NATIONAL XC FALKIRK 2014

U15 Harrier team - Helen, Morgan, Louise & Megan

On Saturday 22nd February was the annual Scottish National Cross Country Championship in Falkirk.  Like Christmas it comes around only once a year where athletes of all ages in Scotland get the opportunity to show the hard work and dedication they have put into their training for the past year.  Even a few Olympians and World Championship athletes were in the senior women’s race.

You have the all the age group races under 13, 15, 17, 20 and the Senior races for anyone 21 & over.  Amongst individual glory in achieving 1st, 2nd or 3rd you have team prizes to run for were in the age group races it is 4 counters make a team and 6 counters in the senior i.e. a counter is an athlete from one club.  So it was important to run well for yourself and your club mates.

This year the Calderglen Harriers had a core performance group of athletes taking part and they were the Under 15 team of athletes Megan Anderson, Helen Anderson, Louise Brown and Morgan Beaton and solo Under 13 Boy Marc McQuade for representing the club.

After a week of rain the course at Callender Park was thick with mud, strength sapping conditions which required a lot of physical and mental strength to push yourself to the limit to get through the tough points of the course. So big a well done to all that ran as you are winners having the courage to do it, the positive mental attitude to try such a demanding ask of yourself.  So if you can do this you can do anything.

Marc McQuade

First off for a change was the under 13 boys race were young Marc McQuade was running amongst the field of 151 runners doing 1 lap of 3.2k.   As well as cross country training sessions, Marc has been doing the 5k Parkruns in Glasgow's Pollok Park which has help improve his endurance, speed and strength.  Marc was a 1st timer doing this event and achieved a time of (16:04).

 

 

Megan Anderson

Next up was our under 15 quartet of Helen, Megan, Louise and Morgan.  This was Helen, Megan, and Louise's first time doing the under 15 course of 4k as the last 2 years they were under 13 and it was Morgan's first time doing this event.  It was great for Calderglen to have a full team and the girls achieved 12th team with a combined time of 1:35:23.  There individual times were Megan (21:47), Helen (22:17), Louise (23:18) and Morgan (28:01).



 

A big thank you goes to Harrier tent team erectors of Craig & Alexis Brown, Russell Couper, and Frances Maxwell.  Thank you Mary & Tommy Anderson for their encouraging support around the course.  All runners liked to be encouraged around the course honest it does help.  Finally thank you to the senior Harriers who helped with dismantling the tent at the end of day you know who you are.