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English Cross Country Championships

On Saturday the 14th of March the 57th English Schools XC championship took place, in Witton Park in Blackburn. To even qualify for this event is a great individual achievement as it is an inter county race, where the best 8 for each county are selected for a boys team and a girls team in three age groups: junior, intermediate, and senior, so a total of 48 people run for each county. I was running for Leicestershire in the Junior boys race along with my twin brother. Our race was at 13:00.

 My day started early as I had to get up for the team bus which left from De Lisle school at 8:00, because of a long 2 and a half hour journey to Blackburn. After we had arrived we settled down under the Leicestershire tent and we then went to our team manager. When we had gone to him, we all went and walked the course. Soon after it was time to warm up, before the race. Before we knew it, the race was about to start.

I was second in the Leicestershire pen, after my brother and so I was able to get a good start. We went off fast and were sticking together when someone fell over and took my brother down with them. At around the half way mark he caught up with me, but he went past me on the hill. At the end of the race I overtook a few people. It turns out individually I came 36th and my brother was 13th, which meant he was only 5 places off an England selection. However a boy form my school actually individually won the intermediate race.


Considering there were over 300 runners who were all of the best in the country we had both done very well. It was a very interesting day and we have gained experience for the next four years we are able to qualify for this event