Today, I took part in a race in Hitchin called the Golden Mile. It was a one-mile run through the town centre, and it was open to all children under the age of 14. I was really excited but also knew it would be a tough race because I’m only eight years old. Still, I wanted to push myself and try my best to get a good time, even though I was running against older children.
There were around 140 runners in total, a mix of boys and girls. I knew that meant the race would be very competitive, so I gave it everything I had right from the start. I tried to stay focused and keep my pace strong the whole way through. It was a busy and exciting race, and the crowd cheering really helped me keep going.
In the end, I finished with a time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds. I felt a little disappointed with that because I was hoping to be 15 to 20 seconds faster. I didn’t feel quite as strong as I normally do during races, and I think if I had been feeling better, I could have run quicker. I still finished 14th out of 140 runners, which is something to be proud of, and I was the second girl overall.
The girl who came first was in Year 5, and she only beat me by 15 seconds. I feel that on a different day, I might have been able to beat her. The course was also quite tricky. It was my first time running there, and I found the track a little confusing. There were parts with tarmac, gravel, and even some uphill sections, which made the race harder. But it was also fun and different from other races I’ve done.
Even though I didn’t run as fast as I hoped, I still enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. Next year, I would love to come back and try again. Now that I know the course, I think I’ll feel much more confident, and I really believe I can improve my time by a lot. It’s a good goal to work towards, and I’m already looking forward to next time.
One of the best parts of the day was getting a trophy. The event gives out trophies to the top boy and girl in each age group, and I was the fastest girl in the eight-year-old category. I felt really proud when I got my trophy, and I was so happy to bring it home and add it to my collection. It made the whole day even more special!
