On a chilly but (thankfully!) dry November morning, 24 of our pupils descended on Stubbers Adventure Centre to race in the Havering Cross Country Championships. With 25 schools from across the borough competing in the four races, an incredible 600 junior children were in attendance.
On a chilly but (thankfully!) dry November morning, 24 of our pupils descended on Stubbers Adventure Centre to race in the Havering Cross Country Championships. With 25 schools from across the borough competing in the four races, an incredible 600 junior children were in attendance. With many of our team having practised in the weeks leading up to the event, we felt prepared, excited and ready to race.
After a warm up and final talk about starting and finishing strategies, the first race - Year 3 and 4 girls - got underway. I didn't have to wait long to see our first runner appear at the end of the 1,200m course. Our Year 4 pupil made light work of a hill at the very end, finishing an incredible 6th in a field of around 150 runners. Her team mates soon followed; it seemed like a solid team performance, but we'd have to wait to find out the team results.Next up were the Year 3 and 4 boys. Three runners from last year were joined by three new pupils, making an impressive team. The boys set off like rockets! Soon, finishers began to emerge; I couldn't believe it when four of our boys - closely followed by their team mates - emerged together then sprinted for the line, all finishing in the top 20! Again, we'd have to wait to find out our team placing.
Soon the Year 5 and 6 girls began. Showing no sign of their pre-race nerves, the team, four of whom raced last year, did absolutely brilliantly on the longer 2,000m course. Again, I didn't have to wait long to see a Hacton pupil powering towards the finish; our Year 5 pupil finished in an amazing 9th place. Her team mates also finished highly, all of them showing that they had a little left in the tank for a quick finish!
Finally, the last race of the day - the Year 5 and 6 boys. After a long wait in which they gave plenty of encouragement to our younger pupils, our boys were off. Soon, they came speeding towards the finish, with another of our talented Year 5 athletes leading the way in a fantastic 8th place. One of our Year 6 pupils also achieved an impressive top-20 finish, with his team mates coming in just seconds behind to bring the team home.
Later that day, we discovered our team scores; Year 5 and 6 boys finished in an excellent 8th place, Year 5 and 6 girls finished in a brilliant 4th place, and our Year 3 and 4 girls and boys teams finished in a quite fantastic 2nd place! I am incredibly proud of the effort that the whole team put in, and can't wait to see many of you compete again next year. Keep on running!
Miss Claridge (P.E. Coordinator)
