It was a glorious sunny day for the final leg of the East District XC League and we had a record 29 young runners turn up to take on ‘The Notorious Puddle.’ Unfortunately due to the lack of rain it had dried up – this was a slight disappointment to the youngsters (but not to the adults in the later races!)
 
Not to be deterred thirteen u11 girls set out first to tackle the mile course. It was a lovely route, undulating through the woods and trails but with patches of ice and snow where those with spikes had an advantage. All made it round in one piece and came in 11th team overall, a great result.
 
Next up were the u11 boys. The team were lying in third place after the first two rounds so all wanted to put on a good performance to see if they could better their position. Fantastic runs from all boys and in particular Alisdair, Ethan and Finlay saw them improve to first place and take the trophy. Scottish East District Champions for the first time since the league started 40 years ago!
 
It’s worth noting that Harmeny AC had 22 Under 11’s, the highest turnout of all the clubs and our best attendance in recent years.
 
Well done to the two girls, Rebecca and Ruby and five boys who ran the longer 2.7km course for the under13’s. There were gritty performances all round especially when you consider the sun was beginning to fade and there was a real chill in the air.
 
Thanks to all the parents who brought their children along and stayed to cheer on the runners. The support makes a big difference when you’re pushing hard in a race and I know all the kids really appreciate it.
 
And lastly a huge thanks to the coaches and helpers who have worked with the children all season, focusing their training and keeping them motivated through the dark winter nights – here’s to the next season and hopefully more trophies!
 
Link to results:
 
(Start-line photo courtesy of Mark Kinghorn. Digital copies of all his photos can be purchased directly from Mark.) Link to more at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/16599421@N04/sets/72157679079748466/page1