With grey skies all around the driest part of the day was saved for the 4th running of the Thanet Secondary Schools’ Cross Country Championships. This year the event was hosted by Hartsdown College who pulled out all the stops to accommodate the mass of runners that descended on the playing fields. The event was the first time the organization had passed from a purely Thanet School Sport Partnership event into a Steering Group programme involving Dave Walton and Ben Wells SSCos from the partnership and local athletics gurus Phil Pittock, James Bridge, Derek Sackett and Julie Roe.  The expansion of the organizing committee will ensure the continued expansion of the event as enthusiastic and experienced cross country runners from primary schools seek opportunities to race as they move through the school system.

The second of this year’s Thanet Primary Schools Cross-Country League meetings took place at Palm Bay Primary School on Saturday. A record number of runners turned out, representing 28 different schools, and large crowds enjoyed the winter sunshine and some exciting races.