Ormesby Hall Cross Country, 15 Jan 2023

After taking part in the cross country on this course last year I knew that there would be a lot of mud to contend with and I wasn’t wrong! The race started in a boggy field which was already churned up from the junior races beforehand.

I started on the front row so that I would have space to run without other runners sliding into me and as we ran across the field there was mud flying all over the place. We did a lap of the field which, when it wasn’t boggy was uneven and rutted, before entering a woodland area. Once I got to the woods, some distance had developed between myself and the next runner so I settled into my own pace. The trail wound through the trees with a few muddy patches and roots to avoid but was nice and had the addition of spectators popping out from behind the trees to cheer us on.

After about a mile, I emerged out of the woods, ready to take on the boggy field again. Although I could hear people cheering on runners behind me, I couldn’t hear the runner’s breathing so I knew that they weren’t too close and just continued to run at my own pace. Another lap of the field and woods followed and even though I knew that there wasn’t much of the field to cover to get to the finish line, I couldn’t increase my pace as the ground was just too boggy and it felt like I was running through syrup! I was pleased to finish and happy that I came 7th out of 89 women and was 2nd in my category.

Sarah Hunter