There are some results where the time and finishing position only tell part of the story.
On Saturday, three young FAST athletes lined up at the Australian Cross Country Championships in Ballarat.
For Clare Rice, Leo McKinley and Vivian Swallow, there was something they all had in common:
It was their first National Cross Country Championships.
Clare took on the U14 Women’s 3km, completing the national championship course in 15:10 and finishing 65th.
Our two U11 athletes raced over 2km.
Leo McKinley represented the ACT in the U11 Men’s event, finishing 51st nationally in 8:45.
Vivian Swallow also represented the ACT, finishing 49th in the U11 Women’s race in 9:29.
For young athletes, getting to a national championship matters.
You experience the call room. The state uniforms. Athletes arriving from around Australia. A championship course. A big field. The nerves before the start and the intensity once the race gets underway.
And then you discover that you belong there too.
That’s an experience no ordinary training session can reproduce.
At FAST we talk a lot about developing runners rather than simply preparing children for their next race. That means sprinting, speed, movement and strength — but it also means giving young athletes the confidence and physical capability to explore where running might take them.
For Clare, Leo and Vivian, this weekend it took them all the way to a national start line.
Their finishing positions aren’t the end of this story.
They’re the starting point.
Congratulations Clare, Leo and Vivian on becoming National Cross Country Championship athletes.
First Nationals done.
Now let’s see where running takes you next.
Running Excellence grows. 🖤❤️
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