Today, I competed in the Eastern Young Athletics League at Woodside Stadium in Watford. It felt quite strange being back there, as it used to be my home track when I was part of Watford Harriers. I’ve trained on that track so many times in the past, and I have lots of memories there. But now, I'm with a new club, and I’ve improved so much since I moved. Coming back to that stadium made me feel a mix of excitement and determination. I wanted to show how far I’ve come and prove what I can do now.
Technically, I wasn’t even meant to be running in this event. I’m only 9 years old and still in Year 5, but this was an Under 13 race, mainly for children in Years 6 and 7. I was really happy when I found out I would be allowed to run, especially in the 1,500 metre race. Last year, my best time for that distance was 5 minutes and 34 seconds, but I know I’m a much better runner now. I had a big goal in mind – I wanted to run the race in under 5 minutes. It was a tough target, but I believed I could do it. When I got to the stadium, the races were running behind schedule, but I stayed focused and warmed up properly, ready to race.
I was placed in the race with all the scoring runners – the very best from each club. Each team has two scoring runners, and my club also had two non-scoring runners – me and another boy. That meant I was up against some really strong athletes. In fact, the two scoring boys from my club are fantastic runners and both in Year 7, which made me the youngest one in the race by quite a bit. Still, I didn’t let that worry me. I was ready to give it my best shot.
The race started well for me. I got a good start and settled into a steady rhythm, running around 7th or 8th place. I had a race plan in my head – I aimed to do the first 300 metres in 1 minute, and then try to keep each 400 metres to around 1 minute 20 seconds. I actually started even faster, hitting the 300 metre mark in just 55 seconds. I stayed on track for the next lap, but by the third 400 metres, I was about five seconds behind my target. In the end, I crossed the finish line with a time of 5 minutes and 9 seconds. I was absolutely thrilled to smash my previous personal best of 5:34 from last year.
Even though I didn’t manage to dip under the five-minute mark, I still felt really proud. That time had been very ambitious, and to get so close shows that I’m improving a lot. My pace worked out at an incredible 3 minutes 26 seconds per kilometre, which I couldn’t believe. I even got an age grading percentage of 90.17%, which is absolutely brilliant. I finished 5th overall in a race filled with much older boys, and I felt like I had really held my own.
All in all, it was a fantastic day for me. I ran with confidence and gave everything I had. Competing in an Under 13 race at only 9 years old, and still doing so well, made me feel really proud of myself. I know I have more to give and I’ll keep working hard. That sub-5 minute 1,500m is definitely still in reach—and I can’t wait to try again.
