Hundreds of children from 20 schools across north Simcoe County challenged themselves to run cross country on a recent cold, crisp day at Little Lake Park in Midland.
There were 119 runners just in the Grade 4 girls race.
For Scarlett Hopkins, a Grade 4 pupil at Canadian Martyrs Catholic School, it was her first time running cross country.
"I got tenth place. I'm happy. It was kind of tricky. There were lots of plants," she said.
In the Grade 4 boys race, there were 120 runners.
Nate Crowe, of St. Joseph Public Elementary School, won the 1.8 km race.
"I was in the middle. I wanted to stay in the middle because if I was at the front, I would have wasted my energy," he said.
The hardest part was the end, said Crowe, because he sprinted.
He and Hopkins have qualified for the Simcoe County Championships to be held Wednesday at Mount St. Louis Moonstone. The top 12 finishers from each race plus the top two teams from each school will be competing Oct. 23.
"I'm nervous," said Crowe.
MidlandToday caught up to Grade 6 Huron Park student Grayson Boettger right after his race. He came in sixth place, so he will also be going to the championships and said he made it to the county level last year too.
His favourite part was that "You get out of school and you get to run," he said.
Natalie Lalonde, a Grade 6 pupil from Our Lady of Lourdes, was taking part in her first cross country race. While she didn't qualify for the county level, she had a good day.
"I get to be outside and I get to see my friends," she said.
Colter Grenier, a Grade 8 pupil at Canadian Martyrs, was watching the younger children run while awaiting his race.
"It's a beautiful track. You get to run in the forest too. It's really nice," he said, adding that he's was enjoying a day out with his friends.
Grenier placed eighth, in the 2.8 km race with a field of 45 runners, and is moving on to the County championships.
Andrew Foley, convener of the race and a teacher at St. Joseph, values the day of running as part of the children's education.
“It’s a good feeling. It’s a fun feeling. I remember running it when I was a kid. At this point it’s fun to watch others run it," he said.
It's also challenging for the students because its an outdoor sport.
“It’s a very difficult sport to start off with. It could be raining, it could be cold. You are running as hard as you can and you are trying to finish the race."
