New Scottish Cross-Country Event at Belhaven
Running and Sport Should Be a ‘Lifelong Companion’ in Education
Belhaven Hill School in East Lothian has just welcomed 140 young runners to its first ever annual Belhaven P1-4 Cross-Country event for 4-8-year-olds. It now takes its place as the sister event to the biggest cross-country competition in the annual prep schools’ calendar for 8-13-year-olds – The Belhaven Cross-Country Championships, sponsored by McInroy & Wood. That is now in its 40th year and takes place at the beginning of spring each year.
Both the events are organised and hosted by Belhaven Hill School, the boarding and day school for 4- to 13-year-olds in East Lothian. In the recent junior Cross-Country event held last Saturday P1 and P2 pupils ran a 1K route around the beautiful grounds of the school while P3 and P4 pupils ran 2K.
Belhaven Hill hosted eight participating schools from Scotland and the north of England. Despite being its first year the new cross-country event attracted an impressive 142 pupils competing runners. Schools entered runners into each race for boys and girls, divided into the four year-groups. Schools could enter an unlimited number of pupils in each race and any school entering at least four pupils into any given race qualified for the team competition in that race.
“This course is challenging for the P1-4 age pupils and is nearly unique in Scotland’s schools in that it offers pupils aged from 4-8 the chance to engage in competitive but fun cross-country sport,” says Belhaven Hill School’s Noel Curry. Noel has been part of running cross-country competitions at Belhaven Hill for eighteen years.
The schools taking part included East Lothian prep school Belhaven Hill, and primary schools West Barns Primary, East Linton Primary, Pencaitland Primary, and Athelstaneford Primary. Teams from the Scottish Borders in Cockburnspath and Northumberland in Longridge Towers and Hugh Joicey Primary also competed.
Team coaches cheered on the runners around a course, which starts in open fields before disappearing into woodland, on paths through shrubland before re-emerging in a sprint finish on grass to the tickertape. Many stayed afterwards for tea and prize-giving at the start/finish with the backdrop of the red sandstone school walls, which overlook beautiful Belhaven Bay.
Medals were awarded to the top three boy and girl runners in each race and trophies given to the winning team in each category.
Adventure and Challenge Should Be ‘A Lifelong Companion’
Neil Tomlin, Belhaven’s Headmaster, adds: “Cross-country is a key feature of sport at our school as it promotes not only fitness but also the important aspects of determination and resilience. School should be filled with challenge, curiosity and achievement.”
“Belhaven pupils from age 4 through to 13 run every week and train for cross-country events both in-school and also by running relays along our local beach at Belhaven Bay and through the woods in their Patrol (house) competitions. Twice-weekly running clubs, led by different members of staff also take pupils off through woodland, water courses and over beaches.”
Both Belhaven’s P1-4 Cross-Country and the Belhaven Cross-Country Competition for pupils aged up to 13 play a key part in the school’s holistic educational philosophy. This is captured in Belhaven’s new film, ‘A Lifelong Companion’.
Lots of Winners in the Belhaven Cross-Country
This year as the boys and girls ran together in each age group from P1 to P4 to produce four fabulous races.
First in the P1 races were Jude B. from East Linton and Florence W. from Longridge, as Longridge just edged the win in the team competition from Pencaitland. Pippa H. from Belhaven produced a sterling run to take second in the girls’ event.
The P2 race saw a double win for Longridge in the individual results, with Freddie P. and Camilla F. winning the races, but overall, West Barns was the school which ran away with the team trophy. Belhaven again got an athlete on the podium as Ellie H. also took silver in the girls’ individual race as Belhaven finished a strong third overall.
A truly exceptional athlete, and a star of the future, won the P3 2K run, as Grace T. from Hugh Joicey’s Primary at Ford and Etal in Northumberland beat all challengers, and Ollie from West Barns won the boys’ race. West Barns won the team event.
Belhaven Hill dominated the individual placings in the P4 event, with Jasper H. holding off his team-mate Oscar D. to lead a Belhaven 1-2 in the boys’ event. Aurora M. from Longridge won in the girls’ variant. Overall Belhaven claimed second in the team competition to winners Longridge.
The Belhaven organisational staff left hugely satisfied that their first annual Belhaven P1-4 Cross-Country Championships went so well, with much promise that the event will grow considerably in the years to come.
You can learn more about sports and cross-country running at Belhaven on their website.
