Aquinas took part in the Belfast City Council Cross Country Challenge at the City of Belfast Playing Fields Mallusk on Wednesday 23 November. This was the first event for the organisers and the majority of schools within the Belfast City Council area were expected to attend. It was organised by Belfast City Council, Athletics NI, and several local running clubs with Junior sections.

Message from the Organisers:

All the Belfast running clubs with Junior sections, along with Belfast City Council and Athletics NI, are delighted to put on this Schools Cross Country event.

The idea behind this is to encourage children to take part, maybe for the first time, and experience the ‘joy’ of running. Then, with local running clubs being in attendance, if a child is interested in pursuing running further they can talk to their local club who will start and continue to train them.

The meet will be relaxed and is about young people trying out the sport to see what they think.

The running clubs, Belfast City Council and Athletics NI are only too well aware the impact Covid has had on young people’s physical and mental wellbeing and unfortunately this has come about when child obesity has been increasing. We see this collaborative venture as an attempt to provide a framework in which young people can be introduced to an activity that will address some of their needs and ideally introduce them to a lifelong habit/hobby. 

Aquinas brought 15 pupils from Year 8, 9 and 11 to this event.

Year 8 & Year 9 Boys and Girls ran 1 Lap of the course which was 1400m. Years 11 & 12 Boys and Girls ran 2 Laps which was 2800m.

  

 

 

 

 

Year 8 – Tomás , Evie , Katie , Catherine , Hannah , Rose , Anna Mae , Cara , Ellen , Tess .

 

 

Year 9 – James , Rory 

Y11 – Emily , Sophia , David