The Buchan School once again showed dominance in their capabilities; this year in both boys and girls races in the Primary Schools Cross Country Championships, taking the joint titles in this year’s event and also the overall schools prize, with some top individual performances from this highly trained and determined team.
In this year’s Wi-Manx supported Primary Schools Cross Country Championships, top runner, Ethan Georgeson from the Buchan School, who achieved a magnificent 10th place last year, dominated the boys race of 150 runners and clocked in at just 3 seconds over 7 minutes, although more than half a minute slower that the winning time in last year’s event won by Joe Pearce of Laxey. In the girls race, Onchan School’s Lydia Morris showed tremendous form, taking the title in a magnificent time of 7 minutes, 38 seconds.
In the team places, runners-up for the boys and girls, Laxey School (also runners up in the boys event last year) showed real determination with their top four runners in the girls all finishing in the first 50 places for both the boys and girls events.
A convincing third place was achieved by Ashley Hill School this year in the girls team and also fourth place for their boys, 10 places behind Ree Gorree who took 3rd place to match their same success last year.
Conditions on the day at the new Noble’s Park course, following the inaugural event last year were far from easy for the 26 schools taking part, (150 boys and 146 girls) with gale force easterly winds, knocking temperatures down to almost zero and children and adults struggling to keep warm in between races. Furthermore, poor drainage of certain parts resulted in a largely boggy and unpredictable course, proving fairly demanding for the runners to maintain an even pace and this slowed many children down.
In spite of the conditions, the races were enjoyed by all and the atmosphere was thrilling as the children made their way around the course, strategically marked out by Mr Fox and the team of willing Y13 student volunteers from St. Ninian’s High School.
Many schools took part for the first time his year and hopefully were drawn in by the brilliant atmosphere and excitement and will return again next year.
Congratulating the runners afterwards and rewarding the individual and team prize winners will have been a memorable experience, enhanced further by the addition of Katie Astin, local cross country ace and a huge ambassador for the support who presented the prizes to all the winners, following in her older sister’s footsteps last year.
Full results, courtesy of manxtimingsolutions and further information and photographs of the event can be accessed here - http://www.xchallenge.im/.
