold medal for winning the Year 3 and Year 4 race. However, I was told that I couldn’t receive the silver medal for coming second in the Year 5 and Year 6 race. Because I had been helping my school, I wasn’t officially counted in that race, so they gave the silver medal to the girl who finished third and the bronze medal to the girl who finished fourth. I felt this was a little unfair, as I had earned second place, but I was still proud of my efforts.
Overall, it was an amazing day. Winning my race was a great feeling, and even though I didn’t expect to run twice, I proved to myself that I could handle it. My school and my teammates were really proud of me, and that made me feel even better. Even though I didn’t get a silver medal, I knew I had done something special by helping my team. I went home tired but happy, knowing I had given my best and had an incredible experience.
