Today, I took part in the Wheathampstead 2K and 10K Fun Run. This event is really special to me because it takes place close to my school, and every year, lots of girls from my school sign up. I was especially excited to run this year because I remember how I felt last year. I had run the 2K race and finished with a time of 09:01. I was the 5th girl to cross the line, and I felt quite disappointed at the time. Since then, I’ve trained hard and improved a lot, and I really wanted to see how much better I could do.
In the lead-up to the race, I thought about the girls who had beaten me last year. I had looked at their names and remembered how they ran. I set myself a big goal this year—I wanted to beat all of them. More than anything, I wanted to be the first girl to finish and win the first-place trophy. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. It was a mixed Under-14 race, and I’m only 8 years old. But I felt ready and confident. When the race was about to start, I made sure I was right at the front of the line to get a good start.
As soon as the race began, I got off the line quickly and settled into the group near the front. I found myself around 6th or 7th place, and all the runners in front of me were boys. I was the leading girl, which made me really happy, but I knew I had to keep working hard. I didn’t want to lose that position. I kept pushing myself and focused on staying with the boys ahead. At one point, I ran past my dad, who was cheering from the side. He shouted to me that there was a girl catching up from behind. That made me even more determined—I sped up straight away because I didn’t want anyone to pass me.
As the finish line got closer, I could hear someone behind me getting faster. It was the girl my dad had warned me about, and she had started sprinting. But I wasn’t going to give up my lead. I found some extra energy and started sprinting too. I ran as fast as I could and managed to hold her off. I crossed the line in 10th place overall, and I was the first girl to finish the race. I couldn’t believe it. Out of over 500 children, I had come 10th, and most importantly, I was the first girl finisher. I felt so proud of myself.
My finishing time was 07:34, which was a huge improvement from my time of 09:01 the year before. I was absolutely over the moon. All the hard work and training had paid off. After the race, there was a trophy ceremony, and I was called up to receive the first-place girls’ trophy. Holding that trophy felt amazing. It was also really lovely to see so many girls from my school in the same race, and I felt proud to have finished first among them.
Overall, it was a brilliant day. The weather was nice, the atmosphere was exciting, and I achieved something I had dreamed about for a whole year. I’ll never forget how it felt to cross that line first and to know that all the effort I had put in was worth it. I’m already looking forward to next year’s race, and I’m going to keep training hard so I can do even better.
