The Northern Ireland Final of the Flahavan's Cross Country League took place this morning (Friday 3rd March 2023) at Mallusk Playing Fields, Belfast. To reach the final is a tough task with runners competing over a series of three races with their best two results counting. Only five individual athletes and the top three teams from each region qualify leading to a very high calibre field for the finals. Castle Gardens were very proudly and ably represented by Calvin & Lukas Kennedy in the boys' race with the brothers having qualified as individuals with consistently strong performances in each of the qualifying rounds. In the final, runners race one lap of the 1400m circuit following the treeline at the perimeter of the fields and up the bank onto the higher playing fields. This morning, a cool breeze greeted runners as they entered their start pens. The ground underfoot was very firm and after a good warm up and some stretching, Calvin and Lukas were ready to go.
From the moment the starter's whistle sounded, the runners streamed down the opening straight at speed. Very quickly the group of some 200 hundred runners were whittled down to single file at the front. After some 400m, the leaders came into view with Calvin nestled well inside the top 10; a fantastic start. Further back, Lukas had started a little more conservatively but looked very comfortable as he began to work his way through the large pack.
Reaching the halfway point, Calvin was still looking very strong and in a tussle for 10th, 11th and 12th place as runners settled into their races. Passing the same point moments later, Lukas had continued to pick up places, weaving his way through the runners who had started too quickly. As the runners climbed the bank onto the upper fields, the gaps were beginning to grow. Turning back into the wind, Calvin sped down the embankment and turned the final corner heading for home with the positions from 8th to 20th very closely packed together. With 150m to run, Calvin looked to be in about 14th or 15th position and we await the final positions with anticipation as the top 20 runners are invited to join a Northern Ireland development squad for the remainder of the year. Having finished 75th last year, Calvin has made excellent progress and this could mark the start of a promising post-primary running journey for him. Not far behind him, Lukas had continued to make great progress through the field and was still passing runners into the final 100m; a fantastically mature run for a P6 pupil with much to look forward to next year.
At the finish line, the ground was strewn with runners who'd given their all in the race for the finish line. School is remarkably proud of Calvin & Lukas for reaching the final; both boys have worked consistently hard to prepare and displayed a fantastic attitude throughout. Congratulations to them both and to all the other runners who reached the final alongside them. Both boys received a Flahavan's goodie bag to conclude their cross country season.
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