Another Inspired BRAT Junior XC Performance!

Warley Woods, race 2.

Now, juniors, I know you may feel you worked hard, ran your socks off (or your shoes off, in 2 cases I know of…!), pushed to the line and given it absolutely all you had. BUT…what I have to say is “think of the parents!”. Do you know how hard it is to support at Warley Woods? I saw mums and dads going up and down those hills over and over again, toddlers and pets in tow, screaming at the top of their lungs! So, parents, you have my full respect when I say WELL DONE!

As for the juniors, yes, I suppose you didn’t do too bad too. In addition to some top 3 and top 10 placings, we had a much strengthened U15 girls team, with 3 of the runners making their season debut. A special mention to Tilly & Katie who kept going all the way to the line to lift the U15 girls team to a much improved 9^th (out of a total of 19 teams). This was one of my personal highlights of the day, especially with it being the final race of the afternoon, well done girls!

Alongside that, my other highlights included:

Two of the U11 boys losing shoes during the race. Well done lads, that’s some insane dedication.
XC team manager Nick’s colour coded folders for numbers, a stroke of genius.
Antonio’s trademark sprint finish.
Every single stampede start. In particular the one where there was a parent on the phone casually walking across the field…suddenly turning around to see a sea of young athletes hurtling in his direction. How fast he moved to get out of their way!!!

Thanks to everyone that was involved in making the day another great BRAT outing. The XC team managers, Nick in particular, work hard to make these things work…not to mention all the time spent coaching! Also, thanks to the senior athletes that made the trip over to support, encourage and mentor the junior groups, it was fantastic to have you all there. A special mention to our tent specialist, Jort, kindly turning up early and leaving late and carrying the tent in and out of the park. A huge task, it is appreciated for sure!

On to the results, we consolidated our 5^th place (out of 21 teams) that we achieved in the first race at Newbold Revel. As I said then, this is a mighty achievement, and it really does feel that the club is in a good place at the moment. This is down to ALL OF YOUR hard work and dedication. If you were there, you made a difference! We had 55 runners on the day, which is probably as many XC runners we have ever had. Can we make it to 60 at the next event on Sunday 5^th December? YOU BET WE CAN!!!

Full results are available here:

U11 girls: