Given that it's December, I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Cold winds and snow flurries were the order of the day but a course inspection at 8am gave the thumbs up for races to proceed so it was down to the hardy few to brave the start line today. A massive well done to all runners for turning out in those conditions. 

In the Year 3 and 4 Boys Race, our team are on the charge. Jake Royle and Josh Greenwood again were at the very front of the race finishing in superb 3rd and 4th places respectively. Alfie Starling paced his race beautifully to work through the field to achieve a well-earned personal best in finishing a very fine 17th place- there are many more certificates to come, I'm sure. Oliver Nangle recovered from a bad fall to finish an excellent 21st place. Kieran Boulter battled well through the blizzard to finish in the top 50 while Zachary Seddon seemed very at home in the artic freeze finishing a fantastic 55th place. Our youngest runners showed tremendous resilience and courage to help each other round and finish in the top 80- well done to Jack Gibson, Harry Johnson and Henry Mawdsley!

After cautious starts, our girls in the Year 3 and 4 Race moved steadily through the field, many claiming personal best finishes. First home was Asha Mistry in a fantastic 6th place. Imogen Pattison was next in a very solid 18th place while Erin Carinci and Hermione Crompton indulged in a personal battle, passing each other several times in finishing in 25th and 28th places respectively. Claudia Worrall, Mya Mboge, Maddison Farrell and Jennifer Sneddon each had incredible runs finishing in personal best positions of 43rd, 44th, 48th and 50th respectively. Finishing in a great 62nd position, Rose Ford completed the team with a season debut on a day she will remember!

We'd only 4 runners present on the start line in the Year 5 and 6 Boys category with each of them knowing that they had to complete the course to ensure our team earned points. Due to snowy conditions the course was altered for the older runners. The dreadfully steep hill at the far end of the course was replaced with an extra small lap which meant a couple of minutes of extra running but each of our boys aquitted themselves superbly. Leading the team home was Matthew Greenwood, who ran a very mature race, finishing in a super 18th place. Harry Bayman didn't have the best of days but showed the typical grit and determination that we've come to expect from him, finishing in a very creditable 29th place. Sam Sneddon and Blake Farrow showed resilience and application in equal measure, controlling the pace well to finish in fabulous 47th and 55th places respectively. Our 4 runners ensured that we had enough to register points for the school and we are incredibly proud of you all for toughing out the brutal distance and conditions. 

It was almost a clean sweep in the Year 5 and 6 Girls race with Jasmine Wright, Marissa Caldwell, Sophia Roiditis and Bailey-Rae O'Keefe finishing in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th places. Erika Fowles ran a typically gutsy race, sprinting all the way to line to claim a season's best of 21st place. A brilliant run- well done, Erika! Khloe Boulter also finished inside the top 30 with a brave performance. Following just a few steps  behind Erika for most of the race, Khloe also produced a wonderful finish, claiming 2 places in the dying steps- another fantastic performance.

A massive thank you to our families who transported our runners in the snow and supported them throughout the morning. We really appreciate your support and I'm sure you are every bit as proud of your children as we are. Thank you also to the James Brindley staff for giving up their time. We were lucky to 5 staff members present this morning supporting the children. 

The final race of the Salford Schools series takes place at Buile Hill on Saturday 20 January 2018 and will be followed by the annual presentation in the banqueting hall. Runners intending to stay for the presentation should allow around 60 minutes after the final race for results to be calculated and checked.  

             Year 3 & 4 Boys Race

        Year 3 & 4 Girls Race

          Year 5 & 6 Boys Race

        Year 5 & 6 Girls Race