Elizabeth Lees

Cross Country in Dorset has two leagues, Wessex and Hampshire. They have race for both girls, boys and seniors and are attended by many local and more distant clubs and coaches!

They are essential training ground for so many future champions but also many club runners turn up to join the atmosphere and challenge, knowing they will be bringing up the back of pack, but its the effort and training potential that makes it worthwhile.

Usually Cross Country is known for its hills and muds but on a surprisingly mild day in November, this revamped course had neither! Each event is hosted by a club who need to organise a vast number of volunteers to complete everything from marshalling, assisting trained officials on time keeping and results, and planning. This event was hosted by Poole Runners and a first time in 10 years this course has been used. The RD, Claudia, was new to this course and supported by the well known Sarah Swift as Marshall Lead.

We had a small insight into the amount of work put into prep when we were handed a pack on arrival with everything you individually need to know for your role that day. Esther was welfare lead (for lost children etc) whilst Elizabeth had been thrilled to be nominated as Tail runner for U15s race! Meanwhile Patricia and Christine were out on course supporting runner's.

There was 7 races from U11s through to Seniors with girls racing separately to Boys as per the Cross Country Old Skool ways!

The race took up most of the day but time passed quickly between each race as literally runners were going around in circles! So great to see so many young people competing at grass routes level, with some potential future champions no doubt as well as club runners out for a good training run!

Really enjoyable for all, helped by dry weather!

In the words of Elizabeth 'And the moral of the story is when they take off like a pack of hounds just let them go😂'