Cross Country

              Cross Country

“Ba Boom Ba Boom” My heart was racing and the adrenaline was pumping as I reached the start line, “This is it, “ I muttered under my voice. I slowly looked down at my Southland jerseys’ logo; I then remembered what my mum told me earlier that morning,

 “Wear it with pride! Do the province proud!”

“On your mark!” Mrs Boodle bellowed, my nerves of steel turned to glass and shattered.

“Go!” exclaimed Mrs Boodle as the clapper crashed together and we were off, like lightning I took off with Henri.

I was beginning to lose him, I was getting tired and I could hear footsteps behind me,

“Better pick up the pace,” I thought to myself

As I came through for the first lap I was chanting in my head

 “Run my race not anyone else’s!”

Through all this I found myself most of the way up the hill, Henri was just in sight.

 “I’m coming for you” I mumbled to myself.

Once I was on the hilltop my thigh, ankles and calves all wanted to explode but I kept going and thought of one of those “Keep Calm” posters to soldier on.

Henri was out of sight by now and I was focused on to the task at hand, holding on to my place.

I got to the downhill to see Mr L on his musty old mountain bike sitting by the track 

“Careful Declan there’s a bit of loose gravel on the way down!”

He yelled to me as I was running away from him.

I began to go down, as I neared the bottom I slipped a little and heard Jacques yell to me from the top,

 “ HI DECLAN!!!”

I turned to him and smiled but ran faster knowing he might catch me.

The finish line was now in sight, I saw Henri cross the line, and I made a last effort for the line and noticed my Grandpa standing on the sideline. I could hear the school going wild as I crossed the line.

I went straight to my Grandpa

“Great race Dec, well deserved” he said to me as he patted me on my back.

By Declan