On Friday 23 February, pupils from Years 3-6 took part in the Norfolk House Cross Country race at Aldenham School in Hertfordshire. It was the first time the school has entered this event and I’m sure we will continue to enter as they were very hospitable.
We arrived at our destination with plenty of time to spare and the children put on their running shoes ready to start their races. For many, it was their 1st time representing the school and hopefully it will fill them with confidence going forward throughout the rest of the year.
Annabella and Freya from Year 3 and Charlotte, Amber and Chloe from Year 4 made up the U9’s girls team and it was their turn to run the 1KM course.
They all got off to a flying start and we had 3 runners who were at the front for the first half of the race. The course was starting to test them towards the 2nd half of the route but Annabella maintained her speed and produced a fantastic run to finish 1st place. Freya, Amber and Chloe all finished in the top 15 also which meant the team finished in 2nd place overall which is a great result.
The U9’s boys were next and the team comprising of Alex, Luke, Cailan, Jayden, Gwilym and Leo ran very well in the now freezing cold conditions to all finish in respectable positions.
Emmy, Lillia and Francesca from Year 5 and Maya, Estel and Hannah ran in the U11’s girls 1.5KM route race. Emmy was the front runner for long periods of the race and managed to keep her stamina to finish a very respectable 3rd place. Maya and Hannah were also in the top 8 places with the others not far behind. They managed to finish 2nd overall in the team event.
The final race of the day saw Danny, Jake, Isaac, Arjun, Tristan and Dhanna compete in the U11’s boys race. They all got off to strong starts with Tristan running very well finishing in 12th place. Once again they were up against some very strong schools but all the boys ran their hearts out to finish the gruelling course.
Their efforts were rewarded with a nice warm coach to enjoy their sandwiches and treats for the journey home. A special thank you to Mrs Davey and Chloe’s mum for helping out on the day also and everyone can be proud of their achievements!
Mr Paine
