Class of 2020

AROUND 2000 OF THE NATION’S TOP TEENAGE CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNERS DEFIED CORONAVIRUS FEARS TO RACE AT A MUDDY SEFTON PARK

- JASON HENDERSONA

WITH thick mud underfoot and heavy coronavirus clouds of concern gathering ominously overhead, the 2020 New Balance English Schools Cross Country Championships went ahead last Saturday at Sefton Park in Liverpool.

Young athletes in the six races enjoyed some fiercely competitive racing in what is likely to be their final race for a while. In defiance of the virus, there were even a handful of handshakes spotted during the day as athletes and coaches congratulated or commiserated each other.

Chris Cohen, honorary secretary of the English Schools Athletics Association, told AW that only an estimated half dozen individual athletes had chosen not to compete, presumably withdrawn by worried parents. He also said his volunteer organisation had come under flak from a minority for going ahead with the meeting, although most parents, coaches and athletes applauded the decision.

It also became clear over the weekend that the event was lucky with its date and just managed to get the fixture in before the more widespread sporting shutdown kicked in. The SIAB Schools International Cross Country Championships, for example, which was due to take place in Scotland this coming weekend, was cancelled on the eve of the English Schools, leaving a number of disappointed junior and intermediate age-group athletes who had been looking forward to it. “It’s the biggest race we can do at our age,” one of the junior boys told AW.

English Schools’ advice prior to the event suggested that “athletes are recommended to bring soap or hand sanitiser to the championships so they can wash their hands in the toilets on site”. As it turned out, the soap also came in handy for washing legs and even upper bodies from the mud that became more prevalent as the day went on.