Today I ran in the Donkin Cup. It’s a yearly school race where everyone in my year takes part, so it’s always exciting and competitive. The distance was 2.65 kilometres, and I really wanted to finish with a strong time because this was my last Donkin Cup. The weather was cool, and the course had both grass and road sections, with some tricky hills along the way.
I started off with an okay start — not the fastest, but steady. After a short while, I took the lead and began to pull away. On the grass section, I built up about a five-second gap ahead of the others. I felt good and focused on keeping my pace smooth. It was hard work, but I knew I had more speed to give once we got onto the road.
As soon as we reached the road, I started to pick up the pace even more. My legs felt strong, and I could feel myself building a big gap from the rest of the runners. I was flying through the first kilometre and feeling confident. The course had a nice downhill section before we got back to the grass, so I used it to push hard and gain even more time.
When I reached the grass again, I started to sprint. I wanted to keep my lead and make sure no one could catch me. After that, the route went back onto the road, but this time it was uphill. I could feel how tired my legs were, but I kept reminding myself that the finish wasn’t far away. I pushed as hard as I could all the way to the top.
As soon as I saw the end, I gave it everything I had left. My heart was pounding, and I was breathing fast, but I didn’t slow down. I sprinted to the line, finishing with a time of 9 minutes and 48 seconds. The programme said most people would finish between 10 and 25 minutes, so I was really proud to be under that range.
This was my last Donkin Cup, and I’m so happy I finished it with such a strong run. I gave my best effort from start to finish and left nothing behind. It felt amazing to lead the race and finish first. I’ll always remember this run as one of my best school races ever.
